Birthdays….
I’m 31 today. And not to be a downer, but, it doesn’t excite me all that much. I’ve had many amazing birthdays, mostly because I shared the date with my grandfather- my dad’s dad. My mother’s dad was even born the day before on July 14th. That always meant that it was a good celebration with family. Mom’s dad died when I was a teenager. Dad’s dad just a few years ago. Combine that with a family that has all moved away and stopped talking and it takes away what I loved about sharing my birthday with special people. So, I now dedicate my birthday to the remembrance of grandpas. Grandpa Bill (mom’s side) was one of the most intelligent people I’ve ever known despite dropping out of school in the third grade to hunt raccoons to help support his huge family. If he was here today he would be explaining the inner workings of the radio, or dragging me into the hills to find a plant that only blooms once every 100 years. And, he would know exactly which hill it was on an the best time to be there so the light was just right for a picture. You can be sure he would have his cane handy to get my attention if it waned…. I think his ingenuity and stature (he was 6’7″ or so) lives on in me. Grandpa Dick was a man’s man when it came to the old west meaning of the phrase. I swear he could catch a fish with rod in one hand and shoot a deer with a rifle in the other. We spent many sunny days fishing the Truckee with “single eggs”. I swore for the first few years that he said “seagull eggs” and wondered why they were so small and came in a jar….. In other news, I think he left his penchant for whiskey with me when he left us. I didn’t care for it much before that. But really, he taught me a lot about having respect for people and life for which I’m eternally grateful. So, here’s to memories of a few great men. I hope I can live to be just a little bit as great as they were. Happy birthday to them!
