Some things are just hard to take in. One of these is the fact that today, my grampa celebrates his 90th birthday. NINETY! 90! Nine-TY! Holy cow...he deserves a celebration!
My family is all gathered in Wisconsin and with his friends and extended family, they will be having a huge farm-themed birthday party to celebrate all the years of my grampa's life. I wish I could be there, but helaas, it will be only in heart.
I'd just like to tell my grampa: HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Congratulations! And may it be a day filled with love, laughter, and lots of games of cribbage, a whole table full of cheese cubes, and a whole cooler of cold beer!
Here's a little something I wrote for my grampa, today on his birthday. It's a bit on the novice side, but to be perfectly honest, I think it suits him just perfectly. I can already hear his laugh as he reads the memories of chasing the piggies, playing Santa Claus, and all the adding machine tape he used to find lying around the house.
Memories Of The Farm
Through the eyes of a little girl
Written by Tera, for her wonderful Grampa
On his birthday today, 90 years, give a whirl!
I remember back
To piggies on the farm
Running through the corn fields
Chasing them away from harm.
The always present cream puffs
And homemade applesauce
People playing cards all night
The stacks of empty yogurt cups
We weren’t allowed to toss
Annie’s bedroom with closets full of clothes
I wasn’t allowed to go in there
But still sneaked a peek or two
Whenever I would dare.
Jeff and Jan had the video game
We were allowed to play
Their room at the back always dark
Where they would sleep away the day.
A hop and skip to Kim and Tracy’s house
We made a path through the corn
Cornhusk plates, mudpie cookies galore
For fairy friends we invented in the dewey morn.
The basement with all kinds of ‘toys’
Invented by grandkid girls and boys
A bike to ride across the floor
And an adding machine with tape galore
An old fashioned washing machine
Wring those clothes on through
And the chute for the laundry
Did a kid ever slide down there too?
The German Shepherd dog (Sonja?) was always there
Guarding the homestead as we ran around
Heading to Piggly-Wiggly and the ice cream shop
For kids at play there was fun abound.
The creek where we weren’t supposed to go alone
We managed to find our way there quite often unknown
Christmas with the decorated tree
And always a visit from Santa Claus-who could that be?
My Misty got hit there, on that busy road
And that was a day when many tears flowed.
The Spanish bull-fighter adorned the living room
I dreamed of being the girl in the red dancing costume.
And yes, this was all many years ago
These memories that flood my heart and my soul
A home where I was always welcome and free
To be a child, a girl who grew up to be me.
And it was there, on Grampa’s farm
That I learned to love this man full of charm
His laughter still fills up a room
A hearty and full-bellied laugh, like a boom.
His stories of the past, so enlightening
Some of his experiences in life, downright frightening.
The love he still holds for his wife
Is testimony to the way he’s always lived his life.
This man is my grampa, I’m so proud to say
And it is in this special poetic way
I want to wish him, my special grampa,
A VERY HAPPY 90th BIRTHDAY!!!
I love you, Grampa! Love, Tera
September 19, 2008
Through the eyes of a little girl
Written by Tera, for her wonderful Grampa
On his birthday today, 90 years, give a whirl!
I remember back
To piggies on the farm
Running through the corn fields
Chasing them away from harm.
The always present cream puffs
And homemade applesauce
People playing cards all night
The stacks of empty yogurt cups
We weren’t allowed to toss
Annie’s bedroom with closets full of clothes
I wasn’t allowed to go in there
But still sneaked a peek or two
Whenever I would dare.
Jeff and Jan had the video game
We were allowed to play
Their room at the back always dark
Where they would sleep away the day.
A hop and skip to Kim and Tracy’s house
We made a path through the corn
Cornhusk plates, mudpie cookies galore
For fairy friends we invented in the dewey morn.
The basement with all kinds of ‘toys’
Invented by grandkid girls and boys
A bike to ride across the floor
And an adding machine with tape galore
An old fashioned washing machine
Wring those clothes on through
And the chute for the laundry
Did a kid ever slide down there too?
The German Shepherd dog (Sonja?) was always there
Guarding the homestead as we ran around
Heading to Piggly-Wiggly and the ice cream shop
For kids at play there was fun abound.
The creek where we weren’t supposed to go alone
We managed to find our way there quite often unknown
Christmas with the decorated tree
And always a visit from Santa Claus-who could that be?
My Misty got hit there, on that busy road
And that was a day when many tears flowed.
The Spanish bull-fighter adorned the living room
I dreamed of being the girl in the red dancing costume.
And yes, this was all many years ago
These memories that flood my heart and my soul
A home where I was always welcome and free
To be a child, a girl who grew up to be me.
And it was there, on Grampa’s farm
That I learned to love this man full of charm
His laughter still fills up a room
A hearty and full-bellied laugh, like a boom.
His stories of the past, so enlightening
Some of his experiences in life, downright frightening.
The love he still holds for his wife
Is testimony to the way he’s always lived his life.
This man is my grampa, I’m so proud to say
And it is in this special poetic way
I want to wish him, my special grampa,
A VERY HAPPY 90th BIRTHDAY!!!
I love you, Grampa! Love, Tera
September 19, 2008
1 comment:
Ohh my gosh Tera, for having such a hard time getting starting it came out WONDERFUL! It brought warmth to my heart when reading it. Maybe because my grandpa had the same kind of place, but....Your words were beautiful, wholesome and reflective.
Cheers to your grandpa and his 90 years! And also what he and his farm brought to your life.
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