He was a big man – tall and broad. He said he never asked for shoes when he went to the shoe store; he just called for leather. Every morning he shaved with his old straight-edged razor. His dark hair was cut short in what he called the pompadour. His eyes were a piercing blue, his nose a little on the sharp order. Grandpa was a handsome man. No wonder Grandma “fell” for him!
He was neat too, though he wore the usual farmer’s garb: bib overalls, blue chambray shirt, high-top shoes (always black), sweater, denim blouse and two buckle overshoes. In summer he wore a straw hat, in winter a corduroy cap. Grandpa did not go bareheaded, summer or winter. He did not roll up his sleeves up either. Grandma always said he had skin like a baby.
On dress-up occasions, the suit was usually brown, all wool with a hard finish. No land catchers for him. A white or light-colored striped shirt and felt fedora. There were five boys and three girls with grandpa third in line. The two older boys had to quit school early and then worked to put the other boys through college. With his small amount of schooling, Grandpa did as well or better than any of the boys. He had plenty of talent and became an excellent carpenter. He built or helped build some of Fort Wayne’s finest homes.
Farming was his real love and he was good at it. True, he worked hard, most farmers do. He liked being his own boss and had a keen sense of knowing when to work the land and when to stay off. My dad either inherited that or absorbed it from him.
Grandpa was very economical about some things. This was not a “stingy” trait. Simply, you don’t waste water because the supply is limited. One day you will have children, grandchildren, etc. For their sakes you do not consume more than your share of natural resources. You improve the soil and build up so future generations can enjoy their share too.
Oh, I don’t remember him putting his idea into those words, but it was pretty evident. Sometimes I would wonder, “what is one share of such common things as heat or electricity or gas or some of the other dependable resources?” It isn’t as simple as being able to pay for it.
In other ways, Grandpa was very generous. He didn’t believe in loaning money (he was burned once by a relative). But if he had it in his pocket, he would give a five or 10 to a would-be borrower. If you got it back, fine. If not, well, that was okay because it was just a gift.
By the time I knew him, Grandpa’s hands were too crippled to milk a cow. He took care of the hogs; Grandma milked the cows and separated the milk. She loved working outside and worked alongside Grandpa anytime she could, although household tasks were her main department.
When he was in his 70s and couldn’t go out to do chores, Grandpa started washing dishes and doing small chores in the house. By then there weren’t many outside chores, but Grandma insisted on having a few hens until she was past 80.
It seems to me that the world would be a much better place if everyone practiced Grandpa’s rules.
Educational material and not legal advice, written by the team at Adler attorneys. Email andrea@noblesvilleattorney.com with questions or comments.