OT- What are some of the things your grandfather taught you?

[rangerider7]

Some of the comments on my Grandfather's razor strap made me think, "what are some of the things you grandfathers taught you?" That spitting thing made me think about it all over again. My grandfather on my dad's side lived in Comanche, Texas when I was young. It was my turn to go and stay a few weeks with him when I was ten. I would walk with him each day to go downtown to play dominoes. For lunch we went to the same cafe for lunch each day. I usually got a cheeseburger and coke. He would get the daily special and coffee. We would always top it off with a big piece of peach pie. My granddad smoked Bull Durham and chewed Bull of the woods tobacco. After lunch we would set on the bench in front of the cafe to rest for the walk home. I asked him one day if I could have a chew of that stuff because he seem to like it so much. He said "holy cow, your mother would take my cane and whip us both!" I was surprised by his answer because my mom couldn't bring herself to whip me with a belt much less a cane. I assured him it would be okay. He said it would have to be our secret but he would get me some Redman because it was milder. He insisted that first I had to pass a test. That was spit from the bench, across the curb, and into the street. He said he didn't want any stains for evidence on my clothes. For a ten year old I was not a natural spitter I guess, so it took a couple of days to be consistent. Well it came the day when we went to the Rexall and got some Redman. He told me to take a small piece first and see if I liked it but by all means don't swallow it. It was different but I like the spitting most of all. We would have spitting contest all the way home. He taught me many things but that is for a later time. By the way I kept chewing Redman until I was 23 on the sly. The reason I stopped was when I was coaching football a big lineman hit me in the chest while blocking another player on the board. I swallowed the whole cud. That did it for me. I thought for sure I was going to die.

[Old Savage]

Last one died when I was nine and didn't get to see him enough.

[jdad]

Only 1 was living when I was born and I saw him very little. I do remember him buying me my first fishing rod and trying to teach me how to use a baitcasting reel.

[J Miller]

Mom and dad moved away from IL when I was very small. I didn't see my grandfather again until about 10 or 12 years later. He was in the hospital after loosing a lung to cancer. He died not long after that.
I never learned anything from him. Much to my loss as he had much to teach.

J e

[Barcelona Rick]

I was lucky enough to have both grandpaws in my life. My dad's until I was 20 and my mom's until I was 35. My dad's father was a straight as an arrow Railroad man.....worked 50 + years. He was a Master Mason, Scottish Rite Mason and Shriner. He didn't drink or cuss but he did smoke Prince Albert pipe tobacco every waking minute of his day. He never learned to drive a car and loved to read and listen to baseball. He taught me a great deal about being an honorable man and how to save a bit of money (wished I had done both more effectively). Mom's dad was an old time Rancher and Farmer. He became the man of his family at age 12 when his dad a Methodist Preacher died while riding his Central Texas Circuit. Papaw quit school and went to raising cows and alittle cotton and a great big garden. He was also a Master Mason and a Scottish Rite Mason. He learned to barber when he married (his father in law was a barber) and got hooked up in politics. He was a JP and City Judge then a County Court at Law Judge.....he drank Wellers, Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer, dipped 3 dot Garrett Snuff, smoked short Camels and cheap cigars and sometimes chewed Cotton Bowl Twist tobacco. He taught me how to have patience by fishing almost everyday. He taught me how to garden and how to enjoy cold watermellon or homemade ice cream on a hot Texas summer night. He also let me drive, smoke, shave with a straight razor (not sharpened), throw a curve ball and enjoy life wherever I went. Both lived to be almost 90 and never looked back...

jumbeaux

[O.S.O.K.]

I am the youngest of the youngest. My fraternal granddad died when I was a small boy and I got to spend very little time with him. My paternal gradpa was a loser - alcoholic that left my grandma alone with my mom - I really didn't want to be around him - and he passed when I was around 11 or so. He was a brilliant man but made really poor choices in life. I guess I did learn some from him though - through negative example.

I am blessed though in having very good parents that taught me right and made sure that their three sons had a good start in life. I learned a lot from them - mom and dad both. I'm happy to say that I'm still learning from them

[pokey]

never met either one.

[rafter-7]

patience.... or he tried he was gone when I was 8

Remember the Hoppes #9 story I told about our duck hunting days





thats me on the floor 1976

chad

[TedH]

Dad's Dad died when I was still in diapers. Mom's folks moved to Florida when I was just barely out of diapers. Hardly ever saw them and their all gone now.

[Ben_Rumson]

I learned a bunch of cuss words from my Gramps working with him for a couple of summers mixing mortar(he was a building contractor) and trying to carry hod.. I really thought it was funny and fun to hear Gramps cuss then get after me for laughing when he was cussing...He chewed baccy and smoked a pipe too... Drummonds tobacco in a blue can that had some kind of pointing dog on it... He made it to 96 years of age... He built his final house at the age of 79 but kept up small part time jobs for a few years that’s when I took my cussing apprenticeship...

[horsesoldier03]

I had 2 grandfathers pretty much most of my childhood. The first died when I was 19. About all that I can recall for sure that he ever taught me was to do what he said, when he said. Its a good lesson but never had a much of a true relationship with him. My other grandfather would occasionally take me out shooting and fishing. When I was 16 he let me take his NEW Winchester Commemorative out deer hunting. It had a 26" Octagon barrel and the cresent butt stock. I cant recall which commemorative it was. He spent his 5 yrs in a nursing home. Not sure where the gun ended up. It never surfaced during the division of his estate. I suspect one of my uncles picked it up along the way without anyone knowing. Other than that, he also taught me what I know about horses and would frequently ask me when visiting if I was ready to do some cowboying. He also taught me to leg down a calf for doctering and castration.

[20cows]

I never knew my paternal grandfather, but I did know mom's dad.

He was a Methodist preacher from Tennesee that came to West Texas for health reasons in 1917 (Buena Vista, near present Imperial).

It worked as he was 96 when he died.

[76/444]

On my Viking side of the bloodline, nothing, he died a lonely drunk without ever meeting him.

On my Greek bloodline side, my Papu (grandpa) taught me that no matter what I did in life, no matter what mistakes or accomplishments, ... I was to always love and respect my mother, his daughter. That was over a half century ago,... he taught well.

[Batman1939]

My paternal granddad showed me how to dig worms for fishing by putting a manure fork into the lawn under his lemon trees and moving the handle up and down for a couple of minutes. Believe it or not, the worms seemed to "boil up" out of the dirt to be easily picked up. He said he learned of this trick in Seattle, WA during the early 1900's when watching the firemen doing it at the firehouse. He also did a lot of shooting with me using a Benjamin air rifle that had a pump at the muzzle end like the old fashioned tire pumps.

My maternal grandpa, a master carpenter, showed me how to properly hold a hammer while pounding nails when I was 5 years old, especially how by choking up on the handle my small hands could more properly control the hammer. He was a fairly stern old man, but got quite a kick out of watching the dogs take a bite of his Beechnut chewing tobacco when he was done with it. I also remember one time when I was out in his back field and taking a leak, how he suggested I might reach through the fence and grab the wire on the neighbor's side of the post. It was an electric wire used to keep their stock off the fence. Granddad probably thought my response was pretty funny, but I really don't remember; I surely wasn't permanently damaged by the experience.

[jeepnik]

My mom's dad died in '44. He had retired from the navy prior to WWII and was recalled. Died from a heart attack while sttione in S.F. My dad's biolgical dad died in the flu epidemic in 1918 while at Fort Levenworth, lot's of healthy young med died there from what truely was a pandemic. The only one I got to know, and that was vaguely was his adopted father. I'm named for him. But he passed while I was very young.

Now, my mom's mom was around till I was 14. From her, I learned a great deal. One lovely, hard headed, stubborn ole german lady. And man, could she cook.

[C. Cash]

I was lucky enough to be in large part raised by my Grandfather(Mom's Dad...William Moore). I showed up on his doorstep when I was 10 and he was 73. He was born in 1907 near Bokoshe, Leflore Co. OK and had seen hard times...times that killed or ruined many men, women and children, but he always kept his Faith and Compassion through it all. Some life lessons he passed on to me:

-There is a Holy God in Heaven, watching everything I do, and that He is/was loving and caring enough to send His Son. I think one of our biggest problems facing us today is that many of the new generations don't believe there is anyone watching....

-You take care of your family, period; even if it means drastic personal sacrifice.

-You take care of your neighbors, period; even it means drastic personal sacrifice.

-You don't stand for injustice on another person.

-Stuff rots and disappears, but people go on forever....you take care of the people.

Here he is on the bottom right at about 4 yeas old. It was taken about 1910-11 near Bokoshe, OK.

[Ysabel Kid]

My paternal grandfather died of lung cancer several years before I was born. I learned from my maternal grandfather the value of a job, good, hard-honest work, the value of being able to do and fix things for one's self, love of family, and the value of an education - coming from a man who never made it past 8th grade, but saw his sons into college, and all his grandchild with college degrees, some advanced!

[adirondakjack]

Mom and dad moved away from IL when I was very small. I didn't see my grandfather again until about 10 or 12 years later. He was in the hospital after loosing a lung to cancer. He died not long after that.
I never learned anything from him. Much to my loss as he had much to teach.

J e

I hear ya, Joe. My GF moved to FL when I was five. Never saw him again. The other died when I was two.

As the first child of young parents, I coulda used a grandpa, but it wasn't to be.

[BigSky56]

My Papa taught me shooting and hunting skills, he was the best shot I ever had the pleasure to watch would use a rem 12 with shorts and take pheasant and quail on the wing used the same gun on deer with LR shells. He was not a sportsman but a subsistence hunter. When I was hunting the most dangerous game what I learned from him paid off. danny

[Buck Elliott]

Mom's Dad taught me how to roll a cigarette, and made me promise never to smoke. He taught me how to shingle a roof, and make a good, square cut with a hand-saw. He taught me how to live with honor, and to die with dignity.

[Charles]

I was raised by my Grandfather and we don't have the time nor space to tell you everything I learned from him, nor the great respect I have for him. Luke Gidding Mathews, cowboy, blacksmith, lawyer, judge and soldier. Here are two pics of him.. 1917 private U.S. Army and 1941 Major U.S. Army. He was mustered out in 1945 with the rank of full Colonel.

[FWiedner]

My grampa on my Dad's side taught me how to count to 100. He taught me how to catch and skin a rabbit. He taught me that the loose grain around the bottom of the elevator wasn't dropped by accident. He taught me that a man can and should keep his head when the going gets bad. He taught me a lot of stuff, and was my favorite person through most of my childhood, even after he passed.

My grampa on my Mom's side taught me the best parts of a fried chicken, that persons of color are defined by their character and not their race, and that a man works hard for his living. I didn't see him for a long stretch before he passed away.

Good men. Not perfect by any stretch, but good men.

[crs]

Not to spit into the wind.

[wm]

I did not know either of my grandfathers.....not really any way. By the time I had my 5th birth day they were both gone.

From my Mother's father I learned that he was a big guy, 6' 2" with a 50" chest and 30" waist (I learned this from his uniforms). And no one messed with him because on the one hand he was fair & honest to a fault and on the other hand he was a "mean F****in' Hun" who would bust heads when he thought it necessary to right a wrong. He started work on the railroad when he was 11 or 12 and stayed at until he was 73 in 1966. Most of his years he was a conductor on the rail road and ran a regular crew. He was all buisness and looked after his people. He kept them safe, took good care of the passengers, cargo, and equipment in his care. He looked after the colored stewards and was widely beloved by them. He looked after the yard men who worked under some dangerous conditions. He used to kick coal off the train at certain locations because young kids would wait for the train to pass by to collect what they could in stray coal in order to heat their homes. He used his own money to pay to haul potatoes back on trips from Posen, Michigan to Detroit to keep the soup kitchen at the neighborhood Catholic Church going. He saved several mens lives and put his life in danger doing it. One time he leapt into a burning engine and dragged a crew men out. And then went back after the other two men and carried them out. He received some severe burns and was given the last rites. I learned all this from the rail way men (an interesting fraternity similar to mertchant marines or ranch hands) that worked with him and for years afterwards would come to repay favors and loans to my Mom. I did learn from the example he set. I even named my oldest son after him.

My Father's father was irresponsible drunk who left his family in the lurch a couple of times. My Dad's child hood was filled with evictions, hunger, cold, and being sent to live with relatives because his mother could not take care of him or hsi siblings. My Dad attended 4 different high schools in 4 years. His father stole from my father and uncle. First time was when they opened a body shop shortly after WWII and bankrupted them. And then again when they went into the insulation buisness. He must have been lovable rogue because my tough love grandmother always took him back. He was never there for my Dad growing up and I think my Dad only maintained a relationship with him for my grandmother's sake. His kids learned lessons from his life well ......what not to do and how not to live. My Dad was a workaholic (chemical production engineer), the same as his brother (a Standard Oil executive in their real estate property division) and sister (a surgical nurse and teacher). I have worked hard to find a balance between my Dad's work ethic and my grandfather's play ethic. So I guess I learned from him too.

Teaching continues long after you are gone.....like ripples in a pond my sons are still learning from the grand father's I hardly knew.

Wm

[madman4570]

I was lucky enough to have all four Grandparents till at least I graduated High school. All made it into their 80s-90s.My Maternal Grandfather was a Banker and was very "Buy the Book" He taught me organizational skills were very important(not spending 45 mins looking for equipment to do only a 20 min job once tools or whatever needed was found)He taught me to fear/respect guns at about 5 years old buy taking me small game hunting and showing me a rabbit blown to bits telling me see what could happen to you by not handling a firearm properly.He was also a avid trout fisherman and taught me the art of Fly-Tying and Fly-Fishing on the trout creeks in Pa.Now my Paternal Grandfather was a total different breed.He originally homesteaded in Montana before moving here at around 30 before buying his farm here.He was the strongest man I have ever seen.He was always working with his Shire Draft horses. He taught me nothing is given to ya in life and hard work makes a man.I helped him plant 80,000 white pine seedlings over the years and even when he was 60 he was ripped like a 25 year old.He taught me the best thing in life is a beautiful women and to always respect them and treasure them.Never forget going to see him and he had this huge attacking rooster that lived with him inside like a dog.It would start to attack us and he would reach over grab this old cane and whack it(lights out)pretty soon it would get up and go sit on the railing behaving itself.I have seen him when coon hunting when a big coon was knocked out of the tree very much alive just grab it and wring its neck??? Compared to him,I am just about nothing to what he was The man also could ice skate/and roller skate absolutely unreal, and I mean like when he was still 60 or so.He would jump barrels at the fair and all the good looking women hung around him! When he was even 60 he looked about 45??????????

[Shasta]

My maternal grandfather died when I was very young, and I never got to know him. My fraternal grandfather died when I was 22, but if he taught me anything it was to always work hard and earn what you have, and that being poor is no sin, but it sure is inconvenient!

Here is a picture of him taken in 1912 with a couple of his fellow hard workers (My Grandpa is the one in the middle)



Shasta

[piller]

Sadly, my Paternal Grandfather died before my parends married, and that was 7 years before I was born. My Maternal Grandfather had been a printer. I guess my ability to read upside down comes from him. I learned to like German Shepherd dogs and to not grab electric fences from him.

[Noah Zark]

Paternal grandfather was a businessman, and had five kids, two of which were twin girls. My father was the eldest of two sons. My paternal grandparents thought having twin daughters was something akin to the virgin birth, and doted on the children of my twin aunts. Thus my parents didn't get invites to my grandparent's functions, and I didn't get to spend much time with paternal grandparents. Once my paternal grandmother died, my father was good enough to support my grandfather and pay his doctor bills. My twin aunts and their kids had no time for him then. Go figure.

My maternal grandfather more than made up for it. He was a locomotive engineer for the B&O since the early 1920s, and ran both freight and passenger trains in the steam era. Gramps was selected to go with the first group of B&O engineers to Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in the late 30s or early 40s to be trained on the new diesel-electric locomotives and bring back the first B&O diesels after training. He retired in 1962, and I have all of his old EMD manuals for the SW1, SW7, GP7, GP9, F3, F7, F9, E7, and E9 locomotives and an overhaul manual for the venerable EMD Series 567 diesel engine.

Gramps was also an electrician and once retired I became his "second pair of hands" at age 8. We used to rewire houses, wire new structures, add circuits, whatever. I inherited an intrinsic mechanical and electrical aptitude from him, and learned electrical theory, residential wiring, and bits of the National Electrical Code from him. He was very good with his hands, and was an excellent auto mechanic and the town's appliance "fix it" guy. Blender motor burn up? Give it to George, and he and his grandson would rewind the motor. The basement had numerous appliances here and there in stages of repair, and he moved them through as fast as he could. I use what I learned from Gramps every day in my work designing and programming industrial controls. Plus I do my own vehicle maintenance (except for exhausts), small engine repair, and home repairs. I spent summers living at my maternal grandparents during the week, and then back to my parents' house on weekends. Gramps taught me how to drive when I was 13, behind the wheel of his new 67 Chevy Biscayne with a manual 3-speed on the column and the venerable 250 cu in six under the hood. No power steering, no power brakes. It was wonderful. Gramps was a tremendous influence on me, and was directly responsible for me seeking and obtaining a degree in mechanical engineering in the 70s. My senior year in college at graduation, there were 18 MEs out of 76 that started as freshmen 4 years earlier. I used to joke that only seven or eight of us graduating mechanical engineers knew which end of a Cresecent wrench went on a nut. Gramps did an outstanding job making sure I was one of them.

Gramps passed in 1976 after successful surgery to repair an aortic anuerism, but his kidneys shut down and two days later he was gone. My maternal grandmother followed four months later after being heartbroken at losing him and then having a series of mini-strokes. I was extremely fortunate to have them for grandparents.

Noah

[19112TAP]

My Grandfather taught me most of what I know about farming. He has been gone for 9 yrs now and hardly a day goes by without thinking of him.

[fordwannabe]

I am fortunate to have known both of my grandfathers well into adulthood my maternal grandfather is still with us. He was an attorney and used his brains after the GI bill paid for college and law school. He taught me to think, not be smart or educated(though he tried) but to " use your head for something other than a place to keep your hair". He also taught me patience( which my paternal GF had none of) I was "helping" him with a boat he had tied up to the dock and he was working on a cleat when he asked me to give him a wrench from the box "sploosh" in the river it went no yelling or anything. Then he said ok how about a pair of pliers "sploosh" again, with a little more angst he asked for a screwdriver...yup sploosh then as calmly as if he were in church he looked at me and said " I think I hear your grandmother calling you from the front yard why don't you go see." I also learned that each day is a gift, there is a God, and to act as if your grandmother is watching you in everything you do( i wish I had done better with that but I am trying).
My paternal grandfather was a welder by trade and a hunter by choice and unfortunateky a mean drunk. When he was sober he taught me to hunt fish and fix lotsa of stuff. When he was drunk he taught me how not to treat people, how to stay out of his way, and is a big reason I don't drink today. His rants and stuff really hurt my Mom and DAd, they tried to keep it from us kids but it was obvious. As he got older he mellowed and it was good to be able to have a relationship with him again, but you never forget the ones who hurt the people you love. Tom

[mikld]

I have only two memories of my father's father; very sketchy at best. One memory I'm riding in a wheelbarrow being pushed by my grandpa. The other is for some reason we were in the bathroom (why?) and I was on the pot. I may have been 5 or 6 years old. I guess I was constipated (or just not in a hurry) and told my grandpa "it won't come out". He grabbed a rat tail comb, started toward me and said "here, I'll get it out for you". I learned to always go to the bathroom alone (to this day)!

[jb00_98]

Important stuff I got from my mom's father:

* How to hook a smelt to fish northerns from shore
* How to drive a manual transmission in his old pickup with a "three on the tree"
* How to play cribbage

Wish I could have learned his secret to pancakes before he left...

[MrMurphy]

Never met my maternal grandfather (or grandmother) he died at age 60 in his sleep in Korea. Since the only time I went there I was 2, I don't remember either of them.


My grandfather I do remember died when I was 13. He taught me how to garden for food as opposed to for looks (their Victory Garden never quite went away). He was a master carpenter, long retired by the time I came around, and taught me and my brother, more or less through my dad, how to build pretty much anything of wood. I learned how to drill with a brace and bit, how to saw with a handsaw made before the Prohibition, and how to use most carpentry tools. Unlike my dad and uncles, I didn't get hammers thrown at me if I got the wrong nail.....I guess he softened in his old age.

I learned to be quiet and respectful when he was talking, even if it was the same hunting story from Alaska in the 20s for the 400th time (now i wish I remembered more) and more importantly I learned what not to do. He was a career alcoholic, and of his six sons only my dad and one other uncle ever truly kicked the habit. I rarely drink and have never been drunk in my 32 years. He was a hard man, growing up in a hard school, as his dad died when he was 9 (going by my math, this would have been 1915). He worked every day for almost 50 years, hobo'd during the Depression working all up and down the west coast.

I don't smoke mostly because my grandparents did and it never interested me. He taught me the value of good tools and taking proper care of them (my father still has most of his carpentry tools, most of which are from the 20s and 30s). He never went shooting with us, but he taught us proper safety and what Not To Do while hunting (through his various hunting stories with their high and low points) that some of his buddies survived back in the day.

As a six year old with his Bushnell binoculars he taught me spotting, watching birds across the street from atop the couch looking out the bay window of the house he built himself as he watched golf, keeping me occupied while the parents were off doing something (lessons he taught still applicable today).

I mostly knew him as an old guy with a cane who watched golf and smoked like a chimney, putting away shots like they were going out of style, cussing up a storm. He was one of the most politically incorrect people you'd meet, a man of his times. But he did teach me a lot, good and bad, even though I never knew him as well as my older cousins did.

The funny thing is, he drank every day from age 10 onward and smoked about the same. He ate the most unhealthy things imaginable (steak, eggs, bacon, etc and lots of grease or butter) all the time. But he worked hard, for decades, and his grip could literally put a guy on the floor (seen it)....and what got him in the end? Colon cancer.

[dr walker]

I love seeing all the pictures and reading the memories.
I am sure I learned more than I can recall from granpa and Poppop. My mother blames her father for teaching me to belch, but I know Granpa taught me how to forgive.I know Poppop taught me my sly and irreverent humor.

[stew71]

I learned how to properly curse....and when NOT too!!

He also taught me to question authority. He always said anyone/anything with any sort of power over you, either government or private will always have some ulterior motive. Always keep that in mind when dealing with them. He said you don't have to be paranoid, but just aware of what's going on behind the curtain or between the lines. I don't think he ever really trusted any government institution or labor union. He certainly didn't trust a lot of big businesses. He was a small-business owner for many decades and always worked hard to get ahead in life. I guess some of that rubbed off on me as well.

[Rimfire McNutjob]

From my paternal grandfather I learned ...

How to catch specs. My kids use his old Jon boat to this day ... though it has a trolling motor on the back instead of the oars we used to use.

Pabst Blue Ribbon was the best beer period.

An Icebox is actually referring to a refrigerator or Kelvinator.

The position of rear gunner in a TBF is not the best job the Navy has to offer.

Busing tables at age 16 in high-school is not as hard as riding your bike from Orlando to Daytona and back every day when you're 14 to deliver for the Western Union so quit complaining.

Buying a product made in Japan is a personal affront and when your father shows him the new camera you should crawl under the table while he delivers a verbal beat down to his son.

Plus a bunch of other cool stuff too numerous to mention ...

[rjohns94]

My Paternal Grand Father taught me how to play golf, how to laugh, importance of family, and gave me his old shotgun. He was the Patriarch of our family and I think all the boys learned to love bourbon from him.

My Maternal Grand Father taught me moderation is best in many things, he took me into parts of the city that allowed me to be comfortable with myself and others. He supported me in my sports in high school and I took my first "wilderness" walk from my house through the gulch, across fields and through woods to get to his house. There was always a hersheys bar in the fridge for us. We had sunday dinners at his house all the time.

[bogus bill]

My mothers father died when I was about 12. He owned a large country general store. He was real laid back and didnt need much. He owned cars, yet never drove. He would usualy find somebody to drive him. He loved to travel. He loved to argue politics, and visit with anybody. The last thing he looked like was a boxer, yet he was great with a punching bag he always kept around. He smoked a pipe, liked his beer. He would spend about 4 months with us every summer in wisconsin, a couple 3 months with friends in the ozarks, then the rest of the winter in a small cabin he built in norco calif. Every year he would make the same rounds. Here he and me are haveing a pipe together.
Dads father died when I was about three, so I only know the storys about him, which were awesome from every account. He raised 17 kids, first wife died and left him with 6 all young and at home yet. Met my grandmother who was a young widow with a boy. They immediately married, dad was the oldest of the next 10! He immigrated with his 1st wife from volynia, (now the ukraine). He was german and his father had homesteaded over there. They say he was very religious, tempermental and would fight anyone in a eyeblink. Dad said he was always being sued etc for beating on neighbors. Outside old timers told me the same.

[LeverBob]

My great grandpa was a realestate Lawyer & land broker in Chicago. Owned much of what is now the near chicago suburbs, several farms & ranches in Colorado. A gazillionaire. (Never saw a dime).

He taught me simple business priciples that have stood me well over my lifetime. Died when I was 6 in 1956.

The best thing he taught me was to pull his finger right after dinner. I thought the house blew up My grandmother (his daughter) would yell hellfire when he did it. Of course...I would pull his finger every chance I could. He would laugh like crazy & peal the paint off the walls while I was shreiking in delight.

I was too young to understand that he neeeded some time to manufacture more methane. My pop & uncles would be snickering while I sat on the sofa staring at him (like watching a pressure guage) & waiting for the chance to make gramps blow up again. When he died, my uncle Bud took over. He made gramps look like a popgun.

LB

[Bang]

1. To listen and watch > don't talk

2. To say "yes" to your wife

3. Treat any rifle as a single shot - "you might have a 30rd magazine in your Mattel ( AR15 ) but you might never get to fire that second round"

4. Never check "dead" soldiers with a bayonet

5. Never threaten anyone.

6. Cry as much as you want, but just keep working.

7. Money isn't everything, but it beats cuttting cane by hand ( he was a sugar cane cutter in the 1930's to keep the family fed ).

8. To cycle a SMLE .303 without taking your eye off the front sight.

9. Never borrow money off mates /friends.

10. darn dignity - give me the drugs.

[the telegraphist]

To never ever trust a politician, he was right.

[Old Time Hunter]

How to make gunpowder

[firefuzz]

My Paternal grandfather died when I was 8 and the few memories I have of him were sitting in his lap watching baseball or Bonanza on TV, taking care of the cows and eating cornbread and buttermilk.
My Maternal grandfather was the oldest of 13 children and worked the fields, hunted and trapped to help feed the family as a young man, and still mangaged to complete the 8th grade in school. That was an accomplishment in those times.
He was crippled in a truck wreck when I was 2, he hit the ditch and rolled a propane truck to keep from hitting a couple of kids leading horses down the road after dark. But I was blessed with him until I was 26 and named my boy after him. He never had a nice house, clothes or a new vehicle...but everything he owned was well taken care of. I guess that's one thing I got from him. My Dad would have said I got my love for guns and trading from this grandfather, although Dad enjoyed both himself.
He taught me to always be respectful to women, Grandad would fight anyone in the blink of an eye for being rude or improper as he called it to any woman, even tho she might be a stranger and he was crippled. He also taught me that family is the most important part of your life.
I guess the most important things that Grandad taught me were to never look down on someone who you are better off than, because someday you might not be. And that a man's never to old to love and miss his momma. He taught me that when I was 17 as he lay crying in a hospital bed on the day of my great-grandmother's funeral.

I truly miss them both. My Dad as well.

Rob

[Bill in Oregon]

Never got to meet either of my granddads, so I guess the message was "take better care of yourself."