Ratdog68
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When I was 5yrs. old, we moved from Anchorage, AK to Seattle. Dad was in the construction industry and we'd followed the work. Spent a year up there during some rebuilding efforts after the '64 Good Friday quake. As a side trip to the trip down the "Al-Can" in the '65 Ford Econoline P/U with home made camper on the back... loaded with our belongings... we stopped in Butte, MT to visit mom's folks. I was finally going to meet my maternal grandparents !!! He was a rancher, he was a retired preacher, he was a piece of work. Gramma wore floral print dresses, long aprons, and cooked all manner of wonderfully tasting things, all new to a kid. And, she loved to love on her grandkids. It mattered not that she was Grampa's second wife, and my mother was the youngest of the "first litter". She was MY Gramma !
One morning, we got up earlier than usual and after breakfast, I was loaded into the middle of Grampa's P/U bench seat... where I quickly learned how to have my knees dodge the path of the stick shift. We (dad and I) were going hunting with Grampa !!! Rabbit hunting, I was told.
Grampa, being a retired preacher, never really got that out of his system. And, he preached (to me) the whole time he drove. Grampa was known for NOT keeping his eyes on the road while preaching to hitchhikers in the back-seat of his car. I was told he'd gotten MANY converts using this method, looking them in the eye as he drove... without use of the mirror. Being "5"... most all of what was being told me was going "Delta Formation", right over my head... but... Grampa was talking to ME... so, I was paying as close attention as I could.
I soon learned that when Grampa was done preaching to you, the correct response was NOT: "I don't git'cha Grampa." Elbows began to fly, and are sharp against the ribs, or whatever part happens to be nearest to the assaulting parts. Of course, wanting to be CERTAIN that I understood the lesson to be learned from his sermon, Grampa would start from the beginning, and tweak his sermon outline a little, here and there... in an effort to emphasize points of importance. I was to learn later, that the sermon outline was built, after having read letters from his daughter, where details of the struggles of marriage were spelled out, particularly the shortcomings of husbands. I don't remember all that he said, but, I do remember that dad wasn't as interested in Grampa's sermon as I was. And, yes, I do think I remember, it MUST've been important, because Grampa kept eye contact with me as he preached to me.
As for the hunt? I remember being allowed to wear Grampa's .22 pistol while we walked in the woods for a short spell. I don't think Montana has any rabbits... at least, I never saw any. But, Grampa sure liked to preach.
One morning, we got up earlier than usual and after breakfast, I was loaded into the middle of Grampa's P/U bench seat... where I quickly learned how to have my knees dodge the path of the stick shift. We (dad and I) were going hunting with Grampa !!! Rabbit hunting, I was told.
Grampa, being a retired preacher, never really got that out of his system. And, he preached (to me) the whole time he drove. Grampa was known for NOT keeping his eyes on the road while preaching to hitchhikers in the back-seat of his car. I was told he'd gotten MANY converts using this method, looking them in the eye as he drove... without use of the mirror. Being "5"... most all of what was being told me was going "Delta Formation", right over my head... but... Grampa was talking to ME... so, I was paying as close attention as I could.
I soon learned that when Grampa was done preaching to you, the correct response was NOT: "I don't git'cha Grampa." Elbows began to fly, and are sharp against the ribs, or whatever part happens to be nearest to the assaulting parts. Of course, wanting to be CERTAIN that I understood the lesson to be learned from his sermon, Grampa would start from the beginning, and tweak his sermon outline a little, here and there... in an effort to emphasize points of importance. I was to learn later, that the sermon outline was built, after having read letters from his daughter, where details of the struggles of marriage were spelled out, particularly the shortcomings of husbands. I don't remember all that he said, but, I do remember that dad wasn't as interested in Grampa's sermon as I was. And, yes, I do think I remember, it MUST've been important, because Grampa kept eye contact with me as he preached to me.
As for the hunt? I remember being allowed to wear Grampa's .22 pistol while we walked in the woods for a short spell. I don't think Montana has any rabbits... at least, I never saw any. But, Grampa sure liked to preach.
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