Category: Slightly Wiser

These often equally daring, and occasionally ridiculous true stories tell of Grandpa’s Adult Life.

  • Peanuts – Slightly Wiser Stories

    Peanuts – Slightly Wiser Stories

    Grandpa used to be a cadet in the United States Air Force Academy. While at the Academy his life took a totally different direction due in large part to circus peanuts and how Grandpa dealt immaturely with his immature room mate’s disgust with Grandpa having eaten some of his circus peanuts.

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  • Grandpa and the RAT

    Grandpa and the RAT

    In 1991, Grandpa, Don, was a development engineer by day and homeschooling and homesteading Dad at night.  Some persistent and relatively large creature was eating the animal feed intended for the ducks and rabbits. 

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  • Grandpa Cuts Himself With a Chain Saw – Slightly Wiser Story

    Grandpa Cuts Himself With a Chain Saw – Slightly Wiser Story

    In 1974 Grandpa Hill, Don Hill, was clearing stump logs around Karl Greimel’s Estate.  He was 16 years old and  the blade on Mr. Greimel’s saw was 16 inches long.  When the blade entered his leg he knew he was in trouble.  As he drove himself to the hospital his left leg was warm and wet as his boot filled with blood. 

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  • An Incident at O’Reilly Auto Parts – A Slightly Wiser Story

    An Incident at O’Reilly Auto Parts – A Slightly Wiser Story

    Grandpa Hill was recently in the Latrobe  O’Reilly Auto Parts Store and an incident occurred.  It turned out to be a timely end to his search for sanding discs for his son John.  Then just a few weeks later it happened again but differently and better. 

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  • Grandpa, The Gun, and The Liquor Store – A slightly wiser story.

    Grandpa, The Gun, and The Liquor Store – A slightly wiser story.

    It was Halloween and Grandpa was 19 years old in 1976 in Rochester MI.  He wore his mummy/robber costume into a liquor store in Troy Michigan.  It was a dumb thing to do. Grandpa Hill’s Grand Children beg for stories of when Grandpa Hill does something stupid or gets in trouble.

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  • When Grandpa Lies to the Policeman – Slightly Wiser Story

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  • Grandpa Learns to Maneuver His 401Ks

    Grandpa Learns to Maneuver His 401Ks

    The “God Send” in this story is Paul Hamacher.  He is the CEO of Spire Stocks http://www.spirestocks.com/.  Grandpa  tells his story and how just as he was retiring he meets Paul and they hit it off well.  Next thing you know and Grandpa is maneuvering his 401K.  Getting out of the market when it is going down, and, into the market when it is going up.  It sounds simple and it is!

    Years ago when Grandpa first started 401K’s they were more difficult to access and change.  As they became easier to change the investments, he didn’t keep up with the times and did nothing with his 401K and Roth IRA accounts.  Grandpa started out a do-nothing investor in the 80’s and 90’s and remained a do nothing investor until October of 2022.

    In 2022, Grandpa and Grandma got a tour of the Borremeo Center by Sister Maria Karol. On the tour they swap stories.  Sr. Maria Karol, tells of her family, her dad and her vocation story.  Grandpa shares “Grandpa Hill’s True Stories” told live to Sister Maria Karol, the stories  are about himself, and his family and his love of math.

    The next thing you know Grandpa is meeting Sister Maria Karol’s Dad, Paul Hamacher. Soon after that Grandpa and his son Michael soon learn the value of and how to maneuver their retirement savings using Spire Stocks Market Sentiment Indicator as a guide.

    To help others get started in the process of maneuvering their 401Ks, Paul has extended an offer of discount subscriptions to Spire Stocks.  Those discounted subscriptions are offered to anyone that tells Paul (Spire Stocks) that Grandpa Hill sent them. 

    Just go to http://www.spirestocks.com/, sign up for a free one week membership and then notify spire stocks at notification@spirestocks.com/.  Spire Stocks will get in touch with you and perhaps you too will learn and decide like I did to maneuver your retirement savings in the stock market using Spire Stocks.  Maybe you will start long before you retire,  I wish I had.


    Credits:

    Produced by David Richman,
    Executively Produced by Grandpa Hill

    Grandchildren in the audience: Breandan

    Music: Michael Steele

    Art: Amy Steele


  • Real Road Rash and Honey – Health Story

    Real Road Rash and Honey – Health Story

    In this episode Grandpa Hill tells how he finally got real road rash!   When he was a small boy with bare skin sliding in the gravel (listen to Pebbles and Blood, Episode 1) he thought he had road rash.  This time he really had road rash!…. and some broken bones,  and the healing balm of raw honey applied to his wounds by his wife Mary Lee.  This story is both a health (and safety) story as well as a slightly wiser story. 

    Don had baking to do and batteries to buy.  In his haste he ended up hitting the pavement at forty five miles per hour, breaking his shoulder blade, rib, and collar bone, and ripping up his skin.  Don is so grateful for his helmet,  he probably would be dead without it.  Don learned by experience and later in riding class to always check out his motorcycle no matter how short the ride was going to be.  He failed to do a check the day of the wreck.  He failed in his haste to put up his kickstand!

    When Mary got home, and saw the terrible road rash wound on his left shoulder.  ‘Hospital protocol be dammed’ she proceeded to thoroughly clean the wound and then applied raw honey and in six days completely healed his shoulder wound.

    Grandpa Hill would like all motorcyclists to be purposeful in their rides, take appropriate caution and have a fun time.  If something goes wrong and you do get road rash consider raw honey.  It worked for Grandpa Hill and it may work for you to.  Shalom.


    Credits:

    Produced by David Richman,
    Executively Produced by Grandpa Hill

    Grandchildren in the audience: Breandan

    Music: Michael Steele

    Art: Amy Steele


  • Grandma’s First Couch – A slightly wiser story.

    Grandma’s First Couch – A slightly wiser story.

    It was the fall of 1985, Grandma and Grandpa Hill had just got a new house in Savage Minnesota.  There was an ongoing disagreement about money and furniture.  We both wanted living room furniture.  Mary Lee wanted to sit comfortably in the living room with friends and family.  Don wanted to sit comfortably but had no money to buy furniture.  Buying a couch at that time was out of the question.    Even so Mary Lee, went and got a couch and much more.

    Mervin and Janette, Mary Lee’s parents were generous and bought the furniture.    Mary Lee negotiated a low price.  Don’s happiness and gratitude, was hampered by his stubbornness and pride.  Don has recorded this episode as a memorial to the love and generosity shown by Mervin and Janette Mack.

    By the way, Mary Lee saved the day again!  She turned the furniture buy into a dent and scratch sale!  She still advises buyers to just ask for that lower price.  “Frequently you will get it”.


    Credits:

    Produced by David Richman,
    Executively Produced by Grandpa Hill
    Music: David Richman
    Art: Amy Steele
    Grandchildren in the audience: Annette, Breandan, Eoghan, and David.


  • Grandpa Gets a “U” in 2nd Grade

    Grandpa Gets a “U” in 2nd Grade

    A counselor was recently asking Donald  (Grandpa Hill) some probing question about his childhood. She was trying to understand Grandpa and help him understand himself and feel better about the world he lived in. Donald, as Grandpa Hill recalls his answers to the lady that was trying to help him and shares his answer with his children, and grand children. In the fall of 1964 Donald was in the second grade at Hamlin Elementary School in Rochester MI. There was a struggle going on. Donald had, in his mind, invented numerical bases for counting, and used them fluently to do his math work.  He was interested in second grade level books but not to read them. How and why things worked were mysteriously interesting to him especially the abacus. So varied and unusual were his interests that Donald was oblivious to his classmates, and at times did not “hear” nor heed his teacher Mrs Crocket. The disruptions had to stop. An intervention was necessary! The intervention started with a startling and terrible report card with a couple of  “U” s for his unsatisfactory performance and behavior. This was followed by a parent teacher conference where Grandpa suspects the details of the intervention were worked out. On that fateful day, in the fall of 1964, Mrs Crocket and Donald’s mom intervened. The event included a speech therapist, a math researcher (tutor) and an opportunity for independent work. If Donald made the right decision his life would be changed for the better, forever! Semloh a new character to Grandpa Hill’s true stories joins Gorf and Marshmallow to help explain Grandpa’s problem.  Semloh observes thinks and explains the details as best he can. He is a wise observant and understanding character that help’s Donald think and helps Gorf, Marshmallow, Grandpa’s children, Grandpa’s grandchildren, and all children to understand how to be very much like others while being happily quite different.


    Credits:

    Produced by David Richman,
    Executively Produced by Grandpa Hill

    Semloh: David Richman
    Gorf: Grandpa
    Marshmallow: David Richman
    Music: Michael Steele
    Art: Amy Steele
    Grandchildren in the audience: Annette, Kyla, Breandan, Eoghan, Lawrence, Levi, Eddie.