Grandpa Hill's True Stories

Tag: grandpa stories

  • 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. 

    As the battle with the creature continued, Don came to realize that is was a RAT that he was dealing with.   A very big and very smart RAT.  Don outsmarted that RAT, or so he thought he had, by storing the grain in the family car. 

    The mystery developed as Don would keep seeing the RAT, on, or running to, the side porch of the house to greet him as he came home from work.  It was as though the RAT expected to be fed by Don.  Eventually Don does figure out the schemes of the RAT. 

    When Don figures it out he needs to apologize to his children.  The RAT was just trying to survive and really wasn’t that smart.  Grandpa was trying to get the RAT and really wasn’t that smart either.

    Grandpa encourages parents and grandparents to tell their stories to their children and grandchildren. They may learn, and think about their mysterious situations differently.  Probably they will also laugh and enjoy life more.

    Grandchildren in the audience, Annette, Breandan, Eoghan. Produced, Grandpa Hill, David Richman; Art, Amy Steele, Banjo, Michael Steele;

    Please share this story with families and friend and remember to follow the podcast or to follow on the web at grandpahill-stories.org.

  • The Fan and The Finger – Childhood Story

    The Fan and The Finger – Childhood Story

    When Grandpa was a seven year old boy in 1964  he visited his Aunt Charlotte and Uncle Bob in Cheboygan Michigan.  Upstairs in a hot room a fan was spinning trying to cool the room and boys were playing and the fan was interesting.

    As Don was considering putting his fingers into the fan, perhaps to slow or stop it, his cousin John held up his finger that wasn’t!  A few months earlier part of his pinky finger was lost by putting it into the very same fan that Don was exploring.  Since then Don has considered fans to be spinning knives for cooling or clearing the air.  Not as toys!   

    His message to his children, his grandchildren and all children is the same.  Fans chop and mutilate fingers when they are misused.

    Please share this podcast with your friends and relatives.  It will make a difference. 

    Produced by Grandpa Hill. Grandchildren Lawrence and Kyla helped with the introduction. Grandchildren in the audience, it was vacation I don’t remember. Art Amy Steele. Pickin music, Michael Steele.

  • 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. 

    At the hospital Don collapsed.  He came to and was soon being stitched half way up.  There was an interruption in the stitching and  a lack of Novocain that made it a very memorable experience.

    Grandpa shares this story with his grandchildren, his children and all children hoping that they won’t make the mistakes he did.  Don’t work alone, especially with dangerous things like chainsaws in the snow on a hill.  Never cut up hill.  Don’t touch any of the tools or supplies  when you are laying on the bed getting stitched by a very busy Doctor.

    Please share this story, with your family and friends.  Maybe it makes a difference to their futures as they Think Laugh and Live.

    Grandchildren In the Audience (I think):  David, Annette, Breandan, Kyla, Lawrence, Edmund, Levi, Emma and Eoghan.

    Author and Producer Grandpa Hill; Artist Amy Steele; Pickin Michael Steele.

  • COVID19 Makes Grandpa Healthy – Health Story

    COVID19 Makes Grandpa Healthy – Health Story

    Grandpa Hill, Don starts out fearful of the virus and puts on his mask, and, distances himself some from family and even has some of his friends die from COVID.   At the time Don thought he probably would survive the illness just fine but didn’t look forward to finding out.   Then strange things started to happen the people that promoted early safe and effective treatment were ridiculed and removed from the internet.  Finally, when Kenny at work gets COVID and he gets zero treatment for it, Don gets motivated to take action.  Grandpa Hill was determined to be ready for all viruses by becoming healthier and more robust against upper respiratory viruses.

    In this Grandpa Hill’s True Health Story, Grandpa shares the heart of what happened to him and what he did.  He did not get COVID, and, he has not even had a fever since January of 2021.   Grandpa Hill was influenced by Dr. John Campbell to get good on his Vitamin D3, by Dr Peter McCullough to regularly kill off his viral load with nasal rinses by Desert Review’s website http://www.thedesertreview.com regarding the use of Ivermectin in Peshwar India.    Grandpa is not a Dr.  Grandpa is not in the medical field.  Grandpa is just a good critical thinker that is so grateful for his family and for how healthy he has been since the COVID Pandemic.

    Production: Grandpa Hill and David Richman

    Art: Amy Steele Music: David Richman

  • Grandpa Learns to Fish at Keystone Lake – A Faith and Family Story

    Grandpa goes to Keystone Lake in Pennsylvania.  He is repeatedly out fished 10 to 1 by people standing or sitting right next to him at the lake.   Inspired by his grandson Breandan, and his wife Mary Lee, he is inquisitive and talkative and eager to learn how to fish.  He meets Adam who was out-fishing him 20 fish to Grandpa’s  1 fish. 

    Adam teaches Grandpa how to fish at Keystone Lake.  Grandpa knows this empowers him to catch many fish and to teach others.  Now he can catch hundreds of fish in his retirement right alongside of his children and his grandchildren, if they are only eager and patient to learn the skill of fishing at Keystone Lake in Pennsylvania. 

    Grandchildren in the audience: David, Annette, Breandan, Eoghan. Produced by Donald Hill, and David Richman.

    Art Work: Amy Steele Music: Michael Steele

  • Grandpa Flies a Jet Plane – Children’s Story

    Grandpa Flies a Jet Plane – Children’s Story

    In the fall of 1975 Grandpa (Don) climbed into a T33 Trainer Jet for what he thought would be a short 5 minute ride.  His “ride” turned out to be a scare, a thrill, and much more than just a ride.   Don was eighteen years old, had never been in a small plane before.   Now he was climbing into the cockpit of a military training jet and soon they were off!

    Just a few minutes later he had the stick in his hand and the right pedal under his foot and was making a turn up in the sky over Pikes Peak Colorado at a few hundred miles per hour.   Wow!  The whole event gave Don a new perspective on his life and, and, a high respect for the pilots of our world. 

    As the “pilot” for his own family, Grandpa knows everything he does or doesn’t do makes a difference for his future, that of his wife, their eight children and their 23 grandchildren.  It even makes a difference for people he doesn’t even know.

    Enjoy the story.  Please share the story far and wide.  Think, about the story. Tell your own stories, act on the truth the best that you can, then laugh a lot, and live! 

    Credits:

    Produced by David Richman,
    Executively Produced by Grandpa Hill

    Grandchildren in the audience: Breandan

    Music: Michael Steele

    Art: Amy Steele

  • Don and Mary Decide to Homeschool – Faith and Family Story

    Don and Mary Decide to Homeschool – Faith and Family Story

    In 1989 Grandpa (Don) and Grandma (Mary) lived in Savage Minnesota with their four children.   Three of them attended St. John the Baptist Catholic School.   Don while teaching catechism is informed by his student, Sarah, that things have changed since he was a boy in catechism. Her claim was that today’s children need to decide for themselves what is right and wrong for them.

    Don was surprised.  He learned that Sarah was right about what the school was teaching.  St. John’s was now using “values clarification” texts for teaching morals and virtues.   Students would indeed be taught in catechism, and in the school that virtues and morals are relative, and subjective.  The training would be all about clarifying your values and deciding what’s right for you.   No right nor wrong way to believe.

    Don objects!   By accident Don and Mary learn there is such a thing as homeschooling.   They also learn that they too were practicing “values clarification”, ‘doing what was right for them, which really wasn’t right at all’.

    Don saw the fruits of homeschooling in 1989 and wanted them so much for his own family that Don and Mary decide to homeschool their children.  Don and Mary decide to teach Godly character traits and values to their children.   The family stops watching the TV.  Mary gets a tubal reversal.   Together they make the sacrifices and changes needed as they put their trust in God.   The family grows to eight children.  Two of the eight children become religious sisters.  Six of them are happily married.  From those six marriages there are twenty three grandchildren!   All of the children and grandchildren have kept their Catholic faith.

    Grandma and Grandpa Hill are so glad they made those decisions of 1989, homeschooling, the tubal reversal and turning off the TV.

    As promised this is the link to a recommended article by William Kilpatrick https://www.catholiceducation.org/en/education/catholic-contributions/how-not-to-teach-morality.html 

    Credits:

    Produced by David Richman,
    Executively Produced by Grandpa Hill

    Grandchildren in the audience: Breandan

    Music: Michael Steele

    Art: Amy Steele

  • A Superior Minnesota Vacation

    A Superior Minnesota Vacation

    This episode of Grandpa Hill’s True Stories took place in May of 1989 along the Western shore of Lake Superior.   Grandma and Grandpa (Mary and Don) take their four children on a long Memorial Day camping vacation.   The story is of five precious memories that make up the five chapters:  Mittens in May; Short Sheets at Gooseberry Falls; Cascade River Trout; Bears Bears, Bears; and Grandma and the Ostrich. 

    This story is being told to four little excited children about when their aunts and uncles were the four little excited children.  The story was told to them shortly after their little sister, Emma, our 23rd grandchild was born.  As you think laugh and live your life, maybe you will remember a story and tell it to your loved ones or share it with someone that hungers for or just enjoys the simple and beautiful family life.

    Please share Grandpa Hill’s True Stories far and wide.  It is a good gift you have discovered.  Pass it on!

    Credits:

    Produced by David Richman,
    Executively Produced by Grandpa Hill

    Grandchildren in the audience: Breandan

    Music: Michael Steele

    Art: Amy Steele

  • A Boy and His Dog Jack – Children’s Story

    A Boy and His Dog Jack – Children’s Story

    Andrew really wanted to be in 4H and show a dog.  Rebecca his sister had a dog, and, she was in the show.  He had two huge obstacles to overcome.  First he was too young to enter the show at the Indiana County Fair.  Second he did not have a dog!

    Determined, he got the best dog he could get from his sister Amy.  His name was Jack, the last of the Jack’s.   Andrew’s persistence, was endearing.  He won over a lot of the 4H leaders and organizers.   

    In a class of his own, Andrew and his dog Jack, were registered, and, entered the show.  They won blue ribbons! 

    For Andrew’s Dad, Rebecca, and Andrew it was one of the best days at the Indiana County Fair that ever was.

    Credits:

    Produced by David Richman,
    Executively Produced by Grandpa Hill

    Grandchildren in the audience: Breandan

    Music: Michael Steele

    Art: Amy Steele

  • How Grandpa and Grandma Met Each Other – Faith & Family Story

    How Grandpa and Grandma Met Each Other – Faith & Family Story

    On St. Patrick’s Day,  1975,  Mary Lee Mack met Donald Paul Hill in the library of the high school in Rochester Michigan.  That was the day that Don’s girl friend realized she was his girlfriend. 

    Don had been so anticipating having Mary as his girlfriend and so anxious about being rejected that he struggled to tell Mary of his intentions.  “Everything had to be just right,” was the excuse Don had for not asking Mary to go out with him on a date.  

    Listen and learn what $1 and a green carnation had to do with the start of Grandma’s and Grandpa’s togetherness, as they have learned to think, laugh a lot, and live life well. 

    Although this story is not how Don recommends that couples should start their relationships.  It  is, as best as Don can remember, the truth about how it all started 48 years ago on St. Patrick’s 1975. 

    Credits:

    Produced by David Richman,
    Executively Produced by Grandpa Hill

    Music: David Richman
    Art: Amy Steele
    In the audience: Grandma Hill