Grandpa Hill's True Stories

Tag: grandpa

  • Turtle Soup

    Turtle Soup

    This story is about Grandpa Hill and his grandfather, Grandpa Bonse.  “Donny Boy” got turtle soup for his birthday and learned to consider carefully what he really wanted in his life.  In this case he was very excited to get a special meal that he was sure was the best ever.  Grandpa Bonse had to make his regular visit to the garbage dump near North Port MI.  Then he had Donny Boy look in a barrel of turtles, then they enjoyed a great lunch.  Grandpa Bonse enjoyed teaching Donny Boy this way.  Grandpa Hill (Donny Boy) enjoyed learning this way.  He felt loved.  

    Gorf the frog  and Marshmallow the raccoon discuss the eating of frogs and turtles.  What you think about your food plays a big part in whether you will like it or not.  Grandpa did some thinking about his highly desired soup and then it wasn’t quite so desired.  Marshmallow mostly thinks about eating more not what it is that he is eating.  Gorf handles the whole story pretty well.  Gorf does get tense with all the talk about eating things like frogs.  Marshmallow reminds Gorf again that he won’t be consuming frogs any time soon.

    Credits:

    Produced by David Richman,
    Executively Produced by Grandpa Hill

    Music: Michael Steele,
    Art: David Richman,
    Grandchildren in Audience: Annette & Breandan

  • Hospital Check – Grandma Saves the Day

    Hospital Check – Grandma Saves the Day

    In 1979 Grandpa and Grandma Hill, were proud parents of their first child, Patricia Kay.  The huge $1900 hospital bill had just been paid.  Grandpa Hill was broke!  In a few days he would be at a to-be-determined-address 500 miles away with no money, no job, and full time college classes to attend.  The very next day the good news came in the mail.  The health insurance from Central Foundry was going to cover all of the hospital bill.  Grandpa went immediately to the hospital to get the $1900 back.  The hospital had already cashed the check, and, couldn’t give him the money!  It would be weeks before they would get the check and the address to send it to still wasn’t known.  All of the back and forth of getting the money would have to be done by mail and expensive phone calls.   The situation looked bleak, but, then Mary Lee (Grandma Hill) took over.

    It took some sitting, some talking and a lot of patiently waiting and then it happened, Grandma Hill saved the day again.  Grandpa was so proud of what she had done, and grateful for the money.  “Honey how did you do it?”  Was his frequently asked question in those early years.  Grandma had truly saved the day!

    Credits:

    Produced by David Richman,
    Executively Produced by Grandpa Hill

    Music & Art by David Richman

  • Food and Vacation Fun at Grandma Bonse’s

    Food and Vacation Fun at Grandma Bonse’s

    Every year Grandpa went, with his family, to visit his Grandma and Grandpa Bonse in Northport Michigan.  He remembers the great food especially his grandma’s raisin bread.  Yum!  Grandpa had adventures every year!   A pine forest deep and dark and quiet, and the steep grassy hills behind the barn, set the “stage” for his vacation fun.  A box of simple toys gave hours of enjoyment.  At night Grandpa and his brothers could see through the floors.   

    Two foods brought each vacation to a close.  Popcorn made by Grandpa Bonse and Chubs from town for the adults.  Gorf the frog is impressed with Grandpa’s fun and initiates a game of tree tag.  Marshmallow plays too but has his priorities, food first!    Grandpa encourages his children his grandchildren and all children set down cell phones, shut off televisions and enjoy each other and enjoy their childhood as they learn to think laugh and live.   

    Credits:

    Produced by David Richman,
    Executively Produced by Grandpa Hill, 

    Music: Michael Steele
    Grandchildren Audience: Kyla, Lawrence, Eddie.

  • My First Car

    My First Car

    In My First Car, Grandpa wants his own car. He is 16, it is 1973 and he doesn’t want to wait until he is 18. He has money from jobs and the recent sale of Brandy (his pony).  

    Great Grandpa and Grandma Hill (his parents) do not want to repeat what happened to Grandpa’s siblings when they started driving their own cars.  Somehow Grandpa Hill was able to get his car, despite the recently formed family rule of no car until you are 18. Grandpa’s good driving, planning, his very good grades in school and his appropriate respect for his parents wishes helped him win his appeal to get a car just two months after his 16th birthday.  Within seconds after his parent’s changed their minds all was settled and he was the rightful owner of a 1964 Volkswagen 1500 to drive to school, to Detroit, or anywhere he could afford to go.  

    Marshmallow the Raccoon is very excited for Grandpa’s first car.  Gorf the Frog is concerned that Grandpa may have acted badly in going against his parents wishes.  Both of them come to think that Grandpa made a rightful appeal and his parents changed their minds.

    Credits:

    Produced by David Richman,
    Executively Produced by Grandpa Hill, 

    Music: Michael Steele,
    Grandchildren: Joseph, Catherine, Lizzy

    image: http://classiccardb.com/volkswagen/ edited by David Richman

  • Brandy Pony is Sold

    Brandy Pony is Sold

    Grandpa Hill, decided in 1973 in the summer to sell his Brandy.  He had received Brandy for his 13th birthday.

    As horse and rider Grandpa and Brandy had been through a lot together.  Grandpa had learned to be responsible, to be a caregiver, and he learned how to ride well enough to stay on Brandy.  Grandpa still considered Brandy to be very stubborn and failed to see the steady progress of gentling that was occurring with Brandy. The plan was to sell Brandy and if possible all of his tack.

    On that fateful morning when a potential buyer came to his house Grandpa saddled up Brandy for the little girl that was going to be riding him in the future.  Grandpa was shocked and surprised by Brandy’s behavior.  The sale went through.  Grandpa had $600 from the sale of Brandy plus tack.  Now, he wanted a car! The experience with Brandy demanded that he learn a lot, and do a lot.  Getting bucked and thrown wasn’t comfortable.  Owning a horse and starting from scratch without knowledge, skill, or contacts,  required thinking.  As he remembers it he laughed a lot as he tried and tried and tried again.

    Credits:

    Produced by David Richman, Executively Produced by Grandpa Hill

    Voice of Gorf: Grandpa, Voice of Marshmallow: David,
    Art: David Richman,
    Music: Michael Steele,
    Grandchildren: Joseph, Catherine, and Lizzy

  • Brandy Pony’s Geometry (Part 2)

    Brandy Pony’s Geometry (Part 2)

    Grandpa Use Geometry to master his troublesome pony. Brandy has been holding his breath while Grandpa puts on the saddle. As result of 2 pi R Brandy gains three inches of looseness on Grandpa, so Grandpa goes flying when Brandy stops for clovers. The solution: Grandpa waits for Brandy to relax, then he cinches up the straps.

    Now Grandpa is getting really good at riding, though Brandy tries his best to eject Grandpa from the saddle, but Grandpa just won’t quit. Grandpa and Brandy have many more adventures, until that fateful day when Grandpa sells Brandy.

    Credits:

    Produced by David Richman,
    Executively Produced by Grandpa Hill

    Art: David Richman
    Music: Michael Steele
    Grandchildren: Joseph, Catherine, and Lizzy

  • Brandy Pony (Part 1)

    Brandy Pony (Part 1)

    Grandpa gets a pony for his Birthday, Brandy. Brandy, as it turns out, is a thoroughly stubborn animal who fights Grandpa every step of the way. Hours of watching and reading westerns couldn’t prepare him for this bucking bronco. It doesn’t help matters that Grandpa knows neither head or hoof about caring for horses, much less how to ride them. As a result Grandpa learns how to get bucked, and (eventually) how to stay on.

    Brandy is a difficult horse but he brings a lot of lessons. Lessons of perseverance and responsibility. Although Grandpa didn’t like getting thrown in the dirt, he still kept his duties as the owner of a horse. It was his horse, so he had to feed, water and bath it.

    By the end of the story Grandpa Hill was living his dream, as real a cow boy he would ever be, but it would be foolish to think this fence leaping horse has been broken. Tune in next time to hear of Brandy’s affection for clover, and how Grandpa used geometry to solve the problem of the Bucking Brandy.

    Credits:

    Produced by David Richman
    Executively Produced by Grandpa Hill

    Gorf: Grandpa, Marshmallow: David
    Art: David Richman
    Music: Michael Steele
    Grandchildren: Joseph, Catherine, and Lizzy

  • Navigator Brian

    Navigator Brian

    Brian the Navigator, Grandpa Hill’s True Story about one of his son’s amazing ability to know where he was and which way to go at the age of five. This story recounts what really happened to Grandpa Hill and his family in the summer of 1985.

    There was a heated discussion, between the parents of a young family, while in an overheated car, on a hot day, in a hot congested snarl of traffic.   Brian’s excellent navigation skills got the family out of a jam.  It was smooth sailing from there.  From a pending disaster in downtown Chicago the family vacation trip was rescued by Brian’s keen interest in maps.

    At the end, Gorf and Marshmallow are lost too, and discuss the importance of studying maps, and to be helpful in your own situation.

    This story on how the Hill family dealt with the tension. It is for Grandpa Hill’s 8 children, his 22 grandchildren, and all children.  Grandpa’s goal is to help the listeners  get out of their own tense situations and figure out ways to make it easier to think more, laugh more, and live abundantly.

    Credits:

    Produced by David Richman
    Executively Produced by Grandpa Hill

    Music: Michael Steele,
    Art: David Richman,
    Grandchildren: Joseph, Catherine, and Lizzy

  • How to Lose Teeth Fast

    How to Lose Teeth Fast

    Losing My Two Front Teeth is a story for Grandpa Hill’s 8 children, 22 grand children, and all children.   Four of his grandchildren are ready for bed, listening to Grandpa Hill recall the fun time when he had his teeth and played in the clean sheets that his mother had washed and hung to dry.
    Losing teeth the natural and normal way is usually very exciting and sometimes a little painful.  Grandpa lost his teeth in a way that was very painful, and, sad.    In the story he disobeys his mother, and hurts himself.  His mother forgives him and he grows up to be a very happy and grateful Grandpa Hill with teeth.

    Credits:

    Produced by David Richman,
    Executively Produced and Recorded by Grandpa Hill

    Music: Michael Steele
    Art: Amy Steele
    Grandchildren in Audience: Kyla, Lawrence, Eddie, and Levi

  • First Time Trout Fishing

    First Time Trout Fishing

    In Trout Fishing for The First Time Grandpa Hill spends his last day of his first vacation away from home trout fishing.  Way back in the 1970’s Grandpa Hill fished at a pond in Northport Michigan.  The pond was completely full of brook trout!  More trout than Grandpa had ever seen all in one place ever before and ever since. 

    The pond is not very easy to fish in, so he has to overcome trees and weeds, and learn to cast sideways.  At the end of his successful fishing trip his stringer was full, yet at the end of the day his belly was empty.  Because the fish were all gone.

    Marshmallow explains to Gorf how this was a story about growing-up. Grandpa didn’t get something he really had looked forward to – delicious brook trout, and that was okay.

    If anyone you know would be entertained by, or learn from Grandpa Hill’s true stories please share them, and please subscribe and use all of his stories to think better, laugh more, and live abundantly.

    Credits:

    Produced by David Richman
    Executively Produced by Grandpa Hill

    Gorf: Grandpa
    Marshmallow: David R.
    Art: Amy Steele
    Music: David R.
    Grandchildren in the audience: Caleb, Corbin, and Walter