Grandpa Horn

This past Sunday saw the passing of my Grandpa Horn.  Of course while I am heartbroken and miss him I remember that he is in a far better place one without pain and suffering. 

 I was just thinking a couple weeks ago about my time growing up with grandpa around. Mostly about how Pete does many of the same things.  I remember snuggling up with him in his big old lazy boy and taking 40 winks instead of naps and thinking I had gotten away with something, about how he peeled my apples for me perfectly with his good old handy pocket knife that always held a place of honor next to his chair.  Watching the Pink Panther, Popeye, Grape Ape and all my favorite Hanna-Barbera cartoons along with a healthy dose of westerns, where the good guy always won in the end.  The high faves with in the middles, down lows and too slows.  I remember the Easter eggs stuffed with quarters and quarters all over the place after he went  to play cards.  He was always happy and thrilled with every little accomplishment and thing that I did, even if in reality it was a horrible 7th grade band concert that could truly could have lead to the removal of music from schools due to the quality for the sake of music everywhere. Or the walking stick that I carved the bark off for him.  The mushroom hunting next to the railroad tracks and the just normal conversations we had, nothing forced, nothing fake, just grandpa and his girl, together. 

Pete has gotten to partake in some of these things during the past year.  He loved to share grapes with Popo and watch tv together though the shows have changed and been taken over by Max and Ruby, Dora the Explorer and Team Umizoomi, though Pete still demanded a good western if Gene Autry was on. He changed high fave routine to faves and fist bumps.  Just the other day he got to have his first grandpa peeled apple, they were always the best, just the perfect amount of peel removed but leaving the good part intact. 

Part of me is truly sadden that Pete won't get to do all of these wonderful yet mundane things with him, but then I realize that he has his own Grandpa Horn to do these things with in my dad.  He will have his own adventures riding lawn mowers, shooting bb guns at his arch enemies the ground hogs, and snuggling.  Because my Grandpa taught his grandpa how to do it, how to be the absolute best at grandpa-ing.