Grandpa's Big Daddy:

I talked yesterday about my Grandpa's song. Today, I thought I'd share a story of Todd when he was about four years old.
Todd was in his and Chad's bedroom crying really hard. I went in to see what was the matter and he said, "I'm just so sad that Grandpa's Big Daddy died" He was sobbing so hard I couldn't hardly understand him. I don't know what brought this on as my Grandpa died in 1974 on my 17th birthday. It could have been he heard us talking about Grandpa recently or who knows. Todd was (and still is) a real character but he has a super sensitive side to him, too. Even at a young age. Not only the incident above, but when Todd was only three years old, a good friend's husband was electrocuted on the job. He left behind a wife and a young son who had just turned one earlier in the year. Todd and I were going in to Rolla one day and he starts crying and I asked him what was wrong, he said, "I'm just so sad that Cody's dad died and he doesn't have a daddy anymore". Wow!! Quite the empathy for others at an early age.
Back to my Grandpa; Grandpa had quite the sense of humor and loved playing pranks. One of his pranks back fired on him. He loved to "take a bath in the snow". Which meant, he would go outside naked (or with his long johns on) and roll in the snow. Grandma played a trick on him one winter and locked the door and he couldn't get back in until she unlocked it. I don't think he ever took a bath in the snow again. When we were young we wanted to be just like Grandpa only we would walk bare footed around the circle drive. I guess it marked a milestone in our life or something. I can remember once when I was about five that Judy and I were walking around the drive and I stopped because me feet were freezing and I started crying. Judy tried to get me to keep walking but I kept crying. She had to walk back and get me (not cool to an older sister to have to do that). That was the last time I walked barefoot in snow.
Grandpa didn't like the way the "city cousins" slammed the yard gate or the screen door. He would always say, "Connie, you don't ever slam the doors like those kids". And I never would, Grandpa's praise meant a lot.
Since I was the youngest child in our family for quite awhile I guess I was the little show off. Once Grandpa said, Connie, you don't wear those short shorts like those other kids", and I answered, "Oh No, Grandpa, I'm gonna wear my pota (polka) dot bitini (bikini). Even though I was only three or four, I remember everyone laughing. I used to say I was going to Vichy to get sugar. They all thought that was hilarious as Grandpa referred to his kisses as sugar. When I met Dwayne, Mom joked that I was still going to Vichy to get sugar. (Dwayne lived in Vichy)
So, I guess Todd got some of his humor and stories honestly from his Mom.
As to the "Grandpa's Big Daddy", I have no idea where that came from. We never referred to Grandpa as Big Daddy and could not figure out how he came up with it.
Todd came up with a lot of stuff. Once when he was two and a half years old we were in a department store in Rolla doing some Christmas shopping. I worked for Dr. Werth at the time and I saw one of the patients in the store. We visited a little and then Todd pipes up with, "My Mom is getting a brand new baby girl on April 4th". Where did that come from? I wasn't pregnant and April 4th would be my Grandma Feeler's birthday and also the date that Todd was due in 1981. At the time, he knew all of our full names and birthdays. Pretty perceptive little boy. Of course, the people that we saw thought I really was pregnant and keeping it a secret for awhile.

I am so grateful for the time spent with my grandparents and I so wish Todd had been able to meet "Grandpa's Big Daddy".