Grandpa Hill's True Stories

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...

In the winter of 1968 Grandpa Don and his friend Bill Lecuru in Rochester Michigan built a fort of sticks and newspaper in the woods near Bill’s house.  Grandpa was 14 and the fort was not warm enough for the two boys to stay warm so a very small fire was needed, inside of the fort.  Like a teepee.  Don was not thinking about how strong the draft would be.  Shortly after they were starting to get...

Grandpa Hill knows lots of people that just talk way too much!  Two special women to him really talk a lot. At one time, Don was quite sure they both talked too much.  Mary Lee, Don’s  wife, and his oldest daughter Patricia are the two ‘talkers’ that taught him a lesson and the value of sharing stories with and taking the time to get to know and share with people about yourself.    This story is a...

Grandpa left his body in 2003. He was 46 years old living in Iselin PA.  While on the operating table sedated as a surgery was being performed, he got the privilege of watching the Doctor examine the tumor he had just removed. As Grandpa Hill tells this story to his grandchildren, they have just as much trouble trying to understand Grandpa’s story as Grandpa did 20 years ago when he first realized...

In 1988 Grandpa Hill (Don) and his family were at a parish mission in Burnsville Minnesota.  Just before the priest called on Don to come up front for a demonstration about faith and trust, an angel came and sat down next to Grandpa. Grandpa really doesn’t know what angels are.  He calls what he saw an angel because it seemed friendly, calm, and all energy.   Whatever it was that evening he first...

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...

In January of 2015 on a cold morning in Iselin Pennsylvania Grandpa Hill (Don) decides to tease and surprise his wife Mary Lee.   After she gets startled and chilled she retaliates.    Don felt he deserved to receive the kick that Mary wanted to give him.  Presenting himself for the kick, he cautioned Mary that it would hurt her more than him.  This turns out was a major understatement.  Don got t...

Grandpa Learns to Maneuver His 401K – A Slightly Wiser Story 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...

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...

Grandpa is taking his daughter Amy across the fields of western Wisconsin in 1990.  The two of them had come out of the woods away from the rest of the group. The Romo’s children, and their mom, Mrs Teresa Romo and Don and his four children had spent the late morning hours foraging for medicinal herbs and wild foods. They had experienced seeing baby raccoons in an old tree stump. They had got...

In the summer of 1968 Grandpa Hill (Donald) was playing with Mike Martin his cousin. They were along Hamlin Road in Rochester Michigan playing tricks on his brother Eugene. Donald and Mike decide to hide from Eugene after they had secretly dropped leaves and twigs from high up in the tree nearly hitting Eugene as he pedaled buy. Those trees are gone now. The old fence line where Donald and Mike ha...

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. &n...

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 recall’s 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 seco...

Patricia, Grandpa and Grandma's eldest child, listens with her seven children, and Grandma Hill (Mary Lee) as Grandpa Hill tells the heart tearing and heart warming story of when Patricia, was seriously ill in Children's Hospital of Columbus Ohio.   Patricia was not responding well to her treatment and medications for asthma.  After a day of no progress she is finally able to commun...

Hospital Incident No.1 - Stay With Your Child is a true story of when Grandpa stayed with his oldest daughter Patricia as she was treated for a severe asthma attack.  As children Grandpa and Grandma had never been hospitalized.  As young parents Grandpa and Grandma Hill had been to the hospital several times  and had several multiple night stays with their first child, Patricia. &nb...

This last episode of Grandpa Hill’s adventure trip is told by Grandpa Hill. It truly happened to him. There and back, the trip was nearly 500 miles.  This last episode starts on Day 6 and is full of adventure and fun. The day starts with spirits high, leaving MARION. Eggs are stolen from a hen house and they confess when discovered. They are cared for by Aunt Margaret at the farm in Harrietta...

Part 3: Day 4, Day 5, Day 6. Stuck in Marion Michigan. Grandpa Hill and his friends leave Wilson State Park, where their neighbors had taken them after their highly unlikely and very fortuitous chance meeting the day before. They headed out of the park on what would come to be known as the "disaster day." The road was clear... until it wasn't.   There is a tractor trailer truck in the opposin...

On The Great Michigan Bicycle Trip PART 2, Day 2 and 3,  Grandpa Hill has  a much better time than day one of this 500 mile adventure across Michigan by four teenage boys.  In Day 1 the Lapeer County sheriff deputy was called to question him and he was rescued and escorted by the North Branch police. In Day 2, his friend Bill gets cut by Dean and his big bowie knife.  Later Dea...

Grandpa Hill was 16 years old and drawn to adventure.  The adventure in this story is a 500 mile long bicycle trip in the early 1970’s.   Four boys leave Rochester Michigan on their 10 speed bicycles.  Not one of the boys had ever been even on an overnight bicycle trip.  Their experience at camping was next to nothing. A recipe for disaster. Grandpa Hill, Don, knew that if...

This story isn't really about Devil's night, a night of tricks and pranks. It is a story about an unfortunate—or rather fortunate—course of events that led to Sparky becoming the dog of Grandpa Hill's family, way back when he was a just a boy of 11 years old.   It was 1967 on a foggy Devil’s Night in Rochester Michigan.  A prank was played on a most unfortunate family and their dog....

"Money Doesn't Grow on Trees" Grandpa Hill (Don)'s Dad said... as it turns out money does sometimes grow on trees. Donald was a teenager in the 1970's, and his Dad was explaining the folly of a purchase.  Don replied oh yes it does grow on trees! "Look right there!"  Right out side the living room window there was a money tree.  Grandpa's Mom used to pick what looked to be silver do...

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...

Grandma teaches Grandpa how to buy a car--how not to pay more than it is worth or than you can afford.  34 years after he learned his lesson Grandpa has bought over 20  cars. The family has nearly always has one dependable family car and a back up car. This has saved the family so much money.  No car payments ever!  Only once did he feel he should buy collision insurance covera...

The Flood In the dark January night Don Mary Lee and Brian set out for the Indiana Library. It was a warm day in Pennsylvania in January in the early 1990's.  The snow had been melting all day.  Flashflood warning were out.  There was water on Route 286.  Then the family car was floating and was in a flood.  Grandpa quickly made a plan to leave the car and when it came tim...

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 fr...