Grandpa Hill's True Stories

Grandpa Hill tells this true story to give credit to one of the unexpected talents that Grandma has for peaceably settling disputes and disagreements and issues.  Don (Grandpa Hill) wasn't so good at that sort of thing.   Before Don would get into the arguing, the run-around and the frustration of handling difficult issues he would wisely turn it all over to Mary Lee.  It would...

Once upon a time there were two little boys in the back of their father's aluminum flat bottomed fishing boat,  two big boys took turns at the front, but the two little boys got bigger.  As the four boys grew, one moved away, and, the little boys were crowded and heavy in the back of the boat.  Grandpa, one of the not so little boys, takes it upon himself to purchase a boat of his o...

Grandpa is catching his breath, on the plane to deliver his report to the Georgia Power and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, but he realized didn't have the report! He wouldn't be on that plane if not for the work of Jody the secretary who drove him the papers he needed for the Nuclear Reactor case (another story). His boss held the plane, his job has been saved, and Grandpa realizes that... tha...

In the spring of 1973, Rochester Michigan, Grandpa Hill found freedom, fun, and adventure on his light and fast 10 speed bicycle.  He had saved up for this bike and it met all of his needs and then some.   Grandpa had plans of pedaling his bike on many long rides packed with adventure.  In this episode he takes his bicycle on one very risky ride with his friend Bill. His plans...

Come Home Son, is the story about how the simple honest love of Grandpa's Father changed and saved his life.  A special story for those who do not love themselves and for you dads who love your children.  Grandpa has just left the Air Force Academy in Colorado. His dreams, and his plans, of who he was going to be were broken and gone. Rock Bottom. He took a job with some nasty people in "sales," a...

Grandpa Hill needed to earn money for college in 1976.  He got a job working in a chemical factory.  It was a stinky job with many hazards.  He got a chance to be promoted to be a truck driver.  He was to go at lunch renew the license he did not have and then finish out his shift, and report for work Monday morning to drive a truck he did not know how to drive.  The story...

Grandpa Hill as a small boy in the 1960’s, near Northport Michigan, would cross Route 22, and, head up into the Pines to explore, and play.   He had a very active imagination in those woods and everywhere else too for that matter.  This episode is about one special tree the “Indian Tree” at the Northeast boundary of the “Pines” that he was in.  The Pines were deep dark  an...

The Fruit of One Decision Grandpa Hill’s True Faith and Family Story of what truly happened to him at the Latin Mass in Latrobe Pennsylvania was possible because Donald and Mary Lee made a fruitful decision, to open the womb 33 years ago. They offer to everyone their story of deciding to reverse their sterility, and, proceeding to go from a “large enough” family to a much larger family.  Gran...

Grandpa tells a story of his love for Grandma, and a massive flying squirrel. Grandma gets very hurt. In the darkness of the new couples bedroom there is shouting, then they are crying, then—as the story comes out about the squirrel—they are laughing. Love Hurts #1 is the first in a series of mishaps that Grandpa and Grandma have loved each other through, in holy matrimony since 1978.  Love H...

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...

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 f...

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...

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 bes...

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 (ev...

Grandpa tells the story of his first and only driver's test, with his family's old stick shift 1970 (and 1/2) Ford Torino. On this driver's test the officer giving the test asked Grandpa a very important question, "Do you know how fast you are going?" Although Grandpa didn't quite learn it then, this story brings up lessons regarding honesty and safety while driving. The officer did pass the test,...

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, is what really happened to him 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 navi...

In reply to Tim's question: Grandpa Hill's  true health story “Sandy and Her Seizures”  tells how connection and love and critical thinking about health issues came together and resulted in Sandy not having seizures anymore.  When Bernadette finally gets Dean and Don (Grandpa Hill) together, the synergy of the information that gets shared leads to a speedy recovery for Sandy. This s...

Grandpa Hill, that’s me, Don tells this story for his children, his grandchildren, and all children.  The 6 Hills go to bed on a summer night in Savage Minnesota determined to not watch the TV anymore.  This drastic change in their life was preparation to start homeschooling in the fall. It was Friday night. It was 1989. In just 11 hours, Saturday animation would be no more.  The TV...

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 p...

In Grandpa Hill’s True Health Story about success with XCOPRI a new AED, anti epileptic drug, Grandma Hill (Mary) did what Mary does.  She shares her personal success story, her ideas, and her opinions with another.  After her epilepsy improved, with 50% fewer seizures, she shared her story with Gregg, and he does even better. Grandpa Hill is not a doctor, just a good thinker, seeking th...

In this Grandpa Hill Slightly Wiser True Story, Grandpa loses a child at the Columbus Ohio City Zoo.  Grandpa Hill had a system to make it easy for a lost child to find him.  He wears a yellow shirt. The yellow shirt system failed and Brian, the lost child, had an adventure while lost with the “kittys”.  To this day no one knows if Brian ever petted the “kitty”, with spots. It just...

This Grandpa Hill True Story is about his Nose, and how he helps it stop viruses. Grandpa Hill believes that respiratory viruses nearly always start in the nose and mouth. His nose is where he goes “hunting” for viruses, to kill them.  In his story he goes virus hunting every day. Grandpa believes his clean nose is key to not getting sick with the COVID virus. A Neti pot is his weapon of choi...

In First Time Trout Fishing Grandpa Hill spends his last day of his first vacation away from home trout fishing.  This story truly happened to Grandpa Hill at a pond in Northport Michigan in the early 1970’s.  The pond was completely full of brook trout!  There were more trout than Grandpa had ever seen all in one place ever before and ever since. He has to overcome trees and weeds,...

Amy, Grandpa Hill's daughter, had a droopy face, a crooked neck, and her eye wouldn't open all the way.  Grandpa and Grandma Hill (Don and Mary) wanted her torticollis to be fixed but were not ready to have Doctors do nerve surgery.  Grandpa was praying and sharing with others at work about Amy's situation. Right there, right then, the man praying with Grandpa Hill, started telling him a...

Julia was trying to start a family and she had just found out about another miscarriage. Inexplicably Grandpa Hill (Don) thought her baby was still alive, and told her what he thought.  Julia needed to hear that, and so did her baby. To this day Grandpa Hill doesn’t know why he said that, but he did say it.  Sometimes we don’t say what what we know we should, but what an impact there can...