Happy 90th Grandpa Jim

Today, we celebrated my Grandpa Jim’s 90th birthday. It’s hard to believe he’s 90! Over the last five years, he’s started to seem a bit older, but until then, it felt like he had always been the same ol’ Grandpa Jim I’ve known forever. He now rents out the farm, but he’s still involved in a lot of the day-to-day activities, just to keep busy. Grandma, who turned 88 just a week before, was also part of the celebration. It’s really special to have grandparents that my kids have gotten to know so well.

Grandma has become more frail in recent years and uses a walker to get around. She’s always with Grandpa, so you don’t always notice how her memory is fading. Grandpa’s great at finishing her sentences or filling in the blanks, but when you talk to her alone, you realize just how much she struggles to remember things.

It was also nice to catch up with people I don’t see often. Moses was still around from the funeral, so we had some good conversations. I also got to see Cobin and his family, Brandon, Jan Strope, and many others.

Some of my favorite memories of Grandpa are from when we would go out to count the cows every morning. We had no idea how he kept track of them or knew which ones he’d already counted. But the best part was getting tossed around in the truck as we drove through the fields. We’d bounce all over the place, hitting our heads on the ceiling, holding on for dear life.

Grandpa also had an appetite for sweet corn when we stayed there in the summer. He’d eat three or four ears in one meal, and we always laughed and called him a combine because he’d eat it so fast and in perfect, straight rows.

One time, when I was around 10, Grandpa took me to check an irrigation line during a thunderstorm. As he climbed up the metal irrigation system in the middle of the lightning storm, he yelled down, “If anything happens, take the truck and get Grandma.” Now, being a city kid with No driving experience, the thought of me driving at 10 years old was completely ridiculous. Thankfully, nothing happened!

Staying with Grandma and Grandpa during the summer was always so much fun. We’d help Grandma in the garden, and bottle-feeding a calf was always our favorite activity—even though Grandma and Grandpa were never thrilled when they had to do it. We’d also rummage through the spare room, trying on old clothes of Mom’s and Debbie’s from high school.

Steph, Moses, Grandpa, Erin, Mitch