Matthew loves to be outside! Even when we lived on a little, itty-bitty piece of land, I would find Matt somewhere in a tree. Now, he is in "little boy heaven" with so much to explore. Yesterday, Matthew called Great Papa. He absolutely loves Great Papa, otherwise known as the "Great Hunter." Papa isn't just "A" hunter. He is "THE" hunter. He has a basement full of trophys. You name it, he shot it. Matt loves to listen to Great Papa's exciting stories. Probably his biggest trophy is his black bear. Papa said that he was tracking a deer when he came upon this bear. He shot at the bear, and missed the first time. The bear took off running, but it was the second shot that sent him to the ground. The bear (may he rest in peace) is now a nice decoration on the floor of Papa's basement. As a little girl, I can remember being so scared of that thing! The taxidermist did a grand job of making him look alive. The mouth of the bear is open, showcasing it's huge, fanglike, ugly teeth. You can even see the tongue curled inside it's mouth. The bear looks like he's about to let out a mighty roar. One time, I got it in my head that I wanted to see what the tongue felt like. The curiosity overcame me. My heart was pounding as I approached the lifeless rug. I slowly bent down, doublechecking that it wasn't breathing. -It was indeed dead. As I stuck my shaking hand in it's mouth, little did I know that Papa was downstairs, too, he let out a little tiny "gruff," and I HIT THE CEILING with a scream! I can hear his laughter right now. I don't believe that I've ever been back in his basement since.
(looks like Emma met the bear rug downstairs)Yesterday, listening to our 10 year old son talk on the phone to our 82 year old Papa was so very precious. The two of them were just gabbing away, like they were the best of friends. At one point, Papa was telling Matthew a story and I heard Matt exclaim, "SWEET!" It just made me smile. Maybe Papa didn't know that "sweet" was the new cool word for "awesome," but surely he knew that he was admired. There are generations that separate these two, and yet the bond of "the great outdoors" connects them on a level like they were both 10 years old. :o)
4 comments:
Oh, how funny. I totally remember that curly tongue, too. And come to think of it, I think Papa totally got me on that one, too.
Me, too! So got me!
But, I made my peace with the rug. I used to go down and lay on it and pretend I was a princess laying in a castle on my furry bed.
Ok- I was bored that day!
papa said: "matt will be a better hunter & fisherman than me because he's interested at such a young age and asks all the right questions!" that's a pretty cool complement!
That is a cool compliment! And so true. Papa is such a sweetheart. He is always so patient and loves the kids so very much. I didn't realize this before, Mama, but I think you are very much like your Daddy.
Post a Comment