an ode to grandpa porky

on what is supposed to be a day to celebrate fathers and fatherhood, my grandpa porky passed away. you may think that's an odd (or even mean) name to call your grandpa, but to us, his grandchildren, that will be how we remember him forever. while our grandpa on our father's side was a large man, this name did not come from his stature. instead, it came from his beloved bulldog who we grew up with. the bulldog's name was, of course, porky. thus, the nickname grandpa porky. the connection might not make a ton of sense as an adult, but to us kids, it made perfect sense.

there are many things i will remember about my grandpa. here are the top 10:

1. popsicles. lots and lots of popsicles. he always had an abundant supply and in order to get one we'd have to hop up on his lap and give him a big hug and a kiss. my cousins and i would sit out on the porch and have contests to see who could get the tip of their popsicle the pointiest. 
2. shocking his bald head. as kids, we would rub our feet on the carpeted floor and then stick our charged fingers upon his bald head. we thought this was the funniest thing in the entire world. 
3. his chair. grandpa spent many, many hours sitting in his recliner. if you happened to sneak into it while he was out of the room, you knew darned well that as soon as he was back, you were going to be moving your little tush out of that chair. 
4. the people's court. grandpa loved watching the people's court and letting the people on there know just how stupid he thought they were. 
5. coloring. i spent so many hour on that living room floor coloring in books and then taking the finished product over to him for his critique. 
6. he HATED hungry, hungry, hippo. we happened to love playing that game at his house because it was one we didn't have at home. he would get so mad every time we brought that game out. many times we were ordered to the porch to play the game outside because it was so loud. 
7. speaking of loud....grandpa's t.v. was always turned up to the max. grandpa was definitely a little hard of hearing to say the least. 
8. his stubbornness....enough said. 
9. his overalls. my grandpa was a farmer all of his life. unless he was at church, he was in blue and white (conductor-like) overalls. always. 
10. how much he loved his grandchildren & great-grandchildren. he had many more than the average person. so many that i can't give you a number because i can't even keep track anymore! of course, my two boys landed in the great-grandchildren category. while they are both still very young, i'm glad to know that they at least got to meet my grandpa porky. they were even lucky enough to see him the day before he passed while staying with my parents who were watching them when the hubby and i were at a wedding. 

grandpa porky, you will be missed by your 6 children, many, many, grandchildren, and many more great-grandchildren. you will be remembered always.