When he was in the army, Grandfather was detailed to the island of Mindanao, serving as cadre for a Filipino surveying company contracted by the US Government to survey and map the Philippines. The Southern part of Mindanao was Moro (Muslim) ...
Continue reading Grandfather Says: Croc Hunting in Mindanao
Grandfather Says: Grandfather’s House and Custom Built Stairs
In the first article in this series, Grandfather talked about building your own house.
Here's his during the build:
And here's where Grandfather lived while his house was being built:
When he was younger he and his friends (most now ...
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Grandfather Says: The Early Birds
The following is a true story, only names are changed to protect the guilty.
Grandfather used to be visited by Clyde and his wife Penelope, from time to time. They always showed up early, before Grandfather was ready for them and Grandfather had ...
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Grandfather Says: The Importance of Self-Confidence and Independence
Grandfather says self-confidence and independence go hand-in-hand.
From his earliest days, Grandfather marched to his own drummer. In first-grade at elementary school -- a barracks-like structure with a classroom at each end and a coal furnace in ...
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Grandfather Says: Introducing the Art of Grandfather’s Wife, Tatjana
His wife, Tatjana van Beckhoven Blakeslee, has been an inspiration and helpmate to him for the last twelve years.
In addition to being a first-class gardener, interior decorator and gourmet cook, her career in fine art has been notable and is ...
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Grandfather Says: A Wintry View of My Raised-Bed Vegetable Garden
Today I thought I would share a photo of Grandfather's garden area, comprised of raised beds, a cold frame (far right), surrounded by an eight-foot-high electric fence (evidenced by the white poles).
Behind the garden (farthest away in the ...
Continue reading Grandfather Says: A Wintry View of My Raised-Bed Vegetable Garden
Grandfather Says: A Big Secret for Doing Well in Life
Grandfather says he used to work for the government.
He was a patent examiner. In common with all other bureaucrats, he had the authority to tell folks they could or couldn't do this or that -- in Grandfathers authority, get a patent.
Well, the ...
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Grandfather Says: A Few Words on Religious Conviction
Grandfather says religious conviction is a funny thing.
Not ha-ha funny; wondrous funny.
It propelled the Sistine Chapel ceiling, the Spanish inquisition, the Knights Templar and Billy Graham's Crusades ...
But its expression is uneven. And ...
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Grandfather Says: Only Clean Firewood Will Do
Grandfather says he doesn't mind a little frumpiness indoors, but the missus wants only clean firewood in the house.
Well, OK; Grandfather will have to abandon the woodpile and store the firewood under roof.
No spare roof onsite?
The missus ...
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Grandfather Says: The Correct Way to Cope with Adversity
Grandfather says someone close to the past disastrous wildfires in California got him to thinking. "Older people know that everything heals," the man said. "Everything gets better if you just keep plugging away. But there are young people who are ...
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Grandfather Says: The Miracle of Birth
Grandfather used to ask God to help him with this or that.
He says he hasn't done that for quite awhile now, but he is moved to thank God when one of His gifts comes Grandfather's way.
The miracle of birth is one of those gifts. For ...
Continue reading Grandfather Says: The Miracle of Birth
Grandfather Says: Holiday Wishes!
Grandfather says Happy Christmas and a Merry New Year!
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About the Author: RD Blakeslee is a nonagenarian in West Virginia who built his net worth by only investing in that which can be enjoyed during acquisition and throughout life, as ...
Continue reading Grandfather Says: Holiday Wishes!
Grandfather Says: Thanksgiving Greetings from West Virginia
Some folks hereabouts have wondered what Grandfather "at home" looks like.
Well, here's a scene for you ...
It occurs to Grandfather that he looks like a hick in that particular picture.
But, as you can see, his living room looks quite ...
Continue reading Grandfather Says: Thanksgiving Greetings from West Virginia
Grandfather Says: A Lesson on the Benefits of Working Smartly
Grandfather says he has some experience working hard and working smart.
In 1949, he worked for the Ford Motor Company on the 8N farm tractor assembly line. The 8N had a transmission cover that a hoist operator lowered onto the transmission as the ...
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Grandfather Says: The Heyday of Art & Culture
Grandfather says he has from time to time discussed how his country place is a refuge in this time of troubles and that he continues to enjoy the art of our culture as it was in our heyday. So, what cultural expressions does he enjoy, exactly?
The ...
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Grandfather Says: Headless Horsemen and Horseless Carriages
Horseless carriages and headless horsemen go together.
Horses really don't pollute the green space much -- garden soil and sparrows make use of it, such as it is.
But headless horsemen, in frantic search of money, use horseless carriages, ...
Continue reading Grandfather Says: Headless Horsemen and Horseless Carriages
Grandfather Says: The Joys of Part-Time Farming
Grandfather says he sometimes thinks back on his life as an odyssey out of the factories of Detroit into the mountains of West Virginia.
About mid-way, he took a little side trip and did a bit of "offbeat" farming. He bought some old farm ...
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Grandfather Says: One Good Thing About Getting Old
One good thing about getting old -- and there aren't many -- is that you can blame a whole lot of things on your age:
Miss your aim at the toilet ...
Forget to pay at the gas pump ...
Tell the cop you're staggering because of "the shakes" ...
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Grandfather Says: What’s The Value of a Song?
Grandfather says he doesn't have much use for a lot of modern stuff, but he likes electronic keyboards.
He has a lovely Steinway grand piano in his living room; a relic of earlier times and people in his life.
But he can't play it.
A ...
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Grandfather Says: Never Underestimate the Utility of a Trebuchet
Grandfather says he built a trebuchet.
They were used in the middle ages to fling smallpox-infected corpses over castle walls.
Grandfather used his to launch model airplanes, although some of his colleagues suggested its utility for such things ...
Continue reading Grandfather Says: Never Underestimate the Utility of a Trebuchet
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