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: The Travails of Working with Stone
Stone. Grandfather says he thinks it's one of the substances that's been intertwined with everything mankind has done from time immemorial.
There was the interaction of the Alps, elephants and Hannibal in 218 BC. Somewhat later, there was ...
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Grandfather Says: MLK’s Dream
He imagined a man who walked about the country telling everyone he met: "I wish we could all live Martin Luther King's dream where we didn't see anyone's skin color anymore."
Grandfather imagined the man started attracting the attention of the ...
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Grandfather Says: The DIY Harpsichord
Grandfather built a harpsichord once; in 1970.
It was an "expressive" double-manual, incorporating many of the traditional French/Flemish characteristics, but with some modern materials, like Delrin plastic for the plectra.
It was a kit, but ...
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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: 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 ...
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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: 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, ...
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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: 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 ...
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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: 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: 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 ...
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Grandfather Says: The Benefits of DIY Housing
Readers: This article kicks off a new quick-read series here at Len Penzo dot Com.
Grandfather sees that very few folks build their own houses anymore. But Grandfather says he thinks the increasing concentration of US housing in the hands of ...
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How I Live on Less Than $40,000 Annually: Ralph from West Virginia
My name is Ralph and I'm a retired US Patent Examiner. I have five kids, all of them in their fifties. Since retiring, I've developed a prize Angus cattle herd. I've also bought and sold real estate that I've held title to, sold timber from time to ...
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