I loved it when my grandfather started to talk about his childhood.
- The way he told the story, he always had to walk both ways uphill, just to go to school, and he was always walking in knee deep snow with holes in his shoes.
I’m surprised he never succumbed to pneumonia or frostbite, but he said kids were stronger back then. He then started talking about air conditioning. He said they didn’t even know what air conditioning was back then. They had an open fireplace to keep them warm in the winter. No matter how young the kids were, they all took their turn going outside for firewood, or to take care of the cows. We laughed when he told his stories, but I had a feeling that most of the stories were true. I found out that the schoolhouse he went to was on top of a hill so they could see Indians or other enemies coming up the mountain. The bell on the school was there to ring and warn the townspeople about a possible raid. I never realized that grandpa was born in the late 1880s, and his stories were probably all true. I asked what his favorite part of being alive in the 1970s was? He said he loved air conditioning and not going outside to bring in wood for the fireplace. I cocked my head at him when he said about air conditioning and the fireplace. He reached out to hug me. He said he was glad he lived long enough to know his great granddaughter.