Grandpa Denny - Celebration Essay

By: Mason Dehmlow

Grandpa Denny is my mom’s dad and he is married to my grandma Vicky. Grandpa Denny has taught me a countless number of things. That is why he is so special to me.

I can remember going to my grandparents house when I was as old as three or four years old. I remember riding on the fender of the tractor. We would go feed the horses a bail of hay, make hay in the field, or go water the horses. I can imagine all the times when I was little and I’d be riding on the tractor with Grandpa and we would go down into the ditch and I would always be afraid of falling off or rolling the tractor, but Grandpa Denny always had his hand on me so I wouldn’t fall.  Sometimes we would be in the hay field with my aunt and uncle bailing hay and when they were done, I would get to ride on the very top of the hay rack. One time we were coming out of the ditch from the hay field and we were pulling the full hay rack. When we came up out of the ditch, the hay bails fell off, thankfully I wasn’t on top.

Grandpa has taught me so many things. He taught me how to drive. I started when I was about eleven or twelve years old. I started driving with the same beat up old Dodge Dakota Sport that my mom started driving with. To this day whenever I go to their house, I still drive that pickup.

He taught me how to change a tire. I always did for some reason enjoy changing tires for Grandpa Denny.

One weekend on Christmas break, I went to Grandma and Grandpa’s by my self. We spent about three days turning an old horse drawn cart into a new one. Grandpa and I tore apart the old one but kept the chassis. We took measurements of the old parts and made brand new ones. It was a really cool cart. When we were measuring, Grandpa Denny taught me that if you spread your hand, the length from the tip of your middle finger to the tip of your thumb is eight inches. I have used that trick so many times and when I do, I always think of him.

I remember one conversation I had with my Grandpa about when my mom was younger. He told me about when they went to the lake and they would be out there so long that they would run out of gas. My mom and her sisters would have to swim the boat back to shore. Grandpa didn’t care that he used all the gas, he wanted to have a good time with his family. That is still true today, the amounts of money he and grandma spend on us is crazy.

Grandpa also taught me how to ride. I even used to have my own horse that I would ride all the time when I went to his house. He taught me how to put the saddle on and put the bit in. I still remember those things even though it was a long time ago. I’m so thankful for grandpa.

I always love it when Grandpa Denny tells stories of the old days. He tells how it used to be and then compares it to how it is now. He’s so smart.

I love His personality. His is one of the toughest people I know. Yet, he is one of the kindest and most gentle and loving person ever. He shows it in many ways. He will yell at us if we are going to do something bad, but that’s only because he cares.

When I grow up, I want to be just like Grandpa Denny.