Pictures Don't Do It Justice...

...is the exact thought I had as I pulled into the cemetery in Findlay, Illinois where my Grandpa Leo & Grandma Bonnie (who I never met) now reside.  It actually took my breath away.  My grandpa was a farmer & I have such wonderful, fond memories of enjoying the farm with him.  We would visit the pigs, hold them, ride in the combine, butcher pigs at my grandpa's shop, prepare sweet corn to be frozen for the winter, etc.  Each year during harvest, my Uncle Lee & Cousin Bryan put up this display.  When harvest ends, they take it down.  I love this tradition. 

A couple of years ago my cousin, Julie, asked all of us to write down a couple of memories of Grandpa Leo to be compiled into a book.  Here are mine - Circa May 2009:

As a little girl I absolutely loved going to "Grandpa's Shop" to visit him & see if we could catch him eating an Oreo when we stopped by. I had a love/hate relationship with a couple of items he always had laying around. If I used the restroom I hated the orange "Go Jo" hand cleaner that was Grandpa Leo's favorite. I knew I would never work (play) that hard around the shop that I needed that scrubbing particle, citrus scented soap! I hated that stuff at the time but even to this day, when Nathan comes in from working in the garage & uses the "Go Jo" the scent makes me long for my childhood & spending countless hours talking to Grandpa at "the shop." The other love/hate relationship I had was with Grandpa Leo's Band-Aids. Grandpa was always cutting himself on this or that & would use fabric Band-Aids. I never knew why, never asked... Just knew that if I got hurt at "the shop" I would have to cover my wound with a fabric Band-Aid & was never too fond of his Band-Aid selection. What I love about Band-Aids is that they remind me of my Grandpa Leo--- regardless of whether they are fabric or plastic.

Many a Sunday Grandpa Leo & Irma would randomly stop by the Landreth household. After church and lunch each of us would be doing our own thing; homework, talking on the phone, getting ready for the week, watching the Illinois game, etc & often times we would hear Grandpa Leo's Cadillac pull into the drive. That was the minute our usual Sunday afternoon routine ended. All four of us would stop what we were doing to visit with Grandpa Leo & Irma. Mom & Dad didn't have to ask Tatum or myself to stop what we were doing and hug Grandpa Leo & Irma. We just did. Random visit? I think not. By far, this is one of my most cherished memories and one of the things I miss most about Grandpa Leo...To this day I would give anything to have that Cadillac pull into my driveway. I sure do miss the good 'ole days.

P.S.  Happy Birthday to my lovely sister today~ love you so much!