Bad Grandpa Dvd

[Neomi Bensch]

Grandpastyle is a term that I coined a few years ago while talking about drinking tea casually, and it has since caught on, it seems, in the blogosphere for tea. In a nutshell, grandpa style means the brewing of tea in a large cup, with no filters or teaballs or bags or anything else in it, with water constantly refilled without much regard for infusion time or temperature. The only three things necessary for grandpa style brewing are tea leaves, water, and cup, preferably a large one. I named this grandpa style, because this is how my grandfather drinks his tea, and is one of the first memory I have of people drinking tea.

This is really the way that most Chinese drink their tea, most of the time, in most places. Relatively few people actually know how to brew tea gongfu style, much less practice it on a daily basis. Most just throw in some leaves every morning/afternoon/evening, pour hot water into their cup/thermos, and drink. The key to grandpa style is that you use a relatively low amount of tea leaves, pour hot water in, and refill water from time to time. I have given pointers as to skills to successful grandpa brewing. It is by far the most convenient way to drink tea in the office, or on the go. It is also a great way to finish up a tea that you no longer feel is worth your time to gongfu brew any longer.

Years ago, I found myself in a low place. Just after graduating college, my brother Andy and I decided to take the plunge and go full-time on a startup. We entered the first year of MassChallenge and won $50k and we went on to raise an angel seed round. We had an amazing group of investors and mentors behind us. We built a great team and served thousands of customers. We were so incredibly fortunate.

At a certain point I felt like my journey to happiness plateaued. My personal life was better than ever, I was newly engaged, and programming productivity was at an all-time high. One day while reading Search Inside Yourself I learned about the phrase Happiness is the Default State. In that moment I thought of my grandpa who is seemingly always on default happy mode.

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When I visited Grandpa Hal, he must have been about 85. I was newly married, and my husband came with me. They were both electrical engineers and as my husband was 76, they got along great (I will pause so you can all reread that).

To most people, they would not have blinked twice. It was the same split-level home my father grew up in and the same home with a back that led into the forest that I would spend humid summers getting lost in, but somehow it was completely different. Grandma Ruth was not there, and not just her love was vacant, but the parts of life that became clear she managed were unattended.

Grandpa Hal was an extremely independent, intelligent in all things kind of man and perfectly capable of thriving on his own. Habitually, however, I could tell now that Grandma Ruth handled the home, the belongings, the kitchen, and the meals. My throat pulled a little as I found a place to sit and immediately went to the kitchen to make drinks for all of us as my husband and Grandpa Hal chatted in the living room. As I glanced around the kitchen, my heart pulled as I could see signs of where a little more care should be, and I was not living anywhere near close enough to give it. I noticed a half-eaten pie, partial meals, and some expired items in the fridge. Nothing indicated any cooking was taking place, but only meals purchased from outside that were reheated and worked through over time.

I did ask him if he cooks and where he gets his meals. He said a few neighbors and some people from the church checked on him. But mostly goes to the diner a couple of times a week and eats there at the senior discount. As he does not eat much anymore, he brings the rest home for a few days. I asked what he looks forward to in the week, and he told me about the tech class he teaches at the community center for seniors. And finally, he showed me his 2-way radio, which has always been his passion.

We left after a few hours, and I felt grateful for seeing him. Still, a significant pang of guilt followed me to Malaysia. I knew this man would live a long life. He was strong except for some knee pain, and his mother lived to 104. I also knew he did not want to move out of that house. I wondered how he plowed snow, mowed the lawn, and got things fixed. And I knew the answer was that he would do it himself or not at all, and both worried me a little.

The second I landed in Malaysia, I started searching and calling cleaning companies, laundry services, and meal delivery. I was zero for three. Few were online, and those I called were never available in my waking hours. I once got up at 3 am to reach people, but I could not coordinate any of the services and pay from where I was. I felt defeated. I then decided I would do it myself. I imagined what it would be like if all these services were available to me to order for him from far away to make living alone more viable for longer. I called a few nursing homes to see if I could bundle their services, it took me 2 years, but then I found one. Although I wanted to avoid being in the business of these services and wanted to avoid taking business from other local providers, I did not find an alternative. I then imagined what it would be like if I could put these on an app in a large iPad for grandpa with a concierge he could call or that would call and check on him, or he could just order himself easily, and I would pay. I immediately sent him an iPad. The onboarding of the Ipad in 2010 was different from what it is today, and it wasn't until I sat with him side by side, could I teach him how to use it.

I immediately called Grandpa Hal. He told me it was wonderful, but he decided to move to assisted living due to 2 falls and his heart. My heart sank. I knew with certainty that he would not thrive without his independence. We spoke a few times about VivaValet, and he pushed me to keep going and gave me a few ideas.

Recently my Grandpa came for a visit and we spent the day hiking in Mammoth Cave National Park (KY). We explored many trails. Our favorite trail was Sand Cave Trail. It told a lot of history about Floyd Collins and his attempted rescue. It is a short trail but filled with lots of history.

Another trail we hiked was the Cedar Sink trail. I liked how you can see the sinkhole, and then you can walk in the sinkhole. It was way bigger than I thought it would be and very deep. It is cool because you can see where the water comes out from underground, flows on top for a short distance, and then goes back underground. It was very beautiful because there were a lot of trees that were in peak fall color that afternoon. There was also a side trail to a big cave or overhang that I could picture people using for shelter years ago.

A couple of the other trails we hiked that day were Sloans Crossing Pond Trail and Turnhole Bend Trail. Sloans Crossing Pond was unique and different from the others. There was more aquatic wildlife and plants than on the other trails. Turnhole Bend had great scenic overlooks and different flowers on a shorter trail. We also went to one of the many cemeteries that are located inside the park. These cemeteries were here when this was private land before it became a park in the 1940s.

I like to hike with my grandpa because he teaches me more facts about the area from different times in history. I love this because I love history in school. He also teaches me about the different plants and animals that were within the park.

A couple of tips when bringing grandparents on hikes with you are first, you need a lot of snacks because they stop a lot. My grandpa liked to stop to drink some water and eat a snack more than I did. He also liked to stop and look out over the forest and overlooks. This is pretty cool because he would point out stuff I would have missed had we not stopped. Second, you also should either bring a hiking stick or find one for them on the hike. It will help them and make the hike easier for them especially on the steep hills.

Would I suggest going hiking with your grandparents? Yes! Even though it is different than when I go with my immediate family or friends it is still a fun time. You get to see and learn about things I would have otherwise missed. So next time you go hiking, plan a hike with your grandparents. They will enjoy it just like you will!

Greatest thing since sliced bread. Thanks Gramps! Buying more as gifts to friends with lower back problems.

Seriously, great buy. Sturdy, quality materials, accidentally left out in rain but didn't warp or rust. Even neighborhood kids find this fun, bizarrely. No one enjoys pulling weeds, but this tool makes it easier and satisfyingly fun. After multiple back surgeries and procedures, my poor garden & yard were overrun with weeds. Thank you to whomever designed this product & made it affordable. Like I said, I'm saving up money just to buy more of these for my arthritic friends. Saves your hands too. Thanks again.

This is possibly the best single-use Weeder on the market. At least on dandelions it works perfectly taking the entire root out at once! It is very easy to use. Just stab into the top of the plant and put your foot on the foot rest and move the handle to the right. Out comes the plant roots and all. It's really nice as you get both your exercise, zen like meditation, and you do no harm to the environment. Construction is robust and it should last to hand down too your grandchildren if need be.

My wife and I purchased Grandpa's Weeder because he grandpa had passed on on to us that he used for years and years. It is a great way to rid your lawn of weeds without chemicals. You get a bonus of the leisure you experience while attacking the weeds. I find the time I use the weeder quite peaceful. Grandpa's Weeder is super!

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