Thirty- something speaks

I had the pleasure of living with my granddad, Miller Montgomery, for four months back in 1993. He passed away a few years later. I was so grateful for that special time I had gotten with him, but I can't say it didn't come without a few amusing moments.

As far as I can remember, my grandparents babysat me once or twice, and I don't remember those being pleasant experiences. We lived several states away for most of my childhood and going to Grandma's was not viewed as a pleasurable experience. In fact, all I can remember from that time is being scared to death to use the wrong fork. My granddad was the guy who helped with the dishes and mowed the grass in an Oxford shirt and tie. I didn't snuggle in his lap for stories of old, and I generally couldn't wait to get out of there and go play with my friends.

In 1993, my granddad was living the bachelor's life and in need of a companion. I was a college graduate without a job, so he opened his house to me. I learned more in those four months than I had in my previous 23 years. My granddad was not just the well- dressed landscaper I had known, but a kind, caring man who was liked and respected by just about every person that came in contact gwuityh him. He was also a …which was the fun part. I learned he liked hanging out, shooting the breeze, and watching endless amounts of football. Sometimes I felt like I was still in college, minus the hangovers.

I also learned not to leave my VCR tapes lying around. Many times I would be watching my favorite movie and just as Bruce Willis was about to take out that nasty terrorist Hans Gruber, Andy Griffith would appear. I was looking for guns and bombs and instead I got Matlock working his courtroom magic. My granddad couldn't fix the clock on his VCR, but somehow he managed to put an episode of Matlock over every one of my movies.

My granddad was also always worried that he'd lost his appetite. Often I'd fix us elaborate meals, but he could only eat a couple of bites.

He'd say, "I don't know what it is…I'm just not that hungry anymore."

I worried for a while too, until I found the empty jars of peanuts in the living room. The man downed jars of peanuts every single day around 5 pm. It was like he was at some sort of daily Planters' happy hour, then he wondered why he wasn't hungry.

He also wondered why he couldn't sleep at night. Well, what goes best with peanuts? That's right, it's Coke. Coke has caffeine, but that didn't seem to register. It also didn't help that naptime was just about anytime. He may have had trouble sleeping in his bed, but he had no problem snoozing in his La- Z- Boy. Sometimes he'd drift off in mid- sentence.

At first I was offended by the Matlock interruptions, my efforts in the kitchen neutralized by salted nuts, and the fact most of our stirring conversations ended in loud snoring. Then I realized the man had earned the right to nap without warning under a blanket of peanuts with Matlock blaring on the television. It wasn't long before we were sharing that jar of peanuts and both of us were snoring before Matlock cracked the case. My granddad and I became something in those four months that we weren't for the previous 23 years, and that was friends. He may have messed up my movie collection, but he blessed me with his home, his heart, and his peanuts and that is something I will treasure forever.