Happy April Fools Day

Every April 1st I lovingly remember my Grandpa and Grandma Speed (my dad's parents). My Grandpa liked a good joke, but he was usually pretty subtle about it. He liked to hang comics and funny sayings in his workshop/garage. He also had a parking meter that he installed by the garage door for visitors (I still don't know where he got that). When he finally got a neighbor that he liked he made a head out of a milk gallon jug, put a hat on it and placed it so it was just peering over the fence into his neighbor's yard so that it would look like the neighbor from the show "Tool Time". He never made a big deal out of his jokes, but if you paid close enough attention you could catch his subtle humor.

I loved to sit in my grandparents living room and listen to them both tell stories. Whenever I stopped by they would put down what they were doing and sit and chat with me. I can still picture the scene in my mind. Grandma sat in her chair by the window, Grandpa sat in his chair next to her and I always sat on the couch opposite from them both.

One of my favorite stories is of their elopement on April Fools Day. I wish I would've taped this story straight from their mouths and asked them more questions because the details are kind of fuzzy in my mind. But, I do clearly remember my Grandpa chuckling to himself as he recalled the reactions of their loved ones when he told them that they eloped on April 1st. It's so funny because it's so true! Sometimes the best jokes are the ones that are based in the truth.