Treasure hunts and hardware

He smells of old spice, pipe smoke and hardware. Some of you may not know exactly what hardware smells like--it’s an old musty stale smell, but it still makes me smile. He smells like this because he owns his own hardware store and spends fifty to sixty hours a week there, so I’m sure the smell seeped into his skin over time. He actually missed my high-school graduation to work, but no matter what, he is one of the greatest men alive and my “Pop-Pop.”

My Pop-Pop has a round belly and always wears suspenders; he has a wide variety: Santa Clause suspenders, American flag suspenders, even some that look like a tape measure. He has a smile that will melt your heart and that comes with a jolly chuckle when he thinks something is funny. Pop-Pop says “I love you” about once a year, so when you hear it you keep it forever. No matter what, he makes sure you know he loves you, even if he doesn’t say it.

I remember when I was a little girl he was always like a dad to me since mine was never around; this is the main reason I think he is so amazing. So many of my childhood memories have him in it. One Sunday afternoon, after our routine of watching “This Old House” and going to Church, he came in from his shop and told me he had a treasurer map. He said that it was of his backyard and that a long time ago someone had buried some treasurer there and he had just found the map. The excitement inside me was insane; all I could think about was show and tell on Friday and how awesome this would be if I found the “buried treasurer.” Pop-Pop grabbed some shovels and we were off on the voyage (their backyard is only about ½ acre before it gets to some fence). When we finally got to it he let me dig it out and I found a bag full of pennies! To a six-year-old this is like a million dollars.

This is one of my best memories with my Pop-Pop. He is an honest man who deeply cares about his family and he shows it. I remember in high school when he had a heart attack and we had to go to the hospital I was so afraid for him. I don’t know how it would have been to lose him because the older I get the more I admire him. When I go home from college I still sit on his lap and take in that familiar smell that only he has. Since I’ve come to college he says “I love you” more to me, maybe because he can’t show it as much through things like treasure hunts.