Grandpa Zeke

Grandpa Zeke



by Scott B. Laughlin





Another fall season has come and gone and once again we must deal with the leaves, mainly oaks and maples.  I pause from my task and reflect on my magazine, *Wee Wisdom*, of which I was fortunate enough to be a subscriber and even more fortunate to have saved an Autumn issue of 1943.  It reaches out to me.  Laying my rake aside, I fetch the old copy and thumb through the yellowed pages.  Though I didn’t realize it at the time,  World War II is evident throughout the issue--rationing, conservation, scrap metal drives.

However, what impressed me most was the ongoing story of a three-generation family sharing a home in the heartland of America.  Those who were not drafted to serve abroad abroad were either at work or school, that is, everyone except Grandpa Zeke.

Illustrations for this adventure are simple pencil drawings depicting Grandpa Zeke as a frail, skinny fellow with suspenders.  He could be in his 70s or even his 80s.  The EPA does not yet exist.  Local ordnances were lax,  therefore, no one objects to his leaf burning.

Ah, but as the years have accumulated in my wake, I have become a modern Grandpa Zeke and duty calls.  After returning *Wee Wisdom* to its manila folder I continue with my task of preparing my leaves for the city pickup.