Grandpa Philip Grenz has 4 aces and is betting the farm that Emil Helfenstein and Jake Schieremeister can't beat his hand.  Got the peacemaker next him in case more aces show up!

Philip was a character. With the peacemaker on the card table next to him reminded me of the incident with my father, John P. My father told me of an incident where he was having a problem firing his .22 caliber rifle which I believe was a Montgomery Wards product. Philip messed with the mechanism to fix the misfiring but couldn't get it to fire. In his rage, he raised the rifle and smashed it on a wagon wheel causing the barrel to make a perfectly round 180 degree bend so that if it did fire, you would shoot yourself.

Also, before Philip purchased his homestead, he needed money in order to complete the purchase, so he would go into town with his tiny pony and bet $10 and a pint of whiskey to anyone in the saloon that his tiny pony could outrun anybody's horse in a one mile race. He raced against Arabian steeds and never lost a race. He would collect the $10 from these cowboys and a pint of whiskey which he would feed to his pony. True story. He himself had a drinking problem which finally took his life at a young age. I believe it was his hatred of the harsh climate in North Dakota and a different life style from that in Russia that was the cause of his drinking. In Russia they had a communal life style with close social relations but the U.S. mandated that the homesteaders live on their 160 acres of free land, anddid not allow communal living.

Remembrances by George Grenz