It is strange how, as we get older, the Old Men of the Mountain complain that the years go by so fast, yet at times, a day seems to last forever. The week seems to have only three days — Tuesdays, Mondays, and then Tuesdays again. Tuesday, Aug. 22, the OMOTM sat around the tables at Mrs. K’s Restaurant in Middleburgh.
Those who regularly read this column know that the conversations of the OFs revolve around a basic group of topics. A frequent topic is cars, trucks, tractors, and tools. A sub-group within this basic group can be antique, old, almost new, new, and anywhere in between.
Tuesday morning, the OFs were talking about the smartest way to own a vehicle for general transportation. Leasing did not come up, but trading in vehicles every couple of years was one way.
Purchasing a good new or late-model car or truck and running the thing as long as the OF could (until it started to cost a lot of money to keep it on the road) was another option. One OF said he buys a cheap means of transportation — nothing more than a couple grand — and runs it about three or four years, or until the car or van dies and then he hunts down another cheap one and does the same thing. To him, the make and model mean nothing. No product loyalty here.
Another OF said that, when he was first married (and that was a long time ago when Duesenbergs and Whippets were still running around), his father-in-law said the best thing to do was (if the OF could afford it) to purchase a Rolls Royce and then make it the only car the OF would ever own.
The father-in-law continued, “The Rolls will eventually be the cheapest transportation of any by not having to purchase other cars as they begin to wear out.”
One OF added that was all right back when gas was only 12 to 19 cents a gallon. The cars like that Rolls got only about eight or nine gallons per mile — if that. Now gas is $2.50 to three bucks a gallon and a vehicle like that does not look like such a good bargain. Back then, we never saw that spike in gas prices coming.
“To go along with that,” an OF added, “neither did we see the price of eggs, milk, bread, or coffee, being like it is now.”
“Yeah,” a second OG said, “a cup of coffee used to be a nickel at Woolworth’s counter; now it is almost a buck and some places charge a buck and half.”
“What the heck,” another OF chimed in, “what about paint? Look what a gallon of good paint costs, and it is a stretch to get a gallon to cover 400 square feet.” A lively discussion.
Ships collide
The Navy guys were at it again with the latest news of two ships running into each other. This misfortune was no competition — a huge oil tanker and a naval destroyer coming together. That is like a tractor trailer hitting a Yugo.
One OF who was not a Navy man said he thinks the ships are so modernized that no one is looking out the windows. The sailors are all in some dark room, maneuvering the ship by computer, or like airplanes, they may have the ships on automatic pilot as they are headed from point A to point B no matter what.
But what does this OF know? The only boats of any size he has been on are ferry boats.
Prices rise
This category would almost fit in the cars-and-truck conversation but it didn’t. Even though OFs are OFs (emphasis on old), some still ride motorcycles.
This scribe feels that the OFs who do are beyond the wheelie stage, but these OFs were talking about the cost of motorcycles. At the prices some of these bikes sell for, most of the OFs say they would want a windshield, roof, doors, and a trunk.
What brought up this dialogue was that one OF mentioned that at a recent vehicle auction an Indian motorcycle with a sidecar was sold for $115,000. An OF piped up that he had one of those, and with a sidecar.
Another OF said his son also had an Indian motorcycle (40 years ago) but sold it because it was always breaking down. The OF thought the thing his son had was old and tired and belonged in a museum.
As the OFs kept talking about the price of things from nickel-and-dime items to big-ticket items, one OF mentioned that, at today’s cost of living, no wonder his grandkids now make as much money when they start working as he made (after working 30 years) when he retired.
Another OF said that 20 years ago the financial guys where he worked had figures that allowed for inflation. The OF said, as he thinks back now at the table at Mrs. K’s, “We have way surpassed the figures the advisors threw out.” However, the OF is not totally sure due to foggy memory cells of 20 to 30 years ago.
Those Old Men of the Mountain who had enough memory left to make it to Mrs. K’s Restaurant on Main Street in Middleburgh were: Harold Guest, Bill Lichliter, Pete Whitbeck, Dave Williams, Bill Bartholomew, John Rossmann, Robie Osterman, George Washburn, Chuck Aelesio, Richard Frank, Roger Chapman, Marty Herzog, Glenn Patterson, Mark Traver, Jim Heiser, Art Frament, Ray Kennedy, Herb Sawotka, Russ Pokorny, Mace Porter, Lou Schenck, Jack Norray, Wayne Gaul, Ted Feurer, Ted Leherman, Mike Willsey, Gerry Chartier, Bob Benninger, Bob Fink and his grandson Ellis, Duane Wagonbaugh, Ted Willsey — the only OF with a private chauffeur — Denise, Bob Lassome, Elwood Vanderbilt, Harold Grippen, and me.
Location:
It was Aug. 15, and The Old Men of the Mountain met at the Middleburgh Diner in Middleburgh and for some reason the OMOTM arrived at the restaurant in dribs and drabs. Generally the OGs arrive in various groups at about the same time — last Tuesday was different. Eventually, the OGs made it.
It was a day of news for the OFs but unfortunately much of it was of interest only to the OMOTM. The discussions were on who was ill and all their problems; however, this is of concern mostly to the OFs’ families and the OFs.
A topic talked about for a little bit was the article in The Times Union about the Albany area being the “worst” place to retire. At least it was at the bottom of the list of 117 places used in the sample.
The OFs’ breakfast is a good place for this discussion because the OFs are all retired. The ones who stick it out summer and winter had a little problem with that commentary because they had no real comparison, but the ones who fly away in the winter months did have a few comments and they heartily agreed with the conclusion of the study.
It is the typical laments of most New Yorkers: the lack of sunshine in summer and winter; taxes being ridiculous compared to any other place; and, of course, the politics. Some said New York is so out of touch with the rest of the country it is like a little country all to itself, at least in the Albany area.
Lack of inexpensive public transportation to outlying areas is a big concern for retired people and it is virtually nonexistent in the tri-city area. Senior housing, where the seniors can walk to church, grocery stores, and pharmacies at reasonable prices are needed.
One OF mentioned he did not think the area even considered itself as a place to retire to. It is a center of government, education, and some industry. This OF said that the tri-city area is the place to make your mark when you are young, invest wisely, then retire to the sunny, laid-back places. Here it is a hustle-bustle, push-shove atmosphere.
An OF added. “I am here because I am used to the high taxes, political shenanigans, and all my friends and family are here.” The OF said he does not want to wander off to where he doesn’t know anybody just for a few more rays of sunshine.
“As long as I am happy where I am,” the OF said, “that is where I am going to stay. When things go wrong, at least I will know the doctors and there will be people I know to take care of me. I don’t need someone else to tell me where to retire to.”
Catching up
The conversation turned to a more cheerful topic concerning an event that occurred a couple of weeks ago. At the Hilltown Café restaurant in Rensselaerville, a rare happenstance took place.
It is necessary to know the layout of the restaurant to follow this. The restaurant has only tables and a counter — no booths. The restaurant dining area is basically L-shaped.
The OFs start filling the restaurant up from the bottom of the L, then proceeding up the leg of the L, sitting at tables. At the bottom of the L, the tables are pushed together and, when filled, the OFs start sitting at individual tables that hold four people, leaving the ones in front for regular patrons.
On this particular morning, one of the regular patrons came in and sat at one of the tables in the leg of the L. As the other OFs came in and the back was full the OFs started sitting at tables going up the leg, leaving this local gentleman sitting at his table alone, surrounded by the OMOTM.
Eventually all the tables were full of OMOTM except his. (Almost filling up a restaurant is common with the OM).
When three more OFs came in and all tables were full they went to the table where the older, regular patron was sitting and asked if was OK if they sat with him. (Rarely does this scribe use names; this is to protect the innocent but in this case it is necessary to have this little report make any sense.)
The regular patron said, “Sure, I just came in to see if Bill Bartholomew was coming. I see his name in The Enterprise quite often and would like to see him because I used to do business with him years ago.” The three OFs smiled because the man he was talking to, and who had asked him if it was OK to sit there, was Bill Bartholomew.
Age has a way of sneaking up on us OFs and, if the OFs don’t check the mirror every now and then, many would not even recognize themselves. These two did not recognize each other until names were said and hands were shook.
Condolences offered
Life goes on in somewhat of a normal pace. The pace is different for us all, including the OMOTM. As age creeps up on us, adversity slips in; the OFs adjust to the adversity that now becomes part of the routine.
When this change in the routine is accepted and the adversity eventually comes to an end, though the OFs know it is going to happen, it is still hard. With that in mind, the Old Men of the Mountain would like to offer their heartfelt condolences to Harold Guest on the passing of his wife, Arlene, on Sunday, Aug. 13.
The Old Men of the Mountain met at the Middleburgh Diner in Middleburgh with not a hint of the news of Arlene until the breakfast; those who met were all saddened and they were: Harold Guest, Miner Stevens, Robie Osterman, George Washburn, Bill Lichliter, Pete Whitbeck, Dave Williams, Bill Bartholomew, Don Wood, Herb Sawotka, Ray Kennedy, Roger Chapman, Duane Wagonbaugh, Wayne Gaul, Ted Feurer, Bob Lassome, Gerry Irwin, Russ Pokorny, Mike Willsey, Gerry Chartier, Bob Benninger, Bob Fink and his grandson Ellis Fink, Elwood Vanderbilt, Harold Grippen, and me.
Location:
The Old Men of the Mountain met at Kim’s West Winds in Preston Hollow on Tuesday, Aug. 8.
For some reason, the pickin’s of OFs was slim. It was found that only a few of the old goats had legal excuses.
Those OFs were the ones who were in the hospital and the one that checked in for his senior trip. The OF in Scotland, and one other who also went to Canada, plus the other world travelers, will have to give accounts of their trips upon their return.
Those who became lost apparently never read “Acres of Diamonds,” and others must have had a tough night and did not get up. This “lack of sleep” used to be a malady of the OF’s younger years; now the same malaise sets in around 70 years old or so.
OFs prefer stores to online shopping
A topic that the OFs talked about was the closing of so many stores. The OFs mentioned Sears a few weeks ago and brought up the same store again, but now they included other major stores, and complete malls.
The OFs continued that, at our ages, most cannot get accustomed to using the phone or the computer to purchase items. The OFs think that, once they put in the information that the supplier requests in order to “fill the basket,” the supplier now knows too much about the OF (and so does anybody else who has the ability to access that information) because now it is digital and out there.
The OFs wonder what is to stop some outsider from ordering something in your name. If that situation should happen, then the OFs say they are left with the hassle of trying to straighten it out. In the meantime, their credit rating is shot because the OF surely is not going to pay for something he did not order and did not receive.
The OMOTM covered the looky, touchy, feely bit a week or so ago but still brought it up again this Tuesday. With the OFs not being too astute with this purchasing “online” they were wondering what-if. If they do (the online order) and it does not fit, or it is not exactly what the OF thought it would be, what now?
Are you stuck with it, do you have to pay to return it, and of course the box has been opened. Sometimes (the way things are packaged today) it seems like the manufacturer does not want anyone to use the product inside because it is almost impossible to get at the product because of the packaging.
One OF said on many things it is necessary to tear the whole package apart to get at the two-dollar item inside. Then on the box it might say, “For credit, return in original box.” Yeah, right! The original box is torn to bits and all over the floor.
One OF suggested it is probably a good idea to check on the return policy before ordering. Another OF related a story about shopping for a new blazer.
His old blazer fit but was getting a little battle worn from too many funerals. The OF knew his size and it was the size that was in the old blazer; however, he and his wife went to three stores and nothing fit.
They were all too tight across the shoulders. The OF said he and his wife wound up at Boscov’s and were in the sport blazer section and were having the same problem. A salesman came over and asked if he could help.
The OF said he told the problem to the salesman and the salesman said, “Oh sir, you won’t find that size here. You belong over in Portly.”
Say what!? The old blazer could not have been that old.
The wife said, “You OG, you had that coat when you were still working and that was 22 years ago, and it is not the shoulders that’s too tight.”
The OF continued, “The salesman was right; the portly size fit perfectly.”
Now how is anyone going to get that kind of service from the phone, or the computer, or the internet.
The OFs feel it is the same old story. They are out of the loop, as mentioned before, but the OFs feel the loop is not really a loop but it is a noose that is surrounding the necks of people to increase the profit line for big corporations.
Get rid of the employees, get rid of the property, save on transportation, save on taxes — a whole litany of cost savings for businesses and passed on to the customer.
Traveling to see castles and boats
Some of the traveling OMOTM voyaged to the Thousand Islands. The OFs who have been there all admitted it is a beautiful area.
The tourists’ areas of Boldt Castle, and its love story of how it came about made for a good discussion. It was how the love of one man for one woman was so intense that, upon her death, the husband never went back to Heart Island, or finished the castle.
There is also the Singer Castle that was built by Frederick Bourne who was the fifth president of the Singer Sewing Machine Company (which is where the name Singer Castle came from). This is the only remaining castle on the St. Lawrence River to have been completely restored, furnished, and resided in during the heyday of the great builders in New York.
Some of the OFs have visited both of these places.
The Thousand Islands is the place to be if anyone is interested in boats, particularly antique boats. It looks like the OFs are on a boat kick because the last column mentioned the same topic — only presented completely differently.
One OF said it is not necessary to go all the way to the Thousand Islands to check out boats. We have Cohoes and Waterford right in our own backyard and see boats there, especially when they have the steamboat and tugboat shows.
The Old Men of the Mountain who made it to Kim’s West Winds in Preston Hollow (and they did not come by boat, although maybe they could have: From the Vlaie pond, they could get there by canoe down the Catskill creek) were: George Washburn, Josh Buck, Roger Chapman, Bill Lichliter, Robie Osterman, Dave Williams, Art Frament, Herb Sawotka, Ray Kennedy, Ted Feurer, Wayne Gaul, Ted Leherman, Gerry Chartier, Mike Willsey, Jack Norray, Gerry Irwin, and me.
Location:
Tuesday was the first of August and, as we said before, the summer goes so fast, and winter takes forever — except, of course, for the ski enthusiasts. On Tuesday, we met at the Hilltown Café in Rensselaerville.
As this scribe looked around at the folks in the Hilltown Café, he noticed all the patrons had gray hair, and all were men, even those who were regular customers of the restaurant. The only people whose ages seemed to be around 30 were the help.
This scribe also noticed that one of the local customers who came in had a cane and he was bent over at about 30 degrees. This scribe mentioned to an OMOTM that he looked liked he fit right in with the group.
Then the discussion began. There is no such thing as the golden years — gold does not rust. Gold is the wrong adjective; it should be the rusting years, and rust is the proper adjective. After age 65 rust begins to settle in.
The joints begin to rust and squeak; the eyes start to cloud over; the ears start to hum and ring, and catch only every other word; the veins begin clog; the brain begins to atrophy; the skin begins to develop scales while funny spots appear; and the muscles start their trip south.
There is nothing golden about it. The adjective is rust! The gold goes to doctors, pharmaceutical companies, and nursing homes. We start to rust getting prepared to turn to ashes. So say the OFs.
Shipwrights
Before all this happens, the OMOTM are busy. We are busy with many projects; now we have a couple of OFs building boats.
One OF is building a “pirate ship” and this thing is no toy. It is more than 32 feet long and at least 14 feet high.
Another OMOTM traveled to a school in Maine where they teach people how to build a Maine dinghy, and the OF is in the process of building one now at home.
Maybe there could be a battle of boats with the dinghy attacking the pirate ship. Complete with costumes of course.
Strange death of an ant
An OF related a story of an observation he had never seen before and none of the other OFs have either. The OF said he was just resting on his back porch when he spotted a bug so tiny that he could not tell what it was.
This little dot of a spot was inching its way across the floor when a small ant came onto the porch. The OF said the little dot stopped and watched this ant as the ant kept crawling closer to the dot.
When the ant got so close to the dot it was about to hit the dot, the dot jumped up and landed on the back of the ant. The OF said in a few seconds the ant was gone.
The dot turned out to be a very, very, small spider.This whole scenario developed in a space of 3/16 to 1/4 of an inch, and in less than a minute. To see something happen in nature so rare and to be focused at that spot at that precise moment in time is amazing.
The OFs wonder how much else people miss by being wrapped up in so much useless junk like iPods, and cell phones, not watching what is really going on around them.
Gadabouts galore
One thing is obvious about the OMOTM — the OFs for the most part are seniors. This leads many of the OFs to be part of senior organizations. This is another way for seniors to get out and get active.
Some of the OFs go on these senior trips that take them places that they have never been, and are not too far from their home base. Some of the OFs are real gadabouts and have been all over the world and some not so much.
Relating seniors to seniors (and not the OMOTM), the senior groups are good for them as a means for travel and companionship. Some of the OFs do go on the senior trips, especially the ones to casinos, or the mystery runs, or trips to see plays, or partake in some celebration.
These trips are great for seniors that can no longer drive. The trips still gives them a chance to get out. At our table, some of the OFs are going to miss a breakfast because of a trip. It was noted that these OFs did request permission to miss a meeting to go on the trip and permission was granted.
Getting in touch
Generally, when the OFs talk about what they did during their working careers, we hear stories concerning things that happened. On Tuesday morning, the exchange was about people the OFs worked with and who were their good friends.
Now that the OFs have been retired for some time, they have lost all touch with these people and the discussion was wondering what they are doing now. During the discussion, some of the OFs made notes to try to track some of these people down.
Some may have passed on, some may have moved clear across the country, some may be in nursing homes, and the OFs have no clue about many of them. A couple of the OFs said they don’t want to locate some of them; they didn’t like them when they were working with them and have no desire to try and find them now.
The OFs get along with each other (even though some are tech savvy and some are quickly becoming more out of the loop), yet they all found their way to the Hilltown Café in Rensselaerville, tech savvy or not, and they were: Robie Osterman, George Washburn, Roger Chapman, Bill Lichliter and his guest, Josh Buck and Chrissy Buck, Pete Whitbeck, John Rossmann, Harold Guest, Art Frament, Ray Kennedy, Chuck Aelesio, Richard Frank, Bill Rice, Glenn Patterson, Mark Traver, Bill Bartholomew, Dave Williams, and their guest Art Williams, Lou Schenck, Mace Porter, Gerry Irwin, Herb Bahrmann, Mike Willsey, Gerry Chartier, and me.
Location:
Again through the fog, the drizzle, and the rain, it was a dreary Tuesday morning, July 25. Still, through the mist, the Old Men of the Mountain met at the Home Front Café in Altamont. It is nice that, once we are through the doors of the restaurants, the feeling is not so dreary even though the OMOTM mutter about it as they belly up to the tables.
We have another OF who ignored the bylaws of this nefarious group and made an appointment (which could have been scheduled at any time) on a Tuesday morning. His absence caused some of the other OFs to grumble about him not being here.
It may be that we have to print out a new release of the bylaws of the Old Men of the Mountain. In order to do this, it will be necessary to take up a collection for the printing process because the 28-page document takes up a lot of ink and paper.
Then the OFs will have to schedule a supper meeting to vote on any amendments, additions, or corrections to the current bylaws all because one OF decided his health was more important than the OMOTM.
According to the bylaws, no OMOTM is permitted to die; have a funeral; attend a wedding; or attend someone else’s funeral, baptism, or birthday on a Tuesday morning; however, the afternoon is fine. The one exception to this is, if an OF decides to get married on a Tuesday morning, all the OFs are automatically invited to the wedding and get a chance to kiss the bride.
The clatter of chatter
As the OFs file into the Home Front Café, or any other restaurant the OFs frequent as far as that goes, the din of chatter increases. There comes a point where it is hard to distinguish one conversation from another. One OF mentioned this to the OF sitting next to him as they both were trying to converse in separate topics with other OFs.
One OF said, “Boy there is a lot of chatter going on” and the other OF said, “Yes there is, but it is all intelligent chatter.” A good observation.
There was one conversation about the quality of many of the items we purchase today. One OF said that purchasing tools is one area where the OFs must be diligent when checking quality.
It is hard to destroy an anvil because that is one tool that is meant to be abused. However, this OF said he heard of another OF breaking an anvil. Now that is hard to do.
One OF accused another OF of purchasing tools just to hang on a wall and not using them. He said the OF does this to look like a mechanic. That was like two artists squabbling and one artist telling the other artist he can’t paint. It is all subjective.
Still working
There are many OFs who are still working; most of the work is being in business for themselves and still offering their services. Some of these endeavors are buying and selling and there was a discussion of people attempting to get a deal.
The OFs say many times they offer an item and quote a price and the buyer wants it cheaper. The OFs say, “The price is the price. I will keep the machine; you can keep your money.”
One OF said, “People watch too much TV like ‘American Pickers’ and ‘Pawn Stars.’”
Commitment to country is gone
The OFs did a little time-jumping on Tuesday morning and talked about rationing, savings bonds, and saving stamps. This scribe may be wrong (and his wife maintains this scribe generally is) but he thinks many young people wouldn’t even know what the discussion was about.
The OFs remember purchasing savings bonds and going to shows where the reason for the show was to encourage people to buy bonds. Kids remember purchasing or having their parents give them savings-stamp books and, when the book was full of savings stamps, the kids could swap it in for a $25 savings bond. All this was for supporting the war effort.
Kids saved scrap metal; they also saved the aluminum foil sticks of gum came wrapped in and rolled it into a ball and turned that in. Gas, sugar, meat, and many other items were rationed. Gas was rationed in ABC classes. The OFs said farming was rationed at one class, gas for business at another, and getting back and forth to work yet another.
Squeezing the red dot on the oleomargarine (which turned the white shortening-like margarine to yellow so it looked more like butter — did I mention butter was also rationed?) was still another chore the kids liked to do. The OFs remember this as a contribution to the country and really not a chore.
The OFs think a lot of this commitment to country is gone. One OF said, “Too many takers and not enough givers.”
This OF went on to say, “Too many now think the government, that is, the country owes them a living.”
Guard geese
My heart knows
what the wild goose knows,
And I must go
where the wild goose goes.
The OFs next discussed what good guard dogs geese make, maybe not all geese but most. One OF had a single goose settle in his pond in front of his house and this goose wants this pond all to himself or herself. This bird attacks people, cars, trucks, motorcycles, and other geese.
The OF said a small flock of geese landed in the pond and in short time that single goose (which has been there since late spring) had chased all the interloper geese away. The other OFs mentioned having similar experiences with geese both wild and domestic. One OF said they are not afraid of anything.
Then again, it was mentioned that some of these birds have real pleasant personalities and make great pets; these OFs also said that the birds can be either wild or domesticated. One OF had a wild goose settle in and it acted like a dog. The goose hung around the house, greeted people as they visited, and followed them around.
Those OFs who made it to the Home Front Café in Altamont, and were going home to get the snow blowers out, were: Roger Chapman, Miner Stevens, George Washburn, Robie Osterman, Bill Lichliter, Lou Schenck, John Rossmann, Harold Guest; his guest, Jim Guest, Bill Bartholomew, Dave Williams, Jack Norray, Gerry Irwin, Mace Porter, Karl Remmers, Russ Pokorny, Warren Willsey, Gerry Chartier, Wayne Gaul, Ted Feurer, Ted Willsey, Bob Lassome, Duane Wagonbaugh, Henry Whipple, Rich Vanderbilt, Elwood Vanderbilt, Harold Grippen, and me.
Location:
Tuesday, July 18, and the summer (and some say, “What summer?”) is flying by. Note to young people: The older you become, the faster time goes; the next thing, it will be raking leaves and shoveling snow. If you are going to do anything that is sunshine related, do it now or it will be too late.
The Old Men of the Mountain met at the Chuck Wagon Diner in Princetown. A contingent of OMOTM arrived at the same time at the Chuck Wagon and were standing outside in the early-morning mist, talking to each other for about 10 minutes before going inside to continue the conversation. It was eerie and nostalgic at the same time, that is, a group of old men standing in the mist of early morning just talking and laughing.
A recurrent conversation this summer is how often the lawns or yards have to be mowed, and how the weeds are taking over. The plants we want to grow are fussy — not enough water and the plant dries up, too much water and they wither and rot.
Weeds, on the other hand, grow like weeds in a drought, or with constant rain like this year. It makes no difference. One OF commented that it is beginning to look a lot like Ireland on the Hill because it is shimmering green.
The case for mowing the lawn brought out comments on the old TV show “Home Improvement with Tim Allen.” The OFs felt now is the time for jet-engine lawn mowers, or at least six-cylinder turbo-charged engines — not only so the OFs could cover more ground in a shorter period of time, but also zoom through higher, tougher grass.
One OF has a large lawn with few shrubs and trees that allows him to make passes of 200 feet or so. This OF swears that, when he starts back for a returning pass, the grass has already grown a couple of inches in the pass he has just mowed.
One OF (who takes a lot of the remarks seriously and misses the sarcasm or humor on many of the pronouncements the OFs utter) said that it is necessary to be careful how fast the OFs get the blades spinning because, if they go too fast, the lawnmower will become like a hydrofoil or Hovercraft and take off.
This OF said that lawn mowers are generally top heavy and will tip over easily causing the OF to get hurt. (Say what! Or is this OF just putting all of the other OFs on?)
Lost and found
The next topic is about a common phenomenon and age has nothing to do with it, neither does dementia or Alzheimer’s, nor even just plain forgetfulness. How many times does anyone set something down — quite often after just using it — something that they use all the time and then not be able to find it?
The OFs brought this up and mentioned hunting for the item until the OF’s hunter is sore. Eventually the OF said it becomes give-up time and the OF goes out to purchase another one, at which point, son-of-a-gun, the old one turns up in no time.
Of the stories told, one OF recounted a story about another OF who wears transition glasses. The OF said that they transition from light to dark almost instantly; however, the other way around, not so — going from light to dark, the lens takes it time.
This transition generally requires the wearer to either lift these glasses up, or take them off to find, for instance, a light switch inside a garage. This is the scenario that confronted the OF whom the second OF was telling the story on.
The OF pulled into his dark garage but it was still light outside so the lenses remained dark. The OF raised the glasses to find the light switch. Later on, the OF decided to put the glasses back on and could not find them. The OF hunted and his family hunted all over to no avail, no glasses.
After a week of no glasses, the OF finally decided to take his prescription and purchase another pair of transition-lens glasses.
The OF wore the new glasses for a couple of days and looked for the original pair, still to no avail. One day, he took the car and ran some errands; it was a bright sunny day (this had to be a year ago) and the lenses turned almost black.
When he pulled into the garage, the same thing happened. The OF had to remove his glasses to find the switch and, when he did this, the OF set the new transition glasses directly on top of his old ones!
The words here “raise” and “remove” are not the same thing. Habits can get anyone, not only OFs, into a lot of trouble. In this case, the habit is remove; the thought was raise.
The OFs said the most common situation for this happening is with tools. One OF said this happens so frequently he wonders if there has ever been a survey done on hunting for lost items that are not lost and how much time is spent doing this.
This OF said the worst time he remembered was when he was repairing some siding on one of his sheds. The OF said he had an apron full of nails, took a hammer and drove in a nail. He was distracted by his son who asked a simple quick question.
The OF said, after he answered his son, he took a nail and went to drive it in but — no hammer. The OF swore he never put it down, but he must have because he and the son looked all over and eventually found it on the ground under a sawhorse, and under a board that was on top of the hammer. Happens all the time! The OFs do one thing and think they have done another.
Those Old Men of the Mountain who at least found their way to the Chuck Wagon Diner in Princetown and didn’t have to go hunting for the diner were: Bill Lichliter, his nephew Josh Buck, Roger Chapman, Pete Whitbeck, Robie Osterman, George Washburn, Chuck Aelesio, Richard Frank, Wayne Gaul, Ted Feurer, Ted Lehermann, Harold Guest, John Rossmann, Art Frament, Herb Sawotka, Joe Ketzer, Lou Schenck, Jack Norray, Herb Bahrmann, Gerry Irwin, Mace Porter, Glenn Patterson, Otis Lawyer, Mark Traver, Russ Pokorny, Warren Willsey, Mike Willsey, Ted Willsey, Bob Lassome, Duane Wagonbaugh, Bob Fink, Bob Benninger, Elwood Vanderbilt, Roger Fairchild, Harold Grippen, and me, and I think I have written this.
Location:
The Old Men of the Mountain were considering starting a petition to change the name of the third day of the week from Tuesday to OMOTMday. The petition would change the name so OFs all over the world would have their own day and on that day, the world-wide OFs would gather with friends someplace for either breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, or evening snack time.
The gathering could be just two old friends who could spend a couple of hours a week solving the problems of the world, or 40 or 50 old friends of the male gender sitting down together with no agenda, no rules, and no plans, or plans to make plans, only to do the same thing next week on OMOTMday.
This would accomplish two things, get the OFs out of the house, and give the lady of the house a couple of hours to herself.
So on Tuesday, July 11, the Old Men of the Mountain met at the Duanesburg Diner, in Duanesburg on a typical day (so far in 2017) with a good dash of fog and rain. The OFs all showed up trying to brush the green mold, which is beginning to sprout on most of us, from their shoulders.
Maybe some of you have seen this adage on T-shirts but with the OFs (in many cases) the statement is so true. The shirt reads “I am NOT sorry I arrived late. I didn’t want to come anyway!” One OF said many places he goes is because he is dragged there by some other party.
He declared, “I would rather be anywhere than at some high-brow art show trying to eat some tiny crackers with a green slimy dip that looked like it was used as a prop in Ghostbusters.”
One OF bristled a tad and said, “That art show is my kind of place, but I bring my own snacks.” This OF did add he has just as much fun in a junkyard, or at the Gas-up as well as the art show.
Some stand out
Baseball season is about half over and the All-Star game with the Home Run Derby a part of the build-up was being played. It seems that one player has considerably piqued the interest in the sport this year. That player is Aaron Judge of the Yankees.
This scribe cannot remember when the All-Star game (and in particular the Home Run Derby) was ever mentioned at an OMOTM breakfast, but this year it was.
This scribe is amazed how at times one person can interest many outside of their field so we all know who they are and what field of endeavor they were involved in: We all recognize Carl Sagan, Dr. Jonas Salk, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Marilyn Monroe, Mother Teresa, Bonnie and Clyde, Hitler, Dan Patch, and quite a few others, but those names would still be on a short list compared to all the billions of people or animals that have taken a breath of air on this terrestrial ball.
Making history real
A couple of OFs talked about participating in re-enactor groups. One OF stayed with one period in time — the Revolutionary War — and the other was a time-jumper. This second OF participated as a re-enactor in both the Revolutionary and the Civil wars.
These two OFs mentioned how American history was made real by being members of these groups and how much of the history of our country is not taught in schools. A major reason, unless someone becomes a history major, there is not time to cover it all, so just the highlights are taught. However, this way of teaching means many interesting and important parts of our nation’s history are missed.
Green thumbs
The gardening OFs discussed their gardens; this is an ongoing topic at the OMOTM Tuesday-morning conventions during the growing season. It is not so much “I can top your garden” as it is “since my garden is doing bad, what are you doing to make yours grow right?”
So far, in most of the discussions, if one OF’s garden is having a prolific year the others are, too, and vice versa. This year, the OFs say they have beautiful tomato plants but very few blossoms. No blossoms means no tomatoes.
The other is that the zucchini are about ready to pick. The garden growers are beginning to say: Enough with the rain; we need a little sunshine.
Picky about Pickers
Some of the OFs watch the TV show “American Pickers,” and some of the OFs have places that the Pickers might like to get into. However, other OFs maintain that their places, which the OFs think the Pickers would frequent, are nowhere near as bad as the places these two Pickers really do get into.
The places the OFs have are generally orderly with pieces they keep there to restore; other pieces the OFs are working on. In the TV show, many of the places they get into are no more than junkyards back in the woods.
The OFs say the places these guys pick are downright dangerous and hangouts for vermin. The OFs say that, if they spot critters around their collections, out come the traps — none of those pesky rodents, or creepy crawling stuff for them.
Those Old Men of the Mountain (and some are old enough to be collectibles for the Pickers to consider) who met at the Duanesburg Diner in Duanesburg were: Roger Chapman, Miner Stevens, Bill Lichliter, John Rossmann, Robie Osterman, George Washburn, Chuck Aelesio, Richard Frank, Peter Whitbeck, Dave Williams, Bill Bartholomew, Mark Traver, Otis Lawyer, Glenn Patterson, Roger Shafer, Lou Schenck, Jack Norray, Mace Porter, Gerry Irwin, Herb Bahrmann, Russ Pokorny, Rev. Jay Francis, Ted Willsey, Bob Lassome, Bob Fink, Bob Benninger, Mike Willsey, Warren Willsey, Art Frament, Herb Sawotka, Joe Ketzer, Ray Kennedy, Gerry Chartier, Harold Grippen, and me.
Thank goodness for the Declaration of Independence; because of this document, a group of Old Men of the Mountain (at an area smaller than a pin prick on this whirling blue sphere) was able to gather at the Your Way Café in Schoharie on July 4, 2017 and have a peaceful breakfast.
The OMOTM started this holiday by having breakfast together, then each, as they left the Your Way Café, headed out to celebrate in his own fashion.
One OF was going to install a new LED light fixture in the kitchen. Big whoop. Another was going to mow the lawn if he could figure out what was the matter with the mower. Another big whoop.
Still another had a boat that runs only when it was at the dock. The OF said that, once it gets out on the lake, it quits. The OF would get it back to shore, restart it, and the dumb thing would start right up and run fine; however, get it out on the water and it would die.
The problem is that the OF isn’t using the right cuss words when he gets the engine started at the shore. The OF doesn’t know that engines have minds of their own and it is necessary to speak to them correctly and sometimes forcibly. Engines (like wives and teenagers) need a good scolding every now and then to keep them in line.
The Enterprise is on vacation as always for Fourth of July Week, printing its Keepsake Graduation Edition on July 6. Because of this the paper is put to bed early so this article needs to be kept short (and short it will be) because not much different was discussed by the OFs anyway.
Those OFs who met at the Your Way Café in Schoharie and continued their conversations of nothingness were: Roger Chapman, John Rossmann, Harold Guest, George Washburn,. Robie Osterman, Bill Lichliter, Chuck Aelesio, Miner Stevens, Otis Lawyer, Pete Whitbeck, Richard Frank, his son Richard Frank, Jr. visiting from North Carolina, Glenn Patterson, Mark Traver, Dave Williams, Wayne Gaul, Lou Schenck, Mace Porter, Jack Norray, Gerry Chartier, Herb Sawotka, Ted Willsey, Bob Lassome, Ray Kennedy, Duane Wagonbaugh, Mike Willsey, Warren Willsey, Joe Ketzer, Harold Grippen, and me.
JUNE 27
On June 27, the Old Men of the Mountain met at the Country Café on Main Street in Schoharie.
Some of the OFs wonder how one cook, one dishwasher, and one waitress can take care of over 30 guys in no time at all and the wife goes nuts when there will be 10 for dinner at Thanksgiving. It has to be a girl thing.
The restaurant doesn’t care if all the silverware matches, or if the flowers are just right. The house is clean and smells like perfume. The restaurants must have a motto: Take it or leave it — we are doing the best we can.
The best of times
This is often said in many senior circles and on June 27 it was a topic of the OMOTM, and of course we are seniors, but not elderly. The OFs resent the term “elderly,” but don’t mind being called OFs.
The topic of discussion has the heading the OMOTM believe they have lived in the best of times, even though, when most of the OFs were young, they were poor, but so was most everyone else. Being poor was normal and no one noticed they were poor.
We did not have the medicine of today, or the ability to view everything going on all over the world in real time. The times of the OFs’ youth just seemed more relaxed.
It was not all peaches and roses — we had the Depression, World War II, segregation, and cigarettes. Yet it just seems like people were more congenial.
Familiar brands disappear
Sears has already left the Rotterdam mall and is now pulling out of Colonie Center. The OFs discussed how many of us own Kenmore products and they are good products. Sears’ tools are in most all the OFs’ garages.
The OFs wonder, without Sears in Colonie Center, where are they going to kill time while the wife shops. One OF mentioned first Montgomery Wards went and now Sears; all that is left of our time is Macy’s.
It seems many of the names the OFs are and were familiar with are going by the wayside. Hudson, Packard, Whippet, Nash, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Plymouth, Mercury, Farmall, Sanka, Lincoln Logs, Lionel Trains, Woolworth, and TWA are gone, although a few have been replaced with names the OFs can’t even pronounce.
One OF maintains much of the new stuff by the strange-name companies is only crap, made to last just so long and then fall apart.
Online is intangible
The new phenomenon of ordering items and paying bills “online” puzzles the OFs.
The OMOTM were brought up by getting out and doing things, building things, and talking face to face when purchasing an item. Looking at the item from all sides, checking if it appears to be constructed well, and asking a salesperson questions if unsure about the purchase.
Paying for something in cash, getting a receipt, is all tangible — this “online” business is scary at best. (This scribe thinks 100 years from now that the new now will be the antiques then, and this time will be remembered as the best of times.)
Firehouse palaces
When entering the village of Schoharie from the Fox Creek side, you see the new firehouse from Route 30. The OFs are wondering why so many firehouses are so elaborate.
It seems to many OFs that a well-built Butler or Morgan building would be more than adequate. The OFs also think that these buildings are easily expandable if the need arises
No matter how you cut the mustard, one OF said, “It is our tax dollars being spent. They could cut the cost of the building and put the money into updated equipment that would do some good when the fire company arrived at the fire.”
To which another OF added, “The fire truck doesn’t care how fancy the building is.”
It seems to the OFs it is a case of one-upmanship: My fire house is better than yours, na-na-na.
Ship collision spurs cynicism
The OFs spent time rehashing the collision of the destroyer and tanker on June 19 off the coast of Japan. The OFs feel someone on the destroyer was asleep at the wheel and someone on the tanker should have moved instead of flashing lights and blowing whistles and apparently playing bully with its size, and “I have the right of way.”
The inquiry on this accident should be interesting. One OF mentioned, with all the fancy navigation equipment that is supposed to be on both ships, there should be some concrete evidence of what happened.
“Unless,” one OF said, “some of it has not been altered by now.”
This shows how skeptical the OFs are on both sides of the argument.
When viewing the size of some of today’s ships and how fast they can travel through the water, it boggles the OFs’ pea-pickin’-brains. Like planes, many ships now are driven by computers from port to port.
The OFs are wondering how someone on each ship could not see the other and notice their course was to come darn close to one another or even collide. (Which we now know they did.) Like at our breakfast on June 20, the Navy guys in the OMOTM are still scratching their heads.
The OFs who think their being on the short end of the ruler, and living through the best of times is not that bad, were: Miner Stevens, John Rossmann, Bill Lichliter, Roger Chapman, Glenn Patterson, Roger Shafer, Chuck Aelesio, Robie Osterman, George Washburn, Harold Guest, Richard Frank, Dave Williams, Bill Bartholomew, Pete Whitbeck, Marty Herzog, Jim Heiser, Kenny Parks, Otis Lawyer, Art Frament, Lou Schenck, Mace Porter, Wayne Gaul, Ted Feurer, Jack Norray, Ray Kennedy, Bob Benninger, Bob Fink, Jake Lederman, Warren Willsey, Mike Willsey, and me.
Location:
Tuesday, June 20, The Old Men of the Mountain were at Mrs. K’s Restaurant in Middleburgh.
Now that school is only giving exams (a prelude to graduation), there was no entertainment on Main Street in Middleburgh. Traffic flowed normally back and forth and the day was uneventful, at least in the beginning; who knows what happens after the OFs leave the restaurant and go home.
The OFs were chatting about how they felt when they woke up and got up. Apparently this is not a pretty sight. The OFs complained about the typical morning aches and pains, but this time added concerns about all the different noises they make now.
The OFs said they never made these sounds before. As one OF put it, these noises are completely unintended and some are so loud it makes the dog jump.
Then there is that one OF (there is always that one) who said he can’t wait to get up in the morning and get to the mirror on the bathroom door. The OF says he just stands there and looks because he gets better looking every day.
The OFs just looked at him because he is as grizzled as the rest of us. He has shaggy eyebrows, deep furrows in the face that could be planted with quite of bit of seed corn, and lumps and bumps are there along with a good crop of age spots. He is no different than the rest of us.
It has to be his eyesight fails a little each day and gives the OF the reflection of someone younger in the morning; however, his good eye is bright, and deep blue and has a crisp sparkle to it. Do you think this OF might just be putting us on?
Ships collide
The Navy veterans discussed the two large ships that recently collided on the high seas. These ex-Navy OFs all agreed right off the bat that the destroyer should have avoided the collision because the bigger ship has the right of way.
One OF thought both ships were culpable. The OF Navy men did not know if this assumption was correct but, right of way or not, both ships should have tried to avoid the accident.
One OF noted how the Times Union used the inflammatory word “slain” as the lead for the story. Seven sailors slain, say what! The sailors died because of an accident — they were asleep; they were not slain. The OFs couldn’t get over this.
The sailor group talked about how long it takes to stop a ship the size of that tanker under full steam. One OF said he thought it was miles. Even under docking speed, something weighing that much bumping into something else is going to do damage.
Work as art
The OFs talk about the quality of work quite often. The OFs admit that they, themselves, are not always the best ones to have do some work. Maybe when the OFs were younger but today they tire easily, and to get the job done, “closies” count as well as the statement “good enough for government work.”
“Let’s button this thing up and go get a drink” is also a phrase to end a day.
The reverse of this is also true. When the OMOTM are not pushed, the work from this group could be exceptional.
Many OFs’ barns and garages have as many tools as a hardware store, and the OFs have the knowledge to use them. The type and quality of work of the OFs can be viewed by hikers that hike in the Hilltowns or on the Long Path. Many of the bridges that are used by the hikers were constructed by the OFs, and these bridges are also works of art.
Some OFs restore old equipment and one OG made clocks — these, too, are works of art, and a plug for the OF who paints portraits and they are art.
One OF said, “There are four ways to work: the right way, the sloppy way, your way, and my way. Then there is the ‘oh so important way,’ and at times this is the only way and that is the boss’s way.” (The term wife can be substituted for boss at anytime.)
The Gas-up
Speaking of work as art, many of the OFs attended the Gas-up held around Father’s Day in Shutter’s Corners just outside of Gallupville. Some go there just to get a hot dog, and a piece of pie, but others do go to reminisce and still others go to either check on their own antique equipment to see if they can improve it, or get a few new ideas.
Some of the OFs have participated in the Gas-up but now it is a ton of work just to get ready so the OFs have backed off. The quality of the show is continually improving and this year it was well attended, and had many participants.
It was encouraging to see younger people involved with keeping these antique engines and old equipment running. The disparity between the youngsters building robots and drones and remote-controlled boats and cars, and those who are dealing with engines from 100 years ago is interesting.
One OF commented that the old-engine kid would probably be able to figure out how to handle the drone easier than the kid with the drone could figure out the hit-and-miss engine and get it running. Then again, maybe not.
Those OFs who made it to Mrs. K’s Restaurant in Middleburgh and all in modern vehicles (not one came on two piston hit-and-miss engines steered by a tiller) were: Harold Guest, Bill Lichliter, Roger Chapman, Dave Williams, Bill Bartholomew, Jim Heiser, John Rossmann, George Washburn, Robie Osterman, Pete Whitbeck, Chuck Aelesio, Richard Frank, Glenn Patterson, Mark Traver, Otis Lawyer, Duncan Bellinger, Art Frament. Herb Sawotka, Lou Schenck, Gerry Irwin, Jack Norray, Mace Porter, Ted Willsey, Mike Willsey, Warren Willsey, Roger Shafer, Bob Fink, Bob Benninger, Ted Feurer, Bob Lassome, Wayne Gaul, Bob Giebitz, Elwood Vanderbilt, Harold Grippen, and me.
Location:
For once, the Old Men of the Mountain found that Tuesday, June 13, was a sunny, rain-free, and warm morning to travel to the Middleburgh Diner in Middleburgh. Even coming over the mountain was pleasant.
In the Times Union, and the Times Journal, a paper from Cobleskill for the valley, the papers reported on the movies held many years ago in the street in the town of Schoharie. Schoharie has the honor of having the first “drive-in movie” in the country 100 years ago in the month of June. The OMOTM in their 80s and 90s remember these movies.
On June 8, there was a free showing of the movie “The Awakening of Helena Richie” in front of the courthouse in Schoharie and it was shown again on June 10 to celebrate the event of 100 years ago. Some of the OFs attended and for them it was fun
One OF mentioned that going to the picture show (yes, picture show) is no fun for him and his wife anymore. It could be an age thing because of his hearing, or just that he is old, but the movies today are so loud and are just noise, he has trouble picking up on the dialogue with all the banging and clanging going on in the background, or else it is some dumb music
“That’s OK,” one OF said. “There are no stories anymore so if you miss the dialogue you haven’t missed much.”
Dressing etiquette
The OFs had an unusual conversation Tuesday morning on what they considered “dressing up” to go out. Some of the OFs considered getting dressed meant putting on clean jeans, shirt and tie, with leather shoes to be high fashion. This is as dressed up as they get.
One OF wondered what people get dressed up for now anyway. The only men “dressing up” are politicians.
Another OF added that “to never trust a guy in a suit” was good advice.
Still another OF noticed that many big shots now show up in jeans and a T-shirt, or just a shirt and casual pants, and some do not even wear socks.
Another OF added that he thinks people are getting too sloppy and should show respect and dress up more.
Yet another OF joined in with: “Have you noticed how much it costs now to get dressed up?” The average Joe is being priced out unless he shops at the Salvation Army thrift store.
“It used to be,” one OG said, “that when we attended a funeral everyone showed up in black.”
The OF said he even had a suit just for that. Now anything goes, from shorts to tank tops.
“Who cares?” an OF added. “The center of attraction is dead; the dressing up is just a show for the family. The one in the casket could care less.”
Travel routes and timetables
To arrive at the restaurants the OMOTM frequent (at one time or another), all the OFs travel some distance to gather together, eat, and do nothing. Over the years, the OFs have determined the shortest, or the best way to reach their destination at each eating establishment.
The OFs have also determined there is a spring, summer, fall, and winter way to get there. The winter way may not be the same as the other three. Every now and then, the Department of Transportation tosses a little monkey wrench into the OFs travel plans.
For the OFs on the southeast side of the mountain to travel to the restaurants on the west side, the typical ride for these OFs is over Bradt Hollow Road. Starting this month until fall, these OFs will have to find an alternate route because a bridge on the road will be closed for repair.
As one OF stated, “I guess we have to put up with these kinds of delays because nothing really lasts forever. No matter where we travel, there is something under repair, or just having routine maintenance done.”
One OF said his wife always comments, “Why are you leaving so early — it only takes 30 minutes to get there!” The OF said she never counts on accidents, road work, red lights, school buses, garbage trucks, OFs going 25 miles per hour, finding a place to park, or anything like that. The OF said she does not realize hauling all the junk she brings that sometimes it takes 10 minutes just to get in and out of the car.
“Mine is just the opposite,” one OF added. “She pushes to go, go, and go. We are always the first ones there, or 30 minutes early for an appointment; she does not want to be late and have everyone look at her when we do get there.”
Another OF jumped into the conversation with his Army training, which taught him not to be late. This OF said that most of the time the one at the end of the line was handed all the crappy details.
Old-school doctoring
Medicine (what else) was part of the conversation, too.
The OFs thought that doctors now not only have to receive a degree in the doctor business, but also need a degree in medical engineering, or at least computer science to go along with it. The OFs remembered our doctors that had all they needed in a black bag; along with a stethoscope, the doctor was all set.
Some doctors even had a mortar and pestle and strange powders in the back room of their offices where they made their own concoctions. The doctor wrote down a few instructions and the OFs dutifully took the mixture, which was included in the price of the office call, and what do you know — the OFs got better.
Tain’t like that anymore, Magee!
Those OFs who made it to the Middleburgh Diner in Middleburgh and were able to get there (maybe just because of the doctors with the mortar and pestle) were: Miner Stevens, Roger Chapman, Roger Shafer, George Washburn, Bill Lichliter, Robie Osterman, John Rossmann, Harold Guest, Chuck Aelesio, Richard Frank, Bill Bartholomew, Dave Williams, Pete Whitbeck, Otis Lawyer, Jim Heiser, Marty Herzog, Mark Traver, Glenn Patterson, Wayne Gaul, Ted Feurer, Ted Leherman, Don Wood, Art Frament, Lou Schenck, Herb Bahrmann, Mace Porter, Jack Norray, Ted Willsey, Bob Lassome, Duncan Bellinger, Bob Benninger, Bob Fink, Mike Willsey, Gerry Chartier, Elwood Vanderbilt, Harold Grippen, and me.