A great time to be alive at this spot on the planet
On Tuesday, Feb. 27, the Old Men of the Mountain met at Kim’s West Wind Diner in Preston Hollow.
Most of the OMOTM start out early in the morning; many of the OMOTM travel over the mountain to get to the diner. All the OMOTM commented on what a beautiful ride it was traveling that way.
At this time of year, around 6:30 a.m. the sun is just coming up. Some of the OMOTM were just cresting the mountain on County Route 358, heading southeast. On the west side of the mountain, there was no frost, on the east side of the mountain there was frost with the early morning sun shining on it.
The air was crystal clear, no wind. The OMOTM thought it was a great time to be alive at this particular spot on the planet.
When we arrived at the diner (with the Catskill creek running right in back of it) and stood at the edge of this water and then smelled the air perfumed by breakfast cooking at Kim’s while listening to this creek as it ran its course to the ocean, well, somehow the sights and sounds made everything seem worthwhile.
Greedy!
The OFs went from sublimity to furious at one table, again to a person, and this cause for dissention is the stunt that Spectrum is pulling with its (question mark) switch to digital TV and the box. Talk about greedy!
It is the OFs opinion that the CEO who jacked up prices on medicine is bad; however, according to the OFs, he is a neophyte compared to what Spectrum is pulling.
The OFs hold the belief that the State Legislature should get into this one. People on fixed incomes, people on low incomes, people in nursing homes, etc. need some support.
Spectrum is in the process of denying much of the population access to television. Plus Spectrum is assuming that everyone is tech savvy, when in fact, many aren’t. Some don’t even know what the H--- Spectrum is talking about.
One OF added that it is not fair to take it out on the reps and techs who work for Spectrum. They are just doing their jobs; they don’t set policy.
Another OF said many people are so upset that they can’t get at the policy makers so they have to vent somewhere and, unfortunately, it is just these people who have to take the brunt of the frustration.
Olympics are for the young
The OFs talked a little about the Olympics, not the events themselves but the opening and closing ceremonies. As for all the events that were shown, there were not many that the OFs watched.
It is the assumption that the OFs are just a little too old for watching this — especially with the time zone changes. Leave it to the younger crowd.
The OFs who missed the opening with all the drones and heard the OFs who did watch it discuss it later on made sure to watch the closing. Some said it was great, and some thought after a while it became a little boring.
Savvy shopping
Now for something completely different. The OFs talked about shopping, and comparison shopping. The OFs discussed how the same chain stores can be so different in different localities. Two of the large stores in the shopping area the OFs used as examples of this difference were Wal-Mart and Price Chopper.
The OFs all said how they like the Wal-Mart in Cobleskill compared to any of the others around, mentioning Albany, Glenmont, and Schenectady. The Cobleskill Wal-Mart is always clean and has different items than the others; it just has a different feel.
The OFs wished McDonalds hadn’t pulled out from Cobleskill because they could get a cup of coffee and sit with friends, or even make new friends, while their better halves shopped. The better halves also liked the McDonalds being there because they did not feel hurried while they were shopping.
Speaking of Wal-Mart, one OF mentioned he used to get his D-Con rat poison there in trays, but the OF said he can’t find it anymore and he has tried some other products to get rid of pesky rodents but these products don’t work.
He wonders why D-Con in trays is not on the shelf any more. One OF said for the same reason they stopped making Dristan — because it worked.
The OFs opined that different grocery stores carry different items from store to store, even within the same chain. Again, the OFs were comparing Price Chopper Slingerlands to Price Chopper Cobleskill — different items in different stores.
One OF referred to a specific product (which this scribe did not write down and now cannot remember) but the gist of his story was Cobleskill PC did not have it, and Slingerlands PC did. We do not know if the reverse would be true on another product.
Required cans are a burden
One topic seemed to stimulate the OFs (especially those members of fire departments) and that was the new gas cans the fire departments are required to use. That was as animated as this scribe has seen these OFs get in some time.
The OF said for $175 they are almost impossible to use, and the OFs can’t see where they are any safer than the old safety cans.
Condolences
The Old Men of the Mountain offer their condolences to Elwood Vanderbilt whose wife passed away last week. The Old Men of the Mountain’s thoughts and prayers are with Elwood in this time of sorrow.
The Old Men of the Mountain who made it to Kim’s West Wind Diner in Preston Hollow (without running out of gas) were: George Washburn, Bill Lichliter, Robie Osterman, John Rossmann, Harold Guest, Marty Herzog, Mark Traver, Joe Rack, Herb Bahrmann, Lou Schenck, Mace Porter, Mike Willsey, Warren Willsey, and me.