We’re short on memory and hearing, but not on good will
DELANSON — On this 27th day of January, the day after the cleanup from the about 20-inch snowstorm, the OMOTM put in a strong showing at Gibby’s restaurant in Delanson. Gibby’s has been opening on Tuesday mornings for us even though they aren’t normally open on Tuesdays.
Kudos also to Gibby’s for the beautifully cleared out parking lot ready for us at 7 a.m. Accommodation and food were also great, as usual. While we’re on the subject of Gibby’s, it should be noted that the new owners have kept the look and feel of the place the same as it has been for years, a smart move since so many people have loved it for so long.
I’m not sure how I got this scribe job, but one important part of the appointment surely is that everybody else is happy with coming out to eat with friends on Tuesday mornings but doesn’t want to be worried about recapping the event later.
I’m viewing this first foray as scribe as a trial for me, and an opportunity for the rest of the OFs to decide that they would be better served by someone else taking a stab at this. Don’t everybody line up at once.
Avoiding turbulence
A general observation I would make about our 30 or so OFs who gather every Tuesday morning is that this is a crew that shows great restraint to avoid controversial topics that could be divisive. A few times I have noted somebody venturing into turbulent waters, but it quickly becomes apparent that this is a blunder, and a retreat is quickly enacted, to the relief of the others.
We are blessed by some very talented wait staff who make allowances for our shortcomings. One shortcoming we do not have is a general goodwill, which we show to each and all.
But we are a little short of memory and also hearing, so our servers have to take a lot of responsibility for what we ordered and who ordered it. Not only is it likely that we don’t have a clear memory of what we ordered, but then hearing what is being delivered can be a little muffled in our old ears.
Who ordered, “blah blah blah?” “What?” etc. This came to a head a couple of years ago when a waitress did not understand the issues, and we experienced stress over who ordered what. This particular crisis is still remembered by many.
Some of us arrive on Tuesdays one at a time, but some carpool. Now carpooling is fun and convenient, and sometimes necessary, depending on driving skills and whether or not you have good tires on your car, but it does restrict you to whom you sit with and converse with.
Coming as a onesie means you may mix with others you don’t know so well. This can be a great experience. I’ve observed that everyone at the breakfasts has much to share after so much of the experience of living.
Solving problems
Some of us OFs are seen to be saving Tuesday mornings as a resource. For example, if you don’t know how to approach a rough running engine or a leaky faucet or perhaps a tractor that needs overhauling, this is the place to be.
There will be great enthusiasm in solving some of these problems. You may get conflicting advice, but certainly a lot of food for thought to supplement the food for breakfast.
One area that was explored on Tuesday morning was chicken and turkey management. Conflicting views had chickens seen as smart, the other as not so smart.
I think the not-so-smart view dominated, with a recollection of one particularly early-morning rooster meeting an untimely end, rewarded for his enthusiasm for greeting the day too early once too often.
A turkey was also credited with chasing a mail carrier down the road, thinking the mail in her hands was food. Refuge was found in a passing car.
Another topic of the morning was a popular outcry, railing against the self-serving nature of big business; in this case, specifically, in the mileage of vehicles.
It was generally agreed that better vehicle mileage could have been achieved through technology, which would have served motorists, rather than the industry that profits from us spending our hard-earned wages liberally. Thus, the group’s assertion that this technology has been repressed.
Braving the snow and cold and the early hour, and enjoying all the Gibby’s ambiance and the wisdom of our ages, were: Harold Guest, Wally Guest, Will Lichliter, Rich Albertin, Robert Schanz, Chuck Batcher, Warren Willsey, Roger Shafer, Joe Rack, Mark Traver, Pastor Jay Francis, Jamey Darrah, Frank A. Fuss, John Dab, Paul Guiton, John Williams (Scribe Emeritus), John Jaz, Lou Schenck, Jack Norray, Dick Dexter, Gerry Cross, Alan DeFazio, Elwood Vanderbilt, Dave Hodgetts, Bob Donnelly, and me.