Doodlebugs, made from worn out cars or trucks, were common on the farm in the ’30s, and ’40s.
Where were you on April 10 between the hours of 6 a.m. and 9 a.m.? This scribe knows where he and 22 other guys were. We were at the Chuck Wagon Diner in Princetown, New York where absolutely nothing happened.
One question an OF put to another OF was, “Do I look old to you?”
Boy, talk about putting a guy on the spot.
“Hey we are all old,” the OF replied, and the first OF pressed on, further questioning, “Come on, do I look old to you?”
The other OF said, “Well, your ears are long like mine,” still trying to get out of it.
The first OF dropped the inquiry and continued to tell stories of how he and his wife were treated on a trip to Hungary. The other OF said after the stories were told that many of the OFs should be proud to carry the badge of age when they carry it well.
Some people realize all too soon they will be old, so they treat age with respect. And, in some cultures, age demands respect and the youth are taught that. Conversely, in other cultures, the young think they will never be old and treat age as a nuisance and the elderly are just in the way.
Many of the OFs have trouble with being old and trying to keep up with how everything is changing so fast. The wife of this scribe sums it up very nicely when she says, “All I want is an on and off switch,” and the OFs agree.
Trying to remember all the buttons to push to operate a microwave, or the kitchen stove and in the proper sequence can drive you nuts. Even a simple thing like a clock radio, let alone the newer vehicles, all have ways of operating them that are so far out the OFs need instructions on how to just turn these things on and get them started.
Change sometimes is necessary and the OFs understand that, but change just for change’s sake does not make much sense to the OFs.
Yeah, I guess the OFs are old but that is not a bad thing. Within each gray hair and each wrinkle is a storehouse of experience that perpetuates change, which all the young ones think is theirs alone.
And snicker a tad when they have to show an OF how to set his TV. Just wait until there is a massive power outage and none of the young ones’ electronic toys work, and the OFs have to show them what to do just to stay alive.
“Don’t sell the younger generation short,” an OF interjected. “The way they are going, the grid will only be used for large manufacturing plants. Solar power and small wind-powered generators will be able to keep the home fires burning.
“Even electric cars that can be charged at home with your own home-generated power will keep the younger generation (and us) on the road. Food will be sustainable with the farms that have their own power plants. The same will go for small and light industries. Even large buildings can share their own local power source.”
This OF maintains in the not-to-distant future fossil fuels will not be required.
No fuelin’
In previous columns it has been noted how much extra fuel the OFs say has been necessary to keep the old homestead comfy this year. One OF commented that he has operated his wood-burning furnace so much more this year that his woodpile is down to the base.
He is now burning old wood, some of which has sunk into the ground, and is years old. The OF said he has had to bundle up and go out to the woodlot and do a little logging in snow up to his knees to keep the home fires burning.
“Never had to do that before,” the OF said.
Doodlebugs
Another OF commented that he had made a purchase of a Model A doodlebug with steel wheels. This is going back a ways. Doodlebugs were common on the farm in the ’30s, and ’40s, and maybe even later.
When a car or truck began to wear out, many farmers and the farmers’ kids turned the thing into a doodlebug. Not only was it fun but the usefulness of the tired old vehicle carried on doing farm chores (and all it had was an off and on switch). Sears and Roebuck even had a kit for turning Model A’s into doodlebugs.
Of carp and kayaking
The OFs were literally all over the map this Tuesday, speaking on their different topics. The topics went from fly fishing, to making their own flies, to kayaks and kayaking, to feeding and catching carp, to China, Russia, and Hungary.
For the OFs at the table, the kayaking bit was when they were younger. The OFs discussed kayaking in the Schoharie Creek. If any of the readers know the creek from Boucks Falls in the town of Fulton, downstream to Old Central Bridge, they will know a popular area for kayaking.
One OF said he would put his kayak in on Vlaie Pond, which is just outside of Middleburgh on Route 145 south. (Google tells me Vlaie or Vly is a word for swamp that comes from the Dutch settlers of the area). The OFs said that putting a kayak in at Middleburgh and taking it out at Old Central Bridge is a nice day trip, and it is downstream.
The OFs next discussed carp and how it is quite an interesting fish. One OF said he feeds the fish in his pond and some are carp.
Another OF said that in Williamsburg, Virginia (where the world’s largest living history museum is located) there used to be two good-sized carp ponds that held nothing but overgrown goldfish. However, this was in the seventies so he is not sure if these ponds are still in use there.
Stories to be continued….
The Old Men of the Mountain who enjoyed the early morning at the Chuck Wagon Café were: Roger Chapman, George Washburn, Robie Osterman, John Rossmann, Harold Guest, Chuck Aelesio, Ray Frank,Wayne Gaul, Ted Feurer, Jake Lederman, Mark Traver, Glenn Patterson, Otis Lawyer, Lou Schenck, Jack Norray, Mace Porter, Gerry Chartier, Mike Willsey, Bob Benninger, Bob Fink, Elwood Vanderbilt, Harold Grippen and me.
Location:
It is Tuesday again — funny how fast the days come around as the OFs get older and older.
This Tuesday, April 3, the Old Men of the Mountain met at the Duanesburg Diner in Duanesburg. April is going to be the month of the Green Moon; all the planets that are whirling around are going to line up and the moon will turn green.
Those who want to see this phenomenon will have to watch it now because it won’t happen again for another 420 years. The OFs won’t be around for the next Green Moon — they will be lucky if they make it to the next breakfast.
This scribe is getting a little tired of having to report the OMOTM’s main topic of conversation. Lately, it is the redundant yakking about the weather.
It is miserable at least in the OFs’ locale. The OFs know the sun is up there. How do they know this? It’s because, when the OFs fly anywhere, once they are above the clouds, there’s the sun.
The OFs feel it is about time those clouds find some place else to go, giving us at least a couple of days in a row of sun with no, or at least very little, wind. We don’t want the wind blowing the OMOTM’s hats off and down the road.
There! That is two-thirds of the conversation that took place.
Some conversations were, in a roundabout way, connected to the weather and that connection is the way the OFs were talking about how they have used more fuel this year than they normally do.
One OF said, “It isn’t over yet.”
The OFs also are already complaining about how muddy it is going to be especially on the Hill as one OF retorted. Another OF said, “What makes you guys think you are going to be so special? It is going to be muddy in the valley, too.”
Yet another OF commented that he has already purchased some cheap throw-away rugs to put on the floor of his mud room because, where he lives, the mud is clay and sticks to his shoes. The OF said his feet get so much clay stuck to them in just an hour that he adds 10 pounds; just lifting his feet tires him out, lugging all that mud around on his shoes.
A few OFs complained that snowplowing their driveways has turned their lawns into major spring projects. Now they’re putting the lawns back together where the plows dug in because the ground didn’t have much frost in it — if any.
Disappearing senses
A topic came up out of the blue, and this scribe is trying to remember how it started. One OF asked if the other OFs had lost any of their senses as they got older.
The answer was yes, the most common being eyesight, but the sense of smell seemed dulled, and the sense of when their feet were hitting the ground was a different one. The combination of the sense of smell and taste in concert was another one, and the OF who mentioned this said smell and taste were both about gone.
But this OF said it came after an event of some sort that this scribe wasn’t quick enough to write down. Catching that might indicate the reflex senses are not what they used to be.
One OF thought all our senses tire out as we age; that is why they make hearing aids, glasses, and canes. Another OF agreed with him.
This OF said his mind tells him he can hurry across the street and the OF thinks he is hurrying but all he can manage is the “Tim Conway” shuffle. One OF said that if he has to hurry all he can do is hope he passes gas and get an assisted boost from the pressure release of the gas.
Another OF said, “If wasn’t for that little pressure assist, I couldn’t get out of a chair. Is that natural phenomenon a sense that increases with age or is it a sense at all?”
One OF recited the old farmer saying: “A farting horse is the horse to hire, for a farting horse will never tire.” To which yet another OF said he has worked behind horses like that.
Calling veterans to parade
For Memorial Day, the Hilltowns of Berne, Knox, Westerlo, and Rensselaerville are having a parade on May 28. If you are a veteran and would like to participate and join some of the OFs, call Zenie Gladieux at 518-894-8589 or, if you are computer literate, you can email her at zeniegladieux@gmail.com and indicate if you want to ride, or prefer to walk, or are in a wheelchair.
Because the OFs are of an age many veterans are, you can indicate if you need assistance getting in or out of a vehicle. The OFs understand this because for many of them walking any distance is a chore, yet for some of them their exercise is taking a walk, while for others just lifting the fork up and down at breakfast is their exercise.
The Old Men of the Mountain who made it to the Duanesburg Diner in Duanesburg, and none of them who walked to the restaurant, were: Roger Chapman, Miner Stevens, Bill Lichliter, Robie Osterman, George Washburn, Dave Williams, Roger Shafer, Harold Guest, Wally Guest, Chuck Aelesio, Ray Frank, Karl Remmers, Mark Traver, Otis Lawyer, Glenn Patterson, Warren Willsey, Russ Pokorny, Lou Schenck, Mace Porter, Jack Norray, Herb Bahrmann, Mike Willsey, Gerry Chartier, Elwood Vanderbilt, Richard Vanderbilt, Harold Grippen, and me.
Location:
What a sunrise on Tuesday morning, March 27! Most of the Old Men of the Mountain mentioned it when they arrived at the Your Way Café in Schoharie.
As the OMOTM funnel into the café from their homes scattered about, they have been on the road from about 6 to 7:30 a.m. and many headed west. At this time of day, the OMOTM encounter many vehicles driving in the other direction on their way to work. One OF suggested these cars should be saluted because they are probably loaded with working people who are contributing to Social Security, which right now keeps the OFs afloat.
One OF mentioned that he had to advise people to stop sending him email, and why they didn’t get any emails from him for awhile was because he was on vacation. Another OF piped up, “On vacation from what?”
This brought the first OF up short, and he was speechless. What was he on vacation from really? The OF has been retired for years. The OF finally came up with, “From you guys. What else?”
This is true if the OFs go someplace exotic for an extended period of time. It is only a trip. The day after the retirement party, the OFs are on vacation, unless they take another job. If the OFs do that, they are not really retired; they have just left one job on the best of terms to go to another.
The OFs have covered this topic before about those who have breakfast with the OFs, but are not quite in that OF category yet. These are the few that are in business for themselves and are attempting to slow down.
Some of these OFs are having trouble accomplishing that because they are good at what they do. Tuesday morning, they discussed how paperwork in New York is making working as an individual entrepreneur harder than the work. On top of this, collecting money for work done is also becoming harder, and even trying to do business with suppliers on a cash-only basis is getting difficult.
As one OF put it, he likes to purchase parts, pay for them, and leave. Some of his suppliers want it done on a credit basis, paperless, and on the computer.
The OF says the suppliers are confused if he orders a couple hundred dollars worth of parts, and hands them two-hundred dollars. The clerk just looks at him with the look of “now what.”
The OF says he has tried it “their way” with some suppliers and “their way” doesn’t work for him. If one of the parts is bad or doesn’t work, he has to return it for another, and if he has to pick up something else while making the trip to the supplier, things start getting wacky.
This has proven to be true especially if he has other items on backorder. Maybe one of these parts has come in, then the wackiness begins to get worse.
Drivers as dunces
The OFs who have had occasion to work at jobs that required them to work on highways around the state started talking about what foolish mistakes drivers make, and they wonder what in the world these drivers were thinking.
One OF said, “That is the key — they weren’t thinking.”
The dangers highway crews face include just doing routine jobs when along comes some dork and drives right into them. Regardless of all the signs and warnings to move one way or the other because there is road work ahead, some drivers just ignore the signs and keep on cruising right toward the work area.
The OFs who have worked on these roads, summer and winter, said that the workers should get hazardous-pay stipends for doing this work. A couple of the OFs commented that it is getting worse because the new cars are practically driving themselves and drivers are unconscious to the fact they are driving a ton-and-a-half guided missile.
If the vehicle becomes out of control, consciously or unconsciously, there is trouble ahead, Matilda.
Hare warfare
When it was time to pay up for our meal, some of the OFs received their bills with a rabbit picture on the back. This started a rabbit battle as to who got a rabbit and who didn’t.
This scribe thought the OFs were going to come to blows over rabbit or no rabbit. It even came down to who got a smiling rabbit, and who got a mad rabbit.
“My rabbit is not a happy rabbit,” an OF muttered.
“At least you got a rabbit; I didn’t get one,” another OF stated.
Then the no-rabbit OFs started to pester the waitress because they wanted a rabbit. Those OFs had to continue with their pouting because they weren’t going to get a rabbit, so they paid their bill and went home.
One OF offered to pay the OF’s bill across from him so he would have rabbit. The other OF wouldn’t swap even though his bill was higher with the rabbit on it.
This all started because at the restaurant there are two young ladies that take and bring out the orders. On one side of the long tables the OFs sit at, the waitress drew little rabbits on the back of the tabs and the other waitress doesn’t.
As one OF noticed he had a rabbit, all the other OFs started looking at the back of their tabs, and the war was on. The odd thing is no one gets to keep the bill; once paid, it is stuck on that spike by the register.
Those Old Men of the Mountain who made it to the Your Way Café, and who did not drive off the road looking at the sunrise were: Harold Guest, Roger Chapman, Bill Lichliter, George Washburn, John Rossmann, Dave Williams, Robie Osterman, Miner Stevens, Roger Shafer, Chuck Aelesio, Ray Frank, Glenn Patterson, Mark Traver, Joe Rack, Jim Heiser, Allan DeFazio, Marty Herzog, Ted Feurer, Lou Schenck, Jack Norray, Mace Porter, Herb Bahrmann, Warren Willsey, Bob Fink, Bob Benninger, Henry Whipple, Bill Rice, Gerry Chartier, Mike Willsey with middle daughter Amy, Elwood Vanderbilt, Harold Grippen, and me.
This scribe shook out of bed early on March 20 (the first day of spring) to gather a rider and head to the Country Café in Schoharie along with many of the Old Men of the Mountain.
When this scribe and the rider left the Hill, it was 8 cold degrees. When we arrived at the Country Café in the valley, we found out we were the warm ones. There were reports of 0 to 3 degrees from those who lived in the valley. This is the first day of spring?
One OF commented that, when he watches the weather on TV and it shows the traffic around us, for instance, headed up the Northway and Clifton Park, or the Thruway at Coxsackie, there is not even a snow bank. “Is God mad at us on the Hill?” he muttered under his breath.
It is fun to watch the OFs as they all converse, and it isn’t only this scribe who does it. At Tuesday morning’s breakfast, it was noted that the other OFs watch all the other OFs as well as listen to them as they talk.
It was found that the OFs are just like everyone else — some sit with their arms folded while they talk; others, when they go to interact, lean forward when they speak. Some just lean back and talk, and it was found most of the OFs who did that were the ones with naturally big voices. Others do as much talking with their hands as they do with their words; some move in and out with their chairs.
Tuesday morning, a hand talker was speaking and his hands were moving in rhythm with the conversation, so much so that another OF commented on it. The interesting part was the OF using his hands kept them moving with his conversation while unconsciously raising them over and around objects on the table.
The OF never hit a thing! The ketchup stayed upright, and the coffee urn remained vertical. Nope! Not an object was disturbed.
Spectrum of diligence
The OFs have discussed this topic before but, as with many repeated topics, the approach was different. This subject was about hard workers. The OFs who were in on this conversation were all in agreement.
The OFs used their own experiences to draw their conclusions and it was found that working for people with different concepts of work is hard. It is hard to work for a hard worker because the hard worker expects everyone to work as hard as they do.
At times, work is an obsession with the hard worker and is that worker can be unreasonable. The OFs came to a social conclusion that only other people that are work obsessive can keep up.
They went from that discussion to talk about people who don’t do anything, and in this they found that many kids today are so into their electronic devices that they don’t know how to work. Every now and then, the OFs said, a good kid comes along and keeps his nose to the grindstone.
The others work a little, text a lot, work a little, text a lot. The OFs are out of the loop, they say, and this way of working might become the next norm. One OF suggested when the OFs were young and on the farm, digging a ditch might take four hours.
Today’s kids digging the same ditch may now take six or seven hours. Then one OF piped up and said, “It is not fair to dump all kids in the same brew. Some kids are darn good workers.”
Then another OF said, “Watch out for them — they will turn into the obsessive ones.”
Dressed for success
Last week’s column was a tweak on fashion according to the OFs. This week, part of the conversation was in the same vein, i.e., how the OFs dressed when they were working and how they dress now.
One OF remembered that when he was young his father told him to buy one dark suit for weddings and funerals. The OF said he still goes by that today.
All he owns is one dark suit, with one pair of shoes to match. That suit is older now and a little out of style and a little tight but still manages to fit the bill.
Another OF alleged he never owned a suit. Most noted they have a dark blazer and a couple of nice shirts, and one pair of khakis along with another pair of gray pants to go with this blazer. They have one tie for each pair of pants and these OFs maintain that will get them anywhere.
Pay based on locale
Many of the OFs have worked in other parts of the country other than New York. The OFs found that there is quite a disparity between what workers get paid for the same job.
New York City seems to have the highest paid workers for the same job; however, it also costs a ton of money to live there. The OFs thought even though people made less money for the same job in other localities they made more money in the long run because it costs so much less to live in other places than it does in New York City.
One OF said it’s not only New York, but he thought that, in other major cities, the pay would probably be more. That OF also was of the opinion that what could be done with the money in the bigger cities would actually be less.
The OFs who made it to the Country Café in Schoharie, regardless of what the cost of living is in New York, were: Roger Chapman, Roger Shafer, Harold Guest, John Rossmann, Bill Lichliter, George Washburn, Robie Osterman, Ray Frank, Chuck Aelesio, Mark Traver, Glenn Patterson, Otis Lawyer, Marty Herzog, Ted Feurer, Jake Lederman, Lou Schenck, Jack Norray, Mace Porter, Bob Fink, Bob Benninger, Elwood Vanderbilt, Harold Grippen, Mike Willsey, Warren Willsey, Gerry Chartier and his wife, Wilma Chartier, and me.
Location:
On Tuesday, March 13, the Old Men of the Mountain met at Mrs. K’s Restaurant in the heart of Middleburgh.
Unfortunately, or fortunately (depending on which side the OFs were on), this scribe was not there. This scribe was not feeling too well and, not wanting to be embarrassed, decided to stay home.
This gave the scribe a chance to review notes from past meetings and use those for the basis of this report. They will not be current events but will be subjects discussed at the breakfast. The current event will be an observation of the scribe: Enough with this snow and mid-winter temperatures!
This scribe supposes that, as the OFs talk about bus trips, many senior groups take advantage of these excursions. Listening to the OFs talk, you learn there are good bus trips and bad bus trips.
One OF summed it up by saying it all depends on three things:
— Number one: The carrier has to be a reliable, responsible one, with a congenial driver;
— Number two: It has to start off well; if it starts off poorly, it never seems to correct itself; and
— Number three: It is good to go with some friends. If the people on the bus mesh quickly then the trip is going to be a good one.
“If, by chance,” the OF said, “The bus is old and smells of diesel fuel, the driver is a cranky OG, with most of the people a bunch of complainers, then the best thing to do is get off at the first rest stop, rent a car and go home.”
The big “however” here is most of the trips the OFs have been on seem to be very agreeable affairs. Some of these trips are not long. They travel to the casinos in the area.
The OFs go often enough that trip is like taking a city bus from Delmar or Guilderland to downtown Albany. Some go to plays in New York City; some go to see either a Yankee or Mets game. Generally, when the OFs go on one of these trips it is the topic of conversation when they return — good or bad.
When the OFs go to see a play, they may mention the play was OK, but what they really talk about is the bus trip, or where they ate once they arrived in New York. They would talk about who were troublemakers on the bus, and what happened to them, or the OFs would mention just plain bus gossip.
A few of the trips were, at best, endurance trips for the OFs because they were overnights as a rule and were shopping trips for the better half. The OFs say they don’t really need anything, and for anything they do need there is always Tractor Supply, and Wal-Mart.
The OFs maintain they don’t need a 500-mile bus ride so the little lady can spend hours shopping and purchase little. One OF said they have to buy something so the wife can say she bought such-and-such some place in some exotic shopping center.
One OF mentioned that, if they want to go shopping in Kittery, Maine, he is all for that because he can get lost in the Kittery Trading Post. Another OF said that the newer buses are like traveling from your favorite chair at home. They are quiet and comfortable with TVs like airplanes have and, when you’re with a good group of people, it is really the way to go.
Another OF added it is just like flying, or taking a boat ride: What do you do once you get to where you are going? It seems that unless you follow the crowd you are stuck. “If I can drive,” the OF said, “I am going to drive.”
Another OF jumped in saying, “That is OK on long trips with overnights, but on one-day trips — say to a ball game — give me the bus. All the driving hassles are gone.”
Size demise
The OFs at one time discussed a rare topic, almost feminine like, and that is what has happened to the sizing of clothes. The OFs say they used to know what size they were and could go and buy a shirt labeled large and it would fit.
The length would be long enough to stay tucked in; the shoulders and arm lengths would be perfect. Now nothing fits all within the same size. T-shirts are shorter and the same size they were 20 years ago is tight. “Clothing sizes have gone the way of the candy bar,” one OF said.
“Jeans! That is a whole ’nother story,” an OF added.
The zippers used to be long enough to get the dumb things over our hips. However, now the zippers are only four inches long, and width-wise this OF can’t figure out what is going on. His pants say 38 inches but 38-inch jeans lack three or four inches of closing.
“Maybe it is your shape that has changed,” one OF suggested, to which the reply came: “Thirty-eight inches is 38-inches. You can’t change that.”
It used to be a pant leg was a pant leg. Now there are all different kinds of pant legs and, if the OF grabs the wrong one, the OF can’t bend over. Again, the OF’s physical build became the subject: “It is your gut that won’t let you bend, you OG, not the pants”!
The Old Men of the Mountain who made it to Mrs. K’s Restaurant in Middleburgh, and thank goodness they all had their pants on, were: Robie Osterman, George Washburn, Glenn Patterson, Mark Traver, Jim Heiser, Bill Lichliter, Otis Lawyer, Harold Guest, John Rossmann, Mace Porter, Jack Norray, Herb Bahrmann, Wayne Gaul, Lou Schenck, Mike Willsey, Warren Willsey, Joe Rack, Elwood Vanderbilt, Harold Grippen, and not me.
Location:
This has been a pretty nasty winter so far — except for those few spoiler days in February. Like the letter carriers, neither rain, snow, sleet, hail, blizzard, tornado, flood, nor hurricane will deter the Old Men of the Mountain from their Tuesday appointed restaurant.
This past week, it was the Middleburgh Diner in Middleburgh. Again the weather: Two OGs said they went to Cobleskill to purchase some snow shovels. The OFs went to a couple of stores and there were none to be had, although both stores had rows of lawn mowers. It is like trying to purchase a winter coat in March when all the stores are selling bathing suits.
The OFs talk about strange coincidences (or odd pieces of luck that we all have) and wonder how that happens. One OF said he was in church on Sunday and had the Bible and the hymnal open to the exact page on all the hymns and Bible readings every time. Most of the time, many of the OFs said, while they were fumbling around trying to find the page the hymn is on, the hymn is about over.
One OF said he used to give his kids a job when they first got to church. This OF said he brought pieces of paper to church and the kids’ job was to locate all the readings and hymns, and then put the strips of paper by the page number in the books. then, when the time to sing or read came, they could open the book to the right pages quickly. It also kept the kids quiet until the service started. Smart Dad.
Diving derring-do
What else would anyone talk about on a gray winter’s day other than swimming holes?
The OFs mentioned a few that were in Fox Creek and what dumb and dangerous stunts the OFs did when they were YFs. The OFs remembered diving or jumping off bridges into the water and just missing protruding ledges of rock.
The kids knew these rocks were there, so actually they weren’t jumping blind. It was a great way for getting rid of the hay chaff from working in the fields or getting stuck working in the haymow. There were times when bathing suits were optional. Farm boys had fun in what little time they had for fun.
The OFs also mentioned swimming at White Sulphur Springs on Route 443 just outside of Berne, heading east. That was a popular spot. There was a large lodging building there, and people were brought to the springs by bus. It was also popular with local church groups.
It is all gone now — the building has been torn down and it is just a lawn. Two of the swimming holes in the creek have been bulldozed out by the Army Corps of Engineers to control flooding and they are gone.
Many of the OFs continue to say, “We have lived in the best of times.” And still some question that. Those OFs say there is no best of times, never will be; we have been promised that.
Mysterious messages
The OFs also discussed how many of them have had phone calls from what appear to be local calls, with local numbers. The few who do not have phone-identification on their phones get suckered into answering these calls.
Then they talked about how many of the OFs are getting emails from what appears to be someone they know. The OFs said one of the basic questions they ask themselves or their spouses is, “Why would xyz be emailing us? They never have before.” So they wisely delete it and never open it.
One OF said, if an email message seems strange to him, he emails or phones the person who the email is from to see if the person actually did send an email. To date none of them have.
This same OF said on his caller ID he received a call from himself. The OF wondered how that happened.
It seemed to him that, if the scammer knew the name of the phone number he was calling had the same name, why would he even complete the call? It has to be some kind of robocall and a machine can’t think like that.
To which another OF said, “Not yet they can’t, but just wait,”
Snowed under
With all the snow we are getting (and the weather guys say there is more coming), the OFs were talking about how much havoc has been done to their property that lies underneath all this snow. They mentioned shed roofs coming down, mailboxes being destroyed, lawns and drives being torn up, shingles ripped off roofs by sliding snow, and branches down all over the place.
What a mess.
The OFs said that we can’t fault the plow drivers. They are out there plowing the drives and the roads and they can barely see. The power crews are also working in really dangerous situations, in the dark.
One OF said the power crews quite often are trying to restore power to everyone who is without power, when they, themselves, may be without power and therefore know the situation everyone else is in.
An OF observed that severe weather anywhere, though disastrous in some ways, is a boon to the economy. It takes material and manpower to get things back up and running, and that does keep money flowing.
“Well, that is one way to look at it,” an OF added, “but I look at the misery so many people go through.”
The OF also wondered how the insurance companies can keep up when in this country alone natural disasters have caused so much carnage.
This scribe thinks it is good thing there are many sides to the same thing, like two people who can’t agree on what rose is the prettiest rose among a hundred different roses. Who cares? Just take the one that is prettiest to you.
There is no simple, single answer to so much. Just look in the grocery store — one whole aisle is devoted to cereal.
Those OFs who made it to the Middleburgh Diner in Middleburgh, and not one who ordered cereal, were: Bill Lichliter, John Rossmann, Harold Guest, Dave Williams, Robie Osterman, George Washburn, Lou Schenck, Jack Norray, Herb Bahrmann, Mace Porter, Marty Herzog, Mike Willsey, Warren Willsey, Elwood Vanderbilt, Harold Grippen, and me.
Location:
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.
Location:
Tuesday, Feb. 20, will be remembered for how warm it was for this time of winter. The Old Men of the Mountain mentioned temperatures in the forties at 6 a.m. with a warm breeze, fog, and smell of spring in the air.
Fog encased the Chuck Wagon Diner in Princetown as the OMOTM arrived for breakfast and being OM they knew this weather was not going to last and they were sorry to see the fog, because fog in February means a wet, cold May. That is an old farmer’s weather guide.
One OF said that doesn’t mean a whole lot because there always is fog in February. Now all the OFs are going home to mark their calendars for the month of May and see what happens.
One OF, who still farms, was bringing a round bale of hay on the forks of his tractor down a road north of Berne when an elderly couple in a van pulled up alongside and asked him to stop.
The OF stopped and the driver in the car said, “Sir, I am not lost but I just can’t remember where I am.”
That took the OF back a bit and he stuttered out “Berne, New York.”
The driver said, “Thanks” — and took off.
“Hmmm, what a strange way to put that,” the OF said.
Warts vanish
Another topic that the OFs talked about was a strange comment made on how some of the OFs work on repairing equipment or building this or that. One OF made a new tailgate ramp for another OF’s trailer that he uses to pick up equipment.
The OF was telling almost all the steps and care he went through to construct the ramp. As he told about welding it together, he said he was starting to get a couple of warts on his left hand and he stuck out his hand for those at the table to see there were no warts on it.
This OF said, “Welding gets rid of warts.”
That was it, just the five-word sentence, and then the OFs started talking about something else. Another Hmmm.
Slowing down
The OFs began a conversation that is dear to all of their hearts.
This topic was how old an OF was when he noticed he had really slowed down. The age was not the same for all the OFs, but the age span would be somewhere between 68 and 84.
This scribe thinks the 80-year guys are stretching it a bit but, then again, some of the old goats do seem to be on always the go — whether the OG is doing anything or not is another question.
All the OGs say that it now takes four days to do what they used to do in one — a common senior lament.
This next exchange was more specific. Some of the comings and goings brought up were work and chores. The other was fun stuff like hunting, fishing, boating and hiking, taking long drives, going to the picture show, square dancing, woodworking, painting, and activities like that.
One OF summed up this discussion with a little narrative.
He said he used to get his bow ready for bow season (deer hunting) a couple of weeks ahead of the season’s opening. The OF said he would be out of the house at the crack of dawn and not come back until late in the evening.
Now, he says, he goes out around 10 in the morning and is back around two in the afternoon — and that is if he goes out at all. We all slow down but we found out some slow down later than others.
What was the key that kept the late ones being active later in life? This scribe has brought this up before on how active the OMOTM group is compared to many others.
But, as we found out at Tuesday’s breakfast, the OFs can’t keep up a super-active pace forever.
One OF told about his uncle who walked everywhere — even when he had a car. By walking, the OF meant from Berne to Altamont, or Berne to Albany, or Berne to Schoharie.
That was really walking, but all that recommended exercise did not help him reach the age of most of the OMOTMs. Unexpectedly, he died of a heart attack at age 77.
Another OF added that, for himself, he did pretty much what he wanted to do. He ate what he wanted, but did give up smoking, and that decision gave him something like a permanent shot of adrenalin.
The OF continued, saying that he never exercised a day in his life, although he worked hard all the time, and he was outdoors most of the year — summer and winter. This OF says he doesn’t understand all the hype about exercise and diet.
This OF’s motto is, “Stay away from processed foods.” If you want a piece of pie with ice cream, eat it. If you want steak and eggs eat them. If you want spaghetti and a side of French fries, eat that too.
Nevertheless, you have to move and get fresh air, ignore the diet hype and skip the stress it brings, and then (according to this OF) 80 will be just a number.
Warm weather, salted roads
The OFs discussed the upcoming few days of predicted warm weather and were quick to add that winter isn’t over yet. The OFs said they would hate to see it get warm for an extended period of time, that is, eight to 10 days.
This, the OFs say, would fake out the trees and shrubs and they would start budding. The OFs said that much warmth so early would be disastrous.
Then the OGs talked about how much salt was spread on the roads and how all the dampness caused by cold ground and warm air, plus any rain or drizzle, turns the highways into a saline solution that raises havoc on vehicles. One OF thought there is collusion between the highway department and body shops.
Those OFs who made it to the Chuck Wagon Diner in Princetown through the salted rivers call roadways were: Bill Lichliter, Roger Chapman, George Washburn, Robie Osterman, Rev. Jay Francis, Chuck Aelesio, Richard Frank, John Rossmann, Harold Guest, Marty Herzog, Jake Lederman, Ted Feurer, Glenn Patterson, Mark Traver, Otis Lawyer, Lou Schenck, Jack Norray, Herb Bahrmann, Mace Porter, Bob Benninger, Bob Fink, Elwood Vanderbilt, Richard Vanderbilt, Harold Grippen, and me.
Location:
Most of the Old Men of the Mountain found their way to the Hilltown Café in Rensselaerville. On Tuesday, Feb. 13, the OMOTM almost filled up the restaurant, so this scribe believes most of the OFs got the message of the restaurant change.
What to do when you are old? The OFs are quick to insert that little nuance “age by numbers only,” which was more or less a theme of this morning’s breakfast.
How do you manage your “stuff?” This “stuff” includes your property and your money. When the OFs reach an age where anything can happen and the OFs want to protect their assets from the clutches of the courts and the government, what course should they follow?
After all, as one OF put it, he worked a lifetime to acquire what little he has, and in this lifetime he spent much time dodging the grabbing hands of said government. He felt the government did all it could legally do to grab his money while he was working, and he wasn’t going to let them win out in the end because he felt the government took more than its fair share the time he was working.
One OF suggested it is not only the government, it is nursing homes and other institutions that want it all. Sometimes, if you ticked off your kids, they, too, might want to get their hands on whatever you might have acquired.
One OF said, “Let them fight over what I have. There is not much money and the rest of the ‘stuff’ they may wind up taking to the dump because I was going to anyway.”
Some of the OFs have their financial arrangements taken care of, and some don’t quite know what to do. One OF suggested at this stage of life it might be a good idea not to be too secretive about what he has. For instance, other people (whom the OF knows he can depend on) should know about the OF’s situation and those people will know if something out of the ordinary is going on.
Pain meds
Still in the aging theme, another topic the OFs touched on was pain medication. The OFs talked about over-the-counter medications; one suggestion was, “What the heck? At our ages, take what works.”
The OFs discussed the advantages of one over the other and it seemed that Aleve works much better than Tylenol — at least for many of the OFs. Aleve is not supposed to be taken when taking some other particular meds.
The OFs are not doctors and are not prescribing anything. However, some OFs say taking Tylenol is just like taking a glass of water, or a handful of gumdrops. It is interesting to note how the OFs agree on these items, but can’t get together on which lawn mower is the best.
The OFs discussed hydrocodone and found most could not take the stuff. One OF said that, after a particular surgery, the first set of pills he was given in the hospital contained hydrocodone. This OF said he had hallucinations that scared the living daylights out of him.
He said he felt like he was walking, and would swear he was walking, only when he looked at his legs they were perfectly still. Then he said he felt like one of his arms was at the side of the bed hanging down, and the other was across his chest.
They weren’t, of course. One was at his side and the other arm was in back of his head; however, all situations were so real it could have been the other way around. At one point he thought he had four arms.
The OF said he refused the next pill and said he would take the pain — to heck with that stuff. The OF said the doctor changed the hydrocodone to Tylenol 3, which he understood was codeine. That worked and he only took the Tylenol 3 twice.
Kids ask for everything
The last topic was geared to kids and the times. The OFs say they don’t remember when they began giving in to their kids. Somehow it seems the OFs think they must have. The OMOTM’s kids are worse (in some instances) than the OFs think they themselves were.
The OFs to a man did not remember asking their parents for anything. The OFs took what they got and were more than happy with it. Some remember getting help purchasing their first car or motorcycle, but they worked for it. Mom and Dad did not just up and give them a vehicle.
Today, it seems kids are asking for everything from $150 sneakers, to cell phones, to TVs, so they can play their games, which can also cost in the hundreds of dollars. The OFs think they must have started this with their kids, but don’t really remember when.
The OFs have often traced this (what may be called a problem) back to Fifth Avenue marketing along with well-designed advertising, creating a demand. This has been coupled with the rapid development of communications, and World War II mixing all kinds of people together and finding the farm boy wants what the city boy has.
One OF thought it really wasn’t us wanting things; it was that we did not know there were things to want. Maybe a shotgun, or high-top boots, but not much else.
Those OFs who made it to the Hilltown Café in Rensselaerville (because they wanted to) were: Roger Chapman, Bill Lichliter, Harold Guest, Robie Osterman, George Washburn, John Rossmann, Karl Remmers, Bob Snyder, John DeMis, Chuck Aelesio, Richard Frank, Lou Schenck, Ted Feurer, Gerry Irwin, Mace Porter (Welcome back, Mace), Herb Bahrmann, Jack Norray, Marty Herzog, Jake Lederman, Glenn Patterson, Mark Traver, Otis Lawyer, Jim Rissacher, Wayne Gaul, Mike Willsey, Warren Willsey, Elwood Vanderbilt, Harold Grippen, and me.
Location:
On Tuesday, Feb. 6, the Old Men of the Mountain met at the Home Front Café in Altamont. The Home Front was out of sequence because the restaurant that usually follows the Duanesburg Diner was closed for vacation so we swapped the two restaurants around.
The way this winter is going we can’t blame them for being away for awhile, but the OFs will be back there next week. See how congenial and flexible the OMOTM are? Just as long as the OFs get fed they are good with it. There is a big “however” here and that is: Did all the OGs get the message?
The big news of the day was noted and for the OFs this is really big news! A couple of OFs came in with a news report that McDonald’s French fries promotes the growth of hair.
That got the OFs’ attention because at the ages of these OGs there are not too many full heads of hair. Some are fortunate enough to have some hair, and even some of those have thick wavy white hair.
To most though, the hair has gone the way of the comb, brush, or stuck to the inside of knit winter caps, and even the pillow has collected some. One OF said he wore his off on his bed’s headboard.
The OFs who reported this news did not mention if the hair was specifically grown on the top of the head. It was questioned that maybe it was elsewhere on the body, and not wanted there. This scribe wonders how many of the OFs are going to go to McDonald’s and have just a double order of French fries with a cup of coffee every day and see what happens.
The reporters did not mention if the report they heard said how long the study was, or how long anyone had to wait to see results, and what about the ladies? Maybe they would have to shave their legs twice a day to keep up with it. The OFs have not heard of this complaint though.
A quick glance at Google showed that it’s not eating the fries that makes the hair grow, but it’s a chemical that is added to the fries (in order to prevent the cooking oil from splashing), which is used to stimulate hair growth.
Winter woes
The OMOTM were concerned about people they know who are dealing with cancer and other maladies this winter. This prompted the OFs to discuss cancers that the OGs and their spouses have had — cancers that hit close to home.
It was surprising how many were part of this group and how the newer treatments work. One OF suggested that maybe all these campaigns, and fundraisers for research on cancer is beginning to pay off.
An OF thought it might not even be a medical person that comes up with a major breakthrough but some computer geek who is working in the same field who could hit on a solution and find how these things get started.
An OF brought to the attention of the OFs the dangers of antifreeze. This OF mentioned about having animals die from ingesting antifreeze. Other OFs joined in and mentioned that they have had a cat die from eating the stuff.
One OF had a relative who was an alcoholic and this relative was unable to get hold of some alcohol to satisfy the craving and he drank the antifreeze and died. This prompted some OFs to check their supply of antifreeze to be sure it is where it is not easy to get to, and one OF said he was going to see if there is the required skull and crossbones to advise people that it can be poisonous.
One OF mentioned the antifreeze does not have to be fresh. They had a car that leaked antifreeze unbeknown to them. The antifreeze was in the vehicle well over a year. Their cat was seen licking it and a couple of days later it was found dead on the back porch.
Apparently, there are two basic ingredients in antifreeze. One is ethylene glycol. That is the nasty one where very little ingested by your pet can do it in. The other component is propylene glycol. This takes a lot more to make them sick or have their four paws to the air.
Spice of life
Buried in many of these columns are what specific items the OFs use and how each OF insists the items he uses are the best. Collectively, it is another OF microcosm of the general populace from soap, to cereal, to bedding, to vehicles (and tractors, of course), to grass seed, to clothing including shoes, to household cleaning supplies, to choice of music and types of movies, to types of tools, to choice in women.
The OFs identify with “variety is the spice of life.” Each one insists that what he chooses is the best. Sometimes an OF will admit he made the wrong choice and claim “it” is a piece of junk, whereas another OF will disagree and say “it” (that item the first OF just complained about) is the best ever.
Most of the OFs agreed that on hand tools Craftsman tools were one of the best. They don’t know what is going to happen now that Sears has sold off the Craftsman line. Is the lifetime guarantee for the OF’s life, or the life of Sears? One OF said there are a gazillion Craftsman tools out there and in use every day. Well, we shall see who has the guarantee.
Those OFs who understood that the switch of our restaurants had been made and who showed up at the Home Front Café in Altamont were: Roger Chapman, John Rossmann, Robie Osterman, George Washburn, Bill Lichliter, Low Schenck, Jack Norray, Chuck Aelesio, Mark Traver, Warren Willsey, Mike Willsey, Rev. Jay Francis, Elwood Vanderbilt, Harold Guest and guest Carolou Kristofik, Harold Grippen, and me.