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.
Location:
It is June and on the 6th of the month in 2017, one wouldn’t know it, because it has been cold. So cold that the Old Men of the Mountain appreciated the comfort of Kim’s West Wind Diner in Preston Hollow.
With all the rain and miserable weather so far, the OMOTM expected to see the creek directly in back of the diner really high, but it wasn’t. It was not as high as the last time the OFs (Old Friends) were at Kim’s when a couple of ducks were riding the current down the creek at a pretty good clip.
The OFs (Old Fuddy-duddies) had a conversation that was part history lesson and part directions on local geography. Some of the OFs (Old Fogies) have lived in the Hilltowns for many, many years and, as farmers, seemed to not stray very far from their Hilltowns.
As the conversation proceeded with the history of Preston Hollow, especially the stone store which is no longer there, the OFs (Old Farmers) began to mention landmarks which are still here. Some of the OFs (Old Folks) had no idea where these landmarks were, however, as mentioned above, these OFs have been in the area most of their lives and lived no more than 20 to 25 miles away. This is a recurring theme of the OMOTM and at the ages of most of the OFs is understandable. The OFs did not stray far from the farm.
New fun and old fun
The OFs talked about visiting shut-ins and other OFs who are in nursing homes. This is one advantage of participating in a social group of some sort. The OFs thought it does not have to be a big group — a small group from a church would suffice.
First though, the OFs said, you have to be associated with a group, like the OFs, a church, or the American Legion, Kiwanis, Elks, or their auxiliaries. The OFs mentioned weekly visits and playing cards or some type of board game with these shut-ins. This seems to be a recurring theme with the OMOTM; with the ages of most, it is understandable. Redundant, as the OFs are.
The OFs talked about the old time swimming holes in Fox, Schoharie, and Catskill creeks. The OFs could not remember if all of them were still there. Some of the OFs knew for sure some of these old swimming holes were gone. Three of the swimming holes on Fox creek have all been graded; now they are so shallow they are nothing but wading pools.
The OFs remembered jumping off the bridge that crosses Fox Creek at Drebitko Road, which goes to the Gas-Up. The OFs who took advantage of these swimming holes were mostly farmers and would find their way to the hole on a hot summer’s day covered with hay chaff and sweat. Those were good times, when farm kids worked hard and had simple fun. Most were poor and didn’t know it because everyone was in the same boat.
Wheeling and dealing
At the table this morning was the age-old system of bartering in full swing. Some was not bartering, but out-and-out selling this and that, to other OFs (and, of course, Old Farts) who wanted this and that.
This is downright dickering and it appears that friendships have nothing to do with these deals. This was strictly: “you have what I want and I will pay so much.”
On the other end was: “I have what you want and I will get all I can.”
Then there was the bartering going on and that was fun to watch also. This is the typical: “I have something you want and you have something I want.”
Then the, “let’s see if we can work the swap out fairly” begins. Sometimes the swap may be two for one, or at times this swapping will get down to haircuts. When this takes place these haircuts do not look bad.
B29 surprise
In the report of last week, this scribe reported on OFs in the military and some of their remembrances. This conversation, though not on-going, does come up quite frequently. We have also covered the OFs who have gone to Washington on the honor flights with a sponsor, and how impressed the OFs are with this trip.
This week we again report on one OF (Old Fellow) who was in the military and in the Air Force, and this is so current it happened a few days before this morning’s breakfast. This OF’s daughter and granddaughter spirited the OF away to Reading, Pennsylvania without telling anyone else in the family. This scribe conjectures it was because, if others knew, it would somehow be leaked and the surprise would not be a surprise.
The daughter and granddaughter had procured tickets for the OF to ride on FiFi, a famous restored B29 bomber. In the Air Force, this OF maintained the B29 bombers. The surprise worked and the OF had the opportunity to occupy the navigator’s seat and fly in this famous airplane. The OF who was the beneficiary of all this attention happens to be 90 and he is the oldest member of the Old Men of the Mountain. It is hard to surprise someone who has been around 90 years, but this OF was really surprised and excited.
The Old Men of the Mountain who arrived at Kim’s West Wind Diner in Preston Hollow and were happy to find it still there after driving through the fog and the rain, were; Bob Snyder, Karl Remmers, Roger Chapman, John Rossmann, George Washburn, Bill Lichliter, Robie Osterman, Harold Guest, Pete Whitbeck, Wayne Gaul, Ron Brown, Don Wood, Sonny Mercer, Ray Kennedy, Lou Schenck, Art Frament, Mace Porter, Gerry Irwin, Herb Bahrmann, Warren Willsey, Russ Pokorny, Ted Willsey and Bob Lassome with their good and dutiful chauffeur Denise Eardley, Gerry Chartier, Mike Willsey, Jess Vadney, Elwood Vanderbilt, Harold Grippen, and me.
Location:
It is Tuesday the 30th of May and the Old Men of the Mountain think it is March 31. What a dreary Memorial Day. What a dreary spring — at least so far.
Tuesday, the OMOTM were at the Hilltown Café in Rensselaerville and at the elevation of this place, the OFs were lucky it wasn’t snow. A few OFs say they keep checking their feet at night to be sure they aren’t becoming webbed. So far, some of the OFs say they have not had many pesky bugs to deal with. That is a plus, but just wait until it starts to warm up. The column has two old saws to include in this column (one now and one a few paragraphs later on). The first one is the old farmers’ saying: “Wet May…barn full of hay.”
Time jumping
At the table this morning we had a group of OFs who were in the military and all were involved with planes — one OF served on an aircraft carrier and two OFs were in the Air Force. In the Air Force, there was one OG who served where there were planes, and the other OG served where there were missiles. These OFs had a grand time talking about their experiences and, as usual with the OFs involved, they combined the past and the present in one conversation. Most seniors have this ability. It’s fun listening to conversations as they drift from one topic to another and these OFs do not realize they are time jumping 60 or 70 years in one sentence.
The “then and now” came up more than once. The OF who was on the carrier USS Wasp told how he had the opportunity to go aboard the new carrier, the USS George H.W. Bush, and how much larger this carrier was than one he was previously on, and the OF thought that was big.
In the course of the special tour (because he was a carrier guy and was wearing his hat that indicated he was on the Wasp) he met a couple of the Marine pilots. As they discussed the “then and now” aspect of the two ships, one of the Marines asked how many planes the OF had on board the Wasp and what were they. The OF told the Marines that the Wasp carried F4U Corsairs and F4F Wildcats.
The Marines kind of chuckled, the OF said, and one Marine said to the other, “Aren’t those some of the ones they showed us pictures of in the old planes book?” The ones these jockeys now fly are the X-47B, and F/A 18F, 18E. Just like cars, the older planes had character and the pilots actually flew them. Apparently (the way this OF understood it) the new planes are now flown basically by machines.
There is one big “however” here. What will these young Marines be looking at when they are in their eighties? The F/A 18 will probably look like a Curtiss Model D, (circa 1911).
This OF also said he was impressed by the size of the George H. W. Bush which is 1092 feet long, while the Wasp was 741 feet long and the OF said on the George H. W. Bush, he could not make out a forklift at the other end.
The two Air Force OFs commented on how each had completely different experiences in the same branch of the service. One got to travel all over the world while the other one was stuck on Long Island for three-and-a-half years. The Navy OF spent a lot of his time on only two acres of steel with not many changes of scenery.
One of the Air Force OFs told what the weather was like in Alaska while he was there for about 30 days on one of their stops. It was continually dark, the OF said, and at one point was 65 degrees below zero and never got much warmer. He said the trucks were kept running and the exhaust from these trucks would freeze, eventually encasing the truck in a cloud of frozen exhaust fumes. The OF said it was necessary to locate the truck by sound after fighting your way through the cloud of frozen fumes and the dark. This OF did not envy the fellows who were stationed there.
Driving the kids nuts
The OFs touched briefly on self-driving cars and trucks. This used to be fairytale stuff and now it is quickly becoming a reality. The OFs are a little leery of this new technology, as some of the OFs haven’t yet acclimated to computers.
As more and more research is done on this technology, this scribe suggested it may be a blessing to the OFs who have had to give up their license. Now they could jump in the vehicle and program where they want to go and — bingo — the car would take you there safely. Would this cause the OFs’ kids to really be ticked because the OFs could pop in any time? The kids used to drive us nuts, now the OFs could do the same to them.
Our second old saw says be nice to your kids because “they are the ones who will be picking your nursing home.”
What if there is a glitch and the OFs had to actually drive the car. The OF would probably not have a license, have only one eye that worked and maybe that one was a tad blurry, coupled with legs that took at least 30 seconds to get in motion, and a reaction time of the snail that won the snail race. Would any of us want to see the scenario played out on our highways? One OF asked, “Who is responsible when a self-driving car is involved in an accident? The OF behind the wheel wasn’t driving,” and, furthermore, the OF continued, “The car may be borrowed. Is the owner responsible even if he was nowhere around?”
One OF said, “This is just like it happens now, so let the insurance companies fight it out. I can’t quite figure it out now just the way it is with regular cars that require a driver.”
Those OFs who made it to the Hilltown Café in Rensselaerville by driving themselves through the rain and the fog were: George Washburn, Robie Osterman, Harold Guest, Bill Lichliter, John Rossmann, Roger Chapman, Pete Whitbeck, Dave Williams, Art Frament, Otis Lawyer, Glenn Patterson, Mark Traver, Lou Schenck, Ted Feurer, Wayne Gaul, Gerry Irwin, Jack Norray, Ted Willsey, Mace Porter, Chuck Aelesio, Ray Frank, Bob Lassome, Russ Pokorny, Warren Willsey, Mike Willsey, Gerry Chartier, Jess Vadney, Elwood Vanderbilt, Henry Whipple, Bill Rice, Harold Grippen, and me.
Location:
The Old Men of the Mountain traveled to the Home Front Café in Altamont on Tuesday the 23rd of May. At the Home Front the husband of the proprietress qualifies for a bon-a-fide member of the OMOTM, only he won’t admit it — he claims he is too young.
Tangling with technology
Technology again raised its ugly head, at least for the OMOTM. The electronic advancement was supposed to cut down on the use of trees to make paper, but so far technology has done just the opposite. Now, everyone makes copies of everything.
One of the many problems the OFs find is that the techies assume everyone is capable of using a computer, smartphone, or tablet. Nonetheless, many of us are not computer or smartphone savvy. Even in the techie generation there are many who cannot comprehend how these devices work.
A few of the OFs have run into the problem of a battery having to be changed in a new car. This is a simple process and does not take many skills to put a new battery in a newer car. However, after changing the battery they find the radio does not work. The OF thinks he has done something wrong. The OFs asked this question at the breakfast: how many of the OFs have read the books that come with a new car? The answer was 0-zilch-none-nada one. One OF said the salesperson gave him a quick review of just a few of the buttons and gauges and where the spare tire was, and that was it.
Many have gone back to the dealer with the problem and have found out that when you change the battery the radio has to be reprogrammed. “What a bunch of bologna” (or is it baloney) the OF said. The whole world is getting much too wound up in this computer production. One OFs wife has complained for some time now, “Why can’t we have just a regular on and off switch and let it go at that?”
The OFs who live on the hill talked about being on top of the mountain where things stay pretty much the same. Then from their perch in the hills the OFs watch all the changes that go on by looking one way to the Hudson and Mohawk valleys and the other way towards Schoharie valley. They notice how many things now look different to them. Not as much to the south and southwest, but more to the north and northeast. Conditions look nothing like they used to look in the forties and fifties. What brought this up was how SUNY Cobleskill has grown.
Growing pains
Most of the OFs knew Cobleskill back when it was only 4 buildings and a 2-year school called the Schoharie State School of Agriculture. Today it is a 4-year school (State University of New York College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill) and looks like a regular campus. The OFs don’t know if the students come out of here any smarter than they did in the fifties.
Sometimes changes are interesting to see, but sometimes changes are so radical that the OFs are out of the loop, along with other people of the senior population who are left wondering what the heck is going on. Like one OFs mother told him years ago, it is all a bubble and sooner or later it is going to burst. This OF said his mom was right most of the time — if not all of the time. When the bubble does burst it is up to the OFs of all generations to pick up the pieces and start over.
Mechanics
Here we go again talking about engines! The OFs maintain that engines have a mind of their own and the movies about transformers are not that far off. Most engines are factory tuned but the OFs say after they own them for awhile each one takes on its own personality.
One OF said that he had a chainsaw that would not start unless he cussed at it. What? He said that it had to be the right cuss words, too, or the engine wouldn’t listen to him. Say it right, and this engine started on the second pull. If he said it wrong (meaning he was just saying it and not putting any emphasis on the right words) the OF could pull that rope until his arm fell off. He claimed that when he cussed like he meant it, the little beast would start right up. The OFs at the table all related to that and had their own stories.
One OF had a lawn mower he had to kick before it started, and one had a mower that would only make one pass and then quit. The OF said he would then have to give the rope one pull and it would start, make another pass and then quit. This scenario went on all the while he was mowing the lawn until it was done.
Family affairs
The OFs discussed a little bit about families and housing. Some OFs have families that have their kids and grandkids live close to home, some so close they are in the same house, and some only 20 miles away. Others have their kids and grandkids spread all over the country and a few even have kids living in other countries.
When the OFs really become close to the short end of the ruler, if their kids are still underfoot, the downsizing is not a problem — the kids will just take over. When the OFs have kids spread all over (like the winds blowing dandelion blossoms) downsizing becomes quite a problem. While much of what the OFs have garnered through 80 years of living, including items they have accrued from their parents and grandparents, it should be noted that these collections sometimes belong in museums, or at least put into a high class auction, with the lesser quality items in a flea market. This is when downsizing becomes a problem.
The OMOTM would like to take this time to wish the best of luck to Melissa (our hard-working, attentive editor). She was going into surgery about the same time the OMOTM were having breakfast. This is something the OMOTM know about (the surgery part, not what type of surgery it is) so again, good luck and best wishes to Melissa.
Those OFs who arrived at the Home Front Café in Altamont, and ready to eat, were: George Washburn, Roger Chapman, Robie Osterman, Roger Shafer, Bill Lichliter, Dave Williams, Pete Whitbeck, Jim Rissacher, Harold Guest, John Rossmann, Chuck Aelesio, Ray Frank, Rev. Jay Francis, Gerry Irwin, Herb Bahrmann, Elwood Vanderbilt, Marty Herzog, Ted Feurer, Wayne Gaul, Lou Schenck, Mace Porter, Jack Norray, Karl Remmers, Otis Lawyer, Mark Traver, Gerry Chartier, Ted Willsey, Mike Willsey, Bob Lassome, Henry Whipple, Bill Rice, Jess Vadney, Harold Grippen, and me.