On Jan. 29, The Old Men of the Mountain traveled to the Chuck Wagon Diner in Princetown.
The OMOTM are getting glad to see January go. There was a short discussion about the end of January. Is the end of January still in the beginning of winter? According to Wikipedia, the start of winter in 2019 is Dec. 21, and the beginning of spring is March 20, so this scribe thinks we are smack-dab in the middle of the astrological winter.
So far the woolly bear caterpillar has been wrong. This little creature is the OFs’ gauge of winter — darn it, so far this one woolly bear has missed it! Maybe the OF who found the all-black caterpillar had the right critter.
The OMOTMs core base is getting older and older, driving is becoming a chore, and some have given it up completely. Some have had their kids take the car keys away, and some can’t twist their necks around to see what is coming.
Macular degeneration is also a problem. So far, these OFs are still able to make the breakfast because of those that still have their faculties (and may be younger) and they enjoy the friendship and knowledge of the older OFs, so they gather them up and bring them to the breakfast.
Tech savvy
Because we are the OMOTM, does not mean the OFs cannot keep up with at least a good part of the current technology. In the age group of 80 to 90 year olds, the OFs have cell phones and know how to use them.
Those in these same age groups have computers and tablets and know how to use them too. This comes as a surprise to some of the younger people. The OFs don’t know if it is because the OFs are smarter than people give them credit for in the tech area, or these things are really not that complicated.
One OF in his nineties said his computer was old and some of the new programs would not work on it, so he decided to purchase a new one. The OF just wanted to do simple stuff so he found a computer that was not that expensive, but when the charges for this that and the other thing, including some newer programs were added to the price of the computer, the OF said to heck with it and didn’t make the purchase. He would deal with his old friend.
Another OF summed up the cellphone very appropriately. The OF said that the iPhone is not a phone. “It is a computer with a predisposed phone app as standard equipment,” he said.
The OF made this comment as he was showing a video taken on his phone of another OF. The OF he was showing it to was performing (he’s a singer) a few months ago and this OF recorded the act on his phone.
This scribe receives much information from the OFs via their iPhones on his computer, and vice-versa: Much of what this scribe sends out goes to the OFs’ phones.
There is a very large “however” to all this technology. This scribe feels the report of some of the OGs is that they feel social media, along with the internet, is the Antichrist because it seems to be loaded with the bad, as well as the good, and sometimes it is hard to sift out which is which.
New songs don’t register with OFs
This next topic might cause some tee-heeing among the younger crowd because it concerns music. Basically, the OFs were wondering when what they knew as music became just noise.
The OFs remember music having melody, rhythm, and a tune that was hum-able. Now it seems to be who can screech the loudest with just a hint of vibrato. That is the singer of choice.
One OF said that there are some nice songs being written today — but not many. Another OF asked, “Name one right off the bat,” but no one could. However, they could name the old classics.
Another OF asked, “How many songs written today do you think will be sung 50 years from now?”
A second OF said, “Maybe some of the tunes written for musical plays will be.” Well, we will just have to wait and see.
Then another OF said he thought that as the OFs drive home from breakfast, they would remember songs, but he thought even those would be older songs.
Pricey wheels
Sunday, around noon, there was a TV show that showed some very high-priced vehicles brought up for auction. The OFs said there has to be a lot of money around only they don’t have any.
These vehicles were going for hundreds of thousand dollars, and even into the millions. The OFs started mentioning cars they had years ago and what they would be worth today if they had taken care of them and could see into the future.
Some of the OFs had Packards, Studebakers, Hudsons, even Jaguars, and especially model A’s, old Chevys, old Fords, and Plymouths — the list goes on and on.
But one OF said most of these cars were not old. This OF declared that, for him, once a vehicle entered the collectable stage, he would be afraid to drive it. Then what was he going to do — stay home and look at it? To him, it was a waste of money.
Those OFs who made it to the Chuck Wagon in Princetown in regular, standard cars and trucks and were just as happy, and they were: Bob Giebietz, Roger Chapman, George Washburn, Robie Osterman, Bill Lichliter, Roger Shafer, Chuck Aelesio, Ray Frank, John Rossmann, Wally Guest, Harold Guest, Otis Lawyer, Mark Traver, Glenn Patterson, Joe Rack, Mace Porter, Jack Norray, Gerry Irwin, Rev. Jay Francis, Elwood Vanderbilt, Allen DeFazzo, Harold Grippen, and me.
Location:
Tuesday, Jan. 22, The Old Men of the Mountain met at the Duanesburg Diner, in Duanesburg. This was another Tuesday where the OMOTM had to be careful on the roads, especially in the dark of early morning.
One set of OFs came upon a car in the ditch and this mishap appeared to have happened just ahead of them. The OFs said they stopped to see if they could help and the driver said, “No, we’re OK.”
The road where it happened is straight so it must have been inattention or a tad too fast for conditions or overconfidence in the car, because said vehicle was a four-wheel drive. It was no morning to be in a snowbank; the temperature was -2 degrees and the wind was blowing. Oh joy! The fun of winter driving.
The OFs were chattering about how alarmed the weather guys were because the storm of the century was pending and they carried on so. One OF commented that it is called job security.
Of course these OFs are OFs and most all, or maybe all (this is a fact this scribe would have fun looking into — what is the origin of the current group of OFs?) of the OFs are northeasterners and in 70 to 80 years have seen their share of winter storms. Though miserable for some and glorious to others, this storm was maybe normal.
One OF asked what are they comparing it to. He said, “What about 1957-58?”
Then another OF said, “Those years weren’t of this century. We are in the century of 2000 now and the century is young yet.” This OF continued, “The weather guys don’t have to go back too far for any storm to be the storm of the century — they only have to go back 18 years. We have many years to go and probably will have many ‘storms of the century’ coming up.”
Continuing on, discussing the weather during the winter months, it was noted that some of the OFs arrive early at the designated eating establishment. This means the sun has not peeked over the hill yet and these OFs are driving in the dark.
Tuesday morning with the full moon, the OFs talked about how beautiful it was; as the OFs have aged, they are becoming more appreciative of their surroundings and not afraid to talk about it.
OFs contemplate their obituaries
Along with this, the OFs talked about obituaries and how long and what they would say in their obit. With this group, there are enough years under their belts that they have a pretty good idea about what their life was like, and what they would like in their obits.
Some OFs said they would like their obit to read “He lived, he got married, he had six kids, and he died.” That would be it!
One OF suggested it might be a cool thing to have your obit all written and kept with your will. Another OF added that it might be a good idea to keep on the good side of your kids.
Just like the quite-often recited truism — be nice to your kids because they are the ones who are going to choose your nursing home — it should be added that the kids are going to be the ones to write your obit.
It was further stated by another OF that obits can cost money. If you want to have a long obit, it would a good idea to stick an envelope with money in it attached to the will and have it marked “for obit expenses” and have your pre-written obit in that envelope.
One OF said he doesn’t want an obit, but is going to leave money specifically for his headstone. This OF wants a large, fancy headstone, and on it he wants engraved “Here lies Guess Who, Born 1937 — Died 2022” (or whatever the death date might be) and that’s it.
One OF said he wants to be cremated and his ashes spread in the ocean. Then the kids don’t have to worry about a plot, or headstone.
Another OF piped up, “They will cremate you all right but probably spread the ashes on the manure pile.”
The first OF answered, “That might not be too bad either; at least my ashes will be doing some good after I’m gone.”
The other OF replied, “You got that right because you didn’t do any good while you were here.” (Yep, it was just another day at the OMOTM’s breakfast).
What’s left behind
Most of the OFs think they are leaving quite a mess for their kids. A few are better organized than others and have totes with labels for the tchotchkes that have some value.
One OF said that, the longer he lives, the more junk he accrues. An OF added, “My wife and I are on the short end of the ruler and we still hit the garage-sale circuit and purchase items that catch our eye.”
The OF said they change them out with items already in the house and take those things being replaced to the barn. The OF said he thinks he is not as attached to these pieces as his wife, but if she hits the pearly gates before he does, their kids would have to do the garage sale.
The OF doesn’t think he could handle it. It appears dying is a lot more complicated than living.
All the Old Men of the Mountain who made it to the Duanesburg Diner in Duanesburg and found a very pleasant and efficient Waldo bringing out the vitals were: Rev. Jay Francis, Wally Guest, John Rossmann, Harold Guest, Ray Frank, Chuck Aelesio, Roger Shafer, Roger Chapman, Lou Schenck, Gerry Irwin, Mace Porter, Glenn Patterson, Mark Traver, Joe Rack, Marty Herzog, Elwood Vanderbilt, Harold Grippen, and me.
Location:
Hey! Tuesday, Jan. 15, the Old Men of the Mountain did not have to slip and slide on the roads on way to the Your Way Café in Schoharie. This day was cold, but clear and dry. Maybe it was the weather conditions that prompted some of the OGs to comment that the weeks are going by so fast that it seems like it was just Tuesday yesterday that we all gathered for breakfast.
The first topic of the morning was the dismissal of three of the transfer-station employees in the town of Knox. The OFs were generally upset about this and, as one OF said, for the life of him, he does not understand why.
One OF said it stinks of backroom politics. Another said all he knew was what he read in The Enterprise and it did have quite an aroma to it.
However, most of the opinions were from word of mouth and The Enterprise. As far as the scribe could ascertain, there was only one OF at the meeting of the Knox Town Board, but at least the OMOTM were represented. The discussion was closed when one OF said, “There is always November.”
Federal shutdown
The next conversation was on the government shutdown. This discussion had pros and cons, but was not political, even though it is the result of the circus we call the legislative body of our country and it is a circus.
The OFs have no idea how to get out of this situation. Some of the OFs remembered when they were young and lived hand-to-mouth, particularly those that were not farmers. Some brought up training from their parents on how to prepare for living six months ahead in case something went wrong.
One OF mentioned how, many years ago, a Chinese couple taught them how to plan a year in advance, and what they should purchase and store, “just in case.”
The OFs did commensurate with the younger couples. One OF ventured that suppliers, and financial institutions could show some compassion here and work with the people who aren’t getting their paychecks on time because, when the bubble bursts, these employees will get paid.
However, it is a “sticky wicket” and many of the OFs claim all these big legislators with their million-dollar homes pay hollow lip service to the plight of the workers so they can stroke their individual egos.
One OF just threw out a comment that required no answer, “Do you think any of the big-shot politicians care?”
As part of this conversation, the OFs also talked about General Electric’s situation with all of that company’s financial problems. Some of the OFs have worked for GE at times and some have GE stocks (or had GE stocks) that were purchased at good prices while they worked for the company.
The OFs are not financial whizzes but they think a lot has to do with mismanagement from the top, and the cost of GE’s big-ticket items on the world market. The OFs feel the company just could not compete, which may be the major problem. The OFs also feel that GE made good products so the OFs feel that was not part of the problem.
Map mishap
Recently, the news on television has been running a story about a lady who has had GPS and Google show her driveway as a road. Many people who rely on the GPS electronic guidance system, and the maps of Google, were trying to travel on her driveway as a road.
One OF who lives on the Hill had the exact same problem with Google’s recent mapping of this area. The map showed his driveway as a road that had a beginning and made a loop and ended back on the main road, when it actually ended at his home.
The OF had all kinds of visitors, and cars and trucks turning around in his yard. The OF said it took two calls for him to get Google to change its directions but it finally did.
This scribe checked it out on Google maps and it does now show his driveway as a dead end. The scribe does not know about GPS doing anything wrong.
Brain drain
The OFs started to talk about how the group as a whole is beginning to show some wear and tear in the memory department. One section of our breakfast table, which included about 11 OFs, were having a discussion about farming, and building or repairing equipment for the farm along with working a job, when really the OFs would rather be doing something else.
One OF brought up a statement one of his doctors told him. This doctor said he doctored as a hobby; he would much rather be on his tractor planting corn.
This brought up the same rationale of one of the OFs who knew a national celebrity who would rather be doing woodwork, and did do high-quality woodwork, and no one could remember his name, not even the OF who participated with him as he was exhibiting his craftsmanship in wood.
Eleven guys could not remember the celebrity! One OF said, it is in our heads, but as we age there is so much more up there it takes effort to drag some of it down so we can use it. The OF said it will come to most of us later on. We all hoped so.
The Old Men of the Mountain fortunately do remember where they are supposed to be on Tuesday mornings, and on Jan. 15 it was at the Your Way Café in Schoharie, and those who made it there were: Miner Stevens, Roger Chapman, George Washburn, Robie Osterman, Bill Lichliter, Roger Shafer, John Rossmann, Wally Guest, Harold Guest, Ray Frank, Chuck Aelesio, Joe Rack, Mark Traver, Glenn Patterson, Marty Herzog, Rev. Jay Francis, Otis Lawyer, Karl Remmers, Mace Porter, Herb Bahrmann, Lou Schenck, Jack Norray, Wayne Gaul, Jake Lederman, Ted Feurer, Elwood Vanderbilt, Allen DeFazio, Bob Donnelly, and yes Harold Grippen, and me.
Location:
We are back! It’s obvious because the morning driving on Tuesday, Jan. 8, was miserable as usual for the Old Men of the Mountain to drag their butts to the restaurant for that week. This Tuesday it was the Country Café in Schoharie. The OMOTM who arrive and go into the restaurant early on a miserable morning enjoy the cozy atmosphere of the sun not quite up yet, and the aroma of bacon on the grill.
It is just like the cozy feeling of sliding back the manger door on the barn, waking the cows who begin to stand and make the manger noises, and the cats that scurry to the old milk-can lid and wait for their first dash of warm milk.
Right then and there, all is right with the world. The Chanticleer, Charles John Stevenson, is on the radio bringing the farmer up-to-date with all the information of what has gone on and what will go on for the day — so another day begins.
Hot wheels
There was an odd conversation Tuesday morning for the OFs. Most people would imagine a group of guys from 60 to 90 as a rule would discuss doctors, medications, getting around with the latest wheelchair, grandkids, and great-grandkids.
Nope, not this group, at least not Tuesday morning. The one topic was on motorcycles, from big hauling Harleys, to real humdingers of off-road bikes.
These OFs were not talking nickel-and-dime machines but parts to jazz up the big boys. The conversations were on who had what parts, where to get them, and how much these parts cost. To this scribe, the prices they were talking about on these altered machines were more than the scribe paid for his first house, and that house was definitely not a shack.
It is also odd the collection of bodies in this group. Some can’t even lift their legs to get them across a seat to mount a motorcycle, while others just whip that leg up and over that seat and sit down.
Most of the OFs (when they were younger) could walk up to a horse, put their foot in the stirrup, and whirl their other leg around and — Yahoo! The OF was in the saddle. Other OFs would just grab hold of the mane, hop up and over, and the OF was ready to go bareback.
Today a few can still do this on a cycle with the seat only three feet off the ground, and others can’t even do that — scribe included.
Dangers of internet shopping
The OFs started talking about ordering goods off the internet and how tricky that is. The OFs are not too sure about that and it may be the OFs don’t understand the ins and outs of the net because younger people seem to do it all the time with few troubles, while the OFs seem to wind up in hassles.
The problems are many, from not getting what they thought they ordered, to prices not being what they thought they were supposed to be.
One OF said that he likes to look products over i.e., top, sides, and bottom. Number one, he wants to be sure the merchandise is not defective, that all the parts are there, and the sellers used the proper fasteners in putting whatever together. The OF maintained he can’t do that over the internet.
This OF said he ordered a winch over the net because he could not find what he wanted in stores. He said, when he received the winch, half of it was held together with grade-2 junk bolts in important places and only a couple of grade-5 bolts on a couple of clips.
The OF said he had the darndest time trying to return it. The OF maintained you can’t get this type of information from a photograph and that is why he likes shopping in a store.
Another OF said not many people would realize the type of bolts holding a winch together and they would probably care less. The other OF said, then they would wonder why it did not hold up and fell apart the second time they used it.
To this OF, quality comes first. Caveat emptor. Buyer Beware.
Mice multitudes
The OFs discussed how many mice there seems to be this winter. Most of the OFs are catching them in their sheds and basements but there is no food for them in these places. The OFs think they are just coming in to warm up and breed.
One OF said that they were the subject of their own “not thinking” and they had a 50-pound bag of birdseed that they had left in their shed. When they got around to using this seed, it had a few families of mice in it. Pretty smart, these critters!
Make your home in wherever you eat, keeps these smart mice away from predators, plus not having to travel far for a meal.
Another OF said he has not seen many snakes around in the last couple of years, and he has wondered where they have gone. The absence of the snakes, coyotes, and the kestrels may be the reason for so many mice.
There was a brief discussion on traps verses poisons and the use of either was about 50/50. To the OFs, it seems the use of poisons is OK until one of those rodents passes on to rat heaven between the walls and rots. That smell will get your attention for awhile.
Those OFs who were in great attendance as they filed into the Country Café in Schoharie after the rare two week hiatus, were John Rossmann, Robie Osterman, Wally Guest, George Washburn, Bill Lichliter, Harold Guest, Roger Chapman, Marty Herzog, Otis Lawyer, Glenn Patterson, Joe Rack, Mark Traver, Roger Shafer, Ray Frank, Chuck Aelesio, Jack Norray, Lou Schenck, Mace Porter, Gerry Irwin, Bill Rice, Henry Whipple, Rev. Jay Francis, Mike Willsey, Russ Pokorny, Warren Willsey, Elwood Vanderbilt Bob Donnelly, Allen DeFazio, but no Harold Grippen; he inadvertently made an appointment on a Tuesday morning, so it is just — and me.
Location:
— Photo from John R. Williams
A sing-along for The Old Men of the Mountain: Roger Shafer plays guitar and Gerry Irwin plays the bass as their friends breakfast at Mrs. K’s.
Christmas carols are in the air, and many of the Old Men of the Mountain start singing along when they hear them. The breakfast Tuesday morning again was when the Hilltown roads were like skating rinks. Most of the OFs came to the Mrs. K’s on the flats; a few came over Cotton Hill — that was a mistake.
However, no matter the conditions of the roads, Mrs. K’s was full of OMOTM, and Patty had quite a spread laid out for the OFs as they arrived for their 2018 Christmas party.
The conversations Tuesday morning were quite mixed. Much was material covered many times; some the conversations were on family traditions at Christmas time.
Most OFs related that, when the OFs were young, the most common gift was clothes and a present. That was it — a present, not a whole store full.
One OF said that he would get more than one present but it was from each of the relatives. Sometimes the OF thought the aunt or uncle would contact the family to see what the OF needed in the line of clothes. The OFs said when they were kids they were more than happy to receive anything.
During World War II, there was not much to buy even though at that time most parents had money, a least those who were not on the farm. One OF said that kids get so much today, it is what keeps the economy going.
Another OF added that today even kids 8 or 9 years old want gifts that cost hundreds of dollars. It is a different time.
An OF chimed in that he thought kids today are not kids; they are young adults. The OFs said, think back to when we were kids. We were kids! We had fun doing kid things.
Today they start teaching kids math, and reading skills when they are only 2 years old. Kids today are forced to be adults before they are ready to be adults; the OF stated that as a fact and not his opinion.
While the OFs were talking about Christmas and Christmas giving, we found out that one OF has 18 grandkids, and four great-grandkids, and another one has 19 grandkids and two great-grandkids. Between those two OFs, there are 86 feet trotting this planet, and that is from only two of us.
What does Christmas mean to those guys? The other OFs bet Christmas was a ball at their homes when the majority of them were growing up. The OFs couldn’t imagine the family tree on either family when considering all the in-laws required in generating 43 grandkids. These two OFs should get together and write a book, along with their wives of course, on parenting. (By the way, the scribe adds neither one is Catholic.)
The Old Men make their own music
The diversity of the Old Men of the Mountain has been brought up many times but even at our own party, we bring our own entertainment. We had two OMOTM up playing Christmas-type songs, and not-so-Christmas-type songs.
The OFs could be heard joining in with the more familiar songs. The OFs even had one with musical talents at the table taking in festivities. If you follow the names along with the police you will find the names of Roger Shafer, and Gerry Irwin — Roger on the guitar and Gerry on the bass.
Holiday hiatus
For the first time in 30-some years, the Old Men of the Mountain are not going to go to breakfast on Tuesday. Christmas Day falls on a Tuesday this year, and so does New Year’s Day so the OFs decided not to gather on those days. This means there will be a two-week hiatus for the column.
The OMOTM have never done this. In the years 1984, 1990, 2001, 2007, and 2012, the OMOTM met on Monday. This year, by not meeting at all, it means there will be an 11-year gap until this happens again in 2029.
At that time will come the major decision again: Do we meet on a Monday or skip it? But this year it means, by the time the group gets together again, it will be Jan. 8 and there will be many stories to tell because, in all the time that has gone by, even if it is only two weeks since getting together, interesting events are bound to happen to the OMOTM.
Those OFs who in a way slid their way to the party at Mrs. K’s Restaurant in Middleburgh for the last gathering of year, were: Robie Osterman, George Washburn, Wally Guest, John Rossmann, Roger Shafer, Harold Guest, Roger Chapman, Bill Lichliter, Otis Lawyer, Richard Frank, Chuck Aelesio, Mark Traver, Glenn Patterson, Joe Rack, Kenny Parks, Jim Heiser, Rev. Jay Francis, Mace Porter, Lou Schenck, Jack Norray, Ted Feurer, Jake Lederman, Wayne Gaul, Herb Bahrmann, Gerry Irwin, Gerry Chartier, Mike Willsey, Jim Rissacher, John Gab, Marty Herzog, Elwood Vanderbilt, Harold Grippen, Amy Willsey, and me.
Location:
For once, we had a beautiful ride to the Middleburgh Diner in Middleburgh on Tuesday Dec. 11. The sun was not yet up, the sky was dark and clear, and there was one bright star or planet in the heavens that was very visible. The weather was much different than most of the recent mornings the Old Men of the Mountain have been used to driving in on these early morning restaurant trips.
The OFs started a conversation that was somewhat different on Tuesday morning. This conversation was on recyclables.
Generally the first chatter of the group is quite redundant (like most meetings) and with the OFs it is quite a comedy show until someone brings up an unusual topic. This particular OF recollected how (just a few years back) we had to separate everything going to the transfer station.
Glass had to be separated by color, green with green, brown with brown, etc., and no caps were to be on bottles. The metal and aluminum were to be separated. No aluminum pie plates were to go in the trash. Power cords were to be removed from appliances.
It was a real chore at home to do all this, but we did. We even had a separate bucket or bin at home to hold the different recyclables.
This has changed now. We can’t get anybody to buy the recyclables from the towns. What has happened? It seemed like a good idea at the time. Some OFs think it is still a good idea and we should still use items made from recycled paper, glass, aluminum, metal, and plastic.
One OF said, “Like many products and even problems we rarely go back to the source. We don’t need plastic bags — paper bags are fine and come from a renewable material source, the tree.”
“However,” another OF said, “the current way I discard my trash is to chuck the bottles with tin, separate the plastic, paper, and cardboard and that is what I’ll do.”
Rambunctious robo-vacuum
Somehow the OFs continued on with the cleaning theme. It wasn’t exactly like the garbage theme but it was about vacuuming. This time. the subject was the new high tech robo-vacuums.
One of the OFs was telling how the one his kids have works. The OF said, “He (son) likes it; it is a lot of fun to watch.”
The OFs asked him, “How much can it vacuum? They look rather small.”
Another OF asked, “Don’t they have to keep dumping it out all the time?”
The OF said he didn’t know about this because he never asked.
The OF told of an experience his kids had with this robo vacuum. “One of the kids kept hearing this thump, then another thump.” The OF said the kids told him there was no rhythm to the thumps.
“Sometimes there would be four or five minutes between the thumps, and sometimes it was thump, thump, and thump in quick succession,” he said. “The kids finally tracked it down to one of the bathrooms.”
The vacuum had apparently hit the bathroom door and the door closed. The thump was the vacuum trying to get out of the bathroom, finish the vacuuming, and get to the docking station. The OFs got quite a chuckle out of that little story.
To this scribe, unfortunately, it indicates the scary part of AI (artificial intelligence). This little vacuum cleaner was given a job to do and that was to complete its mission of vacuuming, and returning to the docking station to revitalize itself.
That was its job; AI will do anything to complete its assigned task and revitalize itself. The next robo-whatever may not be assigned to just do vacuuming, mowing the lawn, or plowing the driveway, but it could be something much more sinister, and the AI will complete the task and return to its revitalizing station.
Climate change?
The OMOTM talked about all the nasty weather this week that brought havoc to the Carolinas and Virginia in the form of snow. The pictures were just like here when we have a nasty storm only they are not ready for it.
One OF who has relatives in Virginia said they missed it. There again it is like some of those storms that nail us. Where these storms hit, they hit!
Sometimes the area is not too wide, and at other times, as one OF said, “Our storms cover from Canada to Pennsylvania and the whole East Coast.” Another OF has relatives in the Carolinas and they reported, “This storm was just like the ones we used to have when we lived in Plattsburgh.”
Yet another OF said, “Maybe there is something to this climate change or global warming.” That brought the swift answer that the world has been through all this before but there were fewer people around for the storms to directly impact them.
Now the population has increased and people get really disturbed because they plopped their fancy homes directly in disaster areas and some have encountered tragic situations as a result.
One OF said, “That is kind of tough talk, but I have to agree it’s true.”
Another OF thought that even applies to some of the OFs, which took the OFs back to “when we were young.” (Oh dear, here we go again to “when I was your age,” but this is always fun).
“You can’t stop progress”
This time, the OFs talked about how far it was from farm to farm, and how even going to town for supplies took planning. One OF said that he purchased a home on a dirt road; the home was not quite finished. Just beyond his place, the road was shut down during the winter months because it was too dangerous to drive.
This home was purchased so the OF would have privacy and be alone, but not hiding. The OF said he likes and enjoys people but doesn’t want them living on top of him. The OF said now there are 40 houses around him.
“You can’t stop progress — just like the robo-machines that do the work so we don’t have to.” an OF said.
The OFs who made it to the Middleburgh Diner in Middleburgh and want to stop the world so they can get off, were: Roger Chapman, George Washburn, Miner Stevens, Robie Osterman, Bill Lichliter, John Rossmann, Wally Guest, Harold Guest, Kenny Parks, Rev. Jay Francis, Gerry Irwin, Mace Porter, Lou Schenck, Jack Norray, Elwood Vanderbilt, Allen DeFazzo, Mike Willsey, Warren Willsey, Harold Grippen, and me.
Location:
The Old Men of the Mountain met on Tuesday, Dec. 4, at Pop’s Place in Preston Hollow. The OMOTM had a first-hand look at the damage done to Pop’s Place by the idiots that used the restaurant for target practice.
This incident was of course the major topic of conversation as all the OFs arrived in the morning. None of the OFs could understand why anyone would do something like this. They must have been high on alcohol or drugs, and to think these people that do such stupid things can legally carry guns. That is scary. One OF mentioned it is the occasional nut case that makes it hard for the rest of us that enjoy hunting, or sport shooting.
One OF said, “A lot of people do not think shooting is a sport. Boy, would I like to challenge them to a taste of sport shooting. It is the same as golf except in golf you are trying to hit a little white ball in a cup. The goal in sport shooting is to send a bullet through a bullseye, or hit a flying object with shot or a slug instead of a bat.”
Further research shows that the clay pigeon is traveling around 60 miles per hour, a shotgun slug is traveling about 1,100 miles per hour, and birdshot travels about 800 miles per hour. Everything starts in an instant so try making the projectile and the clay pigeon meet.
The sport is no different than any other sport; it requires skill, concentration, effort, and practice. The OMOTM did not have any turkey which they personally shot.
9/11 changed travel
With Thanksgiving behind us and the “holidays” coming up, the OF talked about families getting together and traveling to get there, or here, whichever the case may be, by air. The OFs compared pre-9/11 to post-9/11 travel and how much flying has changed.
One OF said it used to fun to plan and go to the airport and just breeze through and sometimes running to catch a plane. Now it is really, really different, and it isn’t fun anymore. Another OF said he feels like he is some sort of criminal, and would much rather drive than fly.
Still another OF said that he was on a business trip to Michigan years ago when metal detectors were first introduced at airports. The OF said he had on his safety shoes. Safety shoes had a metal cup over the toes that would protect a worker’s feet from industrial accidents.
At this time, it was not necessary to remove your shoes when you were flying somewhere. To compound the issue, the OF and his boss were making a connection at O’Hare in Chicago and were late for the connection.
The metal detector kept dinging, and the OF kept going through. Finally the guard (at that time because there was no TSA) said, “To H--- with it, go on.” Ah, it was a different time.
A Kodak moment
As we have mentioned the OMOTM is loaded with OM. Tuesday morning, the oldest OMOTM (in his nineties) showed up at the door of Pop’s Place and was struggling with the door.
In the restaurant already seated was the second oldest OMOTM and he was facing the door and saw the oldest one struggle to get in with his cane, so the second oldest got up, went and helped the oldest through the door. A Kodak moment but it happened in just a few seconds; no time to retrieve the camera and take a shot.
Stents galore
There was a discussion that is frequent among the OFs and that is on medicine and the newer medical procedures. The OF who made this report was a recipient of this new technology.
The OF has had leg problems for a while and the pain in one leg was becoming very bad. The doctors did some tests and found that the blood was not flowing through the leg. They did some more tests and located where the blood was being stopped.
They then inserted a stent into where the stricture was and the OF said he watched the whole thing. The OF claimed he was in and out the same day, and the leg is fine — no pain.
The OFs seemed to agree the doctors are sticking these stents in all over the place. One OF said, “The doctors can stick one in my brain if it would make me any smarter.”
To which another OF said, “To make you any smarter they would have to stick it in your butt.”
OFs can run but can’t hide
One of the OFs who is in frequent contract with an OF who winters in the South reported that this OF woke up one morning and had a six- or seven-foot alligator on his back porch. Then another OF mentioned that recently in the news there was a report on how one guy (with help) got away from an alligator but not before the alligator grabbed him by the leg.
So another OF said, “Is that any different than finding a bear on your back porch up here, or finding one prowling around the backyard?
To this OF it is the same situation only a different critter. The OF said he wouldn’t want to mess with either one of them.
Take snakes. We have our copperheads, and rattlers; they have their coral and boas, and a few others. The OF said again, let those suckers be — whether here or there.
The Old Men of the Mountain have the following as part of their philosophy — they can run but can’t hide. There is something out there that’ll getcha no matter where you are — animal, bug, or the weather.
The OMOTM who espouse this philosophy and were at Pop’s Place in Preston Hollow were: Roger Chapman, Wally Guest, Bill Lichliter, George Washburn, John Rossmann, Robie Osterman, Harold Guest, Roger Shafer, Chuck Aelesio, Richard Frank, Glenn Patterson, Mark Traver, Joe Rack, Otis Lawyer, Gerry Irwin, Lou Schenck, Mace Porter, Mike Willsey, Warren Willsey, Elwood Vanderbilt, Harold Grippen, and me.
Location:
My goodness, this is getting ridiculous! This past Tuesday morning, Nov. 27, the Old Men of the Mountain had to drive through inches of wet snow, and very slippery roads to get to the Home Front Café in Altamont.
For those going over the Hill, and those who live on the Hill, it was not pleasant. The OFs know the sun is up there but the OFs haven’t seen it in so long that, when it does show up, the OFs’ old eyes won’t be able to take it.
The OFs discussed how many new homes pop up. The comment is that the OFs will drive down the road one day, and 10 days later the OF is driving down the same road and there is a brand-new home, with a car in the garage and lights on.
One OF said these are not the typical box houses we used to see go up quickly but these are good-sized and with character. Technology is even helping the ready-made home industry build a better product, faster.
This scribe, as usual, checked some of these homes out on the net and found that there are a lot out there and they are really nice homes. What this scribe checked were all to code, and nice upgrades. With some, a lot of decisions are left to the owners/builders if they want special items in the kitchen, and garage, stuff like that.
Hoarding or keepsake saving?
Some of the OFs began to think they have developed into hoarders as they get older because they seem to have accrued many items that the OFs don’t know why they have them, where they came from, and now they have no use for them.
One OF mentioned we should consider how old we are and how much time we have had to collect this stuff. Another OF said much of their accumulation of what is now clutter are gifts from their kids and friends and they hate to part with them. The OF added that some possessions go as far back as when the kids were in the first grade and now we just can’t bring ourselves to take this special artwork to the dump.
Another OF said it isn’t hoarding — it is keepsake saving.
So a second OG said, “What will your kids do with these so-called mementos when you kick the bucket? Ha! They will haul them to the dump.
Another OF said he doesn’t think so. The OF said his kids are into the DNA ancestry craze and they will probably frame some of the inherited “stuff.”
Still another OF suggested that the OFs who get calls and gifts from their kids, no matter how odd, should be delighted because there are OFs who have kids that take off as soon as they can and the OFs rarely hear from them. This is another way to look at the hoarding situation, so the OFs should hold on to the mementos from friends and their kids.
“What the heck,” the OF said. “Let them deal with it in the end.”
Some laws are just pet peeves
The OFs got a lesson on boat-building at this morning’s breakfast. This came about by the recent article in the Albany Times Union comparing the limo accident in Schoharie in October with the tour-boat accident on Lake George two years ago.
One OF who knows a little bit about boat-building said the alterations that had been made on that boat were so bad the boat was just looking for an accident to happen. “Number one,” the OF said, “was the raising of the seats above the waterline which immediately made the boat unstable and was against code.”
None of the OFs knew exactly what he was talking about (and still don’t) but the way the OF described it, it sure made a lot of sense. An OF suggested that many people try to cheat the system with most getting away with it.
Then one OF said some of the rules and regulations make no sense at all; some of them even sound like one or two people had a pet peeve about something in particular, and they have enough pull to have a law passed just to satisfy their pet peeve.
“Yeah,” another OF said, “then the poor cops have to enforce some of the rinky-dink laws that they know make no sense, or are just there to line the pockets of a particular manufacturer that managed to have a law passed that satisfies only them.”
Honest OFs
This was an unusual breakfast with some of the conversations that came up. These conversations included honesty in the workplace while the OFs were working, especially those OFs who traveled for the companies they worked for.
This excluded some of the OFs because they were self-employed, or were farmers, but they had to deal with hay dealers, horse and cow traders, and these people at times had some tough reputations.
The OFs who traveled on expense accounts found that many of the people that they were traveling with knew how to manage an expense account to their advantage. According to the OFs, the OMOTM returned money on the account because there was no way the OFs could use it all. The OFs talking about this said it took awhile for them to figure out that might be the reason they were sent to all these training sessions, conferences, and conventions.
Those OFs who made it to the Home Front Café In Altamont but were definitely not on expense accounts were: Roger Chapman, Bill Lichliter, George Washburn, Robie Osterman, Wally Guest, Harold Guest, John Rossmann, Mace Porter, Jack Norray, Herb Bahrmann, Lou Schenck, Gerry Irwin, Mark Traver, Otis Lawyer, Joe Rack, Henry Whipple, Mike Willsey, Warren Willsey, Elwood Vanderbilt, Harold Grippen, and me.
Location:
It was Nov. 20, 2018, when the Old Men of the Mountain met at the Chuck Wagon Diner in Princetown, and the weather did it to the OMOTM again! It was miserable.
Six to six-thirty in the morning, snowing, roads slushy and slick, a thin mist in the air and the OFs are out in this wretched chaos. Like one OMOTM said when he showed up, “You know we are Northeasterners and tough because we keep showing up for breakfast just to be with you guys after driving 23 miles in this stuff.”
(This reminds the scribe of something his 92-year-old mother told him, “You gotta be tough to get old!”) This is true.
Hair-raising talk
How this next banter started, this scribe does not know, but the OFs spent considerable time speaking about (this is true) hair. Their own hair (who had it and who didn’t), who cared about their hair, and who could care less if they had hair or not.
One OF (who still has hair to make some envious) said he was about due for a haircut, and he was. His hair was growing down around his ears, and this OF wears hearing aids, which doesn’t mean much because most of the OFs also wear hearing aids, but some of the OFs thought that hair over the ears, would seem to negate the hearing aids. (This outfit is beginning to sound like ladies at the local beauty parlor.)
Hear! Hear!
That prompted the discussion to jump to the wearing of hearing aids by so many of the OFs. Now this has been covered many times, but this time one OF said, “We all wear these darn things, and we are still hard of hearing.” (Basically, he was right.)
Instead of the “Amen”s that a few would utter after a profound statement, or sometimes the chorus would be huzzah, huzzah, the ending of this conversation was Hear! Hear!
Excess of exes
Then a new subject arose from nowhere again, or maybe this scribe missed what the intro was, but the new subject was on ex-wives.
The OFs started telling stories on how ex-wives (according to these OFs) took them to the cleaners. It seems that the OFs didn’t care; the OFs were glad to get rid of them.
These stories led to other stories of others that were in the same boat, and the OFs started naming names. Just listening to these reports this scribe said to himself, “Hey there has to be good book here someplace.”
This scribe also thinks these stories, though funny now, were not so funny at the time, and the stories will be placed into the file of stories for the OMOTM’s ears only and that file is quite thick, almost ready for another folder.
Pop’s Place shot up
On the news Monday night and Tuesday morning was the shooting up of one of the restaurants the OMOTM have in the wheel of restaurants they frequent. This is Pop’s Place in Preston Hollow.
The OFs only know what they hear on the news and read in the paper of what happened. The OFs can’t understand why anyone would do this. What for, what purpose does it serve?
“Now to shoot up a restaurant,” the OFs said, “what if it were a Tuesday morning and we were all in the place?”
The OFs don’t know if the police will catch these idiots or not but we hope they do. “Then take their guns and hunting licenses from them — if they even have licenses,” one OF added.
“Nah,” another OF said, “Whoever did this was just being stupid.” This OF thought that the ones that committed this offense should pay for the repairs, and be required to eat at the restaurant twice a week for a year, even if they live a hundred miles away. Then they would realize how much work the small entrepreneurs put into their businesses for darn little money.
Many ways to celebrate Thanksgiving
With Thanksgiving only a few days away, the OFs discussed this time of family and food but the discussion of thanks never entered into the conversation. We did, however, discuss the ways many of the OFs celebrate the holiday.
Some will go out and eat at a nice restaurant, especially those who have family spread all over the country. Some have all their family gather at their home, and that has now become a tradition.
Like most families that become large, the young ones run the family like a committee and each family is assigned what to bring to these events, just like a church supper. Mom and Dad, Grandpa, and Grandma have to make sure the house is clean, and the spare bedrooms are ready.
Then there are a few OFs whose tradition it is to go and volunteer at the big meals prepared for the less fortunate. There are also the OFs who at their ages now travel to whoever is having the family — these OFs are beyond all the work that is involved.
They will bring their assigned dish or dishes but, as one OF put it, “We even have someone come and chauffeur us which is great.”
However it is done, the microcosm which is the Old Men of the Mountain covers how most people spend the holidays. There may be some Humbugs out there but the OMOTM say let them Humbug all they want — the OFs don’t care.
This scribe, as he finished this little report, said to himself that, though thanks was never mentioned, it sure was expressed by actions and unspoken thoughts, of these Old Men of the Mountain who were at the Chuck Wagon in Princetown, and who did a lot of thinking were: Roger Chapman, Robie Osterman, George Washburn, Bill Lichliter, Roger Chapman, Wally Guest, Harold Guest, Joe Rack, Otis Lawyer, Glenn Patterson, Mark Traver, Gerry Irwin, Jack Norray, Herb Bahrmann, Mace Porter, Mike Willsey, Warren Willsey, Rev. Jay Francis, Elwood Vanderbilt, Harold Grippen, and me.
Location:
When the Old Men of the Mountain arrived at the Duanesburg Diner in Duanesburg, it was wet snow and fog on Tuesday, Nov. 13. This caused some of the OFs to ask if this scribe has kept track of the weather on Tuesdays, and how many have been miserable.
In fact, this scribe does keep a sloppy journal and the first note in the journal is the morning weather. When the scribe arrives in the kitchen and looks out the kitchen window, the scribe makes a note, then the scribe looks at the weather on the atomic clock and notes both in the journal. Upon hearing the OFs comment of the weather on Tuesday mornings, it prompted this scribe to go back and check.
What this scribe found out going back just seven weeks in his journal there was only one Tuesday out of the seven that the weather was a limited OK; for all the others, “completely miserable” is the best term for early in the morning.
This Tuesday morning, one OF mentioned how he drove Route 88 behind a tractor trailer because the road was slushy snow and the truck’s wide tires were clearing it down to the pavement so there the OMOTM stayed, driving on just wet pavement.
The OF said the truck was also cruising right along at about 65 to 68 miles per hour, and still in the fog and slush vehicles were passing them like they were standing still but at least on Route 88 the driver does not have to worry about oncoming traffic.
Food lures help?
One OF said he had some work to do and was looking for some help. It was not difficult work; it was just stacking wood. (Here we go with the wood thing again.)
The OF he couldn’t get anyone to come help. One OF said the way to do that is to offer free food. That way, the OF said, he would have tons of help.
The OF said he tried that and quite a few guys did show up and he had coffee and doughnuts ready for them. He said they hung around, shot the bull, ate all his doughnuts, drank all the coffee, and went home.
Not a stick of wood was chucked. So that idea doesn’t work. Then one OF said the only thing left is to add beer to list and don’t bring that out until all the wood is stacked. All you did was take a good idea and poorly implement it; try again.
Go-to guys
The OMOTM have a lot of go-to guys if you have a problem with this or that. One of these guys has acquired a rather large piece of equipment to go with his other pieces of equipment.
One OF said he had use for something like what the OF had just obtained. The OF said he would show him how to run it but he wasn’t about to do the work.
Then the OF at that end of the table thought this OF should have an excavating school. This way, the OFs could rent, or borrow the equipment (borrow here is a term for barter) and know how to run it to get the job done.
The OFs with all these special talents and tools could make a rate schedule of their talents to pass around. Then one OF said the first price should be zero; the OF would just pay for fuel when it is a piece of equipment and take the owner out to dinner, and not Burger King.
Lawn art to teach a lesson
An OF took the suggestion of lawn art one step further and is planning such a piece of sculptor with a car and a pickup truck, but he is going to take old clothes and stuff them with hay, and put a cap on a soccer ball for one of them and hang the hay figures out some of the windows on the vehicles.
He is going to title it “Don’t Drink and Drive.” Cool idea, some of the other OFs thought.
Drone discourse
The OFs talked about the recent passing of the Google plane to record the topography of at least the Capital District. They mentioned how the graphics are so much better.
The plane must have been covering the area around August 2018 by what the OFs noticed. This led to a discussion on drones and how sophisticated they have become with cameras attached and how cheap the drones are now.
One OF said he was sitting at his kitchen table and this thing went flying by his window and he had no idea what it was. Then it came back and went by again.
He said he was ready to get the shotgun and blast it out of the sky. He did go outside to see what was going on and it was his grandson playing with a new toy.
They are quite the thing, but one OF said, once it is flown 10 times, won’t the novelty wear off and it is just another thing to take up space in the closet.
A few of the OFs said they thought drones were great for businesses like surveyors, real-estate people, contractors, people like that, and law enforcement.
Again, we heard stories that raise the eyebrows. One OF said that a group was flying a drone over at Warners Lake, and one of the eagles over there came down and grabbed that thing out of the air and took it someplace — maybe to its nest; the OF didn’t know.
Maybe the eagle thought it was something invading its territory. Could be but it is a, hmmmm.
Those OFs who made it through the slush, fog, drizzle, and darkness to the Duanesburg Diner in Duanesburg just to have bacon and eggs were: Roger Chapman, Bill Lichliter, Robie Osterman, George Washburn, Roger Shafer, Richard Frank, Chuck Aelesio, Glenn Patterson, Otis Lawyer, Joe Rack, Wally Guest, Harold Guest, John Rossmann, Gerry Irwin, Lou Schenck, Mace Porter, Rev. Jay Francis, Mike Willsey, Warren Willsey, Elwood Vanderbilt, Harold Guest, and me.