Post by: Monkeyleg on September 19, 2006, 01:50:17 PM
Last night we went out for dinner...along with her mother, her uncle, her sister, and two of her brothers.
When we got home, she changed into her house clothes and slumped on the sofa to watch a few minutes of TV before going off to sleep.
I checked out APS, THR, and TFL for a few minutes, then headed off to bed as well.
I laid awake, though, thinking about how much has changed. We've both changed very much physically (me to the point that people who knew me years back don't even recognize me). Neither of us is able to do the "party all night" gigs anymore. And birthdays are no longer something to be celebrated; rather, they've become a reminder of the past, and the shrinking number of years left to go.
While I'll confess that this post is in part melancholy, it's also one of overdue naive surprise: I wasn't expecting to be old. Years back, when I looked at someone in his 50's or 60's, it was as though I thought he was just born that way, with the bulging middle and the shiney spot on the top of his head.
That thought was still with me when I awoke earlier than usual this morning. Rather than roll over and go back to sleep, I said, "hey, pal. If you're concerned about the number of days you have left, you'd better get up and make the best of this one."
If it were possible, I'd give everything I have to trade ages with the likes of Fistful or Winston Smith. Since that's not possible, I can only write posts like this that will, I hope, encourage them to take full advantage of their youth.
Maybe I should write a book, and steal a little bit from writer Joe Galloway: "We Were Party Animals Once...And Young."
Post by: BozemanMT on September 19, 2006, 02:21:33 PM
??I have no idea how I used to stay up til midnight or even later.
and I'm not old yet dammit.
I swear i'm still 25.
Post by: Lee on September 19, 2006, 02:57:57 PM
Post by: grampster on September 19, 2006, 03:01:14 PM
Why, I walked through the bedroom the other day, nekkid from the shower. I happened to pass in front of Swmbo's full length mirror and I damn near dove under the bed and grabbed my Beretta in order to shoot the wrinkled, sagging, hoary old prevert that I saw.
Post by: Preacherman on September 19, 2006, 03:04:13 PM
Post by: cosine on September 19, 2006, 03:04:50 PM
You can have my age, (18), if'n I can have your wisdom.
Post by: The Rabbi on September 19, 2006, 03:58:24 PM
Post by: Winston Smith on September 19, 2006, 04:22:02 PM
Post by: Sindawe on September 19, 2006, 05:10:26 PM
I hear what you're saying grampster. Even though I'll not see the dreaded 40 again in this incarnation, I'm still 27ish in my head. Fortunatly, aside from the thinning of the thatch on the head, the males of my lines don't really start to show their age until well into their 60s.
Post by: grampster on September 19, 2006, 05:40:00 PM
Post by: Sylvilagus Aquaticus on September 19, 2006, 06:06:18 PM
I used to feel like I was 26 on the inside, although the outside didn't look it and the picture on the driver's license doesn't. Most days it feels a lot closer to 86.
I'm just gonna keep on living until I don't anymore. I don't give it as much thought as I used to these days.
Regards,
Rabbit.
Post by: grampster on September 19, 2006, 07:17:39 PM
Post by: Monkeyleg on September 19, 2006, 08:05:56 PM
Oh, those thoughts run through my head, alright. I just can't speak them.
In fact, I'm not sure I can even act on them anymore. Grampster: "Why, I walked through the bedroom the other day, nekkid from the shower. I happened to pass in front of Swmbo's full length mirror and I damn near dove under the bed and grabbed my Beretta in order to shoot the wrinkled, sagging, hoary old prevert that I saw."
Absolutely. I don't recognize the guy I see in mirrors. He's scary. He looks like somebody unearthed a grave, and brought the corpse back. Ugly. Even worse. Damn ugly. Even uglier than Will Munney after Little Bill kicked the heck out of him in "The Unforgiven."
Cosine: "You can have my age, (18), if'n I can have your wisdom."
I am many things, Cosine, but a swindler is not one of them.
If I get a chance in the next few days, I'm going to scan a photo of me when I was in my 20's, and then my most recent photo (renewal for my FL CCW
). Then the folks like Fistful, Cosine, Winston Smith and others can get a real dose of just what this is all about.
Post by: Guest on September 20, 2006, 12:44:04 AM
Post by: 280plus on September 20, 2006, 02:26:16 AM
Post by: Tallpine on September 20, 2006, 07:22:41 AM
I look a lot younger than I am but I feel a lot older.
A year ago, I was taking long walks in the hills with my dog - today I don't even feel like walking down to the mailbox. I did some fairly heavy work a couple days ago (loading, unloading, and setting up steel fence panels for a corral) and now my legs and knees hurt a lot. I was going to go ride this morning, but I just don't feel like it ... maybe this afternoon ...?
Everything I have now to enjoy is about 30 years too late.
I dunno about age being better than the alternative - I've seen too many people in nursing homes.
Post by: Brad Johnson on September 20, 2006, 07:35:18 AM
Run down to the local record store and buy Confederate Railroad's "Keep On Rocking" album (you will probably have to look in the used CD rack).
Find some kid with a kickin' stereo in their car/home/whatever.
Insert media and set to track one.
Turn up volume.
Listen repeatedly.
Brad
Post by: HankB on September 20, 2006, 09:04:48 AM
Post by: AJ Dual on September 20, 2006, 09:12:14 AM
Everyone knows Doyle supports stem-cell research which could one day reverse aging...
Post by: Monkeyleg on September 20, 2006, 10:40:29 AM
Post by: AJ Dual on September 20, 2006, 11:02:07 AM
Plenty of sleaze cells, but no stem...
Post by: Monkeyleg on September 20, 2006, 01:04:29 PM
Quote from: AJ Dual
Plenty of sleaze cells
I know this is off-topic, AJ, but did you read about the ads that Doyle is going to begin running tonight, inferring that Green is corrupt? He's saying in the ads that he's spent years fighting corruption in politics.Man, that guy is a real piece of work. Good news is that his favorable rating is just 39% and his unfavorable is 52%.
Post by: CAnnoneer on September 20, 2006, 05:23:54 PM
Post by: Art Eatman on September 20, 2006, 05:42:07 PM
My gripe with growing old is that I'm losing too danged many friends.
I have no regrets. I've had too danged much fun, and I'm still having a ball. So mountains are steeper and creeks are wider. So what? Plenty of other stuff to do.
I went out yesterday and put in some three hours on the backhoe before shutting down for maintenance. Got out the pressure washer and cleaned the beast, and got all the clay and gravel where the front edge of the loader bucket had separated. Then cleaned the engine compartment of my Toyota. Mailed off a scope to Leupold and visited some folks and caught up on gossip.
Went out this morning and welded the backhoe lip. Ready to go back to work. Did some chores, ran some errands.
Off to Alpine, tomorrow to pick up a new tire for my grader; that'll have it back in action. Then, some carb work on the dumptruck. That'll have me ready to haul a couple or three dozen loads of gravel for my roads.
Being 72 just means I do less on any given day, not that I don't do a lot of the same stuff I've been doing for the last umpteen years.
And there's reloading and some shooting, and some buddies are coming out for some hunting...
"If I had it to do all over again, darlin', I'd do it all over you."
, Art
Post by: Monkeyleg on September 20, 2006, 07:10:48 PM
Whoooo, boy. That can be read so many ways that I don't think your Grammaw would even approve of that comment.
I don't have an encylopedic memory of my life, which is to say that I remember vignettes, moments in time that I'll cherish forever.
My wife and I have been very blessed with good friends, and many, many very good times. She's given me more than I ever hoped for.
Still, though, it's weird to look in the mirror.
It's like somebody hit the fast-forward button in 1980, and just clicked on "pause" today.
Post by: Strings on September 20, 2006, 07:48:41 PM
There was acharacter there who got it right: "We all have the past and the present and the future. The past is just a memory... The future? it hasn't happened yet, and nobody knows... what we both have is now..."
You seem to worry too much about how much time "past" encompases, or how little "future" holds. Dick... might be time to live in "now" for a spell...
Post by: Guest on September 21, 2006, 12:39:01 AM
Yer's truly,
Little Miss Sunshine.
Post by: grampster on September 21, 2006, 05:27:17 AM
Probably have beer somewhere in there and read the paper.
Life is good. Being older means I can do things slower and with more meaning. I get to savor the little things much more than I did when I was younger. I also get to tip my hat at the folks rushing by in the AM on their way to work. I think I'll get another cup of java.
Post by: Monkeyleg on September 21, 2006, 06:51:38 PM
Quote from: Barbara
Think of it this way, Dick. You're in a lot better shape than you're going to be in 20 years!
Yer's truly,
Little Miss Sunshine.
Um, thanks...I think. Yer's truly,
Little Miss Sunshine.
Bill (Hunter Rose): Dunno how to answer you. I've had a great life. All I'm trying to do now is figure out how to make the rest of it just as fabulous.
And, oh, by the way: you may only be 13 or so years younger than me, but you'll be hitting fifty before you know it.
Let's talk then about all this when you've hit the half-century mark.
Post by: Strings on September 21, 2006, 08:41:06 PM
Besides... even when I hit 50 (in, um, 16 years or so), you'll STILL be more decrepit than I am...
Post by: Perd Hapley on September 21, 2006, 08:44:20 PM
Post by: Strings on September 21, 2006, 08:50:12 PM
Post by: Perd Hapley on September 22, 2006, 03:15:15 AM
Post by: Art Eatman on September 22, 2006, 05:03:45 AM
And as long as sweet young things say, "Oh, you CAN'T be THAT old!" I must be doin' okay. Doin' good enough, anyway.Hey, ya talk trash to some sweet young thing around 30 years and then say, "Hey, I'd love to take you home, hon', but you're just too young." It makes her day, for sure.
My wife sez that one of these days some little darlin' is gonna say, "Yeah!" and then I'm in deep doo-doo. (My first wife said the same thing, but, so far, so good.)
, Art
Post by: 308win on September 22, 2006, 08:50:14 AM
Post by: Monkeyleg on September 22, 2006, 12:21:14 PM
This stuff is headed your way, too.
Art, I don't think your mock pickup lines would work for me. I just come across as a lech.
Yesterday, I stopped at a Pick N' Save in one of the more affluent parts of town for a couple of frozen pizzas. I saw one of the most beautiful young women I've ever seen. And, as a photographer, I've seen many.
Not only was she beautiful, but her pants looked like she had to pour herself into them, if you know what I mean.
All I could do was stare. I somehow even found myself in the produce section, I was so distracted.
Ah, well. Even if I was thirty, she probably wouldn't go out with me.
Post by: Art Eatman on September 22, 2006, 04:09:53 PM
The erudition of this younger degeneration is abysmal...
, Art
Post by: Monkeyleg on September 23, 2006, 01:53:11 PM
I hold the door for women of all ages. The older ladies sometimes remark that it's been a long time since a man held the door for them. The younger women are usually taken aback, as they're not accustomed to that. The other day, a perky twenty-something thanked me with such enthusiasm that you'd think I'd paid for the groceries she'd just bought.
Going back to my little story about the beautiful young woman at the Pick N' Save:
While I'm not a lecherous old man, I am most definitely a connoisseur of the female form. As such, I'm always surprised when a woman who's dressed to enhance one asset or another acts offended when I look at said asset. Short skirts, tight pants, low-cut blouses, bare midriffs...doesn't matter.
If those women make a conscious effort to display what they obviously think are their best physical attributes, what do they expect guys to do? Do they expect that only men between the ages of 29 and 32 who have MBA's and a BMW in the parking lot will look?
Post by: grampster on September 23, 2006, 02:41:22 PM
"Just because I'm on a diet, doesn't mean I can't look at the menu."
To which she usually replies..."And you'll infarct in about 3 seconds if you ordered from the menu."
Post by: Perd Hapley on September 23, 2006, 03:33:39 PM
Quote from: Art Eatman
AW, well, the main thing is to be able to make folks laugh. Some things don't work like they used to, though. There was a time when you could see a beauteous young creature and say, "Aha! A mannequin! Kin to manna from Heaven!" and get at least a smile. Nowadays, they don't have a clue what you're talking about.
Art, I think it's the drool and the liver spots that turn them off.
Post by: Art Eatman on September 23, 2006, 08:11:27 PM
I don't lech; I tease. Mind games are the most fun when all concerned know who's playing, and can laugh...
Art
Post by: Guest on September 24, 2006, 07:36:26 AM
My birth certificate says I was born in '55, then again that is only a piece of paper...
I still eat Peanut Butter & Jelly and shoot BB Guns.
Try the Pineapple Jelly on a PB&J btw...
I inherited bad knees it seems, alway being active didn't help. Funny, been 13 years since I had that double knee surgery, and knees are better than ever. I wonder just how much trouble I could have gotten into back in my early days with the knees I have now.
Art , grampster, Barbara and a few others reminds me a lot of some of my Mentors. Oh yes I had plenty of ladies, as mentors as well. Some very much like Barbara and I guess that is why I probably read a bit more in what Barbara shares.
Mom is going to be 76 come Dec. Age and all taking its toll, and I keep speaking of attitude being a big part of staying healthy, and continuing on. I reminded her of how years ago she and some other ladies were discussing kids. Parents feeling "funny" about having kids the ages they were. Being the eldest, I suggested she just introduce me as her "nephew" and that way nobody had to know she had a 30 year old son.
She was 25 at the time I was born. 25 years difference in us and when I turned 25 she called " well, how does it feel to be 1/4 century old?"
'I feel fine, why don't tell me how I look from a 1/2 century perspective when you see me next"
Mom has never used that comparison again.
Funny thing is, she sees other folks kids, and "they look old and all" . Some folks trying to figure where I fit into the 4 kids they know mom had. The other sibs have gray hair, receding hairlines and all...I'm the guy with a pony tail and mustache and the only gray, was wee bit in my moustache. Made mom feel younger - pissed of the sibs big time.
Never acted my age, don't plan on it. When younger I had roles of older folks, - now older, I have no problem being younger roles.
The bunch I hang with , includes some kids of course, asked how long I have had a mustache. I said I quit shaving my upper lip when I was 20.
Kids break out pencil and paper, start doing the math...'Mom...his mustache in older than you!" Same bunch the kids made it known when out to eat, some could free and pointing at me "He is old you know" - and I got the senior discount applied to all our meal ticket. I don't care.
I might be out with one of the bunch, folks don't know if I am the daddy, robbed the cradle, some dirty old man, the brother , the uncle or , the grandpa to some of the kids. I do not care.
I got my hair trimmed, ponytail is gone, mustache trimmed shorter...
One of the ladies does sketches. I guess I was a model the first couple of times she sketched me, though she was sketching as I was doing something...She is younger than I btw...just on a whim doing a sketch of me assisting a kid shooting, messing with a dog, showing a kid how to cast a flyrod , or spinning reel...the fine art of using a cane pole...
Then I did different things, of different age groups. She snapped pictures in black and white...some she added powder to make my hair gray...we don't call it "modeling" - call it "piddling with pencil".
Sketches "show" a young long hair hippie on a Harley, Cowboy on a horse with a lever action and 1911, Some broken down old man, with a cane ...hair under a hat, ponytail, or hair all out and about over shoulders...
I actually went into a couple of stores like "the old man" - just to see if I could still pull it off. Had my lady friend that does these sketches. "Old Man" with a "granddaughter. Folks opening doors, getting me a basket. Never been offered the powered shopping cart before, I declined, still found it interesting some folks , total strangers will pick up your shopping list for a "old man" that drops it - off the floor- or "can I get something off that top shelf for you?"
At a few places I used a wheelchair, and had folks thanking me for my service - and I have never been in the military.
Few weeks later, she put on some "older style" clothes, makeup , did her hair in a certain style and added some gray to it. We headed out. Now folks "saw" a fella with older sister, older Aunt, older Sister-in-Law...
Age ain't got nothing to do with anything. Folks are going to see what they want to see, and believe what they want to believe.
Perceptions.
Sometimes when lady friend and I are out - she gets asked how hold I am. "Not a day over Fast Cars and Freedom" - she likes to reply.
My birth certificate might age - I am not planning on aging.