You Know You Are Old When

[Eagle1]

Not to rant, but it's downright embarassing what people wear in public, these days. Even at church, I see folks in everything from ripped jeans to tank tops.

It's not that hard to throw on a pair of khaki's and a shirt with an actual collar.

Working in the shop or yard, I'm the dirtiest grease monkey you'll meet. But I do at least clean myself up and put on clean un-ripped clothes, before heading out somewhere.

Reason some 12 I try to never leave my place. Right now it's sneakers, socks and shorts, that's it. Makes finding the ticks easier.

 

[Runner]

Reason some 12 I try to never leave my place. Right now it's sneakers, socks and shorts, that's it. Makes finding the ticks easier.

Sneakers? Way too dressy. Flip-flops here.

 

[Eagle1]

Sneakers? Way too dressy. Flip-flops here.

I loose the flip flops in the mud, rock and manure

I do put on boots when it's really wet, and ragged sleeveless shirt to ward of rain as needed.

 

[deserteagle71]

Sneakers? Way too dressy. Flip-flops here.

Come out to the desert where EVERYTHING has a thorn. We'll soon cure you of the flip-flop addition!

 

[Oaktree]

Sneakers? Way too dressy. Flip-flops here.

I go barefoot as much as I can, but for those times I can't I'll wear what my wife calls my swamp sneakers. A pair of sneakers or slip-on shoes that hasn't been presentable for a good 10 years but still kinda protects the bottom of my feet. Strictly around the property, she'd have a fit if I wore them in public.

 

[Eagle1]

Bare foot is ok in lawn, unless you are in the south and have sand spurs and fire ants....
I spend more time in the woods than lawn by a long shot.

 

[5030]

I did that with my mower when it was time for the yearly maintenance over the Christmas break. I checked the drawer where I normally keep keys, and they weren't there. But I did not have to hunt for them, as I knew right away that I'd find them in the ignition with a dead mower battery. Doh!

When I park the mower at the end of the season, I close the fuel cutoff valve, and just let it run itself dry. I usually remember to retrieve the key from the ignition after that, but apparently forgot last fall!

I also normally install a battery tender, but since the mowing season ran late and I knew I'd be moving it again for maintenance in just a few weeks, I hadn't bothered with that last fall.

I quit using tenders a while ago. All my equipment from diesel powered lawnmower to the wife's gas powere ZTR to the electric start pressure washer, all have bayyery disconnect switches so when I park them, the batteries are taken out of circuit and when it comes time to use them again, I simply but the starting battery back in curcuit and off they go. Flooded cell batteries as a rule, only loose less that 10% of their capacity when standing idle per month. Isolator switches and me are good friends.

 

[5030]

Bare foot is ok in lawn, unless you are in the south and have sand spurs and fire ants....
I spend more time in the woods than lawn by a long shot.

Barefoot on our lawn is a almost a sure bet to walk in some dog pooh.... Not something I find exciting...

 

[Eagle1]

Barefoot on our lawn is a almost a sure bet to walk in some dog pooh.... Not something I find exciting...

Ditto and I have big dogs.

 

[Jstpssng]

Ditto and I have big dogs.

This is why I moved my henhouse. Free range chickens, lawns and barefeet were a poor combination.

 

[Runner]

Come out to the desert where EVERYTHING has a thorn. We'll soon cure you of the flip-flop addition!

Two places I don't want to live: anywhere you are part of the food chain (gators, bears, mountain lions) and the desert, where you have to wear hip waders to keep from being bitten by a rattlesnake every time you step out the door.

 

[Eagle1]

Two places I don't want to live: anywhere you are part of the food chain (gators, bears, mountain lions) and the desert, where you have to wear hip waders to keep from being bitten by a rattlesnake every time you step out the door.

We have bears and big kitty here in the Ozarks of MO. Also have Timber rattlers up to 5' but the sheer number of ticks and spiders are impressive.

Personal sightings of all those on property here.....

Most likely to kill you is a deer ramming your car.

 

[not2old]

I go barefoot as much as I can, but for those times I can't I'll wear what my wife calls my swamp sneakers. A pair of sneakers or slip-on shoes that hasn't been presentable for a good 10 years but still kinda protects the bottom of my feet. Strictly around the property, she'd have a fit if I wore them in public.

I have a pair of Sketchers like that. The only difference is that I'd be embarrassed to wear them in public.

 

[newbury]

I have a pair of Sketchers like that. The only difference is that I'd be embarrassed to wear them in public.

I've a big toe I broke decades ago and gradually it formed a big bunion after I joined the Army. But after I joined and later was employed at the same place, the doctors all said it would be an operation that would lay me up for a few months. And my entire 37 year career I was on travel about 1 week a month, often international. So I just limped by. Extra wide shoes a size up (13) used to work for that foot and I could wear them for several hours. Now it takes an extra wide size 14.
The last 10 years I've been limited to Crocs or big boots until I took an old pair of sneakers and cut a hole out on the side of where the bunion is, and I can wear them all day. Don't wear them in public, but then I try not to be in public.

 

[WinterDeere]

I quit using tenders a while ago.

I've honestly always wondered about their merit. I found that keeping a solar tender on my trailer batteries seems to prevent early death, when they sit outside on 0°F nights through every winter. The mower is kept in an uninsulated and unheated shed, so I figured the same rules probably apply there, but I can't claim to have really noticed any difference in battery life with/without the tender.

However, it is nice to have the thing not run out of charge during that first cold-weather start each spring. My mower runs 15W-45 motor oil as the hydrostat oil, I don't know why (ask Deere!). It makes the thing a real bear to start on frozen Saturday mornings in late March or early April, when I start reversing my snow plowing gear for mowing gear, in the shed.

I haven't checked draw, but I suspect the mower battery is effectively disconnected when the key switch is off. It's a 2007 mower with no ECM or other electronics that would require constant power.

This is why I moved my henhouse. Free range chickens, lawns and barefeet were a poor combination.

Ewwww...

Most likely to kill you is a deer ramming your car.

There ain't a safe deer in all of southeastern PA, with my wife at the wheel. Did I tell you she once hit three of those F'ers in one week?!?

 

[WinterDeere]

The last 10 years I've been limited to Crocs...

Fuzzy-lined Crocs are my house slippers, and regular old-skool Crocs are my regular "run out to the garage" or "go check the pool skimmer" daily wear. I don't wear them out in public, but they're great for around the house, and I never understood all the hete-speak for them. Super comfortable, and they keep me from stubbing my toe on stupid stuff around the house.

The weirdo's are the guys who wear flip-flops out in public. Never understood that.

 

[Jstpssng]

The weirdo's are the guys who wear flip-flops out in public. Never understood that

I see guys doing that who wear boots all day. It gives their feet a chance to breath, on the way too and from work.

 

[WinterDeere]

I see guys doing that who wear boots all day. It gives their feet a chance to breath, on the way too and from work.

I don't want their feet breathing near me. Put your damn boots on, before coming into the store.

 

[deserteagle71]

I've honestly always wondered about their merit. I found that keeping a solar tender on my trailer batteries seems to prevent early death, when they sit outside on 0°F nights through every winter. The mower is kept in an uninsulated and unheated shed, so I figured the same rules probably apply there, but I can't claim to have really noticed any difference in battery life with/without the tender.

MY experience has been that they have on average doubled the life of my batteries, especially the smaller batteries like in my quad and dirt bike. So I bet I have about 15 of the darn things...EVERYTHING I own except for my daily driver is on a battery maintainer. So as far as I'm concerned they are worth every penny. Only one of mine is solar, the rest are all plug-in.

 

[Runner]

YKYAO when you forget how to tie a neck tie. Wore one every day for 35 years, but I think I've only worn one once in the last 9 years. I woke up in the middle of the night wondering if I could still tie one.