You Know You Are Old When

[sixdogs]

Where will you tie off to?

I don't know if this is true or not but when I lived in rural New England, it was said that old timers would throw a heavy rope over the roof, tie some concrete blocks to the other end and then shinny up the rope. The blocks and resistance from the rope were enough of a counterweight.

I've seen some shaky things and can imagine certain people doing this but I've never seen it.

 

[MoKelly]

How about driving? Used to be able to drive one of my old regular cab compact, option devoid trucks solo well over 1000 miles in a day taking a brief nap In that tiny cab, on off or on ramps, and keep going, consuming copious amounts of caffeinated beverages. Now diving solo it's 500 miles max in a day, and my current somewhat comfortable extended cab full size truck has cruise and ac, consuming limited amounts of caffeine beverages or I'd have to take a leak every 5 miles, plus I need to get to someplace that has an actual bed, and sleep for hrs.

I agree with this thought.

I also can’t get more than 500 miles per day. It’s hard on my legs and back. Plus, I don’t much like driving at night anymore.

 

[ultrarunner]

I use to think nothing of SF to Olympia but 12 hours drive plus whatever stops is catching up to me…

 

[jjeff]

Yeah my night vision is definitely not what it was, I think it's still good though. Up until rather recently I used paper maps to navigate unfamiliar areas and usually always picked one up at a wayside. My better half kind of put a stop to that when we cleaned out her old car lol.

 

[orezok]

My dad told the story of when he was a steeple jack during the depression (in addition to painter, roofer, mechanic, coal miner, and circus elephant dung cleanup). You did whatever you had to to survive.

Him and his brother used to clean the tops of cement plant stacks of accumulated “cement dust” before it fell and damaged something. The stacks were 300’ high and were only about 3’ wide at the top.

In those days to get up there, you pulled yourself up in a bosons chair with an old manila rope. No OSHA back then.

Occasionally the manila rope would get jammed in the pulley at the top. His brother, a former professional boxer would climb hand over hand up the 300’ stopping once about half way up to rest.

They don’t make men like that any more.

Ya did what you had to!

 

[Alan46]

As a teenager a friend of mine worked at a grocery store. One day he helped an elderly lady take her groceries out and loaded them in her trunk. She thanked him as she rolled her window up right as he slammed the trunk...on his apron!!!! Back when grocery store clerks wore white aprons...and she took off! He ran of course, hollering, smacking trunk lid. Luckily it was in town and she got the red light up ahead. Probably hard of hearing but she saw him and unlocked the trunk.
My wife wouldn't take off knowing what I was doing.
My Dad fell just 7 feet backwards off of a small shed roof when he was 64, damaged a few vertebrae and suffered 24 years (passed at 88). If nothing else I'll have a good rope with me attached to something substantial.
I have to go up on 2 story garage roof soon installing an antenna. It's about 6/12 so not bad at all.

“It's about 6/12 so not bad at all”

Did you mean not a bad fall?

 

[JethroB]

Did you mean not a bad fall?

Old saying, “It’s not the fall but that sudden stop”.

 

[MossRoad]

My local grocery store has started selling beer and wine under a restaurant license (PA LCB rules), and their registers are set up to require the entry of a drivers' license to complete the sale. It's always fun watching 80+ year old women get carded for their husband's weekly 6 pack, or their bottle of White Zinfandel.

They started carding everyone here a while back. Seems fair. Probably lowers insurance rates for the seller as well.

 

[MossRoad]

Or an elderly parent needs you to buy smokes or booze for them cuz they didn't bother to renew there d.l. anymore and no longer have anything thing to scan.

You know typos are a sign of aging?

 

[MossRoad]

You know typos are a sign of aging?

So's mistaking I.D. with D.L.