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March 6, 2007

On Tuesday, March 6th, the Old Men of the Mountain met at Jersey’s in East Berne. It was an awful day, bitter cold; it was really windy and we had 23 OF’s in attendance. We even had one OF make it to the breakfast on foot. He said he doesn’t live far from the restaurant, but when the scribe took him home after the meal it was more than the scribe would want to hoof on a good day. This particular OG showed up red in the face, with watery eyes, and on his cheeks were small white spots about the size of a nickel. This concerned a couple of us. This fellow said, “I didn’t think it was that bad out.” However, he found out different about half the way to the eatery. This was the point where there is no sense in turning around and going back, so he was stuck facing the elements. This is dedication? Many times we OF’s show sparks of brilliance, and sometimes even genius. Yet other time not so, and this is one of those other times.

The roads to the restaurant were not all that great, nor were they that bad either, until running into complete whiteouts for about two hundred to three hundred yards due to blowing snow. Most of the ones who were at the breakfast ran into at least a couple of these things on the way. With all the adverse weather we still had 23 OF’s in attendance.

We talked about much of the same stuff that we generally do. We did touch upon how many churches and other organizations are losing members. It was said that some are leaving many clubs and lodges because they complain that though they have quite a few members only a few of the same people do all the work.

This may be true, but it was brought out that many churches, Volunteer Fire Departments, and other organizations have their little cliques in them and new people sometimes find it hard to break in. Even though the members seem friendly, the new ones are really not accepted into the main body. This is normal to a certain extent. There seems to be a “we really have to get to know you first” syndrome.

One OG likened it to purchasing a new cow. Sometimes the other cows just won’t accept the new one. When a few more cows are purchased the new cow will most likely join with the newer cows, and sometimes the older of the new cows will join with the old cows and shun the new cows so now the older of new cows is part of the older cows. (Funny horses don’t do this but pigs do though). The scribe is wondering from listening to this conversation, are people more like cows and pigs than horses? Maybe that is where the old adage comes from, “Why don’t you show a little horse sense....hmmmm?”

It takes time to fit in a new group; the advice the OF’s have to new members of anything is be patient, other people may come along, and bingo…next thing you know you have your own clique. There is an exception up here on the hill. New people are really not hill people until the house they purchase, or live in, take on their name. Things are said like, “you know Joe Blow? He lives in the old Zimmer house.” When a newcomer has been on the hill long enough people say, “You know Sam Smith? He lives over by Joe Blows place,” then you are in. This will take years. When a new home is built and the people move in it will generally be described 30 or 40 years later as “Take a left onto Quasimodo road, just past the new house on the right.” When the directions become, “Take a left onto Quasimodo road, just past the Abbracadabras”, then NOW you are in. The house has a name. When it is sold the new people will be known as living in the old Abbracadabra’s house, and once it has a name it is there for years and years. When these newcomers go to join say the Fire Department, they will introduce themselves, with their name AND, we live in the old Abbracadabra’s house. For a long time they will be referred to as, “You know the new people that live in the Abbracadabra’s house,” and immediately people will know who is being talked about. Go figure.

Those of us OF’s who live in houses with names, and those OF’s who live in houses with other peoples names, and those OF’s who live in their old, new houses and meet at the old, still known as Wright’s Delights, and is now Jersey’s in East Berne were: Skip Skinner, Harold Guest, Roger Chapman, Bob Snyder, Alvin Latham, John Rossmann, George Washburn, Mace Porter, Gary Porter, Miner Stevens, Robie Osterman, Gerd Remmers, Ted Pelkey, Frank Pauli, Wally Quay Sr., Steve Kelly, Paul Paulsen, Jim Rissacher, Ted Willsey, Harold Grippen, Mike Willsey, Carl Walls, and me.