cleaned out the neighbors garage

[Lloyd Smale]

myself, my other neigbor and his son cleaned out the garage of another old timer on the road. It was a complete disaster. Took the whole day and we burned 4 trailer loads of trash. I ended up comming away with about a 100 lbs of babbit and about 500 lbs of ww in ingots though so it was well worth it to me!! I got him into casting and loading years ago but he is just not in good enough shape to do it anymore. Hes got a 550 and some other gear but still couldnt bring himself to part with that yet. Simply amazing to me how some people think and live. He had a brand new planner, a bandsaw and a chop saw still in the boxes that he didnt even remember till we found them burried in the trash! Said they must have been bought near 20 years ago. Wish i could afford to buy 1000 dollar pieces of equiptment and forget i had them!!

[1Shirt]

Yep, it is a shame when the mind starts to become inactive and wander. Always said I wanted to be shot by the jelous husband of a 21 year old bride at the age of 115 as I was going out the window and looking back! (just wanted him to be a clean shot). Now that isn't going to happen, but I do think it is important to keep not only the body but the mind active. Think it is also something that you have to work on every day and that you need to start about the time you hit 40 or so.
1Shirt!

[AZ-Stew]

Yeah. I'll go along with that. And I'd like to add...

Oh, crap! I forgot...

Regards,

Stew

[montana_charlie]

Simply amazing to me how some people think and live. He had a brand new planner, a bandsaw and a chop saw still in the boxes that he didnt even remember till we found them burried in the trash!

In the last few years before his death, my Dad used to do that.
He would see a tool he had a use for and buy it, then set it aside until he had time to unpack and assemble it. Eventually, having forgotten that he owned it, he would buy another.

I wanted to have him move from Mississippi to Montana so I could help out with his 'management issues', but he ignored my pleading. When he passed, it took two weeks to sort through all his stuff...and this was a guy who lived in a 24-foot RV trailer, and had a small shop (next door) in a rented storage unit.

He was a gun owner, but not a reloader. All but one of his rifles were guns I gave him, so I got them back. His only handgun was a Smith in .38 Special...which was stolen by one of the cops who entered his trailer to investigate a neighbor's report of his death.

CM

[mold maker]

For several decades I had a good job, but had little time. At the end of that era I find lots of time and little ability to do the things I had planed for. Now I'm finding lots of stuff I thought would be important after retirement. Like the older gentleman, above I had made purchases, and stored them for later use.
Take it from me, DON'T PUT IT OFF.
Do what you enjoy now. Too many never make it to the golden years, and if you do, you may find the golden years aren't so golden.
I used to climb rocky ridges and plunder the streams looking for gems and gold. Now it's hard to cross the parking lot to buy groceries.
I still load and shoot, but somebody else has to set up and check the targets.
What I'm saying is life is to short, and not promised. Make sure your family comes first, and enjoy today. Even if your body is still able, and you live to old age, your mind doesn't always co-operate.
Life is like a set of book ends, it's only what's in between that counts.

[badgeredd]

In the last few years before his death, my Dad used to do that.
He would see a tool he had a use for and buy it, then set it aside until he had time to unpack and assemble it. Eventually, having forgotten that he owned it, he would buy another.

I wanted to have him move from Mississippi to Montana so I could help out with his 'management issues', but he ignored my pleading. When he passed, it took two weeks to sort through all his stuff...and this was a guy who lived in a 24-foot RV trailer, and had a small shop (next door) in a rented storage unit.

He was a gun owner, but not a reloader. All but one of his rifles were guns I gave him, so I got them back. His only handgun was a Smith in .38 Special...which was stolen by one of the cops who entered his trailer to investigate a neighbor's report of his death.

CM

My in-laws passed away about 2 years ago and we had a major task of sorting and disposing of most of their earthly posessions. My mother MIL had advanced dementia, and my FIL had dementia brought on by a stroke about 8 weeks before he passed.

My folks haven't passed away yet, but I am dealing with a lot of the same issues in trying to make their lives as good as I can in their advanced years. Recently my dad is showing signs of forgetfulness and my mom has long been getting more and more forgetful. I know that in many cases, it is inevitable, but it sure is hard to watch and deal with sometimes. My one happy thought is that at least they are still around for me to enjoy, if only for little bursts of lucidness.

Edd

[peter nap]

For several decades I had a good job, but had little time. At the end of that era I find lots of time and little ability to do the things I had planed for. Now I'm finding lots of stuff I thought would be important after retirement. Like the older gentleman, above I had made purchases, and stored them for later use.
Take it from me, DON'T PUT IT OFF.
Do what you enjoy now. Too many never make it to the golden years, and if you do, you may find the golden years aren't so golden.
I used to climb rocky ridges and plunder the streams looking for gems and gold. Now it's hard to cross the parking lot to buy groceries.
I still load and shoot, but somebody else has to set up and check the targets.
What I'm saying is life is to short, and not promised. Make sure your family comes first, and enjoy today. Even if your body is still able, and you live to old age, your mind doesn't always co-operate.
Life is like a set of book ends, it's only what's in between that counts.

That's well put and I hope the younger people here listen to it.

Several years ago, I got appendicitis while deer hunting. I hunted anyway and it burst. Had it taken out and was OK except when they did the xray, they found a Heart aneurysm. Then they found I had diabetes.

I was always one of those people that packed the stuff away and said I'd get to it later, but after getting that news, I decided my wife and I were going to enjoy ourselves.

Our kids are grown, finished their education, have good careers and have kids of their own. The time to enjoy our life is now!
This thing's going to kill me. Don't know when, don't want to know, but until it does, we are going to enjoy the things we were too busy for.

Like you said "DON'T PUT IT OFF"

[Echo]

Always said I wanted to be shot by the jelous husband of a 21 year old bride at the age of 115 as I was going out the window and looking back! (just wanted him to be a clean shot).

Carlos Hathcock's Dad was basically beat to death by a jealous boyfriend - the dad was in his nineties...

...and it won't happen to me, either...

[Dale53]

My father and I were very close. I worked in the family business from age 14 until my father got cancer and died, at age 49 (I was 23). Being a depression survivor, most of his life was spent working VERY hard just to make a living and supporting his family. Just when he was able to begin to enjoy a little recreation (he was an avid trapshooter) he got sick and died.

I was somewhat bitter for some time. One good thing came out of it. I swore that regardless of the situation, I was going to "have some fun" every day of my life. I am now 74, in reasonably good health, and I absolutely KEPT that promise. I never made a lot of money, but I made a decent living. I discovered that real FUN does not cost a lot of money. I did a LOT of shooting, reloading, bullet casting, back packing, canoeing, serious hunting and fishing. I became an accomplished photographer. I took my family camping and spent LOTS of time with my family. My kids are not "gunnys" like I am but each and everyone of them can shoot, and shoot WELL. Each and everyone of them are productive members of society. Both boys became expert bullet casters as well as reloaders. Every job decision was made based on my family and the life style I needed (not prestige nor simply money). I look at some of my fellow employees that chased after "job glory" instead of everyday satisfaction. They made a bit more than I did (I turned down promotion after promotion because the job would offer LESS job satisfaction, not more, and I would be on the road away from my family).

At the end of the day, I have accumulated more than my fellow employees (and certainly accumulated more and better memories), my kids are in better shape in every way, and I and my wife of 51 years still have a smile on our face. Can't ask more than that.

My prescription is to "have a little fun every day" - keeping in mind that "having fun" doesn't need two weeks in Acapulco but may just be a really good weekend camping and hiking in a State Park, canoeing on the local stream, or wading the local creek looking for "monster" 9" Bluegills with a 2 wt. fly rod. I have fly fished for salmon (hooking up with as many as a dozen 20-30 pounders in a day while standing waist deep in snow melt all day while tossing literally 1000 casts in a day) but I found greater joy in catching a 16" small mouth bass on a small local creek (catch and release). Hiking a half mile or a mile into upstate Pennsylvania where you can fish alone on pristine trout streams can be WONDERFUL and costs nearly nothing after you have your gear. Learning to tie all of your flies (both drys and wets) is very much like casting bullets and reloading. Through all of this variety of "things to do and marvel at" were serious shooting in many disciplines. Frankly, I stayed VERY active and thoroughly took advantage of the many opportunities that are out there. My wife and I often "picnic" just for lunch at a rather close (12 miles) nice State Park lake. Virtually no one in my town (100,000 population) even knows about all of the outdoor activities available in this location. Kind of sad, but I guess it leaves more for us...

Looking back, I would have done NOTHING different, NOTHING.

Dale53

[WILCO]

Looking back, I would have done NOTHING different, NOTHING.

There's tons of things I would've done differently, but it don't matter anyhow........

[Catshooter]

Looking back, I would have done NOTHING different, NOTHING.

Dale53

Wow, Dale, that is very, very cool thing to be able to say. Not many can, I know I can't. Good for you.


Cat

[Dale53]

Catshooter;
That was a pretty arrogant statement on my part, but I pretty much mean it - particularly when I talk career. I am one of those rare individuals that really liked my job so I got a LOT of satisfaction day to day.

It would probably have been more accurate to say, "There is little that I would have done different"...


Dale53

[Lunk]

I feel as I may be quite a bit younger than many of you on this forum but I have to say for, much like Dale there is very little I would have done different. I did not generally do what was best (or so it seems to me) but if I hadn't done that I would not be where I am and I am VERY happy where I am on a day to day basis. I'm one of a small handful of people who loves what I do for a living. It's not work it's fun AND they pay me for it! Wasn't the best getting here but it sure is a blast being here now.