Are you a tough as nails old timer?

[SeaCat]

During our ride today my wife and I were sitting in a diner. We're talking a regular Greasy Spoon where the special of the day was Country Fried Steak. (Their Wed. Special.)

As we were sitting there eating we watched as an old bike with a side car pulls into the lot. Curious we watch as the rider climbs slowly off the bike and removes his helmet. The guy is older than his bike and that's an old timer. He looks to be in his 70's with his tanned and leathered face.

He hangs his helmet from the bars and walks around the bike to the sidecar. As he moves we can see the back of his ancient leathers and see the patch there. It's from a club that hasn't been in existance for decades. He opens the top of the side car and helps his wife out. He holds onto her as she toters to the door of the diner.

Seeing and watching this I was already moving, I was at the door and held it open for them as they came up to it. He just looked at me in my denims and Tank Top and nodded. I watched as he walked his wife to a table and seated her before moving around the table and grabbing his own seat. He greeted the waitress by name and they ordered the special even as he peeked into his wallet.

The waitress took their order then came by our table and asked if we needed anything. She had seen me looking and had watched me hold the door for them so she let me know what was going on. The older couple lived not far from the diner and were well known to the owners. He had grown up in the town and only left it for work. They had outlived their kids and were living on their Social Security. As she explained it there were times they didn't have enough to afford their one day out at the restaraunt or the gas for his bike.

He is also a highly decorated Vet. and during his life had helped a lot of people.

Now I'm not wealthy by any stretch but what the hell. The guy is still out there living and loving.

When it came tme to pay my bill I slipped the waitress an extra $10.00 to pay for their meal. As my wife and I got ready to leave I managed to ease my bike over by his. As we passed my wife dropped the little bundle we had made up in the sidecar. This was a rock wrapped in a couple of twenties. Hey at least they'll be able to hit the roads for a couple of weeks.

Cat

 

[sr71plt]

Good on ya. Great story, well told.

 

[rgraham666]

Good for you and your wife, Cat.

 

[glynndah]

Damn! You're a good guy, Cat!

A from the good little witch.

 

[JagFarlane]

Reminds me a lil of an elderly couple that used to live a few doors down [Dad lives in an apt complex, and I was living with him at the time]. The husband was a WWII vet, of the famed Panthers, and she was his second wife [cute little meeting story they had]. He was a diabetic, and bed ridden in a hospital bed, and she would take care of him. We got to know them because my dad was an EMT at the time, and well it wasn't unusual for them to have to call an ambulance. We used to make it a point to stop by every couple of days and check up on them.

I remember when her husband passed away, it almost became a daily routine for me to go on over and check up on her, would occasionally cook her meals for her. -chuckles- She told me they met a dance club, he asked her to dance, she accepted...after that first dance he took her over to a table, sat her down, and introduced her to his mother, then said "Mom, this is the woman I'm going to marry" So she used to laugh and say "Be careful of that first dance".

Anyways...I was on leave...doing RAP duty [Recruiter Assistance], in the morning I noticed the ambulance was coming down the road...so I turned around, and watched it pull up by her place. When I got let out about noonish, I drove home...went to her door and knocked. No answer at all. So, fearing the worst I drove to the hospital, still in my whites, and went into the ER where all I could tell the nurse there was her first name and that her last name was polish sounding. I think luck was on my side that I was in my whites, because that gave me some credibility and she was more than happy to help me find her. Oh you had never seen a happier woman. "My sailor to the rescue"...because she had no way to get home by herself. Ended up spending a couple of hours in the hospital...then driving her to the pharmacy, and back home, made her up some dinner and settled her in. She passed away later that year, but my dad always told me thats what she loved to talk about...how she was stricken, alone in the hospital, when she got a military escort home.

 

[starrkers]

Sweet.

 

[jeninflorida]

We've been pretty blessed but we work out butt off! We support many kids (we don't have any of our own) and make xmass magical for a few families. We've done that before and its a great feelilng to help someone out. I've bumped into some women at publix that were faced with issues....meds or do they get something for dinner.

what sucks is that when you hear someone in trouble....one has to try and see if he/she is honest. so many people looking for a quick buck.


btw- love your avitar!

During our ride today my wife and I were sitting in a diner. We're talking a regular Greasy Spoon where the special of the day was Country Fried Steak. (Their Wed. Special.)

As we were sitting there eating we watched as an old bike with a side car pulls into the lot. Curious we watch as the rider climbs slowly off the bike and removes his helmet. The guy is older than his bike and that's an old timer. He looks to be in his 70's with his tanned and leathered face.

He hangs his helmet from the bars and walks around the bike to the sidecar. As he moves we can see the back of his ancient leathers and see the patch there. It's from a club that hasn't been in existance for decades. He opens the top of the side car and helps his wife out. He holds onto her as she toters to the door of the diner.

Seeing and watching this I was already moving, I was at the door and held it open for them as they came up to it. He just looked at me in my denims and Tank Top and nodded. I watched as he walked his wife to a table and seated her before moving around the table and grabbing his own seat. He greeted the waitress by name and they ordered the special even as he peeked into his wallet.

The waitress took their order then came by our table and asked if we needed anything. She had seen me looking and had watched me hold the door for them so she let me know what was going on. The older couple lived not far from the diner and were well known to the owners. He had grown up in the town and only left it for work. They had outlived their kids and were living on their Social Security. As she explained it there were times they didn't have enough to afford their one day out at the restaraunt or the gas for his bike.

He is also a highly decorated Vet. and during his life had helped a lot of people.

Now I'm not wealthy by any stretch but what the hell. The guy is still out there living and loving.

When it came tme to pay my bill I slipped the waitress an extra $10.00 to pay for their meal. As my wife and I got ready to leave I managed to ease my bike over by his. As we passed my wife dropped the little bundle we had made up in the sidecar. This was a rock wrapped in a couple of twenties. Hey at least they'll be able to hit the roads for a couple of weeks.

Cat

 

[SeaCat]

We've been pretty blessed but we work out butt off! We support many kids (we don't have any of our own) and make xmass magical for a few families. We've done that before and its a great feelilng to help someone out. I've bumped into some women at publix that were faced with issues....meds or do they get something for dinner.

what sucks is that when you hear someone in trouble....one has to try and see if he/she is honest. so many people looking for a quick buck.


btw- love your avitar!

Why thank you, although it's about time to change the avitar once again. (Maybe I can find the old one?)

We recently had a young man exposed on the local news because he was scamming people. He would park his car near a busy intersection and pull a wheelchair out of the trunk. He changed into dirty clothes and tucked a leg up underneath him then wheeled himself into the intersection. He was collecting several hundred dollars a day in this manner.

Cat

Oh and the police couldn't charge him with anything but they did get him in the end. They informed the homeless who also inhabited these intersections about what he had been doing. He hasn't been seen in public for the past couple of weeks.

 

[JagFarlane]

Why thank you, although it's about time to change the avitar once again. (Maybe I can find the old one?)

We recently had a young man exposed on the local news because he was scamming people. He would park his car near a busy intersection and pull a wheelchair out of the trunk. He changed into dirty clothes and tucked a leg up underneath him then wheeled himself into the intersection. He was collecting several hundred dollars a day in this manner.

Cat

Oh and the police couldn't charge him with anything but they did get him in the end. They informed the homeless who also inhabited these intersections about what he had been doing. He hasn't been seen in public for the past couple of weeks.

Heh ya know they did a study once and realized that you could make roughly 70K a year by begging off the streets of NYC? -shrugs- Though I am sure not all are as fortunate to get that.

Reminded me though, of Newport News shipyard...you'd walk off the ship...into the throng of beggers awaiting you and asking for money

 

[McKenna]

You people give me hope.

 

[DesertPirate]

Cat and his Lady are just good people.
I like your style

 

[ChopperDawg]

Here's to ya, Cat. Lovers of Freedom always recognize one another and class always shows.

CD

 

[jomar]

cool...

 

[Just-Legal]

I had a similar incident with my Grandfather. Its worth noting we don't always get along, and on this occasion it worked in my favour. He refuses to let anyone "get involved in his buisness" except my father and uncle, and even they couldn't persuade him to sort out his free bus ticket/pass that entitled him to free transport in the UK.

So I became hellion granddaughter last time I went to see him *evil smirk*. I stole his passport when he wasn't looking, and lied and said I needed to sort out my own, got him in the station, filled out the form, showed the passport to the lady, supplied the photo my Dad had somehow managed to procure.

And then I turned to him, and said very softly, "You are going to sign this peice of paper, and you are going to take this pass, or I'm going to make a bigger scene than I could when I was two." And I smiled.

He glared. And glared. And glared. And then hmphed, signed it, took the pass, stalked out and refused to speak to me for the rest of the day.

He uses it a damn lot though.

 

[JagFarlane]

I had a similar incident with my Grandfather. Its worth noting we don't always get along, and on this occasion it worked in my favour. He refuses to let anyone "get involved in his buisness" except my father and uncle, and even they couldn't persuade him to sort out his free bus ticket/pass that entitled him to free transport in the UK.

So I became hellion granddaughter last time I went to see him *evil smirk*. I stole his passport when he wasn't looking, and lied and said I needed to sort out my own, got him in the station, filled out the form, showed the passport to the lady, supplied the photo my Dad had somehow managed to procure.

And then I turned to him, and said very softly, "You are going to sign this peice of paper, and you are going to take this pass, or I'm going to make a bigger scene than I could when I was two." And I smiled.

He glared. And glared. And glared. And then hmphed, signed it, took the pass, stalked out and refused to speak to me for the rest of the day.

He uses it a damn lot though.

-chuckles softly- Sometimes....they just need a little nudge like that

 

[oggbashan]

For the last six years of his life my father was in a residential home because his short-term memory had gone. He didn't know where he lived and whether he had eaten breakfast or not. He also used to walk up to 14 miles a day so sometimes I had to retrieve him from wherever he'd got to. At first one of the staff would try to follow him but they gave up - he walked to fast and too far.

The fees were expensive but his income was greater than the fees. Every month he stayed in that home his bank account got larger. We had a power of attorney to deal with his affairs and made sure that he would have enough money if he needed to transfer to a more expensive nursing home.

He liked having money in his wallet. All his expenses in the residential home were included in the monthly account which we settled by cheque on his account. But he sometimes wanted to buy a newspaper, or a cup of tea when he was out, or a beer etc. I made sure that he always had money in his wallet.

He used to complain that he was losing money. He couldn't remember if he'd bought a paper unless the paper was in sight. He used to "lose" about ten pounds a week. It didn't bother the family. It was his money. It was unlikely that he was actually losing it although sometimes he put some coins in "safe places". If the staff found those coins they would return them to him.

After he died we found out that he'd been slipping money to several of the other residents for them to buy small treats. Some of the residents were financed by Social Services and were given a tiny amount of pocket money. My father's ten pounds a week was helping out. If we'd known? He could have had twice or three times as much to "lose".

Og

 

[JagFarlane]

For the last six years of his life my father was in a residential home because his short-term memory had gone. He didn't know where he lived and whether he had eaten breakfast or not. He also used to walk up to 14 miles a day so sometimes I had to retrieve him from wherever he'd got to. At first one of the staff would try to follow him but they gave up - he walked to fast and too far.

The fees were expensive but his income was greater than the fees. Every month he stayed in that home his bank account got larger. We had a power of attorney to deal with his affairs and made sure that he would have enough money if he needed to transfer to a more expensive nursing home.

He liked having money in his wallet. All his expenses in the residential home were included in the monthly account which we settled by cheque on his account. But he sometimes wanted to buy a newspaper, or a cup of tea when he was out, or a beer etc. I made sure that he always had money in his wallet.

He used to complain that he was losing money. He couldn't remember if he'd bought a paper unless the paper was in sight. He used to "lose" about ten pounds a week. It didn't bother the family. It was his money. It was unlikely that he was actually losing it although sometimes he put some coins in "safe places". If the staff found those coins they would return them to him.

After he died we found out that he'd been slipping money to several of the other residents for them to buy small treats. Some of the residents were financed by Social Services and were given a tiny amount of pocket money. My father's ten pounds a week was helping out. If we'd known? He could have had twice or three times as much to "lose".

Og

Mmmm much better story than what happened to my grandfather on my dads side. He had paid off his house, had money in the bank, owned stocks, and of course recieved Social Security. Sadly though, my one aunt has a dependency issue and moved in with him...between her medical fees, the cocktail of drugs she insisted that she needed, as well as her usual expenses [taking the her dog to PetsMart for a shampoo and trim etc etc] she slowly drained him dry. Then on top of that one of his sons became ill with cancer, moved in, and my grandfather had to take care of him as well. The two of them slowly drained him dry...to the point that when he passed on all he had to his name was his house. My uncle had even gone so far that, my grandfather had printing press plates, from the Saturday Evening Post, that were of the now infamous Santa Claus. Uncle sold them off