Grandfathers

RMO

Joined
Aug 14, 2009
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Just feeling a little nostalgic and hope I don't bore you folks. My paternal grandfather was born in 1890. He spent his whole life working in the forest industry and farming as did most of my family from the 1840s to the 1970s. Grampy could sharpen anything from a pocket knife to a two man cross cut saw. He died in 1983 at the age of 93 so he always had advice on pretty well any topic. Things like... it's not how much money you make it's how much you hang on to that matters. When it came to knives he always said " if a blade won't rust it won't sharpen either."
I'm curious if any of the rest of you folks ever got sage advice like this from the older members of your family.
Thanks for your time and hope I didn't bore you with my reminiscing.
RMO
 
It is great you had someone to pass on their knowledge-often learned the hard way
Now the big ?-how much did you take to heart, or did you also have to learn the hard way before accepting it.:)
Each generation thinks they are different, but the basics remain the same.
 
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"My wallet might not be full, but my belly is... and that's what matters."

"They say 'Beer on whiskey mighty risky, whiskey on beer never fear'. To hell with 'they', just don't mix the two."

"A spoonful of wine in a barrel of sewage makes sewage. A spoonful of sewage in a barrel of wine makes sewage."
 
Mine wasn't much for wise sayings, but he did give good advice. He also told some great jokes. His favorite, that I love sharing and have added my own twist on through the years:

A man walks into a bar and orders a drink. Then he pulls an octopus out of his pocket and sits it on the bar. The bartender is, understandably, confused.

"What's the deal with the octopus?", he asks.

"Oh he's my pet, Harry. I've trained him to play instruments.", replies the man.

"Bullshit," says the bartender, "octopi can't play instruments."

"Tell you what, I'll bet you my drink that he can.", counters the man.

The bar has quite a few bands come in and play so there are a few stray instruments behind the bar. The bartender spots a trumpet and says, "You're on." as he pulls the trumpet from behind the bar and lays it on top.

The octopus crawls over to it and a few seconds later is putting Dizzy Gillespie to shame.

"I'll be damned," says the bartender, "I guess that one is on the house."

The guy finishes his drink as the octopus finishes his solo.

"Want another?", asks the bartender.

"Sure, tell you what, you keep them coming and if you can come up with an instrument Harry can't play, I'll pay double the tab, but if he can play them all, I drink for free tonight."

"Why not, we've got a few more and it's not every day you see a musical octopus.", replies the bartender.

For the next couple of hours the octopus plays the maracas, then a trombone, plays a hell of a drum solo on a snare drum, and finally the tambourine.

The guy seems like he's getting ready to leave when the bartender has a flash of memory.

"Wait right here, I've got one more!", he says as he heads for the office.

He comes back with a huge grin on his face and produces a set of bagpipes.

He lays it on the bar, and Harry crawls over to it and they wait. Nothing happens for a few minutes.

"Ha!", exclaims the bartender. "Pay up, he can't play it!"

"Give him a minute, as soon as he figures out he can't screw it, he'll play it!"
 
One grandfather used to like to say “always play the notrumps”. He lived to 88, and played a decent hand of bridge almost to the last.
 
Many years ago when I was just a young boy, the best advice I received from my grandfather was quite simple and to the point. “Always carry a knife”, as he handed me his most recently purchased Buck 112. That knife became mine on that day and both it and the advice have stuck with me ever since.

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No, both my grandfathers died way before I was born.

They were both very handy, with one being a carpenter, and the other a skilled metalworker.

A shame really. No doubt there was a whole lot of knowledge there.
 
Thanks for all the replies.
As to whether I heeded any of the advice I received from these learned people I always like the story about the guy who said'" when I was 16 I couldn't believe how my father could live so long and be so stupid. When I was 26 I couldn't believe how much my father had learned in 10 years."
So yes I did listen it just took awhile to appreciate the value in it.
RMO
 
Mine wasn't much for wise sayings, but he did give good advice. He also told some great jokes. His favorite, that I love sharing and have added my own twist on through the years:

A man walks into a bar and orders a drink. Then he pulls an octopus out of his pocket and sits it on the bar. The bartender is, understandably, confused.

"What's the deal with the octopus?", he asks.

"Oh he's my pet, Harry. I've trained him to play instruments.", replies the man.

"Bullshit," says the bartender, "octopi can't play instruments."

"Tell you what, I'll bet you my drink that he can.", counters the man.

The bar has quite a few bands come in and play so there are a few stray instruments behind the bar. The bartender spots a trumpet and says, "You're on." as he pulls the trumpet from behind the bar and lays it on top.

The octopus crawls over to it and a few seconds later is putting Dizzy Gillespie to shame.

"I'll be damned," says the bartender, "I guess that one is on the house."

The guy finishes his drink as the octopus finishes his solo.

"Want another?", asks the bartender.

"Sure, tell you what, you keep them coming and if you can come up with an instrument Harry can't play, I'll pay double the tab, but if he can play them all, I drink for free tonight."

"Why not, we've got a few more and it's not every day you see a musical octopus.", replies the bartender.

For the next couple of hours the octopus plays the maracas, then a trombone, plays a hell of a drum solo on a snare drum, and finally the tambourine.

The guy seems like he's getting ready to leave when the bartender has a flash of memory.

"Wait right here, I've got one more!", he says as he heads for the office.

He comes back with a huge grin on his face and produces a set of bagpipes.

He lays it on the bar, and Harry crawls over to it and they wait. Nothing happens for a few minutes.

***Then the octopus starts to wrestle with the bagpipes, all along the bar, then onto a barstool and then across the floor.***

"Ha!", exclaims the bartender. "Pay up, he can't play it!"

"Give him a minute, as soon as he figures out he can't screw it, he'll play it!"

Fixed it for ya.
 
My paternal grandfather was a bear of a man. Huge hands and seldom smiled.
Even when he was in his 60's , no one wold risk messing with him.
With his family, he was a caring and gentle man. My father told me they never went without a meal during the depression.
He worked on his own cars and the only thing I inherited from him was his tool box full of tools.

I never really needed anything in that tool box, but years later, long after he passed away , I bought a 48 Pontiac.
One day I was working on the car and needed a certain size wrench , I didn't have one.
After years of not bothering with his tool box, I opened it up and found every imaginable tool for working on old cars.

It would take a whole page to write about some of the things he taught me , but I think of him all the time and he's been gone 46 years.
 
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