Dodging Mr. Black

[Larry Caldwell]

I moved to south west Tennessee a few years ago and after a year hooked up with some campers from the area because that is an activity we enjoy. Right now I am 68 and am the younger of the group of 20. All other are couples with the youngest at 72 and in rough shape with most of the others at 80-85 in fair shape. Almost everyone drives big class A motor homes and seem to do alright camping. But, I am dreading another 5-10 years down the road when they start dropping off like flies, unless I go first.

The sad thing about living for a long time is the encroaching isolation. One of my grandfathers lived to be 98. His wife died when he was 95, and he had outlived his whole generation. He was almost totally deaf, so couldn't carry on conversations. I took care of him on weekends when his housekeeper had the weekend off, and I just remember him as being very sad. My mother lived to 95, and watched all her friends die. They had family, and were not totally alone, but I have no children and am not looking forward to being alone. I'm still in perfect health at 70, take no medication, am normally active on the farm, low blood pressure, great arteries, and show every sign of lasting at least another 20 or 25 years. I'm not sure I want to live that long.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

The most upsetting death of my schoolmates was the second girl I ever kissed. Auburn hair in a pixie cut, fond of halter tops with a dusting of freckles on her nose and shoulders and sparkling blue eyes. When we were 50, she died suddenly of an aneurism. I spent a long time thinking of the things I didn't know to say to her when we were 13.

 

[Doofy]

Larry Caldwell,

That is the reason I marry younger women. They can stick a fork in me and tell me when I am Done! I'm getting so forgetful I might not even remember being dead.

The older I get, the more time I spend looking for tools and parts. I am now finding duplicate parts because I couldn't find the first ones I bought.

 

[Doofy]

The most upsetting death of my schoolmates was the second girl I ever kissed. Auburn hair in a pixie cut, fond of halter tops with a dusting of freckles on her nose and shoulders and sparkling blue eyes. When we were 50, she died suddenly of an aneurism. I spent a long time thinking of the things I didn't know to say to her when we were 13.

Yes, regrets can be bittersweet. There are a million things I wish I would have said to those people that meant something to me.

 

[two_bit_score]

Wow, not something anyone wants to confront but everyone will.