Tex Jones, SASS 2263 Posted June 6 Share Posted June 6 This appeared in today's Wall Street Journal commentary section: Shortly after my wife and I moved into our house nearly three decades ago, I saw our retired neighbor, Bobby Hamilton, fetching his newspaper from the driveway. His outfit got my attention. Since dawn had just broken, Mr. Hamilton was still in his pajamas, but he’d met the morning chill with a denim jacket slipped over his flannel night clothes. A baseball cap completed the ensemble, creating a fashion statement that was, to put it mildly, not in tune with the latest trends from Paris and Milan. I wasn’t ready to embrace Mr. Hamilton’s sartorial nonchalance, though I admired his willingness to flout convention. “What an old codger,” I said to myself as my neighbor shuffled back to his house in slippers. The years flew by. My wife and I raised two children, and Bobby Hamilton died. My hair thinned, and my worries over keeping up appearances diminished. The other day, braving a brisk morning to collect the paper, I reached for my windbreaker and ball cap. My weather gear made for quite a mash-up with my cotton sleepwear and leather moccasins—a contrast I didn’t notice until I’d returned inside and spotted the hall mirror. There, staring back at me, was the affable ghost of Mr. Hamilton. After a blink or two, I saw it was only me, dressed in the Bobby Hamilton Line, circa 1997. “What an old codger,” I told my reflection. A codger, I learned from Merriam Webster, is “an often mildly eccentric and usually elderly fellow.” It’s possibly a variation of “cadger”—a kind of beggar who, like most folks shaking the tin cup, looks more unkempt than those gracing the cover of GQ. Codgers rest near the margins of popular culture—partially out of it and perhaps happily so. They’re village dissidents, reminding us that staying au courant with the latest dictates in clothing, music and political opinions is an exhausting enterprise best left to the young. That’s why the smile one offers a codger might have a trace of envy. They’re a liberated lot, no longer concerned with what other people think. At 60, I seem to have joined their ranks. I think I’m going to like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassnetguy50 Posted June 6 Share Posted June 6 He still gets a printed paper delivered? That is impressive. The local paper folded here and the regional paper is only available at a few stores. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cypress Sun Posted June 6 Share Posted June 6 19 minutes ago, sassnetguy50 said: He still gets a printed paper delivered? That is impressive. The local paper folded here and the regional paper is only available at a few stores. They still have a "paper" here, the Tampa Bay Times. Used to be a good paper for the Pinellas area. I subscribed to it for many, many years. As the years went on, slowly over time, they turned into a screaming , left wing liberal newspaper that claims to be non-bias. Told them to KMA a long time ago. There used to be a delivery of a local neighborhood paper, I used to go get that in the manner ala Mr. Hamilton. They quit delivering them a few years ago. Now, I just go out and say "Get Off My Lawn" and "What the **** Are You Looking At?" Just kidding...so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassnetguy50 Posted June 6 Share Posted June 6 9 minutes ago, Cypress Sun said: They still have a "paper" here, the Tampa Bay Times. Used to be a good paper for the Pinellas area. I subscribed to it for many, many years. As the years went on, slowly over time, they turned into a screaming , left wing liberal newspaper that claims to be non-bias. Told them to KMA a long time ago. There used to be a delivery of a local neighborhood paper, I used to go get that in the manner ala Mr. Hamilton. They quit delivering them a few years ago. Now, I just go out and say "Get Off My Lawn" and "What the **** Are You Looking At?" Just kidding...so far. The neighbor across the street has a camera doorbell. If his wife deems it funny enough, she sends a screenshot of what she is looking at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rip Snorter Posted June 6 Share Posted June 6 I think the trick for old guys is to be well groomed and well dressed in clean, age appropriate clothes. Most older guys do not look good in trendiest clothes. Some fashion statements are bad enough that they are on the list for my Wife to "Shoot me if I ever...". We still get two newspapers, but they come by mail to our tiny rural post office. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cypress Sun Posted June 6 Share Posted June 6 17 minutes ago, sassnetguy50 said: The neighbor across the street has a camera doorbell. If his wife deems it funny enough, she sends a screenshot of what she is looking at. Anytime you venture outside of your house...everyone is on camera. Amazing how many people forget that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wallaby Jack, SASS #44062 Posted June 6 Share Posted June 6 ....... I'm olde, ,... if people don't like my clothes they shouldn't be wearing them .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watab kid Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 when im out dressed like that im walkin the dog ............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770 Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 14 hours ago, Tex Jones, SASS 2263 said: There, staring back at me, was the affable ghost of Mr. Hamilton. After a blink or two, I saw it was only me, dressed in the Bobby Hamilton Line, circa 1997.“What an old codger,” 1997!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 Origin of Codger: Possible abbreviation of "coffin dodger," but this is likely to be a folk etymology. Possibly derived from the term cadger.* Quote cadger noun [ C ] mainly UK informal disapproving US /ˈkædʒ.ɚ/ UK /ˈkædʒ.ər/ Add to word list a person who tries to get something from someone else without paying for it: Watch out - he’s a cadger who will borrow anything you have and never return it. See cadge Fewer examples There’s a cadger in my class who never has a pen - not even the one he took from you yesterday. The people on the street were cadgers of all sorts and conditions. My Dad had too many friends who were cadgers, moochers, and sharks. I found her irritating: a cadger and an ingrate I don't think "cadger" really applies.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 22 hours ago, Tex Jones, SASS 2263 said: Mr. Hamilton was still in his pajamas, but he’d met the morning chill with a denim jacket slipped over his flannel night clothes. A baseball cap completed the ensemble Change "denim jacket" to "hoodie" and you have a high school student stopping at Safeway for her morning Starbucks (the local Safeway, about a mile from one of the high schools, has a Starbucks in it) fix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474 Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 On 6/6/2024 at 12:16 PM, sassnetguy50 said: He still gets a printed paper delivered? That is impressive. The local paper folded here and the regional paper is only available at a few stores. SO, What do people line the bottom of their Budgie cage with?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wallaby Jack, SASS #44062 Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 junk mail Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watab kid Posted June 8 Share Posted June 8 yaaaaaaaaaaaaaa , 1997 ? thats recent history , but i will admit i dont have a lot of my clothing from the 50s , 60s , 70s or 80s anymore either , i do have some from the 90s as threadbare as they are Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackwater 53393 Posted June 8 Share Posted June 8 I don’t have the same clothes that I wore back in the sixties. They wouldn’t fit me if I did! BUT!! I still wear mostly the same style of clothing that I wore back then. Unless I’m dressed for something special or in costume for CAS or an entertainment event, you’ll find me wearing a pocket T shirt and either jeans, canvas pants, or bib overalls. Occasionally , if the weather is really cold, I will break out a flannel shirt. I have leather jackets that I wear if I’m going to be out in the cold for a long time or if I’m riding in the cold or rain. This is what I have worn my entire life except when required to wear some sort of uniform. I’ve never been a slave to fashion. It’s too expensive, time consuming, and complicated. I don’t have any decision to make when getting dressed, except perhaps what color T shirt to wear! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stump Water Posted June 8 Share Posted June 8 What Blackwater said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyesa Horg Posted June 8 Share Posted June 8 10 hours ago, Blackwater 53393 said: I don’t have the same clothes that I wore back in the sixties. They wouldn’t fit me if I did! BUT!! I still wear mostly the same style of clothing that I wore back then. Unless I’m dressed for something special or in costume for CAS or an entertainment event, you’ll find me wearing a pocket T shirt and either jeans, canvas pants, or bib overalls. Occasionally , if the weather is really cold, I will break out a flannel shirt. I have leather jackets that I wear if I’m going to be out in the cold for a long time or if I’m riding in the cold or rain. This is what I have worn my entire life except when required to wear some sort of uniform. I’ve never been a slave to fashion. It’s too expensive, time consuming, and complicated. I don’t have any decision to make when getting dressed, except perhaps what color T shirt to wear! Same except the bibs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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