[AT] Old tractors and old men

[Mogrits]

Somehow this conversation slipped past me, but Herb you are an inspiration.

Couple years ago I met Herb at his place and got the grand tour. It was not
a well scheduled visit and hinged on an old tractor implement transaction
elsewhere so I was not disappointed not to have the pleasure of meeting
Barbara. But I had the most fantastic hour and a half with Herb. He showed
me his beautiful daylillies, his garden and his exuberantly Orange tractor
collection.

Herb is a "glass half full" person in it's purest sense and will be an
inspiration for me as my health fails as I age. If I can keep the attitude
and the energy Herb has retained I will be well served.

Warren

On Sat, Feb 4, 2017 at 10:10 PM, Herb Metz <metz-h.b at comcast.net> wrote:

> Charlie, and Others, I turned 86 several months ago.  Ten years ago I
> developed severe scoliosis, then old mans humped over condition.  It is not
> funny, but people (all ages and both sexes) clear a path and open any doors
> when they see me coming.  Surgeons reach for the door knob soon as they
> learn that I have heart arrhythmia; also am on my second pacemaker. My back
> gets a bit worse each year;  doctors say to set my own pace.
> Barbara and I seriously enjoy gardening; she has a prize daylily garden in
> addition to roses, irises, etc.  I have a large no chemicals vegetable
> garden and sell at both local farmers markets.  Not diplomatic enough to be
> considered a good salesman, but I sure enjoy selling because of the
> conversation sharing with others who appreciate good vegetables.  That perk
> is a bigger plus than I ever expected; in fact I had not thought about it
> until after it was well established.  And that is why I primarily addressed
> this email to you. You are an exceptional conversationalist, so I think you
> would likewise really enjoy the marketing portion of such project.
> Yes, we are getting older; last year we had to hire a part time helper.
> When I was 15 or 16, I remember Dad telling a carpenter cousin that doctors
> were now telling retiring farmers (many farmers in KS at that time) to
> "stay
> busy"; their prior advice had been "they had worked hard all of their life,
> so sit down and enjoy retirement and take it easy"; unfortunately many of
> those farmers were being buried a few years later.
> Another big perk is getting to use our Allis Chalmers tractors; D-14, G's,
> 720 large lawn tractor, and equipment.
> Just thinking about a trip to the VA and seeing young veterans in
> wheelchairs, who will be in wheelchairs the rest of their lives (limbs lost
> because of land mines) quickly provides an occasional necessary attitude
> adjustment. Herb(GA)
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: charlie hill
> Sent: Saturday, February 04, 2017 5:32 PM
> To: Antique tractor email discussion group
> Subject: Re: [AT] Old tractors and old men
>
> I'm 66 now and according to my doctors and all the tests
> I'm in good shape.  Blood and urine work all looks good.
> No severe prostate problems yet, etc. but my legs are giving
> me a fit.  Doc tells me my knees are far enough gone to replace
> yet but they are a bit unstable and grind at times.  My right hip
> is hurting me.  My ankles have been bad since I tore them up
> playing football as a kid.  All of that together along with the stress
> and inactivity of looking out for my mom for two years until her death
> have turned me in to an aching,  out of shape  old man.  I have been
> cleared by my doctors and a physical therapist to go to the gym and
> try to get back in shape and I'm going to do that soon.  luckily my
> insurance
> will pay for most of the cost of that through a program called Silver and
> Fit.
> Others may have access to another program called Silver Sneakers.
> My urologist did a CT scan of my kidneys and bladder recently.  He didn't
> find
> any problem there other than benign prostate hyperplasia but he did notice
> that
> I have some deteriorating discs in my lower back so I guess I need to be
> careful
> at the gym.
>
> Speaking of farming.  As sad as I am that my mom is now gone on, I always
> thought
> that when that day came I'd be free to do something different with our
> small
> farm.
> I wanted to try farming some sweet potatoes, pumpkins, water melons, and
> veggies for
> sale at a road side stand.  I have almost all the equipment I need to do it
> and I even
> have irrigation equipment left over from our tobacco farming days.
> However,
> I just don't
> have the drive and motivation to do it now.  I also thought at this age I'd
> be able to restore
> my tractors and old trucks but I don't have much enthusiasm for that
> either.
>
> Oh well.  At least I'm on the green side of the grass.
>
> Charlie
>
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