Old Men Talking: On a Father's LoveIt is hard to say when this group of old men first met. When one of Rudy’s employees asked, for a bemused moment they all strained to recall, but then they decided it wasn’t really that important. It was though; it was one of those nagging questions that if not answered supposed that they were too old to remember. So ever since, one of them would bring to the meeting a new remembrance—a selective remembrance, an imprecise remembrance, a remembrance tainted by time. They knew their memories were fallible; old men blur reality with wishful ruminations like the too-often-told, one-that-got-away fish story. With each new recollection, they positioned the memory as if it were a piece in a puzzle, using their communal timeline to see if the edges fit. They believed that their joint memories would eventually uncover that initial conversation that made Rudy’s 360 what it was today: a breakfast-home away from home and a reenactment of an old Texas settlers’ tradition, a gathering of old men discussing life with all its twists and turns. Sometimes these discussions could turn faster than a cuttin’ horse, and gore quicker and deeper than an ornery steer. Today was an example. Mike asked, “Jim, what do you think of all this hoopla over the definition of marriage?” Select the image or link below to read about old men in Texas gathering around the stove to talk crops, politics, life and survival. 
0 Comments
|
Peter E. GreulichPeter E. has been studying IBM and early American corporate history since his retirement in 2011. These are his thoughts and musings, and of those whose biographies and autobiographies he has read with links to articles and book reviews on this website. 
Contact the author directly.
|
RSS Feed