I have my pics out due contact with the brother of my friend who has died. Here is some pics for old-timers who read of my exploits in the old man’s bar.
I got a job in this place when I was 19, I was the first person they had ever hired under 50 years old – EVER. That was the rule, see? You had to be 50 to work there so the customers would not have to put up any punks.
I got this job because my friend and surrogate dad, Jim who rented me a room in his house when I was 15, vouched for me. He was Italians and Italians, like some other cultures, vouch for people.
If someone vouches for you and you screw up, it is their ass and reputation so if you want to keep your ass and your reputation then you don’t mess up but anyway, he knew the owner of this bar. They’d gone to high school in New York and knowing Jim… well he liked blondes and this gal was a blonde so I bet they dated but anyway he made her this offer she could not refuse.
He did it because I was working for stupid people which had never before happened in my life. Seriously, I may have been an underage bartender but I worked with the best except for this one time where the guy and his wife was so dumb I thought I’d go mad so Jim to the rescue. I mean he came in one day and I was fit to kill the husband of the brainless duo so he had to act and he did.
He went to see Judy (a Virgo) because he knew she was looking for a bartender and told her to hire me.
“How old is she?” Judy asked. There was a rule, see and it was firm.
“19.”
He told her he knew of her policy but begged her to give me a 2 week tryout and if she was not satisfied, he’d pay my salary. She took the deal.
These are some of my customers in that bar (and the black man is LB Meridith, close bud and Capricorn who I have written about before).
I hit it off with these men like you would not believe. They helped me out of a number of jams and I don’t know what I did for them other then make them laugh their heads off.
Most of them are old soldiers of course. Figures.
I thought this would be a good post for the stack up of planets in Capricorn. My advice, if you ever have the opportunity to hang around Saturn types (the ones who have paid their dues), do it. Everything you learn from them lasts a lifetime.
Read more – Old Man’s Bar
love this!
My mom’s Capricorn friend teaches me to be simple, but accurate when I do something.
She also taught me how to be competitive and not let anyone step all over me.
And most of all she taught me how to be a strong person.
Here is a story about LB Meridith, literally one of the finest people I have ever known.
It hooks to a story about Annalisa which she may or may not remember.
I have this affinity to old black men that goes back to when I was was very young, it’s quite an incredible story.
I have met these older black men throughout my life… every single one of them would be horrified someone put me on a racist bot the other day. People are IN-sane.
I miss being around my Dad and his friends – they were all born in the 1920’s.
If I can I try to hang around people this age now – their values, work ethic, taking personal responsibility for their lives, and sticking to their commitments all resonates with me.
🙂 great post!
I’ve gotta say….. Caps rule. *ahem* =)
My Grandmother is some sort of odd Leo/Cap mix…. very gregarious but one serious tough cookie. She is 80, has had Breast cancer 3 times and is still going strong! I have learnt a lot from her.
Awesome post, Elsa. My parents/grandparents also were of that generation that lived through at least one world war, if not two. While I don’t wish that on any of us, it gave them a reality check and backbone that our generation sorely lacks. Much tougher and wiser than most of us, that’s for sure.
Hooray for Old Father Time 🙂
Thanks so much for this visit with the old men. I too grew up in a neighborhood of old men including my dad. Old men who at the time I never saw as “old”. Reading the stories of LB Meridith though uncapped the memories of some very fine old men with old school ways,large humor and a mix of personality that makes me laugh and cry to think of ’em. Capricorn Dad, what a nice way to remember my Daddy.
Happy New Year to you and your family, Elsa. Thanks for this year at your place.
Mahalo,
Mokihana
Older people LOVE my Capricorn rising son(who’s just joined the Army and is off to basic training soon)…it’s pretty incredible actually.
Interesting that those could be current pictures from any small-town low key bar. 🙂
Some things never change. 🙂
One thing that’s different is the Asteroid machine in the background in the first photo… my boyfriend at the time rocked that game! I hear from my boys that you won’t find much more than a pool table or two in bars these days. (Getting back in my rocking chair now — LOL!)
Three cheers for the old guys! 🙂 Heh heh!
OMG, just look at these characters! Love this! Happy New Year, Elsa, and thank you for everything you do every day to benefit the collective.
old people tend to know the most stuff/have the best stories. and nowadays don’t tend to have enough people to tell them to.
Love THIS. I sometimes dream of the old man bar where I worked when I was as young. And sweet Gus from Greece who hired me, and I have to admit that it always comes to mind when I see the ending of the movie Titanic, I imagine if I live as long, I will find my heaven is going back to my job at the Big Penny where I met my ex husband and had some of the most relevant little pieces of my life occur. I was the one female Scorpio who worked for the place, and there were 10 men who were all brothers and all Scorpio, no girls. The Murphys. They were black, and two of them (Victor and Jerome) are twins who shared my birthday. Every time I hear “THOSE were the days” about that tavern, I think of you, Elsa, and my own old man bar. And I am so weirded out by the resemblance between you and my Virgo friend Heather who I haven’t seen since the same time….
Know what ? My 4th house Capricorn never made sense to me, given what I knew about CAP and I seriousy thought that my birth time might be wrong (although noted in ink on the paper)until I read your stories here. Then the penny dropped – I GREW UP WITH OLD PEOPLE and did’t know what it’s like to play with other kids (seriously) until I HAD TO go to school. My Dad was 47 and most of my aunts and uncles older than him, my half sister was 22years older than me and I called her aunty ( only dawned on me that we were sisters when I was around 7yo) The kids in school insisted that my Dad was by Grandfather and yes, his hair was white when I was born. I have had huge benefit from growing up with old people, all had been through WW2. One of my aunts saved my life more than once and now that I am 65, I marvel how fresh and strong I remember these folks and how I forgot all the crap that hundreds of other people told me through the years. Thank you Elsa
You’re welcome! 🙂