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Old 05-12-2022, 10:31 AM   #1
dieselguy
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Certainly glad I was born in the 50's

This may come off as a doom and gloom perspective on life, but I deal in the facts as they come at me each and every day and tend not to sit around with my head stuck in the sand. I am soooo glad I was born in the 50's and am not currently say 18 years old with a lifetime ahead of me. Can you fathom what the world has in store for you at that age??? I've always been a hands-on guy that seldom relies on some company to repair my everyday woes, chase down a code that simply requires a sensor change on my vehicle, or construct a new pole barn on my property. Those of you that live the opposite of this (nothing wrong with different lifestyles) won't be as unnerved at my few following examples. We no longer have any lawnmower/small engine repair shops in my end of town where there used to be 2-3. The owners got old and couldn't find younger people even interested in buying the business despite a very steady customer base. My Pathway X2's circuit board died ... Winegard won't repair anything older than 5 years. Had to buy a new one. Several RV parks along our last trip would not rent to travelers if their unit was older than 10 years no matter how well kept it was. Most all local motorcycle dealers will not work on bikes over 10 years old ... you have to find a guy working out of his garage to touch any bike with carburetors here. Two cycle outboard/PWC mechanics are getting few and far between despite a ton of them still in use. And lightly touching on building codes ... a tree limb fell in a friend's backyard demolishing the yard shed and yanking the power lines out of the weather head on the house. Evergy replaced the power lines from the pole, but "per code" the contracted electrician cannot simply connect the new lines to the weather head on the house nor can the meter can right below the weather head be used as it is too close to the same window it has been next to for the past 50 years. This wiring job will cost thousands to get power back to the house. Yes, I understand new construction codes ... but there ought to be something lesser for a situation like I've laid out here. Our older population is generally not flush with cash. I truly think we have big troubles coming in say another 10 - 20 years and I'm glad that my remaining time above ground is not an entire lifetime that young kids are facing.
 
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Old 05-12-2022, 10:43 AM   #2
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Thumbs up

I am with you on all counts. Well, I was born in the 40’s but grew up thru the 50’s. Life was far more simple. Less pressure from all directions from childhood thru adulthood and more enjoyable. And yes, I was (and am) a shade tree Mr. Fixit. Just can’t throw anything away that I might can repair myself.

Glad I grew up when I did even though my time here is growing much shorter. I hate to think how it will be for my grandkids and those that come after.
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Old 05-12-2022, 10:59 AM   #3
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I agree 100%. My wife and I were born in the 60's and I would hate to be a young adult or teenager with how things are being run, cost of housing and everything else. My kids are 25 and 24 and just starting out in their careers. We are in California and the medium price of a home in the state is $700,000.00, with the medium cost of Orange County homes at $1,000,000.00. Insane.
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Old 05-12-2022, 11:09 AM   #4
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My dad was a television repair man. He had his own business of selling and repairing televisions in the late 1950-and all through the 1960's. I remember when black-and-white televisions were the hottest item. And then along came color. In our living room, my dad would often have half-a-dozen televisions running all at the same time, testing them after he got them fixed. His shop was too small to have them all running. Of course, as a kid, I was in hog heaven, being able to watch all 3 televisions stations at the same time! Yes ... only 3 over the air, and that was it!

I remember my dad getting the latest schematics for the latest models of televisions ever month. He had quite a library.... all paper ... long, long before the advent of electronic filing anything! I remember going into his shop and looking at the back of those televisions. When one was beyond repair (too expensive for the customer), my dad always let me have the fun of dismantling them. Of course, he kept the tubes as they could be used for another television and saved him some money, and I remember taking the picture tube out and going to the burn barrel and breaking the neck of the tube. After it was broken, then take a hammer and beat up the glass to small pieces. And eventually, all that glass and stuff was buried in a hole in behind the house.

I remember getting the magnets out from the picture tube yoke. I had quite a collection, and I remember I once screwed up the color on one of our own televisions when I played with my dads anti-magnetic "thing", that was used to unscramble the red-green-blue rays that made the picture color.

All of that went away eventually, when (I think it was) Motorola started using an all electronic component mother board instead of tubes. When something went wrong with the television, it didn't mater what, you just swapped out the board and it kept working. Unfortunately, my dad's lifestyle took a turn for the absolute worst in the early 1970's and he lost his business completely.

Still, those were the teaching tools that led me to not be afraid to tackle any kind of repair. My philosophy has always been, if someone else can do it, I can do it too and save some money.

Today, technology has changed so muck. And for all those young smart-aZZes out there who think they are God's gift to the world right now, just remind them, that in about 5 years, they too will be obsolete! Someone younger and sharper will replace them. After all, we live in a disposable world now, don't we?
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Old 05-12-2022, 12:01 PM   #5
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You guys sure are pessimists.

Most of the stuff we have today works much better than in the past. Cars and trucks get much better mileage, are more powerful, comfortable and are a lot safer. We have cleaned up much of our environment. The throw away mindset has its pro and cons, seems like a lot of the new stuff just doesn't break as often.

Our medical care is light years ahead of where it used to be. We are now living a lot longer and need to include that in our financial planning.

Sure things cost more but we also get paid more. I am blissfully unemployed after working 55 plus years but financially secure.

Overall I am living a better life than my parents did. Will my kids do as well as my wife and I have? Its up to them to make good choices and work hard. With fixed retirement plans a thing of the past they need to set funds aside for their old fogy days.

I would trade for another 20 years with one of the younger folks in a heartbeat.
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Old 05-12-2022, 12:42 PM   #6
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I was anticipating replies from both sides and have no sorrow with that. Sure we live better than our parents as they did compared to their parents, and as did our grandparents compared to their parents ... that's just advances in civilization. I know lotsa kids that aren't doing well and it's for the most part not for lack of trying but because of facing a very stiff headwind. One of my points for this discussion is the fundamental skills, mindset, and what holds everything together right at the foundation is rapidly eroding away and it will come to a head at some point. Look at all the mighty civilizations in the past that you now only read about in the history books.

PS, Getting paid more no longer accounts for much with many of us ... we're retired with the bag of money we managed to accumulate and very little inflow. Ha!
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Old 05-12-2022, 01:16 PM   #7
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The way I think about how things have changed is my father farmed with a horse. We cut, raked and got up hay with a horse. I’ve used a horse to farm and a tractor. Young people on a farm today have only used a tractor. When I started work in a machine shop there were only manual machines now manual machines are used to help with little jobs and CNC does all the work. Most machinist are PHD machinist, that is push here dummy the green button.
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Old 05-12-2022, 01:30 PM   #8
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Moderators ... as long as no one lights the red panic button on this thread ... I hope you keep it open as long as possible. I believe it will be interesting to all of us ... the responses and views depending on how well one prepared or is preparing for the "golden years" and how high or low one ended up on the food chain of life.
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Old 05-12-2022, 06:05 PM   #9
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Born in the 50's here as well. Guess I've done most jobs in life other than carpentry. I remember if the generator (yes generator not alternator) went out on a tractor, one didn't go get a new generator or even a rebuilt one from the dealer. One instead got a rebuild kit and rebuilt the generator themselves. Same for alternators later on and even water pumps. Have you seen a tractor "technician" make a service call to a farm lately to work on a tractor? When he - or she - comes out for a service call, first thing in their hand as they get out of the service truck is a laptop to connect to the can buss. Without some electronic whiz bang gizmo, they no longer know how to make repairs. Guess that is why they are no longer referred to as mechanics.
I'll be honest with everyone here. My 16 year old granddaughter is my youngest grandchild, and many are the nights I've laid awake the majority of the night with worry over what her world and life ahead will look like. From a veteran's perspective, the mindset of the current culture in this country truly astounds and baffles me. I joined MOC because we purchased a MHC and I wanted to learn as much as possible about the specific Montana and MHC line as possible, as well to hopefully learn from other's mistakes. What is the old expression? Those who fail to remember history are doomed to repeat the same mistakes? The reason I continue to check the forum regularly now is mainly because I've found so many others who not only freely share their knowledge and wisdom, but are also have the same mind set for the most part.
I have reservations about the "golden years" ahead, but take solace in knowing that we are all in this together. Hopefully will meet some of you along our travels and get to sit around a campfire discussing our rigs and life in general.
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Old 05-12-2022, 07:10 PM   #10
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Born in the 50's here as well. Guess I've done most jobs in life other than carpentry. I remember if the generator (yes generator not alternator) went out on a tractor, one didn't go get a new generator or even a rebuilt one from the dealer. One instead got a rebuild kit and rebuilt the generator themselves. Same for alternators later on and even water pumps…. . .
Remember auto parts in Sears catalogues? I used to order carb rebuild kits from the Sears catalogue to rebuild my carbs. Points, plugs, condensers, (what are those? ) Even ordered a muffler and tailpipe for a 1955 Chevy. Our small town didn’t have an auto parts store. But did have a small Sears catalogue store.

My son does most of his and his kids auto work. Even my daughter has replaced the brake pads a few times on her vehicles.
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Old 05-12-2022, 09:40 PM   #11
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Born in '60. It seems people then placed a higher value on personal responsibility than people now. Ask not what your country can do for you, etc. We've had several discussions dreading the future of the grandkids. I wouldn't start over today for anything. We do enjoy many conveniences but a lot of it is merely a different way of doing things. I do however appreciate my microwave oven. I recall dad renting a travel trailer from a tool rental yard, clamp on bumper hitch and all. A fold down bunk bed, gas powered lights, and I had it made. These days the rv is a big rolling maintenance project but it makes momma happy and willing to go. The reason for rving remains the same. Go see new places, find beautiful places to be, and simply recharge a bit. I know one thing for sure. The Lord put me here at this time and I'm just passing through.
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Old 05-12-2022, 11:14 PM   #12
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These days the rv is a big rolling maintenance project but it makes momma happy and willing to go. The reason for rving remains the same. Go see new places, find beautiful places to be, and simply recharge a bit. I know one thing for sure. The Lord put me here at this time and I'm just passing through.
Very well put Mountain Man. My sentiments exactly....
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Old 05-13-2022, 05:01 AM   #13
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My wife and I were just discussing yesterday how knowledge about food preservation, canning and "living off the land" in general is being lost. So many of our friends have children and grand-children not interested in learning these skills. So much knowledge that will be lost once this generation is gone.
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Old 05-13-2022, 06:27 AM   #14
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You might consider moving to rural Arkansas. Reading your posts made me glad we live here. We’re “behind the times” enough to still have some of the things you are missing.
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Old 05-13-2022, 01:41 PM   #15
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Even rural has its own headaches now days. My Mom at 94 still lives in her own home in rural Missouri about 80 miles east of KC. A town of about 4300. Her dryer went out right before our TX trip, so I couldn't go back to fix it ... at that with fuel prices, it would have been cheaper for me to cover the service call compared to a 350 mile roundtrip. No one in town left that repairs appliances ... had to have a tech from a larger town 30 miles away come take a look at it. They only come when they accumulate enough road calls to make it worthwhile to them, so she had to wait several days. Diagnosed the issue as a bad thermal fuse in the back of the dryer. Came back a week later and installed thermal fuse ... still not working. Ended up being one of her old glass screw-in fuses in the basement that had popped on one leg of the 220 to the dryer. You'd think a service tech would have checked that near first of his list??? Still charged her just for the service call .... $100.00.

40+ years ago this same town had a Sears, JC Penney's, Firestone, Ben Franklin, Mattingly's, Western Auto, 5 major implement dealers, 4 banks, 2 jewelry stores, GE Appliance store, 2 lumber yards ... and a much larger population.
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Old 05-13-2022, 04:14 PM   #16
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going to Mars

Born in the late 40`s so I`ll be out of here in 15 years or less after smoking for 50 years. They can have what`s coming down the pike, they deserve what`s coming to them. You know the saying, You made your bed now lay in it.
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Old 05-13-2022, 05:32 PM   #17
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I was born in 1946. I remember all those small appliance repair shops. They’re not around any more because modern products basically can’t be repaired, and there’s no use for them. On the other hand, things last longer and don’t require the constant fiddling as in days past. I can’t remember the last time I did anything to a vehicle other than put gas (or diesel) in it.

My concern is the way the country is going, but I won’t bring politics into the discussion. All in all, it’s been a pretty good life.
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Old 05-13-2022, 05:34 PM   #18
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The way I think about how things have changed is my father farmed with a horse. We cut, raked and got up hay with a horse. I’ve used a horse to farm and a tractor. Young people on a farm today have only used a tractor. When I started work in a machine shop there were only manual machines now manual machines are used to help with little jobs and CNC does all the work. Most machinist are PHD machinist, that is push here dummy the green button.
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Old 05-13-2022, 05:51 PM   #19
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I agree dieselguy. I grew up in a small town, Salem Va. we had everything we needed, 3 clothing stores, 2 jewelry stores, 2 grocery stores, several restaurants, among other stores and 2 banks where you could actually go talk to the loan officer. When is the last time you talked to the loan officer?
It was a little town where you went on Saturday morning and your father knew half the people you saw so you stopped to talk. Neighbors came to visit and you set on the front porch. Boy we sure have come a long way! Ain’t we lucky!
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Old 05-13-2022, 08:26 PM   #20
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I’m concerned about the lack of interest of some of the younger generations to learn and work hard for what you want. Integrity and ethics are almost non-existent. I’ve worked everyday since 12 years old starting with a paper route at 500 am every morning before school. I went to college for automotive and got blessed to work for a Energy company for 37 years. Love retirement with my wife!
Things I remember is the color tv, man, thought we had made it big. Memorizing phone numbers of friends which I still remember. Everyone somehow finding out where the party was happening on Friday night without having cellphones around. Time moved much slower back then.
If there is one thing I’ve learned from my past 4 dogs is”live in the moment” that’s all you got.
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