Parenting |

Retro vindication

Posted by Bob@HayleStorm Interactive at 11:03 principles, rants

Feb 232015

: Image via Wikipedia

Folks who know me know that I am a very retro type guy. My tastes run retro in music, in politics, in lifestyle…in almost every aspect of my life.

I love to cook…and don’t own…or want…a microwave oven, even to boil water or melt butter for a recipe or to reheat leftovers.

I love to fish, but I’d rather do it with a cane pole or cheap spinning rod/reel combo from a creekbank or the banks of a farm pond than with a lot of high tech fishing equipment from a 60 MPH bass boat. Folks sometimes think I’m so retro that the term “luddite” is a fitting description for me, but I’d like to dispel that notion and tell y’all that I’m retro because I’m so dumb.

Yep…I’m dumb, and my retroness comes from that.

My overall retroness is an outward display of a desire for “the way things were” socially and an acknowledgement that I’m not smart enough to re-invent the wheel, instead looking to the past to find what has worked before and a desire to “fix things” by a return to those times.

A few examples would be:

Today’s youth’s disrespect for rules and authority.

When I was a kid if I screwed up 2 blocks down the street from my house while out playing, the neighbor (stay at home) mom gave me a swat on the ass and sent me home, where my mom’s reaction was to send me to my room until my father got home when my butt got rally blistered. Now, the neighbor mom isn’t home, and if she were and even looked crosseyed at Little Johnny his parents lawyer up.

The other side…authority…has done it’s share to cause it’s own downfall too. When I was a kid my parents taught me to “look for the cop on the corner when you have a problem. He is your friend.”

No more. Law enforcement has become, in large part, jackbooted Gestapo-like thugs. If two kids hav a schoolyard fight, rather than being sent home with a note for the parents the kids leave school handcuffd in the back of a police car. Hey…authorities…listen up! Every rule infraction doesn’t require criminal charges!

In the 50’s and 60’s the family unit included a father and a mother.

Single family households were rare. Also in the 50’s and 60’s dropout rates were much lower, drug useage was not as bad, teen pregnancy was an anomaly rather than something normal…

…can you imagine an out-of-wedlock birth in the 50’s being cause for celebration, complete with baby shower and proud grandparents?

So…I’m retro…because I’m too dumb to come up with new ideas to fix societies ills…but I see solutions in the past. I’m a big believer in “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”. I’d kinda like to return to societal mores that weren’t broke.

Bob@HayleStorm Interactive

Bob comes to us with a skeptical attitude and a full cup of Cantankerousness. He also writes about homesteading and yurts over at JuicyMaters.com and rants about politics at Common-Sense-Conversation.com Most of the time, though, you'll find him at HayleStorm.net, cranking out great websites for clients OR writing tutorials teaching them to build their own sites.

Up with Fishing- Sort of

Posted by Ralph at 11:44 Up With

Feb 102015

Image by Old Shoe Woman via Flickr

I don’t fish!

You have probably figured out that this Coot is no fisherman. My Dad tried to develop my love for fishing. He got fishing rods and spinning reels and he would take my brothers and me down to the pond from time to time. It didn’t take. I don’t know it if was not catching many fish that kept me from developing fishing fever or maybe it was that my father never seemed very committed himself. Somehow, fishing just never caught my fancy. If I planned to spend a day staring at the water, I would much rather not be distracted by casting a line and reeling it back in.

Justin fishes!

Whenever the pressures of his responsibilities weigh too heavily, he finds a way to shove them aside and go fishing. Even during his day to day stay at home Dad duties, it seems that Justin can squeeze in a little fishing diversion and he is always eager to share his love of fishing with his kids. It seems to be working because his four year old is now eager to teach the baby how to fish. It seems that those apples just don’t fall very far from the tree in the Matthews household.

Successful fishing has consequences.

I just never saw the pleasure in fishing. I remember that on one of my infrequent successful experiences that the joy of actually catching a fish quickly dimmed when I discovered that I was expcted to skin and clean the darn thing – and then eat it. This was a big overload for an over-sensitive youngster. My killer instict was undeveloped in those days and the idea of killing and eating a harmless fish made me anxious and inclined to vegetarianism.

My apples rolled away.

My sons through no influence on my part, love to fish. I took them fishing on occasion both at lakes near our house and at the pond where I fished as a child. I didn’t do it for love of fishing, it was because I was trying to be a good dad. Despite my influence (or maybe because of it) my older son now goes deep sea fishing often and my younger son wants to emulate him when he has the funds. I may give it a try myself because it seems a big improvement over the land based fishing I know. As I understand, you just get on the boat and then they take you where the fish are and give you the equipment. You fish and drink beer with the other fishermen (male bonding), When you catch something, the crew cleans and packages it for you to take home and it looks just like you bought it at the store. Perfect!

Maybe it’s time for a change-up.

Maybe I need to work a deep sea fishing trip into my schedule this spring, I could bond with my younger son, look good to my older one and score some points on the hunter-gatherer scorecard from my wife. Or I could just think about it while I stand on the shore like an idiot.

Ralph

Ralph is the inspiration for Cantankerous Old Coots and is our Grand Duke of Cantankerousness

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The Sound of Kettlebells in the Morning

Posted by Ralph at 09:16 Softer side

Oct 252013

: Image by Yasuhiko Ito via Flickr

Justin is one of a kind

Justin, my hotheaded young compatriot here at Coots has a lot on his plate. Being a stay at home dad is no picnic but it does add to the pressure for a fiction writer, blogger and musician. Society and Justin’s wife demand that he reign in his natural cantankerous nature to provide the warm nurture that his children need. Its a lot of pressure for a Coot. But don’t worry, Justin has a way to let off steam and release his creative juices as well. He is a modest lad (we have to work on that here at Coots before he introduces too much of his softer side into the blog). You won’t find him tooting his horn even though he is a musical virtuoso. When life gets too hectic, he retreats to his mancave and takes up his kettlebells.

A Genuine Renaissance Man

Granted they are an odd instrument but perfectly suited to a man who can skin a cat, change a diaper and then debug WordPress code on his break. Yes, Coot in training Justin is one of a kind. You wouldn’t know this from his folksy blog posts but the real Justin is beginning to surface here at Coots. Scratch that amiable exterior and you will find a growing cantankerosity.

Let that talent out from under the bushel.

Being such a modest, low-key kind of guy, normally he is secretive about his kettlebell playing, He doesn’t want to embarrass those with lesser talents. But recently I was able to capture snippets of the otherworldly beauty of his playing on the sly. It seems only right to share his talent here at Coots even though it does reveal a softer side that is out of character. So at the risk of exposing my own softer side, I feel compelled to reveal Justin – the master virtuoso of the kettlebells.

The sounds of Justin

Usually when he starts, he needs to let off some steam something this.

Then he will work into the more mellow music

and quickly transition to something even moremellow

Occasionally he will be reminded of something stressful and work it out likethis

but eventually he gets his groove mellow.

Show him how much you appreciate his talents.

Right now, I think he is in some kind of funk over a WordPress problem so I am sure that you would find him back at the mancave with his kettlebells right now. Leave him a message of encouragement at Coots or back at his home turf.

Ralph

Ralph is the inspiration for Cantankerous Old Coots and is our Grand Duke of Cantankerousness

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Kettlebell Inspiration

Posted by Ralph at 01:52 Up With

Jun 282013

Image via Wikipedia

Our leader Justin here at Cantankerous Old Coots keeps us hacks jumping. I toe the line pretty well remembering all the old tricks I learned at work for keeping the boss happy. Bob is another matter altogether. Bob is a ‘my way or the highway’ kind of guy and sometimes it’s all Justin can do to keep Bob focused and on target- or even present. I rail about Justin from time to time but so far, he’s been the one keeping the wheels on the bus here at COC, slave driver though he may me.

What with being a stay at home Dad, web entrepreneur and running his own blog, you can imagine that Justin’s life is full of challenges. Mere mortals like me constantly ask; How does he cope? How does he maintain his balance and joi de vivre amidst this busy cacophony? I confess that I don’t have a clue. It would be beyond my meager abilities which are strained daily just pulling my weight here at Coots.

Still from time to time even Justin needs to fill his tank and refresh his spirit. He retreats to a quiet place and lets his spirit flow. He plays his kettlebells.

Justin will never acknowledge his talent. He disclaims any praise or attention and refuses to perform publicly. But his skill is legendary. No one has yet captured Justin performing either on video or audio. He keeps his light under a bushel, so to speak. Still, careful research has uncovered kettlebell masters who inspire and encourage Justin to grow his talent. You can get a small idea about the power of Justin’s talent from these videos . These powerful performances will give you an idea of what a kettlebell master like Justin can do.

Sometimes whtn Justin gets into his groove, the spirit takes him places where mere mortals only dream of going. Listen to those mellow sounds and then tell Justin that you want him to share his music with the rest of us. Mellow out with this second video and then send him a message here at Coots or at Justin’s Brainpan. Tell him you want to know the magic of kettlebell music. Talent like Justin’s deserves sharing.

Ralph

Ralph is the inspiration for Cantankerous Old Coots and is our Grand Duke of Cantankerousness

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