We just got back from visiting all the oldtimers down in Middle Tennessee. When you are my age, an oldtimer is someone past 80. I can't believe how well some of them manage their lives at that age.

My wife's mother* is soon to be 87. She lives alone, cooks, gardens, and is always ready to jump in the car and go somewhere. I don't recommend going for a walk with her if you aren't in reasonably good condition.

Aunt Gertrude is in a nursing home. At 92, she is hard of hearing and uses a wheelchair a lot. But her mind is sharp. She calls people by their first name before they get inside the door. Her long-term and short-term memories are excellent. She knows all the rules and how to break them. She has no teeth, but her eyes are good and she reads without glasses. She can tell you what day it is, and when members of the family last came to see her. I don't know many people who are happy about living in a nursing home, but she likes it. I think the staff takes extra good care of her, because she is one of the few people there with all of their marbles.

I had never met Evelyn, who is an old family friend. (My wife's family.) But I have heard stories about her for years and had spoken to her on the phone a couple of times. On Saturday, we went by her house. I guess she is past 80, but she laughs a lot and seems to enjoy life. She lives alone in her three-bedroom house. I think if you looked up "talking-machine" in the dictionary, her picture would be there. She showed us a lot of her prized antiques.

We didn't get to go see Clatie this time, but we did a few weeks ago. She is 90, and lives by herself, up a gravel road in a small white house that is about the same age as she is. She has a farm, still drives the tractor, and still rides the lawnmower. She cleans the leaves out of the gutters and last summer poured a concrete sidewalk to her back door. She mixed it in a wheelbarrow. I hear she had a minor wreck in her car this week. It was the other guy's fault, but I think she might quit driving someday.

Next trip, we might go see Aunt Bertha, Aunt Ruby, and Cousin Howard (the "other" Howard). His wife doesn't qualify as an oldtimer. She's only 75.
Howard
*I avoid using the term "mother-in-law," when speaking of one of my best friends.