My "Old People"

I moved to Colorado last summer. I didn't really know too much about the area, but thanks in large part to the friendly locals, we've been learning more and more.

Once, on a visit to a local bakery in our small old town area, I joined a group of older folks sitting at a lone table in the hall. I was welcome to join them, and have been ever since. Most of them grew up here and have been sharing the most amusing stories with me. After I visit with them, I find my mind wandering to what new stories they told me.

This is the best way to get history, if you can. Straight from the mouths of the elderly themselves who lived it as teenagers.

Some of the most amusing stories are those that tell of medicinal remedies long gone (thank goodness!). Others tell of life as teenagers in small towns and all the trouble they got in. They all remember who the town doctor was and who the sheriff was. They can tell you who owned the local homes that are now being renovated by eager new purchasers. They can tell you that the real estate office down the street used to be the mortuary. And they can tell you stories about the folks that now grace the pages of the newspaper obituary section.

If you haven't met your local old people, hurry up, before they're just an entry in the newspaper and their history is lost.