Wise sayings or advice

Down through the years, I've heard some wise sayings and advice from a lot of folks. Most of this came from old timers who have been around the block a time or two. Now and then a young whipper snapper will come up with sound advice or a wise statement, but it's the old timers who I tend to listen to. Growing up, the old timers would say he's still wet behind the ear to designate a young person without experience. Here are a few of the sayings I've come across from my years on this earth.

Don't buy a horse that's saddled and sweaty and tied to the fence when you get there to look him over or try him out before you buy him. The horse might be hard to catch so he's already tied up. The horse might be hard to saddle so he's already saddled. He's sweaty so he just might tend to buck before he's warmed up. Let's leave him loose in the corral and let me catch him and saddle him and let me get the kinks out.

Or be wary of a warm car that's sitting there idling when you show up. It might be hard to start or even knock a little when first started. Check the tires and see if one of the front tires is low. A low front tire tends to tighten up loose steering. What do you smell when you open the door? Dryer sheets give the interior a good smell, but it covers up a lot. Check the oil.

Money is easy to spend especially if it's someone else's money. Darn true.

There are a lot of people who really like to spend money. As a matter of fact, even I do. I've always wanted state of the art fish finders on my boat. That is until I found out how much they cost. Boy, they are expensive. I think where I have to pay for them, I'll just fish by trial and error. If I catch them, there were fish there and, if I don't, I was fishing in the wrong spot. Be wary of those who want to spend your money or entice you into spending.

For pity sake, don't believe everything you read. We ordered some insulated boots off of Facebook, and they were a good buy. Too good. They got our money, and we never got the boots. Every year I get catalogs from a dozen to two dozen gardening books. Each one has their own varieties of plants. I've bought seed from some companies, and the tomatoes I grew didn't resemble what was described. They must have sent me the wrong seed. Be wary of what's printed as the gospel truth. And don't believe everything you hear. There are some people who can look you in the eye and lie like the rug by the front door. And, honestly, if the preacher on Sunday morning says such and such as yourself, does it jibe with the Bible? If it doesn't, call him on it!

I roast my own coffee beans, and I've bought from the same company for more than 20 years with one exception. That exception wasn't what was described, and I wasn't impressed. I tried some coffee beans given me a month ago or so. They were old and stale. The beans were roasted so all I had to do was grind them and brew some coffee. The ground coffee was stale and old, and the brewed coffee was pathetic. I dumped it. Just because it says on the can or the bag it's fresh, check it out. It might have been fresh months ago. I trust a reliable source. Be faithful to a long-time established business.

Come spring the grass will be green and growing, and everyone is going to need a good lawnmower. If it's for sale, then ask why? If it's such a good mower, then why is it for sale? I had a mower for sale back 20 years ago, so it was back in about 2000. It was a good mower, but the thing was it was made in 1976 so it was say 24 years old, and it had been used hard and put up wet. You answer an ad about a lawn mower for sale. When you drive up, the yard is mowed slick, and it's pretty. The person says he mowed it just yesterday with the mower that's for sale. He cranks it up, and it runs like a top, but there's nothing to mow. Buyer beware!

Now some groups of sellers have gotten a reputation as being a little less then honorable. One group is horse salesmen. They buy a horse that someone is wanting to sell, but if it was a good horse, why was it sold? Red flags! It might be crippled or have a health problem, or it just might be more horse then the old owner wanted. You might just be cowboy enough to ride it. Another group is used car salesmen. As a whole they are probably honorable, but then there are some snakes in the grass who could care less. My advice is buyer beware.

Never judge a cake by how it looks. I've tried to eat some of the best looking cakes and couldn't get a bite down without a gulp of water. Bone dry. I've also eaten cake that didn't look like much, but I ended up wishing I'd gotten two pieces. Moist and full of flavor. Darn good. I'm not a cake eater, so it takes a good cake to impress me. Hold judgment as far as appearance goes. This is true on everything. I've always been suspicious of three-piece suits and fancy shoes. I've always liked calloused hands and weathered skin. I still like someone who will look me in the eye and shake my hand.

There is a kind of saying up where I grew up: "Don't tell me show me." It seems like we have way too many chiefs running around and not very many Indians. Way too many bosses and not enough workers. I've been at construction sites where they were pouring concrete, and there were 10 men standing watching while maybe five were working. Or I've shingled houses, many years ago, and there were more on the ground telling you how, but never climbing the ladder to help. Simply shut up and show me!

I've always enjoyed muzzleloaders and the movies from that period. I'm not much on many of the new movies coming out today. I enjoy the old ones. In "Jeremiah Johnson" one old feller said to "watch your topknot." Good advice. Keep your powder dry. Also good advice. Keep your gun clean. Really true if it's a muzzleloader.

When you go to make snow ice cream, watch for yellow snow. When out in the woods, when plants have three leaves, leave them be. Always have a box of soda on your kitchen range in case of an oil fire. Good cooks always have a bacon grease can on the stove.

If you have some I missed, drop me an email. Have a great week.