TSCL Members’ Stories Selected for Book by Willard Scott

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TSCL Members’ Stories Selected for Book by Willard Scott

Last year, Willard Scott contacted TSCL for help with a new book. “What are some of the greatest things about getting older?” he asked. Hundreds of TSCL members responded with their stories. Here are just a few excerpts from the TSCL members whose stories appear in The Older The Fiddle The Better The Tune.

One time my four-year-old granddaughter was staying at my house. In the morning she asked if I was going to work today. I explained to her that I was retired and don’t go to work. She asked, “Grammy, what does retire mean?” Then I asked her what she thought retire meant. Sara said, “Well, it’s when you get up in the morning and you’re tired and you go back to bed.” How true. — Dolores E. Kwasny, born February 21, 1927, is a retired teacher and mother of two children and grandmother of three.
I have just purchased a second twenty-six foot Nordic Tug, one for San Francisco Bay my home, and one for Puget Sound and cruising the Northwest. I am a longtime solo-sailor, and still do most of my boating solo, as at my age, seventy-six, most of my longtime friends are interested in other things than bouncing around on the water. In searching for a name for the new Tug, one thing I kept hearing was “Two tugboats…? We wonder if Old Joe is losing it.” There was so much wonderment, I decided that I would incorporate it into the new name. It became Wee Wonder, an appropriate name for a twenty-six foot tugboat and for those who are still wondering. If you see me cruising in the Northwest in Wee Wonder or in Little Toot in San Francisco Bay, give me a wave—I’ll be enjoying my son’s inheritance. — Joseph S. Colletto, born May 27, 1926, had his own franchise and sold heavy equipment and later worked in real estate.
We were at an elder hostel in Sydney, Australia. One morning, while standing in line waiting for the museum to open, I overheard a conversation by two elementary school children in the line next to ours. One asked, “Who are all those old people in the next line?” The other answered, “Oh, those are a bunch of elder fossils.” — Maurice Bender, born July 22, 1918, is retired from the U.S. Public Health Service.

Willard Scott’s new book, The Older The Fiddle The Better The Tune published by Hyperion, is available for $22.95 from many bookstores and available at many public libraries.

November 2003