Multitool.org Forum
Tool Talk => Swiss Army Knights Forum => Topic started by: cbl51 on January 27, 2020, 01:59:06 AM
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Some years ago, the family moved our very aged Aunt Esther up to Maryland from Florida, where she had been in an assisted living home. Fancy talk for a nursing home. Many years ago, she and her husband, my Uncle Charlie, had retired there, but a few years ago Charlie had passed away at the old age of 86. Then Aunt Esther had a health problem crop up, and she ended up needing more care than could be given at home. With no family down there, it was time for her to come home just in time for her 90th birthday.
Fitting her into an assisted living place close by was no trouble, and I went almost everyday to check up on her, and to visit. It's a nice place, TV lounge rooms, a bistro on the main floor, hair salon, gym, and close by shopping where they take the seniors on a shuttle bus.
It was here I met an elderly gentleman named Don. Over 80, but still all there upstairs, he's a stout big guy, kind of reminds one of actor Peter Boyal. Being there almost everyday, I got to know him as he and my Aunt Esther are on the same floor, and attend some of the same activities.
Being a senior over 80 has it's own set of problems. Things that seem no problem to us, is a task to them. When they get back for a shopping trip, getting all the items out of the plastic blister packs can be a problem. Most have to ask for assitance from a staff member, and sissors are poked and snipped. For my Aunt, I just used my little classic or whatever SAK I had in my pocket that day, and if some of her friends are around I'll open their stuff as well.
I noticed Don, sitting in a nice over stuffed armchair, and he seemed to have no trouble at all opening plastic packaging. He would look around, not see any staff, and holding something in his hand, get it done. He looked over at me, smiled and said something about my tiny sak as being a good choice. He made a motion of his head, and I walked over there, and he had a classic concealed in his big hand. He has those knarly hands that look like they have worked hard at being a tradesman of some sort. Ends up Don was a bricklayer.
"You know, I've had a pocket knife on me most of my 84 years that I've walked the earth. Not till I come to a nursing home do they tell me I can't have a knife." he tells me quietly. "As long as I have my pants on, I'm gonna have my knife, even if it's the smallest one Victorinox makes!"
We talk about it, and he said when he saw me using my little classic, he knew he had someone to talk pocket knives with. Ends up Don was a sak enthusiest, and when he went into a nursing home, he choose the smallest sak to hide out on him. Looking at his hands, the classic wasn't even visable.
"Ya know" Don says, "It wasn't so bad getting old. But I don't understand why we have to be treated like little children and loose our rights just because we get old and have a few health issues pop up. I used to carry my sak with no problem for most of my life, and now I have to hide out a little classic like I was a con in the joint. Not that I'm complaining about my classic, I can do most anything I need to do at this point of my life with it. I mean, I'm never gonna go hunting again. Heck, they won't ever let me drive a car again!"
Don is a diabetic, and has problems with his eye's and walking. He uses one of those aluminum canes with the 4 feet on it covered by green tennis balls. But his spirit is undaunted, and he limps around in his twilight years with a hidden sak and a rebel spirit. we talk and compare sak's, and recall hunting and fishing trips. He tells me about how he gut and cleaned a fresh cought salmon with an old sak cadet on an Alaska fishing trip, and cooked the fish right there on an open fire. In his memory, it was the one of the finest meals he'd ever had.
"Hey," I ask him, "how do you keep it sharp?"
"Oh, I got a little diamond sharpener that looks like a little pen. I just touch it up when I'm in my room upstairs."
So there's old Don, at the Sunrise Assited Living For Seniors, with his hide out classic. In his own way snubbing the rules, and bent on carrying a pocket knife until the very end.
I guess Gary Cooper said it all; "A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do!"
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Outstanding!!! :tu:
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I bet theres alot of Dons on this very forum... :like:
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At both ends of the age spectrum
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Yet another awesome story!!!
WRITE A COLLECTION MAN!!!!!!
Sent from my moto g(6) play using Tapatalk
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:like: :cheers:
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Great story and sounds like a great man too.
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:like:
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Excellent story; thanks for sharing!
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Yet another awesome story!!!
WRITE A COLLECTION MAN!!!!!!
Sent from my moto g(6) play using Tapatalk
You might enjoy going to blade forums traditional forum and browsing the sticky "jackknifes tales "
He's kind of a big deal round those parts .
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Excellent story, Carl. :like:
(Not that I would ever smuggle a SAK into a nursing home..... ;))
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Excellent story, Carl. :like:
(Not that I would ever smuggle a SAK into a nursing home..... ;))
Only time will tell! :whistle:
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Only time will tell! :whistle:
I believe him...
Nix would go full on Buck 110 and snap at people trying to take it from him.
He'd be "that crazy knife dude" within days :shrug:
Anyway, great story!
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Great story! :hatsoff:
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So there's old Don, at the Sunrise Assited Living For Seniors, with his hide out classic. In his own way snubbing the rules, and bent on carrying a pocket knife until the very end.
Thank you very much for sharing! :like: :hatsoff:
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Go DON! Keep that SAK at all times.
Rich
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:hatsoff: :hatsoff: to Don! :cheers:
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Great story :tu:
And good for him having his classic :hatsoff:
Sent fra min FRD-L09 via Tapatalk
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:iagree: :like:
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Great story cbl. Tell Don he has a global fan club and that we're willing to keep him in clover SAKwise if he needs a few more to stash away. :D
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Count me in for that!
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Great story cbl. Tell Don he has a global fan club and that we're willing to keep him in clover SAKwise if he needs a few more to stash away. :D
Very much agreed! :2tu:
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I'd love to know how he hides it. May be facing similar situation in not too distant future.
Rich
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Great story! :hatsoff:
Don! :hatsoff:
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Count me in for that!
Me too :like:
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Very nice anecdote, CBL. Thanks for taking the time to share it and for taking time to spend with your aunt and her neighbors. I'm sure she really appreciates it.
Myron
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Nice story cbl51. Thanks for sharing :like:
Way to go Don :hatsoff:
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Fantastic read!
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What a story!
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Cheers :cheers: to you for the blessing you give your Aunt and those around her. If the need arises I'm certain I could find a Classic or two to donate to the cause, you and Don are true examples of how life should be lived. :hatsoff:
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Brilliant story -
I love the rebel in Don - I am a kindred spirit myself - like many of us here!!
Some rules are just so stupid they should be broken :)
I am visiting a sports ground quite a lot at the moment
In Australia it is illegal to carry a knife at all - And at this ground they search your bags and also have a frisking metal detector .
But it's not up to the level of airport security - So a SAK always gets smuggled in to help with the packed lunch >:D :D
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I'd love to know how he hides it. May be facing similar situation in not too distant future.
Rich
See if you can get into Dons place Rich :D start sewing secret pockets into your trousers. :tu:
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Brilliant story -
I love the rebel in Don - I am a kindred spirit myself - like many of us here!!
Some rules are just so stupid they should be broken :)
I am visiting a sports ground quite a lot at the moment
In Australia it is illegal to carry a knife at all - And at this ground they search your bags and also have a frisking metal detector .
But it's not up to the level of airport security - So a SAK always gets smuggled in to help with the packed lunch >:D :D
That is some tight security! :facepalm:
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Brilliant story -
I love the rebel in Don - I am a kindred spirit myself - like many of us here!!
Some rules are just so stupid they should be broken :)
I am visiting a sports ground quite a lot at the moment
In Australia it is illegal to carry a knife at all - And at this ground they search your bags and also have a frisking metal detector .
But it's not up to the level of airport security - So a SAK always gets smuggled in to help with the packed lunch >:D :D
WHAT?????
In Australia you can't carry ANY knife????
Thats unbelievable. What the heck are you supposed to do in an emergency if something needs to be cut?
Why do the citizens of Australia put up with that nonsense from their government? If a man has pants on, there should be a pocket knife in there. The one time in my life that I witnessed an auto accident that was an old Datsun that rolled and the was upside down. The seatbelt wouldn't release and we couldn't get the driver out, and there was a fire starting in the engine compartment from the battery shorting out against the greasy engine block. The seat belt had to be cut, and there was a nice sharp pocket knife on hand. Without that pocket knife she may have died in the car waiting for the rescue crew to arrive.
Maybe its time for a bit of rebellion down under??? This is the land that the ANZAC's came from. And The Australian light horse that took Beersheba. It was Australians that shot down the Red Baron. Crocodile Dundee!
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Different countries, different rules! Our biggest reality slap was at the airport! :facepalm:
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Brilliant story -
I love the rebel in Don - I am a kindred spirit myself - like many of us here!!
Some rules are just so stupid they should be broken :)
I am visiting a sports ground quite a lot at the moment
In Australia it is illegal to carry a knife at all - And at this ground they search your bags and also have a frisking metal detector .
But it's not up to the level of airport security - So a SAK always gets smuggled in to help with the packed lunch >:D :D
May we assume this is a leftover from the penal colony days? :whistle: >:D
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Different countries, different rules!
:tu:
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Great story and you go sir!
:climber:
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Good story. I am impressed with people like Don. The main thing is not to give up and not to expect mercy from others.
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I am 80 and lucky enough to not need assisted living so far. If I do ill be taking my SAK with me.
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WHAT?????
In Australia you can't carry ANY knife????
Thats unbelievable. What the heck are you supposed to do in an emergency if something needs to be cut?
Why do the citizens of Australia put up with that nonsense from their government? If a man has pants on, there should be a pocket knife in there. The one time in my life that I witnessed an auto accident that was an old Datsun that rolled and the was upside down. The seatbelt wouldn't release and we couldn't get the driver out, and there was a fire starting in the engine compartment from the battery shorting out against the greasy engine block. The seat belt had to be cut, and there was a nice sharp pocket knife on hand. Without that pocket knife she may have died in the car waiting for the rescue crew to arrive.
Maybe its time for a bit of rebellion down under??? This is the land that the ANZAC's came from. And The Australian light horse that took Beersheba. It was Australians that shot down the Red Baron. Crocodile Dundee!
It’s not true that we can’t carry a knife at all. Otherwise why would we be able to buy them readily?
It sounds like he works at one of the major sporting grounds, they have tight security for crowd safety. Usually they don’t allow glass bottles either to reduce broken glass injuries. Perhaps he meant to say “in Australia it’s illegal to carry a knife at one of these sports grounds.”
There are laws intended to target knife crime rather than the enjoyment of hobbyists or people who use them for legitimate reasons, both of which in my own experience are largely unhindered if you’re not behaving like you’re on meth or starting fights out the front of the pub. It’s actually pretty relaxed here, on the whole. I’m vaguely aware there’s some kind of blade length rule, I have no idea what it is, I don’t really care and neither do most people really.
With respect it does feel a bit jarring to have Americans tell us what we should do. I think it’s the assumptions being made. You’ve got to understand that we are different people with a very different cultural outlook. Knife and gun carrying culture is not really a big thing here and never will be. From our perspective it is a very hyped up and charged environment in the US and we don’t actually aspire to emulate it here - quite the opposite.
People have, and use, camping knives, multitools, SAK’s etc no worries. I wouldn’t go out for a big night on the town carrying a large knife (why would anyone). But otherwise I’ve never ever been hassled about carrying or using a pocket knife anywhere including the city.
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Great story - thanks for sharing! :cheers:
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Hey Floppy,
I agree with you in evrerything you say about relaxed attitude, being sensible and not getting hassled etc etc
However technically it is illegal to carry any knife in (at least) NSW - Unless you have good reason - I should have mentioned that.
..... and I know same for Tassie - in fact stricter there.
See this:
https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-1988-025#sec.11C
I guess the onus, if ever you were challenged, is to show that you have good reason to carry a knife - as explanied in the text.
And also agree it's weird that knives can be bought easily in shops ........ and also imported -
Although I have heard of knives being confiscated by Border Security - Never happened to me though and I have bought loads through ebay and other websites.
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Good story. I am impressed with people like Don. The main thing is not to give up and not to expect mercy from others. Don reminded me of my friend's grandfather. The friend wanted his grandfather to be closer to him but found through a home for seniors he liked only in a neighboring town. To which Grandpa responded calmly and was even somehow emboldened to find like-minded people there to reminisce. A friend was there every weekend, and each time he brought back a new adventure from his grandfather. The "smuggled" pocketknife is only a tiny part of the adventures of the restless grandfather. Well, let him come up with something new with his sharp mind.
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Wonderful story, thank you for sharing.