What do you consider a "lost art" these days?

[Diamond_Dog]

I would say letter writing, by hand.

[SheltieLover]

1. Driving a manual tranny

Basic civility in public.



On edit: mancine shops, sadly.

[Diamond_Dog]

2. My husband and all 3 of my sons own manual shift cars.

I could probably drive one in an emergency but I like my automatic!

[SheltieLover]

6. Good for you folks!

Same here. 3 out of 4 cars are manual. I prefer an auto too.

In the Memphis region, having a manual is considered an anti-theft device as thieves quite often abandon them when they figure out they can't make the car move.

[Diamond_Dog]

13. That's true in most places, I would think!

Better than a car alarm!

[SheltieLover]

15. For sure!

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

54. I no longer bother to lock my car.

I doubt any kid who'd want to steal it (and seriously, a 2017 Honda Fit?) could actually operate it.

[SheltieLover]

59. Just FYI: Ins will not pay if it is stolen or vandalized

And there is no visible sign of forced entry.

Here it would def be vandalized if unlocked.

Glad you apparently live somewhere more civilized!

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

65. For what it's worth, I live in Santa Fe, NM.

And no, this is not a low car-theft rate state:

New Mexico has a high auto theft rate, ranking fifth in the nation for vehicle thefts, with over 10,000 vehicles stolen in 2023, a rate of 534 thefts per 100,000 vehicles, which is 74% higher than the national average

I'm still thinking that owning a stick is pretty good protection from car theft.

Also, although I almost never lock it any more, I never leave the key inside. Or leave it running with the key and a small child inside. I'm referring to specific incidents I'm aware of.

Of course, if I wanted to take up a life of car theft, I could pretty much steal anything, couldn't I?

[CTyankee]

72. I'm not so sure I could remember all the moves, depressing the pedal, all synchronized.

It was kind of a "dance" sitting down, depressing the pedal and adjusting the gear (up and to the side, then down), a kind of zoom, zoom, then you go (that felt good!). I remember my son was a teen then and I impressed his friends with my acquired "skill."

[SheltieLover]

99. Good you don't leave the key in it for sure

[multigraincracker]

86. Have almost 200K on mine with only the front

brake pads changed once. Downshifting saves money.

[SheltieLover]

97. It surely does

200k? Why it's just a baby...

370k on one & closer to 500k on another.

[multigraincracker]

102. I have a 25 year old van with 200k on it.

Bought it used with 33K on it 15 years ago easy on the gas and brake pedals.

[SheltieLover]

103. Awesome!

We (gs & I) have a 1990 Acura Legend - close to 500k, a '96 civic with nearly 400k, an '04 Civic with close to 300k, & my "baby," my '05 Civic, purchased at 1 yr old with 18k miles on it. Now has somewhere around 300k. Great car. Regularly get 47 mog avg/tank. (Gs is a hypermiler. Lol)

[samplegirl]

26. I learned at a young age

My daughter never learned.

[SheltieLover]

43. Me too, 1st car I drove was a '69 Camero SS

Both my daughters & gs took to manuals like ducks out of water. Lol

[Xavier Breath]

70. I took Driver's Ed in HS back in '82, and my uncle was upset when I told him we were learning on an automatic.

"You need to learn how to drive a manual. You'll have to drive one someday."

In 42 years, I never did, nor will I ever. If people like them, fine, but I will never understand the attraction.

[SheltieLover]

138. The attraction is longevity, esp in extreme heat

At least for me. They are simple inside, basically just gears with no little tiny spaghetti-like passages to get clogged up & strand you.

I prefer to drive an auto, but getting stranded in the region I live in is very dangerous. Like a 3rd world countty.

To each their own.

[Xavier Breath]

145. Then I guess I'm willing to chance the "spaghetti"-related issues I've (luckily) not experienced for the convenience.

And, with the inevitable switch to EVs, even the diehards will have to relent someday, unless they're older, I guess. But, as you said, to each their own.

I am curious, though, in what region do you live that resembles a 3rd world country? We have our share of Trumpers and bad neighborhoods, but I'm not yet ready to make that comparison here.

[SheltieLover]

147. Sadly, the Memphis region

The only US city to make the "top 10 most dangerous cities."

While I live in a suburb it's not far enough away...

[Xavier Breath]

148. Sorry to hear.

I guess I didn't know that the situation there was like that. When I hear about Memphis it's usually positive and in reference to the food or the music.

[SheltieLover]

149. Food?

They have good bbq here, but everything else is deep fried. Yuck.

Yeah, it sucks.

[Xavier Breath]

152. Yeah, I was thinking of the BBQ.

I'm not a fan of BBQ but it seems like it's practically a religion for those who do.

[SheltieLover]

153. Yeah, bbq & catfish are everywhere.

Not many other choices sadly. Not a fan of either one.

[buzzycrumbhunger]

78. Me, too!

My dad drove me out to the country, parked the VW up a steep hill, and made me swap seats with him. From there, it was up to me.

(Same guy who taught me to swim by dropping me in the deep end of the pool, oddly enough… )

[SheltieLover]

139. And the clutch survived that lesson? Lol

Yikes deep end of pool...

[buzzycrumbhunger]

157. It did!

Took me three or four tries before I started going uphill but I felt like a respectable driver after that. Still drive a stick to this day!

The swimming was always a mystery, though. He’d been a freakin’ lifeguard through HS so I guess he figured if he had to save me, he was the guy to do it. Never forced me off the high board, though, which I’m sure would have traumatized me completely.

[demosincebirth]

39. Probably keep stupid car thieves from stealing your cars.

[SheltieLover]

44. Absolutely!

[CrispyQ]

31. Small appliance repair, too!

There was this old German guy who had his shop out in his garage. Wow. I hadn't thought of him in years. He fixed an old juicer, a radio, re-wired some lamps & put new switches on others. He even fixed our water distiller when we couldn't find a new one we liked. Now we just throw everything out & buy new stuff.

Years ago I read a sci fi story by David Brin where a character's family owned a dump & they made their living salvaging everything we're throwing away today.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

53. I'm 76 and I drive a 2017 Honda Fit

with manual transmission. I will not own an automatic, and I truly despise that I can't rent a manual car the exceedingly rare times I need to rent a car.

I taught both of my sons to drive a stick, and that's what they both drive.

Manual transmissions are still around, fortunately.

[dhol82]

77. I can do that!

Actually prefer a stick. Had them most of my life.
I had a Subaru WRX 5 speed (their rally car) for fifteen years. Loved that sucker!
I’m 79 and if I get another car it will def be a souped up stick shift something!

[Clouds Passing]

150. I can drive stick.

My kid is a Subie wrx 5 speeder.

[yellow dahlia]

130. Agreed, on the basic civility. n/t

[Drum]

3. Scrimshaw nt

[Diamond_Dog]

4. Yes indeed Drum.

[underpants]

5. Cave paintings

[True Dough]

10. If there's anyone to revive that art,

it's you, underpants!

[underpants]

36. 😆😆😆😆😆

[Diamond_Dog]

14. That's going back a long time!

[underpants]

35. I'm old school.

[Zambero]

7. Repairing 8-track tapes and machines

Or even finding one that works.

[Diamond_Dog]

16. Agree ... repairing ANY electronics is a lost art for sure!

I am old enough I remember the TV repairman came to your house.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

56. Keep in mind those old TVs had things like

vacuum tubes, which broke practically every time you changed the channel.

[hunter]

159. When I was a kid our family would go months without a television...

... until my parents had enough money to pay the repairman.

This started when my dad bought an expensive color television at Sears, on credit, to replace our broken black and white television. My mom was furious with him because he didn't consult her first.

My parents eventually grew weary of paying to have the color television repaired and bought the least expensive television sold at K-Mart, a 13" black and white set. That television was reliable. They gave it to me my last half-year of college, when they bought themselves a new 19" color set.

I left the old black and white television with my housemates when I got a new job and moved to another city a few months after I graduated.

My adult children, sad to say, almost treat televisions like fashion accessories. If one stops working it goes into the e-waste bins. If they grow bored with one it goes to the Goodwill shop.

[Diamond_Dog]

160. Thank you for the memories, hunter!

I agree about TVs nowadays. Although we have had our Samsung for about 12 years.

Color TV was a bfd back then! We were probably the last ones on our block to get a color TV. I remember our neighbors across the street, an elderly couple,would let me and my sister come over on Sunday nights a few times to watch Walt Disney on their color set.

My mom gave me our old 12” b&w portable TV with a cracked screen to take to college and that’s what I watched for four years. We wrapped the antenna with tin foil and hung it out the window.

[WhiteTara]

76. film splicing

[Diamond_Dog]

88. Yep. I learned to splice film in college.

[Jilly_in_VA]

8. Negotiating

with anyone, about anything.

[Diamond_Dog]

17. How true, Jilly _in_Va

[bottomofthehill]

60. Funny, I was thinking compromise

[Diamond_Dog]

89. Compromising is indeed a lost art.

[EarnestPutz]

9. Pen and ink drafting on vellum.

[Diamond_Dog]

19. Yes! Now it's all done on a computer.

[True Dough]

11. In an age where almost everyone has a device in their hand,

the simple art of listening.

[Diamond_Dog]

20. That is a great answer, True Dough!

[questionseverything]

101. Gone because of those same devices, the art of chit chat

[Diamond_Dog]

110. Absolutely, questionseverything!

[CTyankee]

12. Years ago, we had a "4 on the floor" drive car (I think it was British). I loved the thrill of zooming around in it!

[Diamond_Dog]

22. I had a high school friend who had an MG midget, I remember how much fun it was to zoom around in!

[SheltieLover]

45. I had a Midget, too. Def fun!

[bamagal62]

62. I had one too!

Then, I got a Miata. Loved them both.

[SheltieLover]

63. Do you still drive a Miata?

[bamagal62]

66. Unfortunately, no.

Sold it when I moved overseas. (Plus, both of those cars I’m sure have contributed to numerous trips to my dermatologist!) Then, I had 2 kids and spent many years in one Honda Odyssey after another. I now drive an Audi.

[SheltieLover]

98. Well at least you were able to escape the United States of Extortion!

I know Miata owners tend to really love them & stick with them.

Long time Honda Civic owner here. Mine is a 2005, but we have several.

[bamagal62]

104. I haven't escaped!

I’m back now. That was ages ago. I’m in New Jersey!
I get to suffer with the rest of us.

[SheltieLover]

106. I'm sorry to hear that

She Hit Refresh is a website that helps women over 30 relocate to countries that are safe for women. I hope that helps.

I'm too old, will be 70 in a few mos. No hope to relocate.

Enjoy!

[bamagal62]

107. I'm 63. Not going anywhere.

[SheltieLover]

108. I hear you...

[Ptah]

18. Blacksmithing

[Diamond_Dog]

23. Aren't there still blacksmiths around? Granted not as in demand as years ago.

[Ptah]

25. Aren't there people that still handwrite letters?

[Diamond_Dog]

27. I suppose there are a few.

[quaint]

51. I do, I do!

Before they all turned into stardust, a number of friends responded in kind. One sent beautiful calligraphy notes.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

57. My friend Don hand writes letters.

He also corresponds with dozens, maybe closer to hundreds of people.

[underpants]

40. That was popular with hipsters about 10+ years ago

We had an estate sale and two hipsters bought a piece of rail line we had. I asked what they’d use it for and was told that blacksmithing was a thing again.

[mwmisses4289]

21. Sewing.

[Diamond_Dog]

24. Sewing, yes!

As junior high school girls we were required to make aprons, skirts, saw a hem, and sew on a button.

My older sister was a wonderful seamstress who made her own camel hair coat with silk lining.

[mwmisses4289]

33. I can do basic sewing,

such as hemming, replacing buttons, and following a pattern. My mother, on the other hand, was an amazing seamstress. She made most of my clothes until I was I college, and after she retired, she would do alterations for people. I do miss her.

[3catwoman3]

46. My maternal grandmother was a very accomplished seamstress - self-taught, IIRC.

She could make anything from doll clothes to coats with linings. My mother, who was born in 1922, was invited to a military ball in her late teens, and my grandmother made the ball gown my mother wore. She made a miniature of it in in a doll size, which I still have. I consider it a family treasure.

I can do simple mending, and can hem by hand, but that's about it. Can't do a blind hem by machine, and zippers completely flummoxed me. I lack the patience for ripping something out more than once if it doesn't come out right the first time.

[electric_blue68]

162. I can do a hem. I darned a thick yarned sock slipper for my sis. Learned on line....My mom was...

an expert sewer! Went to dress making school!

We had the most well made sewing machined clothes! Dresses, occasional tops, and skirts, a rare pants, even a shirt for my dad. Fuzzy Terry cloth colorful patterned hooded beach capes.
Oh, a lovely Spring coat for me. A fancy, high fashion JHS dance dress - a shiny magenta sheath w spaghetti straps, that had a big transparent over dress of electric blue, and semi abstract small green leaves, white, pink, orange flowers.
Happy Memories!

[OldBaldy1701E]

28. The three 'C's.

Communication
Consideration
Compromise

These three things have all but disappeared from our society.

More's the pity.

[Diamond_Dog]

90. Thats very true, OldBaldy1701E.

[FarPoint]

29. Effective communication....

Texting has replaced 1:1 conversations per phone....Additionally.... the use of Acronyms have gone array....

Even journalistic writing has fallen short of good grammar....

[LearnedHand]

50. A gentle reminder: Good grammer is not equal to good communication

I have long-running hilarious text threads with super smart friends. Emoji and all. Never have one minute's difficulty experiencing it as a rich exchange.

What *is* ineffective communication is when people say a lot of words that fundamentally mean nothing because it's all abstraction. A good example: Whenever a corporation is caught misusing user data, the first thing they do is issue a statement reiterating how much they value user privacy.

[JoseBalow]

67. *Grammar

[LearnedHand]

87. Hah dang I knew that!

Solid typo

[FarPoint]

93. Yes, typo's happen....

I have no shame thank you.

[JoseBalow]

94. Noice

[FarPoint]

95. To be completely honest....

I have no idea what you are trying to say to me.

[JoseBalow]

96. I was complimenting you on your typo

[FarPoint]

109. OK

[Diamond_Dog]

92. Yes and that's a great example, LearnedHand.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

58. Okay, what exactly do you mean by

"the use of Acronyms have gone array.... "?

[JoseBalow]

68. IYKYK

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

69. YASFOBTISER.

[Diamond_Dog]

91. I read news articles all the time with bad grammar!

[samplegirl]

30. So many things

Caning a chair.
I did many back in the day!

[Shermann]

52. Even re-slinging chairs appears to be an art.

I bought a set of 2-piece outdoor sling chairs over twenty years ago, and sadly the fabric started to tear within a few years. I found an old-timer in the neighborhood who re-slinged them for a reasonable price, and they've held up ever since!

[marked50]

82. And you did the seats too I suppose...n/t

[Diamond_Dog]

111. That's surely a lost art! Do you think you could still do it?

[samplegirl]

32. Very much so

I get about 3 Christmas cards a year now.
I so love getting a real handwritten note.
I guess because I always loved cards and nice stationary.

[Diamond_Dog]

112. Christmas cards are really dwindling.

Most of the people who were in the generation that sent them have sadly passed on and younger people don’t bother with them.

[Ocelot II]

34. Driving a stick shift, gapping points in a distributor, splicing recording tape,

cursive writing, shorthand, programming in Basic, defrosting a refrigerator.

[Diamond_Dog]

113. I hear they don't even teach cursive writing in schools anymore

And some younger adults can’t even read it. Isn’t that weird?

[malthaussen]

37. I would say "writing," period.

A reasonably well-crafted essay with no grammatical errors and no cliches is a rare thing today. We seem to be satisfied with misspelled memes, ten-second sound bytes, and video talking heads who take ten minutes to say nothing. Obviously exceptions apply, but the trend seems to be in that direction.

-- Mal

[Diamond_Dog]

114. Especially when you read posts and comments on some web sites

You wonder if they even know English….

[bucolic_frolic]

38. Everything is a lost art, our smart phone gizmos are sapping our time

Therefore things are "streamlined". Time spent on study, practice, cooking, professions from blue to white collar, is less. It has an impact.

[DBoon]

41. Working on your own car

both repairs and accessorizing it.

[Diamond_Dog]

115. Working on his car was a big part of my husband's younger days!

Guys in the neighborhood hung out, worked on their cars. That was a lifetime ago.

[3catwoman3]

42. Basic civility, as said in the first reply.

And proper grammar.

Respect for science and facts.

[SheltieLover]

47. Tv repair

Repairs of anything, really. Everything avail now is built like a walhell toaster, use & throw away. 😏

[SheltieLover]

48. Reading & writing cursive

[SheltieLover]

49. Appliances, cars, etc. Mfd to standards of high quality

Pffffft. Plastic gears & engine parts...

[Turbineguy]

55. Governing this country?

[Diamond_Dog]

119. Especially the current regime!

[Rizen]

61. Intellectualism itself is a lost art.

We're a country of willful ignorance, prejudice and science denial full of appallingly stupid people. It's gotten to the point where people will believe anything they hear if its repeated enough. Facts and critical thinking have taken a back seat to conservative dogma. To quote Isaac Asimov, "There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.”

[Diamond_Dog]

116. It never used to be that way.

Used to be that parents who barely graduated high school really pushed their kids to go to college. Education, knowledge, research, was so much more highly valued than it is today. Now people brag about how ignorant they are!

[Clouds Passing]

155. If a pastor says it, it must be true. They're a man of god, why would they lie!?

[bamagal62]

64. Knife sharpening

I used to have a guy that would drive around in a van, pick up your knives, and then return them
All sharpened. That was 2007. I wouldn’t know where to go get one sharpened now. I think
There used to be mom
And pop kitchen shops that did it. But, most of those are gone now.

[Maninacan]

71. Sharpening

I just took a sewing class and the Quilt shop had a scissor sharpening service that would pick up and return them. After 50yrs i had the muscle memory reaching for the foot lever in the back, The shop machine had it under the arm.

[bamagal62]

85. A scissor sharpening service!!!

That’s awesome!

[Diamond_Dog]

118. That's true, bamagal62. I don't know any place that sharpens knives.

Lots more door-to-door services back in the day. Milk delivery, bread …. The family doctor even made house calls! I even remember a farmer that peddled fresh eggs door-to-door. And we lived in suburbia.

[jmowreader]

140. Call your hairstylist

Hairstylists use REALLY expensive scissors and have them sharpened on a regular basis. Anyone who can sharpen those can also sharpen a knife.

[Xavier Breath]

73. Having patience with others.

So many want everything to happen NOW, and may the gods help you if they perceive you as the reason it isn't.

[Diamond_Dog]

127. Everyone is either angry or in a hurry. Or both.

[Xavier Breath]

146. Sadly, that seems true for most Americans.

[KitFox]

74. Shoe Repair Shops

I remember getting our saddle shoes and then taking them to the shoe repair shop to get taps put on. Geez, I’m old!!!! 😁

[Topomi]

75. Buggy whips

Buggy whip makers

[Diamond_Dog]

120. Oh I loved the shoe repair guy! He could fix anything!

Sadly, he passed away and no one ever replaced him. I guess you throw away old shoes now.

[Aviation Pro]

79. Land navigation without the use of GPS

A lot of basic outdoorsmanship and skill craft has been lost in the third decade of the 21st century.

[Diamond_Dog]

121. My car is so old I don't have GPS. So, it's a map in the glove compartment for me.

[JoseBalow]

80. Trolling

Trolls are so lazy and ham-fisted these days. It's not about making people angry, the art is in applying nuanced irritation for the lulz. Nobody appreciates suttlety anymore.

[AKwannabe]

81. Political correctness!

FFS!

[Niagara]

83. Writing a check from the checkbook and navigating by road atlas or paper maps

Disclaimer: Each individuals mileage will be different. Some people still write a check for bills or whatever, but many of us don't get to use the checkbook on a regular basis anymore.



The last time I wrote an actual check to pay for something was back in May of 2024 because the car dealer wouldn't accept a large amount of payment with a debit card, they would only accept 2 or 3 thousand from a debit card. The last time before that, I wrote a check from my checkbook in May of 2022 and that was to send my mom money so that she could buy herself something for Mother's Day.


I'm too dependent on Google Maps. Before that I was too dependent on both of my Garmin GPS systems.

During my paper road atlas adventure days, I made mistakes by not turning here on this or that road and found some spectacular lookout points that had magnificent views. I still managed to get to my destinations even though I didn't have Miss Cool, Calm and Collect reminding me to turn east here or west there.

[Diamond_Dog]

122. I still write checks at the doctors' office. Thankfully only 2-3 a year

[SWBTATTReg]

84. Making fishing flies by hand.

I fish a lot (or did), for trout in Missouri's trout streams, and often would encounter a fly (a bug on the water) that the fish were going after. I would pull over to the edge of the water, and using my homemade little kit, make an identical copy of the bug/fly that the fish were hitting top-water.

A lot of these are coming in from overseas (fishing lures/dry flies). The art is still out there, but I think it's disappearing. Sad.

[Diamond_Dog]

123. You are right, SWBTATTReg

Fly tying is an art unto itself! Some hand tied ones are really beautiful.

[SWBTATTReg]

136. Yes, and thank you. I loved it man...nothing like going out on the water, and just fly fish. I grew up that way.

And then of course, man...you would an insect/fly/? on the water that the fish were crazy for! Then of course w/ your limited equp., try to make a copy of that insect? It was neat....

[SWBTATTReg]

137. I'm sorry, my 'you would an insect/fly/?' remark was screwed up, I meant of course that if you see an insect or fly

on the water, you could tie a copy of it, via the limited fly tying material that I carried w/ me (I was a kid, and would it all w/ me).

[MIButterfly]

100. Ironing.

My mother could iron like a professional, with sharp creases and not a wrinkle to be found. I, on the other hand, can go over the same area 10 times and it still looks shabby. That's why I don't do it anymore.

[Diamond_Dog]

125. Did your mom have a water bottle that she shook over the item to be ironed? It sprinkled water

Made the item very smooth. I can still remember the smell of the iron going over the damp material.

[MIButterfly]

134. Yes, she had a spray bottle of water that she used!

I tried the spray bottle, but it never worked for me. I just couldn't get the garments as perfectly ironed as she did no matter how hard I tried.

[Cirsium]

105. Almost everything

Well, not tweeting and vlogging.

[Diamond_Dog]

126. Life comes a us fast, doesn't it?

[Cirsium]

158. Destruction

Destruction comes at us fast.

[Ocelot II]

117. Typesetting, operating a Linotype!

ETAOINSHRDLU

[Diamond_Dog]

124. I worked in a commercial print shop but never was called upon for typesetting

Everything I did there is probably obsolete, now.

[RockRaven]

128. Critical thinking.

[hamsterjill]

133. You beat me to this! That was my idea, as well.

Pretty sad state of the country, right?

[Aristus]

129. Dressing for the occasion.

I’m a child of the 80’s, so the days of all guys dressing like “Mad Men” were already long gone when I was coming up. But my parents always made sure us kids were well-dressed (and they got an ego boost from people who stopped in passing to remark on how well-dressed we were).

So I developed a taste for tailored clothing as an adult. I’ve got a closet bulging with fine tailored suits and sports coats, and respectable-looking casual wear.

But I really hate the way all-casual, all the time has pervaded American society. I go to a high-end restaurant for a nice evening out, and see guys wearing sweats, flip-flops, and backwards baseball caps. And not young guys, either. (I’m not some huffy ‘kids these days’ old man. I really like and respect the young generation coming up) I’m talking guys in their forties who should at least know how to wear a suit and tie a necktie. I don’t want to see some dude-bro’s hairy ugly talons when I’m trying to enjoy dinner. Put some real shoes on, dude.

[Diamond_Dog]

141. I agree with you Aristus

Way too many Americans are very sloppily dressed. And I am far from a “fancy dresser” myself, but geez can’t people look decent in restaurants? You should see what some people wear to church now (I haven’t gone in years but when I did attend semi regularly I noticed a big trend towards shorts, flip flops, young girls in short shorts, wrinkly T shirts like you just rolled out of bed). I remember thinking, my mother wouldn’t let me out of the HOUSE like that, let alone show up at church). I recently read an article where it was stated, how can you tell an American when on a trip to another country? They wear shorts.

OTOH I see old films where women wore heels and suits to go shopping downtown in a big city. I say a big NO to that! It may look nice but those heels are a killer on the feet.

[yellow dahlia]

131. I agree w/ the basic civility answer.

I will add genuine apologies and "thank you"s.

Is deference an art?

Is listening an art?

[Diamond_Dog]

142. Yes to all three, yellow dahlia.

[Texasgal]

132. Cobbling.

My grandfather had feet that were two sizes, he had to get all of his shoes made. We used to have a several cobbler shops here in my city. They all made boots and shoes by hand.

My father just recently died, and we found his handmade little cowboy boots that he had when he was 4 years old in a box of things. They were still in pristine condition!

[Diamond_Dog]

143. Quality shoes are a thing of the past.

What a treasure finding your grandfather’s boots!

[CountAllVotes]

135. Being a printer

My father was a printer, the foreman of the shop at U.C. Berkeley on Oxford street in his prime.

He was a fine craftsman and a skilled artist.

And, he knew all there was to know about printing from the linotype to proof reader.

God I miss that fine man.

I sure wish he was here now!

He's been gone for close to 30 years now.

Lord knows how much I miss and love my late Dad.

[Diamond_Dog]

144. Your Dad sounds like a true treasure, Thank you for your post CountAllVotes..

I miss my time at the print shop. I worked with some very talented people.

[CountAllVotes]

156. I truly loved my father

Both he and his younger brother were printers, union printers, the East Bay Typographical I believe it was and the San Francisco Typographical Union as well.

My father was a Sargent in the Marine Corps. during WWII and was in Guadalcanal. He had malaria, Dengue Fever and Beri Beri from being in the tropics during that time. He lived to be 75 years old.

When he died, I sure took it hard, I remember that much!

Here's to you Dad

[chicoescuela]

151. Identifying sarcasm? Clearly a lost art here

[DBoon]

154. doing basic arithmatic by hand

[Wicked Blue]

161. Spelling

[Intractable]

163. When I misplaced my friend's framed and signed painting.

It was never found.