Looking for a gift to give your friend for their birthday? Want to know why your cat is peeing on everything in your house? Just trying to figure out what the hell to make for dinner?
Sometimes we just need some random life advice, and “old coots” who have lived a lot of life are the best people to give it to us.
The “old coots,” as they call themselves, are a group of retired friends who get together once a week. Even though that was fun, they soon realized they could be doing something more useful with their time.
We were sitting outside, bored stiff from talking to each other, and I said, ‘You know what? I’m going to get us a booth across the street at the farmers market, where we can give advice,
said Tony Caputo, 69, one of the OCs.
Tony did not wait around. The group set up a card table at a local farmers market with a sign that said,
Old Coots Giving Advice — It’s Probably Bad Advice, But It’s Free.
The plan was for people to stop by and get free help with whatever they needed that day.
The outcome? People seemed to have liked the idea a lot.
It started as a joke, but it’s become a phenomenon,
Caputo said.
Somebody told us the other day that we’re the most popular attraction at the market. We always listen carefully and don’t give gratuitous advice.
Since that summer, the group has been camping out at the market every Saturday and giving advice to the 30–40 people who stop by their booth each day. There’s only one rule: you can’t ask questions about religion or politics. But besides that, they are free to roam.
To be truthful, I’m not sure that any of us can claim to have much wisdom,
said John Lesnan, another OC,
but it sure has been a lot of fun. Maybe all of us coots really do have more to offer than we thought.
This idea is so cute! Would you ever go to the “Old Coots” booth to get free advice on how to live your life? We all could use it!
