One of my neighbors was a short,heavy set man that Dad called Patty the mad hatter. A sort of hometown entrepreneur I would say. I'm not sure he had a regular job per se but was always doing something. He had a scallop opening house but I'm not sure he ever went scalloping himself. I know he could mend and fabricate fishing nets. I saw him stretching that string between trees in the yard and then weaving the nets. What other enterprises he may have been involved in I cannot say.
Now Patty, sometimes called Dick, or mostly called Dick and sometimes Patty, I'm not sure which is the case, was from away. That is to say he wasn't a native born resident of the town. He came from up the Island or maybe even New York City. At one time he was a haberdasher, that is what my father told me, and a hat maker. Hence the nickname, Patty the Mad Hatter. How he wound up in East Hampton I don't know. How he came to acquire all the different skills he had I couldn't say either.
When I was very young my parents would go to play board games with Dick and his wife. My memories of that time are very vague. I remember them playing at his kitchen table. This was in the time of kids were to be seen and not heard. We, my sister and I , were told to play in the other room. There was no place for children in the room with adults. That changed when Dick lost his wife. Dick remained friends with the family, of course, but the dynamic had been changed.
I knew this man and he was a man with a bit of bluster about him. A man of strong opinions. A bit of a know it all, they used to say. He did have many skills that much was evident to me. Like the majority of men during this time and place, he was pretty much self sufficient. Carpenter, fisherman, mechanic or plumber, whatever was needed at the moment. I remember the truck that he drove for what seemed like forever. A blue Chevrolet panel truck circa 1964. His yard was usually filled with " junk " of some kind. Old boats, motors, fishing gear and at one point golf carts ! I recall he had about twenty five of those three wheeled Cushman golf carts. What his plan for them was I don't remember but he wouldn't sell me one. He did sell me an old self propelled reel type lawn mower. He told me it wouldn't run and that I could have it for five dollars. I bought that mower and got it to running. I asked him ( Dick ) if he needed his grass cut a few days later. He said yes and we agreed upon two dollars. When I started cutting that grass with the mower I had bought from him he got upset. He said, you're charging me two dollars to mow my grass with my mower ? I politely told him it wasn't his mower and I needed to earn my five dollars back. He didn't say more but was furious ! Dad talked to him and went away laughing.
You know William Shakespeare said all the worlds a stage and each of us must play our part,or something similar, and I enjoy looking at the characters in that play. I expect it is much the same everywhere but it sure seemed like we had quite a cast of characters when I was growing up. Their names and faces appear to me every now and again and it is a comfort. Makes me smile. Patty the Mad Hatter was one of those characters. One day I may speak of eel spear or owl eyes. Johnny chains comes to mind and OOH child. An interesting cast indeed.
I knew this man and he was a man with a bit of bluster about him. A man of strong opinions. A bit of a know it all, they used to say. He did have many skills that much was evident to me. Like the majority of men during this time and place, he was pretty much self sufficient. Carpenter, fisherman, mechanic or plumber, whatever was needed at the moment. I remember the truck that he drove for what seemed like forever. A blue Chevrolet panel truck circa 1964. His yard was usually filled with " junk " of some kind. Old boats, motors, fishing gear and at one point golf carts ! I recall he had about twenty five of those three wheeled Cushman golf carts. What his plan for them was I don't remember but he wouldn't sell me one. He did sell me an old self propelled reel type lawn mower. He told me it wouldn't run and that I could have it for five dollars. I bought that mower and got it to running. I asked him ( Dick ) if he needed his grass cut a few days later. He said yes and we agreed upon two dollars. When I started cutting that grass with the mower I had bought from him he got upset. He said, you're charging me two dollars to mow my grass with my mower ? I politely told him it wasn't his mower and I needed to earn my five dollars back. He didn't say more but was furious ! Dad talked to him and went away laughing.
You know William Shakespeare said all the worlds a stage and each of us must play our part,or something similar, and I enjoy looking at the characters in that play. I expect it is much the same everywhere but it sure seemed like we had quite a cast of characters when I was growing up. Their names and faces appear to me every now and again and it is a comfort. Makes me smile. Patty the Mad Hatter was one of those characters. One day I may speak of eel spear or owl eyes. Johnny chains comes to mind and OOH child. An interesting cast indeed.
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