“… I could tell they was mine, from the oil and the gasoline.” ZZ Top

Jeans For the Task at Hand
What happens to an old pair of blue jeans in Texas? They just about never say die, that’s what happens! But one can tell what they went through along the way just by observing their many changes and surface wounds. The life expectancy of a “properly owned” pair of jeans is expected to be a long journey, they were built for this! Pictured here is maybe my oldest pair, probably for certain the oldest blue jeans I still own. And as I took them out of the dryer today [perfectly clean and ready-to-serve] I was surprised to see a new hole has now opened up in the front of the crotch wherein I said to myself, “maybe it’s time, time to finally let this one go, a pair that went from brand spanking new and all stiff and solidly denim dyed only to be worn down [over time], and with knees out I cut them off. Now they are only a remnant of what once was. I must admit once they get really old jeans are great for any dirty jobs around the house, especially outside or in the garage – painting, cleaning with chemicals, sawing wood, nailing, trimming and cutting foliage, hauling and you name it, my blue jeans were always ready for any thing. They expect to be called upon to complete the toughest tasks. That’s what I like most about blue jeans, they never complained, and were always ready for any job I chose to tackle.

The Life Cycle of a Pair
My jeans always went through a life cycle, a long arduous road from stellar new and uncomfortably stiff but very presentable, to worn in and comfortably faded, and at last, cutoff above the knee. There’s no better cure for what life brings you, or me, in this case. I have three pairs now that have cycled through years of use and are now left [as a reminder] in only cutoffs. I like to wear these ragged souls sometimes for grocery shopping or to big box stores along with an old raggedy faded t-shirt and unshaven just so I look like I don’t have two nickels to rub together. I love the looks I get as people stare, probably saying to one another – “look at that homeless guy over there, he’s probably hungry too, poor fella”. Then when they see me drive off in a late model convertible with the top down what can they say? “He probably stole that car, and the cops just haven’t caught up with him yet.” I love it! Remembering back when I was working it’s in keeping with what my largest clients always invariably did, they would come to my office wearing the most casual and worn clothes, and open toed sandals if that, to cover their feet. Because that’s how they rolled [through life]. Never judge a person or persons by their appearance, you’ll be wrong more than you’re right!

Any Born On Date?
Here was the question I wanted to solve, just how old are these jeans? I can only speculate on how much of my life these jeans have witnessed but it’s safe to say “quite a bit”. I’m nostalgic that way, always been a nostalgia kind of man. I looked all over this pair and found some old paint stains. One, a peachy color I used back in the early 2000s to paint a gameroom we had back then, maybe that came from then? Another color, a copper brown I used only 5 years back. This wasn’t getting me close enough to my answer so I searched it on the internet. Come to find out Levi Strauss & Co. does place a code [or two] that can serve as a “born on date”. It doesn’t mean they were purchased that month but at least one can get a good approximation of when they came into being. I found a tiny number on a tag that when I searched it the number indicates “the jeans were most likely produced in December of 1996”. So these old blue jeans are closing in on 30 years old! Wow – I’d say I got my money’s worth, huh?
Enjoy a great blues song by ZZ Top!