Semisane

Well, it seems everyone is willing to tell little personal stories. So I'll tell one of mine.

I never mowed lawns as a kid. When I was in 8th. grade I used my uncle's Underwood manual typewriter to type about 20 triple spaced lines like the one belowon a sheet of paper with three or four carbon copies (remember carbon paper?).

Quote:

I will wash your car in your own driveway. 50¢ Please call TU-5151.

Then I cut the pages into strips with that sentence on each strip and put them on a bunch of car windshields outside of churchone Sunday. Well, I got two car washing jobs within bycycle range of homefrom that. I would show up at the person's house with a garden hose, galvanized bucket, wash rag, scrub brush, wisk broom, and (glass) bottle of dish soap. I'd wash the car, scrub the tires, andbrush out the inside. Pretty soon through work of mouthI had a list of regularweekly or bi-weekly customers, and a few that would call when they wanted a wash. Some of themgave me 75¢or a dollar too! I did that all summer and for the first two years of high school, andhad more cash in my pocket than any of my buddies.

One thing for sure. Washing cars sure beat cutting grass in the summer in South Louisiana.

mountaineer magic

It's hard to sum up over 50 years in a paragraph but here s a link to the "clean version". If it doesn't work let me know and I will post it all here.
http://www.rezconnectionministries.c...et-s-Testimony

bronko22000

Powerfisher - Observation is an excellent asset to have.
Semi - I bet your fingers got really wrinkled washing all those cars.

Looks like most of us worked and earned our keep when we were young. Not so with a lot of the kids today. Many expect things to be handed to them. Reward, like trust, has to be earned. And that's all I have to say about that.

nchawkeye

My dad was a John Deere dealer in eastern NC...I started working there when I was 13, could rebuild a Deere diesel by the time I was 16...Dad passed when I was 20, I dropped out of college and mom and I sold the dealership and bought a farm...I went back to school, finished and moved to Atlanta and went to work for Deere...At 22 I was teaching diesel engines, transmossions, electrical systems and hydraulics for Deere...

I stayed with them 13 years, was put in sales and won trips to Auatralia, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Hawaii, Mexico, the Bahamas and traveled across the US...In 1990 the wife's dad passed, I was gone 130 nights a year and it was decided that I should leave and move back to NC to help with her mom...

We did this, I started working for myself in January of 1991...I stay on the phone all day finding sales reps for companies...

This St Patrick's Day is my 30th wedding anniversity...I have 3 daughters, 2 have graduated college and are working, one is married and had a son last November and one is getting married in June, the youngest is 17, varsity cheerleader and they won the State 2 weekends ago...

Underclocked

Mike, I hate to tell you... but the math most certainly better work. It might help you to know that he was 52 years old when I was born, my Mother was 32. By the time I was 13, crippling arthritis and the harsh toll of a lifetime of strenuous labor had pretty well debilitated him.I was 26 when he passed away.

My own life... the simple dash between DOB and DOD on my headstone will be replaced with "WTH??"

gregrn43

Well lets see. When I wasa young boy I worked on my Grandpa farm growing rice, cotton, wheat and soybeans in northeast Arkansas. Did that for a couple of years after high school. Then I worked 8 years for skil corp. making power tools. After that I worked 12 years for Dana corp making transmissions and axles for trucks and suv's,when they closed there doors here i had the chance to go back to school and Itook it. Spent 4 years in college getting my RN degree. Since then I have mostly worked in the ER's, I did a stent working in cardiac ICU for a spell, but I really prefer the ER. You never know whats coming through the front or back door. Have two kids, a daughter that is in her second year of RN school and a son who is in the 11th grade. A wife of 22 years that likes to hunt with me. My wife worked for 24 years at Skil corp. then they downsized big time, she took a layoff and went back to school and got her RN. When kids get grown and gone were gonna do some travel nursing. I would love to head to Alaska to work and do some hunting while I am up there. Lot of opportunties when the kids grow up. Well thats about my life.

alleyyooper

All very intresting. I agree about the kids today. Sorry to say My step son in my mind is really bad, as he usally only works 3 days a week and complains if he has to work more than 4 days. He is a bank teller for Chase. No he doesn't hunt fish or even shoot any longer.

Al

burntmuch

I worked part time jobs thru High school. Igave my mom 200 bucks a mth, plus bought a 76 Monti carlo. The first of my buddies to have a car. Did 3 years in the Army. Met my wife, Moved to Philadelphia for 2 years, My wife was a city girl. Moved back to Michigan with new wife. Went to the community college for 2 years, got myParamedic licence. worked on an ambulance for 3 years, then became a Fireman. Worked for a big city fire dept for 5 years got laid off. Hired on a medium size Fire department in a nicer town , No more shootings or stabbings, Less fires. On my off days I teach paramedic classes. I consider my self semi retired. especially Oct-- Jan. My wife couldnt have babies, so we adopted 3 at birth. Twin girls age 7 & a 18 mth old boy to date. Im 40 years old & up until this year I worked on average 70 hrs a week,(adoptions arnt cheap)This new years my wife asked me what Im gonna do this upcoming year. I told her Im gonna be totally selfish,Adoptions are ALMOST paid offWalleye fishing & hunting . No more crazy hours for me this year. She replied, Thats fine

spaniel

Interesting what everyone did to get some cash when they were young.

I was talking to my dad a little while back, lamenting how rare it is for people to stack square bales now, everyone has gone over to either round bales, big square bales, or doing the normal square bales in bulk and selling them to those who don't mess with them anymore.

I have been off the farm for years now, so I didn't realize, but my dad replied that the reason isn't that the new choices are better, easier or more convenient (most are a lot more wasteful) but that you just can't get local farm kids you can pay a reasonable wage that will reliably do any kind of real work anymore. Either they are not available (farm population is aging, fewer kids around), or just refuse to do any real work anymore. The few reliable, hard-working ones are usually tied up on their own family's farms making up for the reduction in available manpower.

statjunk

Some interesting lives that's for sure.

I grew up in Florida and I had a lawn mowing business as a kid. Did practically the whole block. Kept me busy and I too had more cash than all my friends. Went to college at the University of Florida and didn't work because I had scholarships and gov money. Some loans too. While in College I got my contractors license and ran a company with my uncle in south Florida. Since I didn't do a whole lot other than own the license I didn't see much of the profits but it did keep money in my pocket. Then went to graduate school in Michigan at Univ. of Michigan. Graduated with a Masters in Statistics and went to work in the music business. The music business was fun. Lots of free concerts and back stage passes. Met lots of stars especially country artists. They are the most down to earth anyhow. While working I also ran a remodeling company doing some small side jobs and mostly just flipping my own houses. I left the music business after 6 years and went to work for a bank. It's scary the level of stupidity that surrounds our money. I won't even go there. Anyhow, really learned a lot about the banking business while there. Still in the house flipping business but Michigan is the pits right now like most of the U.S. I was recently laid off, about two weeks ago, when the bank I worked for was purchased by a global distressed equity firm. Doesn't that just roll off the tongue?

I don't know what's next but I'm excited to find out.

Just for the record you guys are a bunch of old geezers!

Tom