Thank God

Ricci Wright

Passed a cement company this morning as a big stake bed Ford was pulling in and noticed three more just like it ideling with their lights on in the parking lot. It was 5:20 am and my only thought was God that would kill me now.<P>
My Dad let me quit high school at 16. Actually I had really quit a year earlier as far as regular attendance and effort was concerned but this made it "legal" and I was quite pleased. Till 5:30 the next morning when my ex Gunny Sargent Old Man rudely disturbed my slumber and stuck a shovel in my hand. I spent the next few years digging footings and pouring cement slabs in the three large housing developments he had contracts for. Pouring cement, especially being on the end of a skreet board for hours at a time is the hardest work I have ever done and I hope I never have to work like that again.<P>
So as I sit here this fine morning in my new leather king size office chair anticipating the Black Silk coffee bubbling away in my desk mounted Mr.Coffee and ready my camera to photo the shiny S&W model 29 setting in its wooden presentation case, I offer a small prayer of thanks that it isn't me in that parking lot cause I'm pretty sure it would kill me. And all those guys would laugh at me for crying like a little girl.

jimdeere

I work in a crew that did the concrete work when they built the 4 lane through our county. I was 17 and was accustomed to work. But that job was HARD work!
When the truck pulls up, there?s no break until finished. I would go home at dark and crash, the ? old men? would go out drinking until 2am.
I did learn basic carpentry skills and a good hangover remedy.

SCOUT5

I understand. I've done some concrete work.

I started roofing when I was 12 years old. Packing shingles for 5 roofers along with the rest of the chores will toughen a kid up, but I'm paying for it as time passes. I roofed for 18 years. Every time I pass a crew doing a roof I thank god it isn't me. I need to get up on my own roof and do a little work and I keep putting it off.

mogley98

I can relate, I wanted to quit HS until I worked a summer with a brick mason from Hungary.

16 and came home ever day covered in white dust and hands raw from stacking 16 inch block or brick, went straight to bed. Tried keeping up with 5-7 brick layers supplying mud and brick or block. I went back to school in the fall and damn glad to do so!

Ditch-Runner

agree now I would last about 10 minutes if that
I spent my share of time with concrete , when a lot younger
I will add I had almost zero fat on me and looked liked I was competing in a weight lifting competitions during my construction days now my back and knees well all of me suffer from the abuse .
along with it carrying many thousands of concrete forms ( the 8'x2' especially ) over my time doing it
don't forget the 90 pound jack hammers ( hearing is shot ) and the smaller torture devises like a sledge hammers, picks and shovel

He Dog

Man, what a slacker. Your dad would not put up with that whimpering, and crying like a little girl. :twisted:

pulsarnc

Grew up on a working farm, corn ,tobacco,soybeans , hogs and a 30,0000 head capacity commercial broiler operation . Fertilizer came in 100 lb bags . No skid loader or bulk truck . It was all moved stacked loaded by hand . Brother in law had a water well drilling operation . Drilled wells when nothing else required my attention . 20 foot long sections of 2&7/8s drill rod will either build muscle or whip you . All done without a power break out table .try uncoupling 1500 foot with just pipe wrenches after drilling thru bedrock sometime ! Still love to watch a rig work . Like everyone else I know I wouldn?t last a day at it now

Wild Turkey

Growing up my dad farmed up to 3000 acres of wheat, milo and corn. Mostly irrigated.

When I was young we started out using siphon tubes. 4' long arches of aluminum tubing from 1 to 2 inches in diameter. 10 to 15 make an armload, then you have to walk in the mud to the new set and get the tubes dropped in place and then get them flowing (a trick in itself :roll: ) before the water in the ditch gets too high. Back for another load, repeat for between 60 and 300 tubes.

Soon converted to aluminum pipe, starting with 6" 20 long joints, the 8" 30' joints. By myself. By then I had my driver's license so he could just tell me which wells to take care of and go about his business.

Looked forward to football two-a-days. That was easier than moving pipe, but dad still needed me to help some days. Rest of the guys were surprised at how strong I was. Played starting tackle at 152 lbs my sophomore year.

How long were the days? I caught buddies parking with their girlfriends after the movie and I was still checking wells. Definatly hard on the morale.

Came home from college and started same routine the next morning. Didn't see anyone my age until I went back to college.

Got a degeree in something other than Agriculture!

Smitty500mag

Yep, I've been down that same old road. I told my mom I didn't need to go to school and quit when I was 17. I was going to go out in the world and make my fortune. I went to work at Hermitage Concrete Co. pouring concrete bridge slabs. Standing in the sun without any shade near while scrapping steel forms and oiling them and then tying re-bar into cages to set in the forms and then pour the concrete slabs every evening. Then cover the concrete in burlap and string sprinkler hoses on them to cure. Next morning pull the forms and start it all over again for another 10 hour day. Only thing I got out of that was a sun tan you wouldn't believe. I looked like a black boy with a white boy's legs.

After about a year of that I decided I would get into something a little easier. I started driving a wholesale milk truck. It didn't take long until I figured maybe my mom was right and I went back to her and said you know what mom. I think I might try that school thing again. She never said I told you so but I could see it in her eyes. The Prodigal Son comes home.