Ok, my dad always wanted me to appreciate the opportunity of attending college because no one in my family had ever done so before me. He always said, "Son, I want you to make a living using your mind, not your back," Sooo...in the summer time he would get me these really crappy manual labor jobs. The worst was loading cross ties that had been salvaged from the railroad. Another kid and myself went to work each day for the county and basically loaded wet, muddy, slippery, nasty, stinky, HEAVY cross ties on the backs of state body trucks from 6 a.m. until 3 p.m. with a 30 min. lunch and (2) 15 min. breaks. We had to wear steel toed boots, jeans and long sleeve denim shirts but that didn't keep the spinters out of your arms and the creosote would burn. The heat and humidity were awful too...especially the humidity. They kept the cross ties stacked with sprinklers on them so that no one could come by and set them on fire.
It was awful but I was lucky enough for him to be able to "Get" me that job two summers in a row...
Anyway, he is gone now and eventhough I hated it then, I sure appreciate what he was trying to teach me now.
It was awful but I was lucky enough for him to be able to "Get" me that job two summers in a row...
Anyway, he is gone now and eventhough I hated it then, I sure appreciate what he was trying to teach me now.
Last edited:


