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I can't remember the last time

Started by Jeff, February 22, 2009, 06:28:10 PM

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Jeff

Yesterday we had another snow storm. We got a little over 8" of snow, but this was very wet, heavy stuff. I've not been feeling good the last week or so, so was not looking forward to going out and shoveling it. The latest weather forecasting "computer models" have another storm coming in mid week with perhaps as much as 18" more.

A few minutes ago, Icey started carrying on and then there was a knock on the door. There stood a young man with a snow shovel. Probably around 14 to 16 years old. There were two more standing out in the road with shovels. He asked, "Would you like to have your Driveway and walks shoveled?"

Well, here in comes the title of this thread. I can not remember the last time when someone of this age group was out and about inquiring about doing work. When I was a kid we used to go looking for mowing jobs, or hay work, or anything we could find. Sometimes we would just ask people if they had any work they needed done.  I was very pleasantly surprised to have these fellows knock on my door.   To have the driveway plowed, it costs us $20 dollars.  I asked him how much he thought they needed and he said $10. I said go for it. :)  I can't believe how quickly they got done. Twice as fast as the plow truck takes.  I didnt even have to move the truck, they shoveled UNDER it before we could move it.

I dug in my pocket and found all I had was a ten and two ones. They got all of it cause 12 is easier to split 3 ways.  We told them if we get that big storm this week, and they wanted to come back, they had a job.  They said "WE'LL BE THERE!"  :)
Just call me the midget doctor.
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tonto

Jeff, isn't that refreshing. I am starting to wonder if the kids of today do anything but want to play video games and ask for money instead of earning it. I think a lot of it's how they are brought up but society as a whole has a lot to do with it. I would gladly pay $20 dollars to have my driveway shoveled but I don't have any youngsters knocking on my door!!!! Just think spring is just around the corner, don't send any of that snow our way. Can't wait to get back in the woods, Tonto.
Stihl MS441 & Husqvarna 562XP. CB5036 Polaris Sportsman 700 X2. Don't spend nearly enough time in the woods.

Larry

When living at home I looked forward to a snow as we would get the day off from school and I could make a few bucks shoveling snow...iffen I remember right didn't take much time for me to get tired of that...I liked mowing grass a lot better.

When I worked at the telephone company I would bid construction of new buried cable facilities.  Normal price for a splice pit dug with a backhoe was $300.  One smart contractor beat the going price by using 3 Mexicans equipped with shovels.  Sometimes hard work can out perform a machine.
Larry, making useful and beautiful things out of the most environmental friendly material on the planet.

We need to insure our customers understand the importance of our craft.

Warbird

That musta been quite refreshing.  Good for those young men.  BTW, send that snow up here. 

CLL

Jeff, just don't ask them to bale hay. They will work till noon and not come back, then have the nerve the next time they see you to ask you for a days work. 8)
Too much work-not enough pay.

isawlogs


Funny thing you bring this up  :)  I had our plow guy stop in when I got my new to me table saw and help me bring it inside , he had brought his girl friends 11 year old son with him . Ok by me . He asked to see the horses , pointed him that way and we where off the get the saw and what was needed to bring the monster in . It weighs in at 270kilos  :o  We mustled her in and into place , so we went to see the horses and it was time to feed them , well the kid had cleaned the aile , and had taken two square bales of hay close to the horses , and was now standing by the pen grooming the filly .

   He was glad to see we had finished and wanted to know how much and when they needed to get hay and if they could stay till then to be able , if I wanted , feed the horses .. all in one breath  :D :D  He got to feed them , put water in there tub and was welcomed back any time he wants .
  And I thought they where a thing of the past .  8)

  Oh , when he did make it back into the shop I got another round of questions .  :P  That kid is in the I got to know things group .  8)
A man does not always grow wise as he grows old , but he always grows old as he grows wise .

   Marcel

Radar67

Marcel, them are the best kind of kids. A little information goes a long ways to them, sometimes, they just need that little bit of attention to turn down the right path for the rest of there lives.

Before I was activated, I spent three years working with at risk kids and the majority of them just needed to be given a little attention and a little responsibility to get them on the straight and narrow. Then there were others who needed a lot of attention and other things to get them to see the light. ;)
"A man's time is the most valuable gift he can give another." TOM

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ErikC

  There is a few of them left, here and there, and it's good you noticed them :) 
  I echo the thought many kids need only a little attention and encouragement to head the right direction. A few times I have been involved with youngsters that were difficult, turns out the main reason why was no-one told them it was ok to do something called work. Once they tried it, they liked it. Others just need a little push in a definite direction. One of the worst things for kids is inconsistancy.  It is too bad there's so much of it.
Peterson 8" with 33' tracks, JCB 1550 4x4 loader backhoe, several stihl chainsaws

zopi

Next door neighbors kid came over one day and asked to help with the mill....had him unload a few boards and slabs...then told him to cut the rest down to the deck 1" thick....eyes like sofballs...

My kids will ask for jobs sometimes...most of the time it is like pulling teeth tho'
Got Wood?
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WildDog

I am lucky with my 2 oldest boys 14yrs and just on 17yrs, they are both hard workers, this afternoon after school they were swinging off a crow bar and post hole shovel digging 4 ft deep strainer post holes, then we got back to the house at 7:30 and they helped to pull down the septic pump and clean it out, a quick BBQ and then the 3 of us went out shooting fox's by spotlight and have just got back in at 11pm after field dressing a deer, the youngest is packing the meat in the fridge as I post this. When we finished the post holes the oldest said "Have you got the other holes pegged out? because we can dig them this week if your at work late.

These days I get 1 full day a weekend work out of them and they have 1 day to themselves, Rugby League season starts soon which means I spend Saturday driving them to games some of which are  500km round trip. They can see the time we give up for them and are mature enough to want to repay it with farm work.
If you start feeling "Blue" ...breath    JD 5510 86hp 4WD loader Lucas 827, Pair of Husky's 372xp, 261 & Stihl 029

Faron

We have 9 grandkids 8 years old and younger. We, meaning their parents and Chris and I, are trying to be sure to encourage a real work ethic in them from the start.  Each kid is different.  Some are natural go getters, and others need a little push.  My oldest grandson tends to feel Grandpa's work is boring, and I have had a little bit of a hard time getting him interested.  Last week a heifer had a calf that got chilled in high winds, and was on it's way out.  I took it to the house and put it in Chris's antique claw foot bathtub. :o  The grandkids showed up, and we worked two hours warming it up.  Ethan stayed overnight.  The calf spent the night on the floor in front of the corn burner.  I slept on the couch so I could monitor it.   I woke about 1 AM and there was Ethan, checking on the calf.  8)  I told him he better get back to bed, as he had school the next day, but I know he checked on the calf a couple more times during the night.  Next morning my wife smiled and said," Well, you have been trying to get that boy involved and motivated, now I think you have his attention!"  Apparently he had a pretty good story the next day at school, and sort of a Tom Sawyerish admiration from his classmates. :D  The calf has not fully recovered, and is a little stupid.  I am having to tube him, but I aim for this calf to survive, if only for Ethan's sake.
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for dinner.  Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote. - Ben Franklin

asy

Quote from: WildDog on February 23, 2009, 07:36:19 AM
I am lucky with my 2 oldest boys 14yrs and just on 17yrs, they are both hard workers,

Sounds like we need to get together sometime...   Our farm is just out of Casino, other side of the range to you :)

Oh, did I mention I have a 12yo daughter???   hehe...

Faron, that sounds fantastic, Good on Ethan! Please let us know how the calf does...

My Stephie's like that, she's a real animal whisperer. Doesn't matter what the animal is, she's not afraid of it, and she'll calm it down with her voice. Horrifies me sometimes. She'll walk up to the meanest looking dog or totally wild horse that's wandered onto our farm, and have it nuzzling her within minutes. She's unbelieveable. Wants to be a vet, and I can see she'd be good at it. Loves to go help her Auntie (My best friend, who's a vet). Unfortunately we live in different cities, but we're talking about her going to spend a couple of weeks each year during the summer holidays with Fran in the clinic. 

Summer holidays is the only one she has free, as we have three sets of holidays during the year, the Easter one is really short, the midyear one she has Performing Arts School and the October holidays she has to go to National Performing Art school - Both of which are sorta camps for the Australian Youth Choir, which she's in the Chamber choir of.

Sasha, who's 15 now, spent all Sunday clearing out the front yard with Andrew and I. He's really more of a computer kid, but will work if 'required' to.

Stephie, however, will offbear all day. Or spend the day building, or whatever is required. Loves farm work.

asy :D
Never interrupt your opponent while he's making a mistake.
There cannot be a crisis next week. ~My schedule is already full..

Maineloggerkid

We had about 2 feet of snow last night and this morning. The blowing and drifting casued it to be more than 5 feet deep in places. I went to work, and none of the roads were plowed. All of the plow trucks were off the road. I drove 30 miles one way, and the guy at work says " Were not doing anything today, you can just go home." So I came back home and made $165 plowing with the tractor.
JD 540D cable skidder, and 2 huskies- just right.   

Loggers- Saving the world from the wrath of trees!

SPIKER

I started my first job/jobs shoveling snow and  (summer after I was 9) mowing yards nearly full time around town, I had about 25 regular customers, shoveled snow in winter same people most of the time, usually charged way less than I should have but had all the work I wanted and lots of people to keep me going.  By time I was 14 I was working with my cousin same age we had a LOT of people his dad drove us around on weekend to the ones too far away, I was also working on several cars a month doing body work and painted the 1st one at 14.   times sure have changed and seems you got some of the good ones locally.   His dad got us working construction clearing land (pine plantation by hand, we had logs stacked 400+ feet 8' high) 8' for fencing and paper.   must have been 6 ~ 8 piles that way loaded up & skidded on rail/trailer and pulled with cat dozer through mud to the knees.  took most of the winter to clear that out for a development.   by that time my brother-n-law got me into the machine shop where he used to work making more money & wasn't soaked in mud.  sure was a lot more boring but made a good bit of learning from that.  once I graduated school jobs were getting scares so I went into military...  lots of fun back then were never setting around but my body sure is paying for it now.. :o :)

spent most of what we earned on cars, coffee and video games...   ::)  come to think of it we never had time to the girls (what the heck was I thinking!)  :D :D

Mark
I'm looking for help all the shrinks have given up on me :o

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