Thank you - it seemed like a good idea at the time!Abraham wrote:Jim Beaux,
Working as a garbage man, you worked at a very hard, dangerous job.
Years ago, a friend of mine was a city manager and he extolled me with tales of his garbage guys getting hurt with broken glass and other horrors. These guys were constantly being injured.
Those with the courage to work at this particular job deserve big pay...
My hat is off to you SIR.
Seriously, Im proud of that experience. It wasnt as bad as it sounds.I was 16 and worked for a private collector in unincorporated/rural areas. The customers usually used two 55 gal barrels that we popped a hole in the side near the bottom to let most of the water drain. They worked well until the rusted bottoms burst out over our heads!
We picked up on Saturdays & got paid $15 regardless of how long we worked. Wasnt bad money if we worked fast, but sometimes it took 11-12 hours.
The truck was a stake bed with a lift for dumping....but one of us had to ride in the bed and stomp the garbage down as the 2 on the ground paired up to lift the heavy drums up overhead to the "stomper". Lawd it was hot & dirty work in the humidity of southeast Texas. It was common to find maggots & fire ants under our shirts.
First day on job - as was the norm, we ate lunch under a shade tree on the side of the road. My hands were black & grimy and I couldnt eat because there was no place to wash my hands....thought I would starve before the day was out. The next week, no problem...I wolfed down my 2 sandwiches in two grime laden gulps!
At the end of the day I wasnt allowed in the house until I stripped off in the back yard and showered using dish washing soap and the garden hose!
