I REMEMBER AS A CHILD
GROWING UP AT HOME WITH THE SAWMILL BUSINESS AND WORKING TIL 10 PM OUTSIDE
WITH MY DAD AND MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS. FORGET ABPOUT HAVING HOMEWORK
BECAUSE YOU NEVER GOT TO DO IT ANYHOW. WHEN WE WERE YOUNG WE WOULD NOT
MISS SCHOOL DUE TO THE FACT THAT IF WE DID WE WOULD BE WORKING BY
NOON.
WE WOULD BUILD OAK PALLETS IN THE CHICKEN BARN WITH CEMENT FLOORS
AND I DROPPED ONE ON MY FOOT AND IT SPLIT MY TOE. IT DIDN'T HURT
THAT BAD AT FIRST TIL WE WENT IN FOR DINNER AND THEN I TOOK MY BOOT OFF
AND THEN SEEN THE RED SOCK AND PEELED THAT OFF...BOY ! ONCE AIR GOT TO
IT; IT HURT THEN!
WE WOULD
LOVE IT IN THE WINTER TIME WHEN SNOWMOBILES WOULD COME DOWN THE ROAD AND
SWIPE OUR ELECTRICAL CORDS THAT WE HAD STRUNG TO THE SAWS THAT WE
WERE CUTTING LUMBER ON FOR PALLETS.
THAT ONLY LASTED ONE WINTER THEN HE
DECIDED WE WWOULD BUILD A SHOP ACROSS THE RAOD AND HAVE ELECTRICITY PUT IN
OVER THERE.BUILT THAT IN 1976 AND THEN WE DID LOST MORE WORK. AT THE TIME
I WAS ABOUT 11 YEARS OLD.
THEN IN 1979 HE HAD TWO MISFORTUNES ... FIRST
OFF IN MARCH: HIS CHICKEN BARN COLLAPSED WITH ABOUT 4000 BIRDS IN IT DUE
TO HEAVY SNOW AND ICE ON THE ROOF; AND THEN HIS MILLED ALSO BURN DOWN. SO
FOR THE NEXT FEW SUMMER MONTHS WE DID ALOT OF REBUILDING AND THE YEAR
BECAME VERY PROFITABLE WHEN ALL THRU.
ONE THING ALL OF US KIDS LEARNED
FROM GROWING UP WIHT THE SAWMILL WAS HOW TO "WORK HARD FOR THE
MONEY!"