You Know You Are Old When

[scootr]

When I was young I worked mowing lawns and shoveling snow for quarters not many dollars ... did both for free at home so I thought I was cutting a fat hog. lol
In Jr High School I got my first taxed job at 14 yrs. Lied on the application saying I was 16 and started washing dishes in the basement kitchen of a retirement home. $1.50 an hour in 1968. I washed the cooking pots, pan, utensils, and 3 dishes each for 400 residents after school each day. What a mess those old people made of their dinner plates but I netted nearly $40-45.00 a week! Which was great fun money in those days... allowing me to have have a jingle in my pocket for the girls.
From there I went to a private French restaurant where I got angrily fired for eating the beef stroganoff and pudding.
Finally to a clean sales job later and then to an auto mechanic school and pumping gas... ah the good ole days. Eventually settle on a construction job where I stayed in the trades for 35 yrs. Then self employed with an internet store to this day.

 

[MossRoad]

One of my first jobs was working at Dairy Queen around 1977. No grill back then. Just hot dogs and a crock pot for BBQ sandwiches, and a bun steamer. Girls waited the walk-up window and guys made the sandwiches and kept the place stocked and clean and made frozen stuff like dilly and buster bars. Somehow they were legally able to pay less than minimum wage. I think maybe something to do with small business. Anyhow, I started at $1.65 an hour. I quit in the summer to be a lifeguard.

Made a lot of good friends at DQ that we're still in touch with today. Met my future wife working there. She continued to work there odd shifts even after we were married in the mid 80's. We stayed friends with the owners until they both passed away just within the last 10 years.

 

[Jstpssng]

When you're talking to a woman young enough to be your granddaughter, and she starts showing pictures of her grandkids.
Then again, when I was younger than her I met several women who had their first kid at 16. One was a grandmother at 34.

 

[MossRoad]

When you're talking to a woman young enough to be your granddaughter, and she starts showing pictures of her grandkids.
Then again, when I was younger than her I met several women who had their first kid at 16. One was a grandmother at 34.

I just bumped into a woman last week that I worked with 30 years ago. She had her first child at age 16. That child had her first child at age 16, so grandma at 32. A year later, the lady had her 2nd child at age 33. Then TWINS! at age 35.

She said that while having a baby at age 16 was not the wisest decision, she got married to the father, they got their act together, made a great life for themselves and got to the point where they could have more children and be able to support them properly. All has worked out well for all of them.

 

[JethroB]

One of my first jobs was working at Dairy Queen around 1977. No grill back then. Just hot dogs and a crock pot for BBQ sandwiches, and a bun steamer. Girls waited the walk-up window and guys made the sandwiches and kept the place stocked and clean and made frozen stuff like dilly and buster bars. Somehow they were legally able to pay less than minimum wage. I think maybe something to do with small business. Anyhow, I started at $1.65 an hour. I quit in the summer to be a lifeguard.

Made a lot of good friends at DQ that we're still in touch with today. Met my future wife working there. She continued to work there odd shifts even after we were married in the mid 80's. We stayed friends with the owners until they both passed away just within the last 10 years.

We have fond memories of the original Dairy Queen/Brazier nearby. Walk-up windows then sit on your car until your number was called. The Deluxe burger .

Then it was replaced in the mid 70’s by the corporate type store nearby. The food was never the same. The flavor is still there but Poor quality meat?

 

[MossRoad]

A not so fond memory of that Dairy Queen was being held at gunpoint in the parking lot.

Fortunately, I talked my way out of it. I was 16. Yikes!

 

[MoKelly]

A not so fond memory of that Dairy Queen was being held at gunpoint in the parking lot.

Fortunately, I talked my way out of it. I was 16. Yikes!

When I was 16, I worked at a place called Pope’s Cafeteria in a large mall.

I worked Monday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings and 6-3 on Saturdays.

One Sunday, 4 thugs entered thru the back bay at 6am (door was unlocked as that is how employees entered) and shot to death 4 of the employees and robbed the safe.

It could have easily been a Saturday v Sunday.

I think about that almost everyday for over 40 years now.

The restaurant closed shortly thereafter.

The thugs were caught, convicted and all 4 died in jail.

 

[ultrarunner]

When I was 16, I worked at a place called Pope’s Cafeteria in a large mall.

I worked Monday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings and 6-3 on Saturdays.

One Sunday, 4 thugs entered thru the back bay at 6am (door was unlocked as that is how employees entered) and shot to death 4 of the employees and robbed the safe.

It could have easily been a Saturday v Sunday.

I think about that almost everyday for over 40 years now.

The restaurant closed shortly thereafter.

The thugs were caught, convicted and all 4 died in jail.

Several of my family have stared at the barrel of a gun and had close range shots fired… brother was all night cashier and the glass held…

Dad not so lucky but was able to deflect the hand so the shots missed him…

 

[otlski]

When I was young I worked mowing lawns and shoveling snow for quarters not many dollars ... did both for free at home so I thought I was cutting a fat hog. lol
In Jr High School I got my first taxed job at 14 yrs. Lied on the application saying I was 16 and started washing dishes in the basement kitchen of a retirement home. $1.50 an hour in 1968. I washed the cooking pots, pan, utensils, and 3 dishes each for 400 residents after school each day. What a mess those old people made of their dinner plates but I netted nearly $40-45.00 a week! Which was great fun money in those days... allowing me to have have a jingle in my pocket for the girls.
From there I went to a private French restaurant where I got angrily fired for eating the beef stroganoff and pudding.
Finally to a clean sales job later and then to an auto mechanic school and pumping gas... ah the good ole days. Eventually settle on a construction job where I stayed in the trades for 35 yrs. Then self employed with an internet store to this day.

Was the stroganoff good?
yeah, that was my takeaway...

 

[masseyrider]

When I was 16, I worked at a place called Pope’s Cafeteria in a large mall.

I worked Monday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings and 6-3 on Saturdays.

One Sunday, 4 thugs entered thru the back bay at 6am (door was unlocked as that is how employees entered) and shot to death 4 of the employees and robbed the safe.

It could have easily been a Saturday v Sunday.

I think about that almost everyday for over 40 years now.

The restaurant closed shortly thereafter.

The thugs were caught, convicted and all 4 died in jail.

Survivor guilt.
I was supposed to be going up to a cottage with a couple close friends but got called in for an extra shift at work.
We thought nothing of having a few travellers along the way.
Getting close to the destination they went off the road and hit some trees.
Post mortem showed high alcohol levels.
I know I would have been one of them.
Every year I visit their graves have a shot and leave one for them.
For 46 years now there hasn't been a day I don't think of them.