Saturday, February 4, 2012

odd jobs




Last night I dreamed I was driving the Sr. Citizens' bus.
I actually dreamed I was stepping on all their ears too.
This after watching Dumbo...I hope.
Anyhoo...
It made me think of all the jobs I have had.
I drove the Senior Citizen bus one whole summer.
It was a blast.
It was part of my college practicum.
I had to work in the senior home,
and I was employed by the local RSVP
(retired senior volunteer program)
and no I didn't have a salary.
I paid them...for education.
My degree...Home Ec./Family Services.
I did time in a child care program too.
It all is coming in handy now, huh?
I also worked summers in a local paper factory.
That taught me a lot about life.
There was a lot of drama and
a lot of tomfoolery going on there.
I got an education very quickly on how not to behave.
They made cups, lids, and paper plates.
I worked on the plates one summer,
and a couple of Christmas breaks,
and was a material handler one summer.
To this day my family says...
Well, Son of a cup maker.
Nicer than the usual sentiment.
Use it, it's fun to say.
Another summer the factory wasn't hiring
so I worked at a local restaurant...
The Country School.
I was the girl in the ugly rust polyester dress,
in the back
filling the orders. 
I was the one who said "order up".
I was also the one who ate the chicken liver 
when it fell out of the basket.
The bosses were great and it was a fun job
even if I went home smelling like a fry.
We got married just before my last semester
and I drove to school.
This is when I worked unpaid at the daycare.
After graduation it was 1981.
The Reagan administration had cut many social programs.
I couldn't find a  job.
I went to work for one month 
for a local marketing service company.
They gave market advice for the stock market.
The owner was weird.
He was seriously disturbed.
I had no idea what I was doing and
he really didn't know what he was doing.
Luckily for me, an aide job 
came available at the school. 
I was the aide for a boy
with Down Syndrome who was
mainstreamed into first grade.
(Isn't God smart?)
I worked there that year and 
then had my first child, Annie that June.
I stayed at home from then on
and had 4 more babies in the next 4 years.
During the years I was raising kids though,
I always had a job to earn extra money.
I babysat a couple of extra kids.
I sold Longaberger baskets for a time.
(There a many, many in storage in the top of the shed) 
I substitute taught (worst job ever).
I sold antiques and did antique shows.
( again, many in the shed)
I cleaned houses.
We bought the trailer park 
and had/have rentals.
I farmed with my husband and father in law
during harvest( loved it)
and did the farmer's wife "go-for" and
"meals on wheels" thing.
Then Annie had Aubrie.
I fell head over heels.
I retired from the antique shop,
and farming
(but not the "go-for and cook thing).
Now I keep the grand kids 
and visit my folks.
I get paid with hugs and kisses
and lots of memories.
It is the best job yet.
It's what I still wanna do, when I grow up.


 

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14 Comments:

At February 4, 2012 at 10:46 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

God is smart, indeed.

I was a Home Ec./Family Services major for a while...wonder if they still have that major?

you seem like you would have fun in almost any situation!

 
At February 4, 2012 at 10:49 AM , Blogger Abbie said...

you forget....zac saw dollar signs, not baskets...so now they sit in my shed...for a year and a half. i am glad you babysit, cause my baby is gonna love you so bad and come home spoiled rotten and that makes me happy.

 
At February 4, 2012 at 10:55 AM , Blogger Unknown said...

1. I am always amazed at how smart God is.
2. I drove elderly deaf and deaf blind people around in one of those big vans for a few summers.
3. I never worked in a factory but a good friend of mine worked at the crayola crayon factory. Lots of tomfoolery there too.
4. My first job, delivering newspapers from 5th grade to 9th grade... every morning at 5:30am. I still can't believe I did it but it has a lot to do with who I am today. What life lessons I learned walking and riding my bike around delivering papers.

Now totally off subject...I am typing this while getting a pedi and someone is here with those pajama jean things on. I knew you were smitten with them. ;)

 
At February 4, 2012 at 11:01 AM , Blogger Reality Jayne said...

that was a good blog topic...I got alot of life lessons from odd jobs, as well

 
At February 4, 2012 at 11:03 AM , Blogger Joy said...

I love this post.

the God knew, the tomfoolery, the Son of a cup maker, the polyester dress...

You know exactly what I want to read about.... so amazing.

xxoo

 
At February 4, 2012 at 11:32 AM , Blogger *Reading Between the Lines* said...

Hey...I am glad I found your blog from following another blog. 8~)
I love reading what you write...I even imagine your voice saying the words.
Thanks for sharing your life with us.
Take care,
Nancy

 
At February 4, 2012 at 1:25 PM , Blogger Brandee Shafer said...

Great post. Amazing how you can look back and see how God's prepared you. I think waiting tables was huge for me. It helped me learn to multitask insofar as I CAN multitask, which, honestly, is not very well. It also taught me about balance (figurative and literal). It taught me a huge lesson about doing your best and letting the rest go. Wow. I'm really on a roll. Perhaps I will blog about this, sometime. You always inspire me, Janie. You're a very special everything you are.

 
At February 4, 2012 at 1:32 PM , Blogger Rebecca said...

Well, Son of a CupMaker! Except for that (cup making) and the go-for farmer's wife, I've had a lot of your experiences! And yes, God IS smart. My summer factory job was weaving wires in large strips of burlap to go inside of car seats. I worked with a couple of friends from high school. One quit early cause she was loosing her mind. I stuck it out.

 
At February 5, 2012 at 1:42 AM , Blogger flower power momma said...

Wow a shed full of baskets and antiques! A few years ago I would have loved scrounging around in that treasure trove. Now I just need to clean out my own shed AND garage closet to feed that need. :)
When I was 51 I finally figured out what I want to be when I grow up... a wife and mom. Good thing since I was blessed to do. Along with stints in various forms of baby sitting, retail, schools, and now am part time librarian and florist. Toss in the farmers daughter hat I wear proudly too, and I know it's been a blessed life.

 
At February 5, 2012 at 11:36 AM , Blogger Jodi said...

Yes, God is very smart :) And He picked the best person for the job. You're awesome. And those grandies sure are blessed. xx

 
At February 5, 2012 at 12:45 PM , Blogger The Boston Lady said...

It's so interesting how our first jobs shape the adults we are to become. I always babysat as a young teen which prepared me to be a stay-at-home (is there really such a thing? C'mon, I was always busy tearing around with the kids or with the school as a volunteer) mom. In college I worked as a stripper - seriously! I had to put magnet strips down the binding of each book as they were getting a new automated system. That taught me that I never wanted to do that again! Then after graduation (advertising major) worked at the local paper in classified advertising where I was taught how to get along with 50 women everyday. I learned how sometimes women are not very nice to each other and vowed I would never be like that. I've done all sorts of odd jobs while my kids grew up - data entry (listened to the whole OJ trial while I did that one), ran a video library with my husband, helped him with his insurance business. But like you Janie, my best work was my children which I know will pay great dividends when the grands start coming. Can't wait! Ann

 
At February 5, 2012 at 1:15 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I just love a girl who eats the rogue chicken liver. My sisters and I used to fight over the livers at Sunday dinner. Your blog is officially now my favorite. Like I said once before, your blog is the only one I would still read without pictures. It is nice to have a good laugh and you certainly deliver there. Your family is very lucky to have you, but I think they know that.

Jenny

 
At February 6, 2012 at 6:17 AM , Blogger SZM said...

Yay...all caught up! Whew! I love you and your whole family. Your stories slay me.

 
At February 10, 2012 at 12:38 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

They do still have the home ec/family services major. I graduated with it in 2006. You can't find a job with it that will pay your student loans but at least I can say I use my degree every day! Love this post, might have todo a similar one

 

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