This was touched upon very slightly in the "unfortunates" thread and I thought it might be interesting to read about each other's background, whether it be growing up on the farm, your first job, the way life used to be, what you learned from dad, etc.

As for me, I grew up with chickens. Lots of 'em. My dad's egg-laying houses contained 10,000 chickens. My mom's broiler house contained 2000. My grandparents had another pair of egg-laying houses with another 10,000 of the stupidest animals ever to wander the planet. So guess what I grew up doing? Yep, I picked up eggs. Lots of eggs. Eggs, eggs, eggs. God, I hated eggs. During the peak months of the summer, we would gather 10,000 eggs PER DAY on my dad's farm alone. Seven days a week. Chickens don't care what day it is. They're gonna screw each other and lay eggs. Every damned day.

I started doing this when I was old enough to physically reach the nests (probably about 7 or 8). Didn't get paid for it either (pay attention kids: working was expected of you). What a God-awful job. When I finally got old enough to get a "real" job, I was THRILLED with the prospect of flipping burgers at the local McD's for $4.50 an hour (minimum wage was $3.75 at the time). It took me several years to understand why dad made me pick up eggs. It taught me appreciation, work ethic, and responsibility.

Now, I look at my younger cousins and (with the exception of one) I haven't seen them break a sweat. I worry about the next generation, I really do.

Enough about me...

Keith
Unique Motorcars
Southern Automotive
Bruce Bunn (the painter)

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