Young at heart

Being a senior of 70 years and feeling young at heart and in fairly good health, I decided I needed to get a part-time job.
So I went looking! I am not a people person and I thought if I could find something at night I wouldn't have to be around a lot of other people.

 I applied for a job as a night watchman for a guard service. Since I am a senior citizen and not as productive as I used to be, I thought this would be a good fit for me. I went through the interview process and waited a few days to hear If I got the position. I finally decided to call and was told they had decided on one of the other applicants. This was a little disappointing for me because it sounded so good and was definitely something I could of handled with ease.
I continued my job search and it was not too long after that disappointment that I found another night time position cleaning carpets at the mall. I was assigned to a crew of 3 including myself. This is perfect for me I thought. It was 6 hours a night,4 nights a week.  I was adjusting to my sleep pattern and able to get a lot of other things done during my days off. This new job was working out real well for me.

A few weeks later my wife happened to mention to me that her friends husband was the person who got the guard position that I wanted so bad. She said that they had hired 3 people at the time of the interviews, and that one of them had just quit. They are now looking for  a replacement to use as a fill-in when needed. She said I should give him a call and just see if it would be something you could do.

 I called and said I was interested but, that I had another job and did not want this to conflict with it. They assured me they would work with my schedule if I wanted the job. I accepted the position and since I had already gone through the interview process I was hired that same day. My new schedule showed me working on the days I was off from my other job at the mall, and  I was surprised at the amount of hours they gave me but thought I could handle it.

Last weekend I did 34 hours of guard  duty with 6 hours of sleep, and am feeling very tired and worn out. I finally got a day off and was able to catch up on my rest and regain some of my lost energy, After a day and nights sleep I am feeling young at heart again, but my body is telling me to remember my age. I have the mindset to work that hard and hours but, my body can't keep up. I worked the night watchman's job for 3 months and then had to quit.

No matter what each day brings I will simply keep working and living to the best of my ability.

Earl Baldwin

Old Folks and Young Adults in the work force

As I age I am finding it harder to relate to the younger generation. It's all of this new language with one letter for a word or a text message that I can't read. Everyone is carrying a smartphone that they check about every few minutes. It seems that verbal communication is being lost to text-ting and email, and the only eye contact you can maintain is a few minutes in between checking their phone. It is becoming apparent to me that leisure time and gaming has taken the place of commitment to employers and work ethics of old.

 I retired from my Contracting business about 10 years ago but still very active in the workforce holding down 2 part-time jobs. Most of the workers I am around are much younger, and their values and ethics are so much different than mine. I have always been one to get to work early and be ready to go when I get there. Not so with the twenty-year-old's that I work around today. I work the early graveyard shift (9:00pm to 4:00am) on the janitorial crew for a large commercial business. When I come in the other crew is in their last hour and winding down from their daily housekeeping duties.

I usually arrive to see three or more sitting outside smoking and waiting for the time to pass by so they can get there hours in and then check out and go home. Often I have seen them leave the job  and then come back an hour or more later and clock out without finishing their job. Many times the last-minute cleanup chores for them before they leave are not done and left for us on the graveyard shift. In the last 3 hours of their shift, there is no supervision and there is a lack in their job performance. I have noticed a sharp decline in the morals and work ethics of today as compared to when I was their age.

Nowadays most companies are only hiring part-time employees and reducing benefits to save money. It is the same with the company I am currently employed with. Many of the new hires are not trained and only given very basic instructions on their job duties. It's no wonder our workforce and performance has declined, if there is only limited training and supervision.

As for me I will continue in the ways I have been taught and practiced. To do the best I can and go beyond what is expected of me. It's my way of staying young and simply living life to the best of my ability.

Earl Baldwin

Subaru and my 5 year old grandaughter

I had wanted a Subaru Outback for several years, so I finally decided to look for a nice used one. After checking several used car lots I found a 6 year old Outback that was in great condition. It had quite a few miles on it and the body and engine looked clean and in great shape.  The car was a dark Maroon and Silver color; just what I was looking for so I purchased it. I needed to get an all wheel drive because of the mountainous area I live in.
 
Our city sets right between two mountain ranges and surrounded by mountains on all sides with several ski resorts within a few hours drive. Since our streets are usually covered with snow and ice most of the winter Its almost a must to have all wheel drive capabilities.

I purchased my car in September and drove it all winter. Having no garage I had to park it in the driveway and let it weather the bitter cold and winds. I never had any problems with it not starting or going through any kind of weather. So I was very happy with my latest purchase.   We had a fair amount of snow that season and I was loving the way it got around. Like a lot of people I washed and waxed it once a week to keep it looking good and rust free.

Spring had come and the weather was warm when our Daughter and her two girls came to visit.They live about 350 miles away and usually come three or four times a year. The oldest girl, her name is Iz, and she is 5years old and loves to play outside. Iz was in the front yard one day collecting rocks for her collection and we were all in the house visiting.

My nephew looked out the picture window to check on Iz and see that she was ok and still rock collecting. He saw her with a rock in her hand and she was making marks on my nice shiny Maroon and Silver Subaru. He mentioned  that Iz was making marks on my car with a rock and her dad immediately went out and shouted at her WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO PAPA'S CAR? Iz stopped and looked at him and said " I was just drawing a picture of mountains".

She had started at the back of the car and scratched marks all along the side and around the hood and along the other side. I thought for sure he was going to spank her butt. As he looked at the marks he could see the landscape of the surroundings of our mountains. He pulled her aside and explained that we do not make marks on anybody's car. Then mama came out and was furious with her. Mom made Iz come inside and apologize to me for drawing pictures on my car. I went out and looked at it, and I could not get angry at her. Even thou it was upsetting, the drawing was a work of art. I came back in the house and got my camera and took a picture to keep as one of those great grand kid memories.

I took my car to the body shop where they were able to buff the marks out. Some of the marks were fairly deep but the polish filled in the gaps. Now it is back in the driveway looking bright and shiny again.

I am so proud of my daughter and son-in law for the way they handled the situation. I know it is difficult to restrain oneself in a time like that. Their visit is over and they are back home, and I have a photo that brings back fond memories and a smile.

Life is full of surprises and I am trying to simply live and enjoy it.

Earl Baldwin