Hi Dean, I hear your remarks about manual labor . I have been a stone mason for 50 years. I’ve worked in many countries and states. I started my international work with US Peace Corps in Gabon , building schools , gardens , water systems , etc. I was working in Afghanistan right before the collapse of US/NATO. I basically build many things related to masonry and food growing systems , I can build an earthquake proof home from the dirt under your feet . I have had my main business in California , Bay Area for 40 years, there is ZERO interest in manual labor among young American men. Most of my employees are un documented Mexican guys , very hard workers but also mostly not interested in learning a trade . I will leave this world without teaching anyone how to build a bread oven , fireplace , fishpond , foundation for a home , earthen housing , etc . Mostly because people see hard work as an insult to their ego.
We build extremely beautiful things , I pay very good money to my workers , but in this culture , hard physical work is not honored or respected . So yes tell people to make things ! Use your
hands , mind , heart and spirit ! Tell them !! It will fall on deaf ears . Go fucking write code , bitches !!!!!
I sure could appreciate a man like you - On my ranch!
Although, I do not believe it is the hard work that is unappreciated. I believe it to be, the appreciation of the outcome of the labor involved to create, beautiful works of art, that have become less appreciated!
I agree, I would convince my workers that we were building something beautiful . I would always try to make them feel that they did the beautiful work . I would put them in front of me . I learned this while working in Africa . I wanted the men to feel that they built the schools for their children , not some foreigner . But I became their friends and we had a great time working together . I feel the best thing I could give my helpers was pride in their work.
I always put my workers first and was sure to pay them first before myself , and I wanted them to always feel respected.
When we worked , we were often in the position to deal into history. We built things that could stand next to anything built in the last 2,000 years.
I hear those stories of Trump not paying his employees also . I wish he would speak on it .
This type of person that has the resources and does not nurture the people around them is a bad sign . I hope it’s not true . It would be a huge character flaw.
Children in/of the past fifty years, have been brought up to disrespect, spend money they do not have and to be lazy. I say, send them back to their parents, not become wards of an prison. One with who knows who teaching, disciplining and robbing them of their best and formative years in/of their life. Give them back their ability to reason, to know what love is, to think, to have integrity, morals and scruples.
I worked for a stone mason as a laborer back in my early 20's. I remember those days. End of the day I was covered in mortar. I ran the mixer, moved it to them in the barrow, and also moved the stones to them. I liked it though. It was hard work, but I enjoyed it. Ironically, that big job that summer was building a mansion for........you're right....a politician. We ended up pulling off the job halfway through because.......you guessed it.......they were slow paying the boss. He was fed up with their "political politician-type" excuses on the slow pay. No pay, no way. Aren't there stories that Trump pulled this to people working on his buildings too? Well, I experienced it. My boss paid me but that money at the end came from him - not the homeowner.
The slow-pay affected us too. We started working half-days because the boss was waiting for that coin. It never came. We all know that the politician wouldn't DARE get his hands dirty and finish that job. They get their hands dirty, but not in that way.
Hi Marten , Thanis for your comment , I agree with you .
I am still working , without employees , it is great fun to do my work and keep all the money I earn. Currently I am building my own self sufficient farm.
Which is a great joy to bring a lifetime of work experience home to build for myself and family . I am almost 70 years old. In great health due to my work . The adventure continues !
This really rang true with me. I did the same thing, fell for many get-rich-quick schemes. However I still have Amway products (knives) that I bought 30 years ago! I studied the stock market, first as a day trader but thought I don't want to live my life like this, then followed Warren Buffett's method but I found that none of it made any sense. There were no patterns to it. And people spent years trying to work it out. It is exactly as you say - a casino. Yard sales are awesome and this is a way we can start a people's currency. For every dollar spent at a yard sale, the same amount could go to the people's currency as it would not need Fed notes at all. It's a way to get a local currency started, through yard sales. We cannot develop our own currency if we don't record our transactions! Any way to beat the fed should be enough incentive.
I know a guy, who thinks he is very powerful and has friends in high places. He believes in progress his way, and that he can destroy bridges that communities depend on, as long as this profits him. It's all about the glory of real estate, and designing slums around older slums. Sound like anyone you know? If not, don't worry. He'll be by soon enough. Be prepared for a fight to reclaim your life.
I'll have to get that book too. I would give advice to any young fellow to get into a trade. I played hockey growing up and once I fell short of the pro's I played "Beer League" or Senior hockey. I met a lot of friends and was on a team. The team had painters, carpenters, and salesmen. One guy owned a factory. I worked part-time with the carpenter and painter (painted mansions for some politicians too). Learned a lot from those men!
Fast forward to today. I used some carpentry skills to renew parts of my 1950's built garage. Before that, I built my own trellis's for my amazing grape tree/vine. Door in the old house wasn't shutting good. I got out a plane and shaved some wood off the door and re-painted it and it shut fine.
Right now, as I write this, I'm still working on this garage. Now, I'm about to paint it. However, I didn't just walk out there and say time to paint. Nope. I first power-washed it. Then, I spent days scraping it with a scraper tool. Then, I started sanding it using an old Black and Decker sander I had lying around in that garage. I spent days and did every single part of the garage. Taking off the old surface which likely had some rot-starting and now its fresh wood again. Very hard manual labor work. I'm mid-to-late 40's by the way, but I can still hold my own. I put wood filler into many areas where there were literal holes and cracks of the wood. I will go back through and sand those too. I've had to get new lumber for some restoration, but also have had to take the old nails out and put new ones in in only a few areas (where adding new lumber was not going to work). Finally, after countless hours I"m close to painting. Painting will be the easy part. That will be nothing compared to what I've already done.
One thing I will mention, is I don't take short-cuts. I do thorough work. No short-cuts. Do it right even if it isn't something you love to do. Let me tell you, scraping that down was not something I jumped up and down about. However, I didn't take a short-cut.
A few months ago or less, my wheelbarrow busted. Oh, that plastic crap. I threw a top-soil bag in it and the bottom cracked all the way through. I was a little upset. I bought it a few years back. I could've just went and bought a new or used one somewhere. But, I was pissed. So, I made it a project. I found a "STEEL" barrow on Craigslist. Went and picked it up for $25. Problem was it was rusted bad when I got there. I have a dual-wheel by the way. Those are so much better than single wheel barrows. I took it home and got to work. I used an angle grinder and grinded all the rust off of it down to the metal (after dis-assembling both wheel barrows that is). It was a lot of grinding. Sparks were flying. Then, I painted a primer coat of Rustoleum on it. Then, some Rustoleum black 2 coats. The holes didn't line up to the frame. I had to drill 2 new holes at the front. With the old holes, I used some steel bondo. You could barely tell there were old holes. I also grinded the rust off the frame/handles, etc. And re-painted them too. Barrow complete. Now, I have a steel barrow that should last me a long time and then some.
I've always thought that we all have abilities and skills, but we have to give ourselves a chance to use them or to hatch them so to speak. That's why I like working on new projects. I like to challenge myself. I learn something new every time. I'm using a new tool every time. I gain confidence every time. People need to give themselves a chance. Take a class at a wood shop. Take a pottery class. One thing is is I don't watch TV. I didn't even know who won the "selection". I was busting it on that garage until 9 p.m. with a work-light. I came in and I ate something. I never cared who they tell me is going to run my life for the next 4 years because I consider they won't run my life at all.
I also meant to say that I see the purpose of life to design, build, create, and learn. The rest of my life will be dedicated to thee above. I won't be wasting time with entertainment, or people that are not on this path.
Thank you Dean! I also came to similar conclusions about my own life. I felt that I didn't have a lot of skill sets & didn't want to just be an endless consumer, so I decided to teach myself how to bake. I am learning to work with heirloom grains & make bread from them. It is a lot different than working with modern traditional wheat. Once I have that tackled I will move on to other types of baking. But I have always enjoyed physical labor. I owned a house cleaning & home organizing service & pet sitting business. My husband & I still mow and rake our own yard & clean our own house. There is something rewarding about doing things yourself. Plus you develop your own personal skillset and a real sense of accomplishment. Nobody should be ashamed of doing manual labor. And living below and/or within your means is a lost mindset these days.
I appreciate and enjoy the things you share about your life; Thank You. 😊🤍 I haven't had much luck with garage/yard sales, better on Craigslist b4 it became insane, afraid to join Tracebook though I keep finding a deleting their programs in my android data files. 🙄 Would love to remove some things from my home soon, perhaps I'll give it another try; thanks for the suggestions. 😁
Hi Dean, I hear your remarks about manual labor . I have been a stone mason for 50 years. I’ve worked in many countries and states. I started my international work with US Peace Corps in Gabon , building schools , gardens , water systems , etc. I was working in Afghanistan right before the collapse of US/NATO. I basically build many things related to masonry and food growing systems , I can build an earthquake proof home from the dirt under your feet . I have had my main business in California , Bay Area for 40 years, there is ZERO interest in manual labor among young American men. Most of my employees are un documented Mexican guys , very hard workers but also mostly not interested in learning a trade . I will leave this world without teaching anyone how to build a bread oven , fireplace , fishpond , foundation for a home , earthen housing , etc . Mostly because people see hard work as an insult to their ego.
We build extremely beautiful things , I pay very good money to my workers , but in this culture , hard physical work is not honored or respected . So yes tell people to make things ! Use your
hands , mind , heart and spirit ! Tell them !! It will fall on deaf ears . Go fucking write code , bitches !!!!!
I sure could appreciate a man like you - On my ranch!
Although, I do not believe it is the hard work that is unappreciated. I believe it to be, the appreciation of the outcome of the labor involved to create, beautiful works of art, that have become less appreciated!
I agree, I would convince my workers that we were building something beautiful . I would always try to make them feel that they did the beautiful work . I would put them in front of me . I learned this while working in Africa . I wanted the men to feel that they built the schools for their children , not some foreigner . But I became their friends and we had a great time working together . I feel the best thing I could give my helpers was pride in their work.
I always put my workers first and was sure to pay them first before myself , and I wanted them to always feel respected.
When we worked , we were often in the position to deal into history. We built things that could stand next to anything built in the last 2,000 years.
I hear those stories of Trump not paying his employees also . I wish he would speak on it .
This type of person that has the resources and does not nurture the people around them is a bad sign . I hope it’s not true . It would be a huge character flaw.
Children in/of the past fifty years, have been brought up to disrespect, spend money they do not have and to be lazy. I say, send them back to their parents, not become wards of an prison. One with who knows who teaching, disciplining and robbing them of their best and formative years in/of their life. Give them back their ability to reason, to know what love is, to think, to have integrity, morals and scruples.
I worked for a stone mason as a laborer back in my early 20's. I remember those days. End of the day I was covered in mortar. I ran the mixer, moved it to them in the barrow, and also moved the stones to them. I liked it though. It was hard work, but I enjoyed it. Ironically, that big job that summer was building a mansion for........you're right....a politician. We ended up pulling off the job halfway through because.......you guessed it.......they were slow paying the boss. He was fed up with their "political politician-type" excuses on the slow pay. No pay, no way. Aren't there stories that Trump pulled this to people working on his buildings too? Well, I experienced it. My boss paid me but that money at the end came from him - not the homeowner.
The slow-pay affected us too. We started working half-days because the boss was waiting for that coin. It never came. We all know that the politician wouldn't DARE get his hands dirty and finish that job. They get their hands dirty, but not in that way.
I'm a 75 years old Carpenter, I know exactly what you mean, and Kudos for your post !!!! And I'm still working !!!!
Hi Marten , Thanis for your comment , I agree with you .
I am still working , without employees , it is great fun to do my work and keep all the money I earn. Currently I am building my own self sufficient farm.
Which is a great joy to bring a lifetime of work experience home to build for myself and family . I am almost 70 years old. In great health due to my work . The adventure continues !
Excellent Dean less is more. Get out of debt and live below your means. Learn to be self sufficient from being a maker to self protection.
Really love that, great advice already on it on so many levels. Lets keep fighting! ✊😎👍
This really rang true with me. I did the same thing, fell for many get-rich-quick schemes. However I still have Amway products (knives) that I bought 30 years ago! I studied the stock market, first as a day trader but thought I don't want to live my life like this, then followed Warren Buffett's method but I found that none of it made any sense. There were no patterns to it. And people spent years trying to work it out. It is exactly as you say - a casino. Yard sales are awesome and this is a way we can start a people's currency. For every dollar spent at a yard sale, the same amount could go to the people's currency as it would not need Fed notes at all. It's a way to get a local currency started, through yard sales. We cannot develop our own currency if we don't record our transactions! Any way to beat the fed should be enough incentive.
I know a guy, who thinks he is very powerful and has friends in high places. He believes in progress his way, and that he can destroy bridges that communities depend on, as long as this profits him. It's all about the glory of real estate, and designing slums around older slums. Sound like anyone you know? If not, don't worry. He'll be by soon enough. Be prepared for a fight to reclaim your life.
Hello Dean,
I'll have to get that book too. I would give advice to any young fellow to get into a trade. I played hockey growing up and once I fell short of the pro's I played "Beer League" or Senior hockey. I met a lot of friends and was on a team. The team had painters, carpenters, and salesmen. One guy owned a factory. I worked part-time with the carpenter and painter (painted mansions for some politicians too). Learned a lot from those men!
Fast forward to today. I used some carpentry skills to renew parts of my 1950's built garage. Before that, I built my own trellis's for my amazing grape tree/vine. Door in the old house wasn't shutting good. I got out a plane and shaved some wood off the door and re-painted it and it shut fine.
Right now, as I write this, I'm still working on this garage. Now, I'm about to paint it. However, I didn't just walk out there and say time to paint. Nope. I first power-washed it. Then, I spent days scraping it with a scraper tool. Then, I started sanding it using an old Black and Decker sander I had lying around in that garage. I spent days and did every single part of the garage. Taking off the old surface which likely had some rot-starting and now its fresh wood again. Very hard manual labor work. I'm mid-to-late 40's by the way, but I can still hold my own. I put wood filler into many areas where there were literal holes and cracks of the wood. I will go back through and sand those too. I've had to get new lumber for some restoration, but also have had to take the old nails out and put new ones in in only a few areas (where adding new lumber was not going to work). Finally, after countless hours I"m close to painting. Painting will be the easy part. That will be nothing compared to what I've already done.
One thing I will mention, is I don't take short-cuts. I do thorough work. No short-cuts. Do it right even if it isn't something you love to do. Let me tell you, scraping that down was not something I jumped up and down about. However, I didn't take a short-cut.
A few months ago or less, my wheelbarrow busted. Oh, that plastic crap. I threw a top-soil bag in it and the bottom cracked all the way through. I was a little upset. I bought it a few years back. I could've just went and bought a new or used one somewhere. But, I was pissed. So, I made it a project. I found a "STEEL" barrow on Craigslist. Went and picked it up for $25. Problem was it was rusted bad when I got there. I have a dual-wheel by the way. Those are so much better than single wheel barrows. I took it home and got to work. I used an angle grinder and grinded all the rust off of it down to the metal (after dis-assembling both wheel barrows that is). It was a lot of grinding. Sparks were flying. Then, I painted a primer coat of Rustoleum on it. Then, some Rustoleum black 2 coats. The holes didn't line up to the frame. I had to drill 2 new holes at the front. With the old holes, I used some steel bondo. You could barely tell there were old holes. I also grinded the rust off the frame/handles, etc. And re-painted them too. Barrow complete. Now, I have a steel barrow that should last me a long time and then some.
I've always thought that we all have abilities and skills, but we have to give ourselves a chance to use them or to hatch them so to speak. That's why I like working on new projects. I like to challenge myself. I learn something new every time. I'm using a new tool every time. I gain confidence every time. People need to give themselves a chance. Take a class at a wood shop. Take a pottery class. One thing is is I don't watch TV. I didn't even know who won the "selection". I was busting it on that garage until 9 p.m. with a work-light. I came in and I ate something. I never cared who they tell me is going to run my life for the next 4 years because I consider they won't run my life at all.
I also meant to say that I see the purpose of life to design, build, create, and learn. The rest of my life will be dedicated to thee above. I won't be wasting time with entertainment, or people that are not on this path.
Dean, with you my friend. Tried Mary Kay Avon every thing. The key is stop buying and only produce. Produce something to trade with
DEAN! 😲
Thank you Dean! I also came to similar conclusions about my own life. I felt that I didn't have a lot of skill sets & didn't want to just be an endless consumer, so I decided to teach myself how to bake. I am learning to work with heirloom grains & make bread from them. It is a lot different than working with modern traditional wheat. Once I have that tackled I will move on to other types of baking. But I have always enjoyed physical labor. I owned a house cleaning & home organizing service & pet sitting business. My husband & I still mow and rake our own yard & clean our own house. There is something rewarding about doing things yourself. Plus you develop your own personal skillset and a real sense of accomplishment. Nobody should be ashamed of doing manual labor. And living below and/or within your means is a lost mindset these days.
I appreciate and enjoy the things you share about your life; Thank You. 😊🤍 I haven't had much luck with garage/yard sales, better on Craigslist b4 it became insane, afraid to join Tracebook though I keep finding a deleting their programs in my android data files. 🙄 Would love to remove some things from my home soon, perhaps I'll give it another try; thanks for the suggestions. 😁