You know a friend, a very good friend, just made a remark to me that reminded me of my childhood. Now, you have to realize that I never think about my childhood, because my family life was pretty hard. I know others had it harder, but it was difficult for a young child to understand what was going on. My father was a police officer, a very good one, too. However, he and my mother absolutely hated one another. He took to the bottle A LOT. So, my sister and I became the literal punching bags for him to release tensions. My sister more than me, because I stood my ground and told him flat out that either me or my children would make him pay for his inadequacies. The actual words were obviously more forceful and I think that I hit on this topic in a previous blog.
But, that is not the central issue around which my mind is currently wrapped. After my sister left, my mother basically shut down. So, I ended up doing EVERYTHING around the house. Now, for a 7 year old boy, this was no easy task, but I am happy to report that I never turned any of the whites into pinks!! LOL Anyway, I remember specifically the issue with the oil burner. In the New England states, we use oil burners to heat our homes. Basically, it is a fireplace that uses a diesel oil type substance to burn and heat the home. By the way, you can use kerosene in the burner, but it is not recommended.
Mom was the school lunch lady....yes, it was true. So, she didn't make a lot of money. I was like 9 by now, not a lot of work for such a young boy...damn child labor laws! LOL...I made money by mowing lawns, shoveling snow, and other labor intensive labor. Oh, I was picked on mercilessly by the other kids as poor white trash, but I weathered the taunts as silently as I could...When you are outnumberer, the odds are never in your favor. Anyway, we could not always afford to buy heating oil, so we used kerosene, which clogged the burner after awhile.
We could never afford to have someone come fix the burner, so the responsibility to keep us from freezing feel upon me. While "mom" smoked and worried upstairs, I slowly took the burner elements apart. I think now how foolish that was, because I never turned the power off and these things use electricity to ignite the oil. Well, it was an education, but with the ignorance, curiosity, and sheer luck of a youth, I managed to get the thing working each time. I doubt that I would attempt to do so today; but, history is a strange place because they do things differently there.
Well, I am slightly more cautious these days, but I still manage to find things to take apart...sometimes they go back together, sometimes they don't...lol. Such is life!
Why this little discourse and diversion down memory lane? Well, as I sit around and deconstruct my life, I wonder if I will have the same success as I did with that oil burner. There are some things that I don't understand, and I am not so sure that I am putting them back into the rights places. I also wonder what will happen when I push the "start" button. Back then the chances were pretty good that I would blow the house up. I wonder what will happen when I push it this time?
Like I said before, I don't think about my childhood much. Those that know me, wonder why I do and say some of the things that I do...well, I really am trying to relieve some of that lost time...
Anyone seen my Hot Wheels?
May your day be filled with wonder and your contact with stupidity be limited!
Greg
