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Best week I ever had on the ladder was in Laurelhurst, back when every house had a real fireplace
Back in 1998 I did 14 flues in five days in the Laurelhurst neighborhood of Portland, every single one a 1920s brick job with a chimney pot on top. Mrs. Halloran on Senate Street paid me 90 bucks cash and sent me home with a loaf of banana bread, and I still think about that week when things get slow. These days half my calls are gas inserts and dryer vents, which pays the bills but doesn't feel like the same trade. Any of you old timers miss the days when a full week meant actual soot and a sore shoulder?
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avery21927d ago
Are you sure that week was really as good as you remember it, or does nostalgia just make it feel that way? A 90 dollar cash day plus banana bread sounds nice, but that was 1998 money, and you were killing your body for pocket change with zero benefits and no safety net. All that soot and a sore shoulder was also you breathing in junk that probably shaved years off your lungs, so I would not wish those days back on anyone. The gas insert and dryer vent calls may not feel like the old trade, but they keep you home at night and they are a lot safer for you and the customer. The old days had charm, sure, but they also had no health rules, no steady pay, and a body that breaks down by 50. Missing that grind is like missing a toothache once it stops hurting, you forget the bad part.
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