Wednesday, June 20, 2007

My First Summer Job


I was thinking of my first summer job and when I started working. I realised that I had my first summer job when I was 9 years old. Taylor is currently 9 years old. And I cannot imagine sending her off the way we were sent off to do a summer job.

We picked strawberries. For this fellow who's name I cannot remember right now. He had a few fields, and we went in the morning, I think about 8 am. My parents or someone's parents would drive about 5 of us over to a nearby community where we would be dropped off on the doorstep of a store. Eventually this fellow came along in this Tonne truck with a flat bed, and we would climb a rope to get onto this flatbed truck, and drive around picking up other kids, til we got to the field to pick that day. Rain or shine, we picked strawberries. We ate a lot too. I have a photo somewhere of my first paycheck, we got paid at the end of the season and I think I made about 48 dollars. we got paid by the box. And I think it was pretty hard work for kids.
I cannot imagine setting my 9 year old loose like that to Work with strangers and drive on that truck lol!

After 4 years of this I moved on to a large produce farm called Websters where it was basically the same deal, only better fields, more of them, and we worked morning and evening, resting during the afternoon. We rode our bikes to the farm this time, then home again, and back again later. No matter we were always tired. lol I think I made about $1000 there in one good summer. Once I was old enough I kept picking berries but I added working the UPick, working in a greenhouse, and working at Zellers. No one can say we didnt work hard from a young age lol!

3 comments:

Nik said...

That photos is so darn cute.. Love it!!!

What a wonderful job to have as a kid.. all that fresh air and sunshine...

Ali P said...

Oh Gods, look how cute you were!!!! I hear what you are saying about letting our kids do things our Mom's let us do but they probably said the same things!!:oD

Susan Blanton said...

Ahh look at you. I know, times sure have changed. Just not safe anymore. Really is to bad. Very cool you have that photo.