Hello all, I lost electricity for 6 days it came on yesterday thank God. My house is total electric. I had to send my wife in to stay with Parents but I stayed here to watch my house from thieves and to take care of four animals whom depend on me a blind cat and a 3 legged cat, my dog is tough and the other cat he's tough as hell. Sitting around in the dark cold. a man can think as the rest of the world is worrying about gifts and such. I realized it can always be worse and to count my many blessings the Lord has bestowed on me. I have semi good health, I can see , I can hear. I know the man upstairs is watching over me and and his son died for me and his birthday will be here soon. Sometimes it takes a tragedy to bring folks together in this busy time of ours. Sometimes we don't know ourselves very well until the lights go out, but thats when we reach down inside. I knew I could survive, my wife was worried about this old disabled fool but I layed brick for 30 years and I have fought some men. I knew my father had lived like I was living every day, I knew this country of pioneers didn't know what electric meant, this was the norm to them. I knew I would be ok but I also know how grateful I am about electricity.
What We Take For Granted
There are 12 replies in this Thread which has previously been viewed 2,996 times. The latest Post () was by Stumpy.
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in this day and age i think that we take many of todays modern conviences for granted, like running water, our water supplies which we all think will last forever. we can survive without electricity if we have to but we have become reliant on it in this modern world. i have been blessed with good health, a lovely son and family who loves me so all in all i am happy with what i have in this world.
cheers smokey -
brick,
Thank you for taking the time to share such poignant thoughts. Yes, it is most interesting how we take so many things for granted until we don't have them.
I had wondered about your user name, and now I understand, after seeing you had been a bricklayer for 30 years. My grandfather was a bricklayer/stone mason his whole life, and was from a long line of them that had been brought to Utah by the Mormon church, in the 1860's, from Norway. I almost went into the same trade myself, but followed my uncle's trade as an electrician (which I did for over 35 years). Sometimes I wish I had followed my grandfather's trade. It saddens me to realize that all his knowledge has passed on with him, and I don't have any of it (nor do any other family members that I know of).
Chester
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Hi Brick,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. I never thought that it connected real bricklayers and masons (who also have another name - bricklayers). Yes, we take much for granted and sometimes forget to thank God for all he is giving us.
Regards,
Senta -
hi brick
well over here you would be in a class of your own as in some areas there are not many brickies and with all of the building going on they are in great demand. i was told that a good brickie can earn up to AUD$600 per 1000 bricks and as the average house takes quite a few then in one day you could earn a lot even after paying your taxes.
chester sparkies are also in demand and they can earn up to AUD$65+ per hour.
dont know how much this would be in your money but its good money here but only the best can get this type of money.
cheers smokey -
Brick, I sure enjoyed your story and it does make one think about the blessings they have. Sorry you did not have power for six days and glad you have it back. Merry Christmas.
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The Pioneers were such hardy stock! How did they survive summer heat without air conditioning?
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The Pioneers were such hardy stock! How did they survive summer heat without air conditioning?
Jay, that's really easy. How can you miss something that you never had? A/C was not in the picture until I'd guess 70 years ago for the rich and government, and more for the rest of us over the last 40 or 50 years. We do have it made compared, but I'd bet they spent more time in the rivers, ponds, and creeks this time of year than we do today. I'd also bet they were a stinking bunch of people as well.
By the way the majority didn't have ice cubes as a rule either.
Cheers
Hondo -
Jay, that's really easy. How can you miss something that you never had? A/C was not in the picture until I'd guess 70 years ago for the rich and government, and more for the rest of us over the last 40 or 50 years. We do have it made compared, but I'd bet they spent more time in the rivers, ponds, and creeks this time of year than we do today. I'd also bet they were a stinking bunch of people as well.
By the way the majority didn't have ice cubes as a rule either.
Cheers Hondo
Good point, Mike -
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Brick, got a question. I'm thinking of tearing down a rickety old frame storage shed I have out back and hiring someone to replace it with one built of concrete blocks. The dimensions would be (roughly) 12 feet wide by 15 feet long by 8 feet high. Can you give me your best estimate of what such a job would cost and how long it would take a good mason?
P.S.
The block shed would be built on an existing concrete slab.
P.P.S.
I decided I'd better go out and measure that concrete slab to see if the size was right. I was off. The true dimensions are 256 inches long (21 feet, 4 inches) by 100 inches (8 feet, 4 inches) wide. -
You want 8 foot tall concrete walls or are you just putting a couple layers of block down then going to a stick built frame? Makes a big difference. Personally when I built mine it was 14 ft by 12 ft and the back walls were 3 layers of concrete block, then stick built with tin siding. 8 foot walls so I could put a single roll up door. It could also be insulated but I have not electricity going out there so I haven't done that yet. I built mine about 7 years ago and it cost me about $1200 dollars with the cement pad poured at the sametime. I did this myself so that was a basic materials cost.
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You want 8 foot tall concrete walls or are you just putting a couple layers of block down then going to a stick built frame? Makes a big difference. Personally when I built mine it was 14 ft by 12 ft and the back walls were 3 layers of concrete block, then stick built with tin siding. 8 foot walls so I could put a single roll up door. It could also be insulated but I have not electricity going out there so I haven't done that yet. I built mine about 7 years ago and it cost me about $1200 dollars with the cement pad poured at the sametime. I did this myself so that was a basic materials cost.
I want the walls of concrete block all the way up, then I suppose a sheet metal roof. Would like to have a metal door/frame and metal window frames if I can find such.
I've even thought of having the thing built with reinforced concrete walls to use as a tornado shelter (in my part of the country, that's a good thing to have) but I don't know how the walls could be anchored to the existing slab.
