A reminder of the past

[stonykill]

I can relate. When my then girlfriend, now my wife told me she was pregnant when I was almost 19, I decided right then and there I was going to be the dad my dad wasn't. My biggest fear was that my kids would disown me as I did my dad. When I was 18 I saw my dad at our county fair. I was with my wife, before we were married. I hadn't seen him in a few years. He was walking around, beer in hand and obviously drunk. I said to my girl, there's my dad, let me introduce you. He walked away, before I could get to him. He saw me, just walked away. I went home, changed my last name to my step dads, got married, and never saw him again until I buried him.

At the time my step dad and I got along ok, but not like we do today. To this day, at nearly 40, I still have long hair and ear rings. He is a life time cop, and see's my look as a punk. He for the longest time couldn't accept it. We went at it big time about 12 years ago, and have been good ever since. When I went out to work for my self, he thought I was nuts, and told me he would be there to pick up the pieces when I failed. Well, he now works for me and finally admitted that I did the right thing.

All it takes is a mind set that your going to be a better dad than yours was, is, and you will be. You obviously are. I know I am better than the example my dad or step dad set. I am like my grandfather in most every way. He was more of a dad to me than any one. I have always tried to be like him.

there is more to this story, but thats for another time. I need to get in my shop and make some money. great posts timber. thanks>>>Tom

 

[Timberhauler]

My dad and I have grown...well...tolerable of each other.I think he saw the error of his ways when my daughter came of age,and now with three kids and possibly a fourth on the horizon,I must say that he has really come around and the kids worship the ground he walks......But I have never told them any of our past history,and if I hear him even remotely starting to treat them as he has done me in the past,well It wouldn't be pretty......He helped us out some last year during a huge ice storm that hit us.He never breathed a word,and worked like a champ.He never questioned anything I said or did,nor did he question anything I asked him to do...He actually respected me like I was the boss for once which was a great suprise for once........I started learning to fall trees when I was 14,I started learning to climb when I was 16,and was a pretty decent faller and climber by the time I was 18.....At one time I even had a couple of tree services and a few logging outfits calling on me to come in and make precision drops on big trees when needed..And with all of this on my belt,when I first started into this business,my father had the nerve to tell me that I wasn't coordinated enough to be climbing trees,and that I damm sure didn't have enough experience to be out trying to fall trees...After logging most of my natural life???......So I pressed on and got where I am now,and I'm pretty sure he sees all of the derogatory things he used to preach at me exploding in his face.My wife even had it worse than I did growing up according to her sisters,that's why she joined the marines as soon as they would let her...Her father laughed at her when she told him she was trying to get a job at the Sheriff's office,but they hired her and she hit it full throttle like she does everything else,and moved up fast...Before she went on leave,she was one of three,and the only female on a interview board that interviews the new candidates for hire and decides whether they move on,or go home...At least my dad is starting to suck up for some of the things done and said in the past....Her and her father have not spoken in four years.

 

[spike60]

Other than the usual friction when I was a teenager, my Dad and have always been, and still remain very close. We look forward to spending time together and come up with projects so we can. At 77, the first thing he does when he gets to my house is grab his work gloves and say, "What do you want to get started on first"?. He especially enjoys helping out with the firewood and complains if I finish something without him.

Of course, when I wanted to open my own store 15 years ago, it was a bit out of radical idea in my family. I was going to be the first to be in business for himself. Despite comments about my aversion to authority that began appearing on my report cards as early as the second grade, they all thought that it was just something I had to get out of my system. Now when I tell him the numbers that we are doing he's kind of amazed. But more important, he's very proud, and what could be a better situation for a father and son?

 

[stonykill]

as I said, my step dad works for me, its 2 days a week. I would have him work more but he can't follow directions. I show him how to do something my way, he ends up doing it his, then I need to fix it. So 2 days is all I can do if I want to make any money. I just saw him a few minutes ago, he needed to do other stuff today and didn't work with me. He seemed lost, without anything to do. I do it as a way to spend time with him, and make up for the past. He has 3 kids of his own, disowned 2. My son is the only grandchild he see's on a regular basis, so I need to keep things good.

 

[Al Smith]

Interesting stories,especialy the mention of a Mac 250.Sounds hard to believe but I ran those things when they were new on the market,in the early 60's ,when I was a teenager.

My father,although he was an exec,ran chainsaws as long as I can remember.Towards the later years,he in his 60's would soup them up to the point of breaking the crankshafts on a few.I have the last one he ever owned,a Mac PM 610 .I never had it apart so I have no idea what he did to it but it's a runner,my,my.

Dad ran those saws until he was in his late 70's.Although by then he used a few smaller ones that belonged to me at that time,the old Mac got too much for him.We were buddies,drank together ,hunted together,worked on many projects together.After 86 years,he went to the happy hunting grounds about 3 weeks ago.I was honored to give the eulogy ,thanks dad.

 

[keith c raymond]

My dad had his own biz with his brother,it ran well until my cousin got into it,another long story.bottom line my father didnt encourage me to do much at all,except not to follow him into the family business .After the military,I moved around jobs some,Truck driver ,Firefighter,and now ive landed at a water utility,for almost 20 years ,and I know my father is proud of me ,even though he seldom said it,but he told others.

 

[GASoline71]

Gret posts and stories Timberhauler...

You even managed to bring Al Smith out of the wood work... Welcome back Al!

Gary

 

[Timberhauler]

I sure hate to hear that Al..I know that had to be a tough one.

 

[stonykill]

on to my grandfather. My grandfather was one of the best men to ever live. Sure I'm biased. He was born in 25, fought in ww2. Met my grandmother in Normandy. Married her in France after the war was over. He made a living many ways, but his true talent was furniture and cabinets. He made beautiful furniture. Typical of a man of his generation he was humble about it. He also could repair anything. If it was broken, he fixed it, or built a better one himself. As for conversations...the man read all the time, knew about most everything. If a topic was brought up, he not only knew about the topic, but the finite details of it. Words of encouragement were constant. I never heard a negative word out of his mouth. I miss him greatly. Its been 12 years since his passing, and I still feel the need to call him when I have a question. Some people are just extraordinary humans. My grandfather was on of them

 

[stonykill]

I was thinking today as I was stacking a few loads of wood with my son. Reminiscing really. When I was his age (14) I hated cutting wood. Well I didn't hate the cutting, I hated the rest of it. The dragging of the brush, loading the truck or wagon , stacking, tossing it in the basement. Running the old homelite zip was the only fun part. It got me to thinking, will my son end up enjoying this as much as I do now. Does he think I'm as nuts for loving it as I thought my step dad was? Right now he only helps because I ask him. Its the only reason I helped my parents with wood. And now on woodcutting days I can't get out of the house fast enough. Or at the end of the day, when my help is all set, I'll cut for an hour. Its strange how the years change things......

 

[Timberhauler]

I went through about three years in my early 20's when I had decided I would never run a chainsaw ever again....But as the need for getting the bills paid grew,then that quickly changed...I never really started enjoying cutting wood until I got my first skid loader....My wife and I both absolutely would not even consider a house without a fireplace just because of my business...Weve been in this house nearly four years,and I used the fireplace for the first time this year because the heat pump went out....Now my son is fascinated with saws,the equipment...everything...I hope he loves it enough to want to take over the business....My dad was a landscapper,and to this day,I refuse to do any landscapping whatsoever..All of the landscapping done in our yard..My wife did it.I hate everything to do with it,but I was a slave to it until I went to work with this old man.He made it a point to drag me out of bed every Saturday and put me to work.He would yell and scream at me all day long,and no matter what I was doing or how I was doing it,It was never right or anywhere near his standards.He tries to get me to help him here and there sometimes now,and I refuse.

 

[Timberchic]

I finally got to read all of the posts in this thread.I don't even speak to my father.He was physically and mentally abusive to myself,my sister and my mother as I was growing up.He seemed to target me more than my sister.My senior year in high school I was 60 pounds overweight,and kind of weird looking.I was one of those girls that got along with guys better than I did other girls,but I was always everyone's best friend,no guy ever seemed to want to be seen out with me..Some was even my friend only when other people weren't around,then picked on me when their friends were looking.I joined the Marines as soon as they would let me,and my father told me that he'd come down and pick me up in a week because he said I didn't have a chance in hell at making it..That made me more determined to make it and I did.I served seven years.When I got out,I tried to keep some kind of relationship with my father,but he seemed even more jealous because I had made it..I must give my husband some well deserved credit here.We got married,and he was not only struggling very hard with his business,but was on his own with a 18 month old and a 6 year old.I was working as a police officer in a small little town near where I lived.I was nothing more than a security guard,I had never even been through the law enforcement academy yet.Every now and then,I'd stop a speeder or make a DV arrest.I had always dreamed of going to work at the sheriff's office,but my dad had been planting it in my head since I was young that I'd never make it at anything,so once out of the Marines,that still stuck in my head,so I never made an effort to try.My husband came along,and pushed me beyond what I think I would have ever accomplished on my own.He taught me to believe in myself,the marines taught me to never give up.My father laughed at me when I told him I was going to interview with the sheriff's office...He tried many times to get a job there when he was younger,and they never would hire him.They hired me on the spot,and I never looked back.With all the talk here about influential people in some of your youth here,I never had anyone to raise me up like that in my youth.It was really Mr.Timberhauler himself who was and still is my rock,and showed me who I really am.I'm not sure where I would be had he not have shown up.