Frankie and Slim

Frankie and Slim
Happy New Year

Friday, September 28, 2012

ALL HAIL THE WORKING MAN



My son Tandy is a printer by trade working both as a press operator and a salesman.  (Primarily a loving single father of three and a hardworking school volunteer.) He was never trained in the field of mechanics but has always been able to take things apart and put them back together (with only a few left over parts.) He did manage to keep a junk car (purchased for $100) running enough to get him to and from college for two years

For a couple of years now he has been following directions from Ron plus doing research on the internet to fix our backhoe.  (Notice I say "our" backhoe because you may remember that Ron gave it to me for Valentines Day one  year.)  This work has been done on weekends as time and weather has allowed.

Now the backhoe is up and running and Tandy is enjoying learning the art of operating it.  Last weekend he dug trenches around two dead trees and uprooted them.  We always pay him for his work to cover his expenses and time away from home.  This last time Ron said he believed Tandy had such a good time playing in the dirt he probably should pay us.

I do have to point out another amazing thing about my son.  He hated getting his hands dirty as a child and would finger paint in pre-school with one finger and then demand to immediately wash his hands as soon as the required painting was complete.  Now he is a pressman in a print shop with permanent inked hands, and as a greasy "volunteer" Diesel mechanic. 

(Tandy's 42nd birthday is coming up and it has truly been 42 years of  love and amazement from the moment of his birth.)

19 comments:

  1. applause for Tandy..~! job well done, indeed.

    Happy early Birthday wishes for him too.

    I refused to finger paint and it made the teacher mad but no way was I getting my hands in that slimy mess..

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  2. What a sweet sweet loving mama post! The love for your son just jumps out of your words. He is blessed to have you as his mom and you are blessed to have him as your son.

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  3. Dear Annie ~~ What a lovely post about you dear son. I hope he has a great birthday and I am so glad he was able to fix your back-hoe for you.

    My blood pressure is too low on the lower reading 113/53
    Apparently anything under 60 is not a happy number. But I am not worried about that. It is more the fluid in the lungs - a sign of impending heart failure.
    I am trying not to worry about that either.
    Take care my dear friend, Love, Merle.

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  4. Happy Birthday to Tandy!!!

    Good for him for getting the backhoe working again. That was quite an accomplishment.

    I love your property. It looks like a park. How far would I have to go to get to the lake?

    Oh,Yes, about Ron giving you the backhoe one year for Valentines Day..I think that was the same year Roy gave me the plumbing snake for my birthday.

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  5. Happy birthday to Tandy - a fellow printing person. I am a salesperson and the customer service rep, too. It's the only way to make money in printing - do multiple functions.

    He sounds like a wonderful son.

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  6. happy Bday to tandy...

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  7. Sonny -- That kind of physical labor amazes me. I was divorced from the children's father and so my son did not have the influence of witnessing mechanical stuff growing up. Guess some fellows just have a natural aptitude.

    Marla and Steve -- Today was our first Fall fog and I always think about my son in weather like this. He was born on a foggy morning that was so thick we could barely see our way to the hospital. I am equally bless to have my daughter.

    Merle -- Thank your for commenting. About your health, we ALL have impending heart failure. Know it is hard not to worry and you are in my prayers.

    Nancy -- We are on a hill and the lake is less than a quarter mile. You can stand at the back of our property and see nothing but lake. A fellow was here yesterday and making a delivery and ask how far we were from the lake. It seems funny to be so close and yet some people don't even know it. Hey, I don't have a plumbing snake. Guess I'll ask for that on the next Valentine's day.

    Lynn -- It is a difficult time in the printing business. My son has gone from some huge shops with large presses to this small mom and pop company and he is very happy here but does have to wear a LOT of hats.

    ashok -- Thank you. My son is quite a writer too.



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  8. Your son is very handy to have around! My hubby could fix almost anything when he was younger; now he pays other people to do it. Happy Birthday to him and congrats to you for such a fine son.

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  9. Forget diamonds. A backhoe is a girl's best friend!

    (And a handy son is a mom's best friend.)

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  10. I love to hear about wonderful sons. And I think it is wonderful how he helps you out.

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  11. Hello Annie
    Lovely to have a 'family' post from you - now that we know you have a nice strong male up there send him down here would you please.
    I have a garden bed that needs turning over - maybe not to the depth that big plythingy would go but any help would be most welcome. My Dh isn't into that sort of thing lol
    Take care
    Cathy
    commenting via blogger

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  12. That should be big playthingy - I mean the machine not the man lol

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  13. Happy Birthday to Tandy! What a fabulous, brilliant guy with a gorgeous smile. You have so much to be proud of!

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  14. I admire anyone that can move large machinery.

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  15. Wow those are powerful machines. Nice of your son to help you out removing the dead wood.
    My best junk car (I've had 7) I fixed was the $150 '66 Buick Skylark. Wish I could find one now- I can't fix the newer cars.
    Hope Tandy has a wonderful B-day.

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  16. Ron having given you a backhoe for Valentines day makes him a man after my own heart. Now THATS, thoughtful. I can't believe I hadn't thought of that. A 5 bottom plow, yes, but not a backhoe.
    Your son is handy to have around a very talented. He's the first person I've heard of named after a computer and I like it.
    Good to hear that you have such a good relationship with him.

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  17. Belle -- Yes my spouse also used to be able to do anything but now he hires my son to be his back. By the way, hope the girls win the scavenger hunt!

    Sparkling Red -- The neat thing about the backhoe when Ron first got it, was he hired out his work and I got all the money he made, reminding him that it was proceeds from using MY backhoe.

    Chatty Crone -- We depend a great deal on all of our kids and grandkids. They help us in so many ways and we are richly blessed.

    Cathy -- I would really be bragging if I listed all the things he does to keep us afloat around here. If Ron doesn't get back on his feet soon we're probably going to have to move to smaller place. Glad you clarified the "plaything". LOL

    Kay -- Thanks. I'm a bit early with his birthday wishes but we will most likely be gone on his actual day. Yep his smile is a gorgeous one and I'm proud of him.

    Riot Kitty -- Me too!

    Snaggle Tooth -- Would you believe Tandy's car was a Buick Skylark too!!! I don't remember the model but it was a crazy puke greenish yellow and he called it The Iguana.

    Cliff -- He likes stuff from Radio Shack because it has his name all over it. His son is Tandy also and they are named for a great grandfather. He is indeed a Handy Tandy! (Oh he hates people rhyming his name.) Now about the backhoe, I don't suggest you get one for Marilyn. I think she could take you out. (And I don't mean to dinner.)

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  18. What a smashing son.

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  19. Pat -- Thanks. He really is "smashing" with that backhoe! LOL

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