Tuesday, June 17, 2014

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Pinedale, WY  High 68  Low 42

Jim and Tom made one trip into Pinedale to the hardware store for parts for the toilet. (stupid toilet) Those weren’t the answer so Jim needed to make one more trip back to town and I decided to check out the town.

When we got to the hardware store, this is the sign I saw.

P1080510

A slight detour down memory lane – Back in the early 1970’s I packed up and moved to San Diego. I’ve always been a restless soul and after living in Utah for three years I was ready for a change. Back then, you had to take all kinds of tests if you wanted to work for the Federal Government. Tests like typing and shorthand and ten key. After taking the tests it was months or years before you ever heard from anyone about how well you did or if you had a job somewhere.

I needed money in order to live so I went to a temporary employment agency. They sent me out on several temporary positions and one was in the regional accounting department for Hardware Hank. They were so impressed by my work ethic that within two weeks they offered me a full time position.

The gentleman I worked for had a reputation of being a real stickler for detail and had several secretaries quit or he fired them before I showed up. For some reason we really clicked and had a fantastic working relationship.

About six months later, I finally heard from the Feds and discovered that six different agencies wanted to hire me because my test scores were quite high. I really hated to leave Hardware Hank but I know that working for the government would be a better opportunity for me and I chose the IRS. For me it was definitely the right move.

Amazing how a sign can bring back long forgotten memories.

Oh – and Jim finally got the parts he needed to fix our leaking toilet. They are called Shark Bite connectors.

This is the view on our way back to the campground.

P1080513

16 comments:

  1. I rate the difficulty of a fixit job on the number of trips I have to make to the hardware store. A two tripper would be an easy job for me. I suspect Jim generally gets it done with only one trip.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Quite an interesting story. It is amazing how all those old memories start to flow when triggered.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Never heard of Hardware Hank--but it looks as if you had a good job there with a good boss....

    So you worked for the IRS???? Gosh---too bad you are not there now since they obviously need some good employees.... ha

    Hugs,
    Betsy

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sandie, maybe signs trigger memories for both of us because we've got so much history to draw on...just saying.

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a wonderful story. I truly believe you were one of the best employees the hardware store and the Feds could ever have!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Okay Sandy, I'll apologize for this ahead of time, but the Hardware Hank sign brought back memories for me two. My kids and I always called it Hard-On Hank when we lived in Minnesota. :O

    ReplyDelete
  7. Doesn't it make you feel good when the testers want to hire you? I was once offered a job at the employment office that did my testing. Good for the ego.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I had a part time job in the medical records dept. of a hospital - my H.S. principal made me take the civil service test even though I thought I was all set for a job. Before I graduated I got an offer from the IRS for a job paying more than the hospital (which paid more than all other local businesses, such as P&G). I accepted the IRS offer and started work the day after my graduation. Best move I ever made. Most civil servants "working" in Washington don't have a clue how hard those in the field work and how seriously they take their jobs.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wow, that was a bit of interesting history about you! Glad you got the parts of the leaky toilet!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I knew Jim would have it repaired. Maybe the reason he had to go back to the hardware was because the sign said "Fishing".

    ReplyDelete
  11. Love those old fashioned one-owner hardware stores with a few clerks that can help you figure out most anything you want to fix. (I worked at one for 7 years in a small town... loved it!)

    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
    Karen and Steve
    (our blog) RVing: The USA Is Our Big Backyard
    http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com
    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

    ReplyDelete
  12. What a neat trip you shared from memory lane....thanks Sandie!
    Glad to toilet is fixed...
    And what a beautiful stretch of highway...love the green and snow capped mountains!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Always great when a repair is completed.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Trips down memory lane can pop up in many places. It's great that you went into town with Jim. And it's REALLY good that he found the right part for the toilet.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Isn't it great as we get older our short-term memory is lost but we still get to keep those old-time memories. I'm glad you shared your story. I'm always amazed that some of us don't share for one reason or another. Good for you!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for visiting today. I look forward to reading your comments. Have a beautiful day.