Talking to my old boss about the new power trowels made me miss the quiet

Ran into my first foreman, Mike, at the hardware store last month. He's retired now. We got talking about gear and he said something like, 'You guys have it easy with those quiet electric rigs. Back in the day, you'd finish a slab and your hands would buzz for hours from the gas motor.' It hit me that I don't even think about the noise anymore, it's just part of the day. But he made it sound almost peaceful, just you and the concrete, no engine screaming in your ear all afternoon. Makes you wonder what else we've gotten used to without noticing. Anyone else have an old timer point out something simple that's totally different now?

2 comments

2 Comments

viola_cooper622d ago

My dad worked with those old gas trowels for thirty years and his hearing is shot. I get the nostalgia, but I'll take the quiet electric ones any day. That constant noise wasn't peaceful, it was just damaging. Sometimes an upgrade is just an upgrade, no deep meaning behind it.

parkerrodriguez2d ago

My uncle was a roofer. He said the old tar kettles were the worst part of the job, the smell would stick to your clothes for days. Now everything's those peel and stick membranes. He says it's better but misses the crew hanging around the kettle in the morning.

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