My mom worked at Cassano’s Pizza King, for the better part of my childhood. She would complain about never getting her nickel raise when it was due and the boss giving one to his newest girlfriend when she was a new hire, but forgetting about all the others. She brought burnt pizza home every night for us to eat. If it was burnt they couldn’t sell it. And believe it or not I still love pizza. Its one of my favorites. Just not Cassano’s.

She worked at an orange packaging plant in California and got a heat stroke. Our neighbor, an older German lady watched over us while she was in the hospital. I don’t remember anything about it. My sister Shirley remembers it.

I also remember my mom talking about her working a factory job as a Soderer but I can’t remember where. She worked for a Japanese lady as a cook and she a part time evening job she cleaned the beauty shop for my aunt Treva (out-of-business).  She had little job at Cheerheart Laundromat (now out of business). She also worked at a tax office on 14th St in Middletown (out-of-business). I should ask my aunt Jackie what she remembers. She may have had even more than these.

My Grandma Phebie had several odd jobs; she worked for many years as a cook and nanny for Russ Dryer of Middletown. I have to ask why a women with 10 kids would want that job?

We all have so many odd jobs… I joke that I’m a jack of all trades – master of none. It is fun to think back at all the things we did over the years and the many different reasons that we may have worked there. The people we met and the experiences we shared. We’ve all sang a chorus or two of the old ditty, “Take this job and shove it” even when we like our job. It make us feel a little empowered doesn’t it?

Briefly I’ll post my many odd jobs:

  1. My first job was at a little restaurant in Franklin, Ohio called Jerry’s Restaurant (out-of-business).
  2. I was working at Trotter’s in Springboro (out-of-business) when I got the call that my mom died.
  3. Elwald’s Pet Shop in Middletown owned by my uncle (out-of-business) as a clerk right after I got married. He paid me $2.00 per hour and I walked to and from. I worked for a few months as a bank teller in Middletown.
  4. Metcalf Residential Concrete in Germantown, Ohio for 25 years – retired.
  5. Metcalf Restoration & Sales in Middletown, currently 2 years

For most of my adult life I’ve been an office manager for the companies my husband has owned. But trust me – I work! I tried to pay someone to do my job once when I needed a break… sheesh… it took 3 people to fill the positions and I still had to go behind them and clean up their messes. So it was back to me. I think we all need to work to keep us occupied and give ourselves a sense of self-worth. I love my job. LOL

It is one thing to show a man that he is in an error, and another to put him in a position of truth. ~ John Locke

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Did your mother or grandmother work outside the home? What did she do? Describe her occupation.