My dad was stationed at Loring AFB and I remember Maine for being where and when I got my first proper training / lesson in how important taking care of one's back can be for sports. But I didn't get that lesson on the football field, but out picking potatoes for a dollar a barrel, if I remember that amount correctly. And I did not put rocks in the bottom of the barrel first, which I saw a fair number of other students do.
They let us out of school for --- I don't remember how long --- but it was at least a week. Probably longer. And it was Coach Gillespie that was doing the driving us out and watching and all that and also making the point to some of us that needed the lesson that now was the time to learn proper back stretching exercises. That picking potatoes business was seriously not easy work.
It is a very, very good lesson for a young man to learn early in life --- and I sure was young then --- don't remember for sure how young as I type this, but it was a long time ago. The lesson, though, is when you see folks working out in a field you better believe they are at some very hard work and it really could be that unless you have actually done that kind of work yourself over at least a week you might not really understand how tough that work can be.
But I think now there are a lot of them tractor=type things doing work like that, but in some areas around this planet I have seen folks out in a rice field or some other type of field and right away I can appreciate that those folks have it mighty tough.
Oh, by the way, folks --- I'll bet this will surprise you --- up in that place called Maine they have this weird stuff that falls out of the sky --- free of charge, too -- it is called snow in English. They get a bunch of that stuff in that place where the Uncle fella who owns this thread is living. You might not believe me, so he'll let you know it's true. Lots of it. White stuff, it is. Normally cold when it gets dropped all over the place. And it's free. Imagine that.
