On Thu, 16 Jul 2009 19:27:28 -0700 (PDT), Tim
wrote:

"Why, those cost about $65.00 and this one was only $25.00 down at
Mikes Salvage...!!!"

Oh - so it's cheap stories huh?

There's a guy here in town who we call "The Tinker" - part pun, part
truth. He's so freakin' cheap that once, when his well pump crapped
out, his family went without water for three weeks while he pulled the
pump out of the well, tore the pump down, rebuilt the motor and put it
back into the well (a neighbor would let him use a hose from his house
to fill up a 55 gallon drum) - the wife used the hospital employee
showers and the kids used the Middle School Gym facilities. He had a
hole in his roof for two/three years that he waited to repair until
the rest of the roof started leaking - kept it covered with plywood
and a blue tarp. When he replaced his roof, he did it by buying rusty
old steel roofing from the scrap yard in Putnam. His house is never
above 50 degrees in the winter, the family is always in winter coats
even inside, he collects wood from the side of the road to use in an
old rattle trap Franklin stove he got at the dump...I'm sorry -
Recycling Transfer Station. He drives an old rusted out Ford Country
Squire station wagon and has four others in his back yard for spare
parts. He won't buy a second car so his wife walks to work in Putnam
(about two miles to the hospital - she's a nurse).

Here's the kicker - he's one of the most sought after diesel mechanics
around. There isnt' a diesel this guy can't fix and he's a specialist
in International and Volvo diesel engines. His shop is spotless and
has all the latest and greatest tools from Snap-on, Mac, etc. Every
piece of test equipment known to man or science for working on diesels
he has. He charges $110/hr and he's got trucks lined up all in neat
rows in his yard - his road fee is $225 an hour and time starts from
the moment he gets the call - which he goes out to in a brand new
F-450 diesel pickup with a custom mobile shop on the frame. He has
one of the newest and biggest heavy truck tow vehicles I've ever seen
- he gets $150 just to start the engine on it when he goes out to
recover a stuck truck and charges some outrageous amount of money to
tow a truck/trailer combo back to his shop. He has two top notch
mechanics working for him and he's not stingy with pay and hands out a
yearly bonus.

And on top of all that, he's one of the nicest guys you'd ever want to
meet - you need a volunteer for a town committee or to help with a
charitable event, he's there and it's the same with his wife - his
kids are smart and all well adjusted.

Go figure.