Such great stories. I was raised in a beach town in British Columbia which may sound weird for Canada but they exist. What that meant was it was feast and famon. Work was everywhere in the summer and nowhere in the winter when all the tourists went home. I worked my ass off in the summers to make sure I had work in the winters even if it was part time. My dad was a mechanic and by 8 years old I was in the garage with him rebuilding late 70's Honda civics that he would fix and flip for extra money. My mom didnt beleive in blue and pink jobs so after the garage I learned to sew and cook. All those skills have done me well in my life and although am not a trades person by training can fix anything and spend my winters now restoring bikes, my old Vette, or anything else I can bring back to life as well as being able to cook and keep a nice house. That ability to learn and use my hands has lead me to years of guitar playing, drums and mandolin lately. I love art and photography, woodworking and metal working. I have remodlled a handful of houses in my 46 years so far. The issue is that Renaissance people like us are fading away. Family farms occur such a high inheritance tax that its almost impossible to pass them down to the kids, todays generation has so much knowledge at their finger tips but have no desire to use it and are a "do if for me" generation. What they dont understand is when the people who do it for you are no longer there....who is doing to do it for them? It a cycle but not a good one right now