Free enterprise

OK, first, I understand that Sherwin Williams does not have that particular color in their color book. I only know that that is what it was called. Remember, this is from a bunch of guys who had not seen one since they were babys and would not see another one for many more years. (I knew I was going to regret saying that when I said it.)
As a teenager it was expected that I would have some kind of job of my own. With six kids in the house I had enough sense to know that there were just some things that Mom and Dad were not going to give me. I guess that this was where I learned my first lessons in entrepreneurship.
Living on base, we had access to the commissary. The commissary is the base grocery store. We were a good sized base with a large on base housing area. The commissary allowed high school aged boys to bag groceries for tips. I learned about customer service and getting paid for service rendered. I learned about the difference between a good attitude and a bad attitude and how your choice of which you had affected your pay. The summer before my freshman year of high school I got a job at the commissary and was able to buy all of my own clothes for the fall. That was HUGE for me. I bought white Levis, madras print shirts, a Pendleton jacket and Hush Puppy shoes. I didn’t have to ask for help from Dad. I didn’t get any of it from Sears. (that’s another story) I bought a Lambretta motor scooter that fall. I had freedom to roam. I rode to school most of the time instead of taking the bus. The next spring Dad helped me buy a lawnmower (I paid him back) and I started mowing lawns in addition to the commissary. Sometime after I turned 15 Dad found an old 1954 Ford Crown Victoria and we took it to the Hobby Shop and rebuilt the engine. I mean we took it down to parade rest and rebuilt everything. I wished I had paid more attention later. I have been a “tool hander” most of my adult life because I didn’t know what to fix, but I knew what the tools were. Now comes Dad’s resourcefulness. We painted that car with spray cans that dad got from the squadron. It had to be blue and grey because that was the color available. And so it was. I do not know if we have a picture of that car. I need to get with Mom and look for one. Before we left Pt. Mugu I also had a business cleaning houses for families that were moving. You had to leave the house in the same condition you got it in. I cleaned up after the family moved out and made sure it passed inspection by the housing director.