How to Operate a Floor Buffer - Dad

Among other things, my father was a runaway, Navy veteran, mayor and lumber yard manager.  But mostly, he was a janitor in Ohio and in Washington state. When I was a young boy I would help him so I learned how to clean bathrooms, move furniture, sweep floors and operate a big, heavy floor buffer.

Running the buffer was a blast.  Typically, we would first sweep, then use a mop to clean, then another mop to put a thin layer of wax on a hall or classroom floor. When it dried we would cruise it with a buffer. We could lay a perfect pattern if we used the linoleum tiles as guides and used three basic motions. Tilt up and the buffer would go right, pull back to move to the next line of tiles, push down to go left and repeat. We would move back and forth in rhythmic motions until the job was done.  We worked backwards so we could see our even patterns and not track up the fresh work. When finished, it was pretty satisfying to step back and admire the job. It was also a technique I would use many times later as an Air Force airman living in a barracks.

But this story isn't entirely about a buffer, its more about my father. He seemed pretty happy being a janitor. I could tell because I got to spend time with him at work and at home. He had the job figured out and it wasn't complicated by politics as so many other jobs seem to be.  In fact, his M.O. in the early days was to get really pissed at some political development at work, quit and move on with Mom, my brother David and I in tow.

At home, he and Mom laughed a lot, he messed around with hobbies, spent time with my brother and I and made music. He could sing too. I mean he could really sing and Mom could harmonize perfectly with him.  They had home made sheet music written in Mom's beautiful hand. They have both been gone for quite a while now but I can still, in my mind, hear them harmonizing on songs like "Whispering Hope, Do Lord" and others.

Somewhere...somewhere in my brother's garage I believe that sheet music is at rest. Next time I visit him, I plan to drag him out there and help him locate it so we can get it scanned and preserve it properly for family archives.