Story #2
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Well, there was um, one winter, it was beginning to be winter. I was
Um, at that point uh, technically what they call homeless nowadays
And uh, I used to have this route that I would do uh, about between
Three or four different um, grocery stores. And what I would do is
I'd, in the morning I'd go around before the garbage trucks come and
See what they had done throwed away in the night. Uh, 'cause they
Throw out food every night, the old, things like old bread and
Vegetables and different things gone past their date. Well, it was
Starting to get a little bit cold and um, I didn't have any permanent
Place to uh, live at the time. And so um, I noticed this one
Particular grocery store, maybe the other ones had it but I noticed
This one had a big uh, machinery out in the back in a wire cage. And
This machinery I figured out was uh, the 'fridgerating machinery
And it was to keep uh, the frozen food frozen and um, other things
Cold like milk and things and. But the machinery itself was outside
And like I said this wire cage had a roof over it but the sides was
Just like chicken wire. And so um, it had a lock on it and I, I got
Kind of curious and so I, I got it, I got the lock off and went in
There and, and uh, it was very warm next to the machinery. And I
Thought to myself well, this might be a good thing. I can't remember
Where I was staying at the time but it certainly was outside
Somewhere. So that night I went back there after they had closed
They didn't have no stores that stayed open all night then. And um
I got uh, got in there and there was a bunch of cardboard piled up in
A corner and then there was uh, some newspapers and so I made a
Little bed. I put the cardboard by the machinery which gave off all
This heat although it was kind of noisy. And uh, put my sleeping bag
Down there and I, I slept there that night and uh, it was nice and
Warm. It was pretty cold out and I remember. And so the next day I
Got up really early you know 'cause I thought they'd be coming in
And uh, kick me out or find out so I left. But the next night I come
Back there and set myself up my little camp in there again and I had
Done my route and had food and such and uh, also we used to, well I
Used to carry around some, these cans of, we call canned heat but it
Was just uh, called Sterno. And it's just like a jelly kind of
Substance that you could uh, it's like a jelly substance that you
Could light and then you could put a little pot over it and cook your
Food in it. And so uh, I had my can of Sterno, a little Sterno stove
And uh, some food, old cans that they had thrown out and I cooked my
Dinner back there and uh, basically had myself a, a little apartment
And um, so uh, you know I, eventually I figured out that nobody ever
Did come back there. Them machines ran 24 hours a day and uh, like
I said the sides were just chicken wire so it was open to the weather
But right behind the machine there it was pretty warm so I kind of
Set myself up kind of permanent there and uh, during the day I'd uh
Go out to sometimes down to Manpower. That's where you get temporary
Work and uh, they send you out on all kinds of nasty jobs. Uh, you
Get paid uh, I think back in them days it was a dollar an hour for
Working for Manpower and uh, they send sometimes down to the docks
Uh, whoever called in and needed some laborers so I did lots of
Strange jobs there. And sometimes I'd uh, get my guitar and uh, go
Into the city and play on the streets and make some money then. And
Uh, but I always come back to my uh, little uh, refrigerating cage
Back then. It was, I remember the store was called Lucky's. Lucky's
And uh, I stayed there pretty much most of that winter back there and
Uh, I kind of lost train of why I was telling, oh yeah, it was 'cause
I was, the amazing thing is what they throw away behind stores. They
Get perfectly good food. I mean some of it ain't perfectly good
But a lot of it's perfectly good. They throw away good, just
Bread just 'cause it's gone past a certain date and, and uh
Certainly of uh, vegetables and such and so, and uh, fruit and
And canned, some canned foods sometimes. And uh, most of the
Stuff was pretty good and you, you could live pretty good
I lived that whole winter pretty much on what they threw away and
I saved a little bit of money up and uh, when the spring comes I
Was gonna head out anyway and uh, start hoboing around again. So
Uh, I guess that's why I was telling you the story. There you go