How'd it go today?

I did a couple of bids and fixed stuff all day. OM that's excellent on the referral rate. I hate those bids where they say "is that all, where do I sign" and I'm thinking "crap, I could have charged more money and still got the job, I'm an idiot".
 
spent most of the day with my nephew and todays job took twice as long and still not finished :(
 
My wife Kathleen walked next to a bike riding Haley on a two block trek to the park. Our cat decided it was a good night for a walk too and accompanied them. Just before the park a couple of ne'er-do-well dogs ran our cat off at the entrance to the park. Well after bath, teeth brushing and books (evidently its bad to give your kid a long name like Tikki Tikki Tembo-no Sa Rembo-chari Bari Ruchi-pip Peri Pembo) it was my job to search for the cat.

I drove over to the park after dark and yelled out "Princess" in every direction. I heard her meow coming from a tree in someone's front yard. She was about 15' up in the tree. I couldn't persuade her to come down, of course. So at 9:30 pm with my fleece sweat pants and columbia scandals on I climbed some neighbor's tree to fetch my cat. I had to break off a number dead branches to get to her. It was totally dark but I could tell it was a maple by the feel of it. I tried to put the cat on my shoulders and climb down that way but that resulted in a claw deeply embedded in my cheek. In the end I got her down half the way and tossed her the rest of the way. I like cat rescues much better when I am paid for them.
 
installed a BIG western red cedar then pruned some hedges, boring but tired out. seeya tomorrow y'all. :)
 
(evidently its bad to give your kid a long name like Tikki Tikki Tembo-no Sa Rembo-chari Bari Ruchi-pip Peri Pembo) it was my job to search for the cat.

Good cat story, for sure. Theresa is right, coulda been worse...since you did the rescuing, does that make you the old man of the story?

Tikki Tikki Tembo was (and still is) one of our "code words"...I start it..if you can't finish it....well, the jig's up.
 
Now then,I'm tellin ya,cats aren't that dumb.Time for cat boot camp.Run the cat up a tree,a short one.Call the cat,then get out the chainsaw.I'll bet after a few of these training regiments,ye olde cat would get the message.
 
Today,so so.Went to the shop and fiddled with the tranny from the Ranger,should have bought a rebuilt.:(

The picture is a pile of green oak I got dropped of by a benevolant tree trimmer or really just a place to dump it,ha.Now I have to split the danged stuff.
 
I tacked up the stuff on my tailgate at home this morning since the high school students weren't in class(at my usual class time). Then I went and picked up 25, .5cuft bags of river rock for the driveway and came home and spread it out. Now I'm going back out to see if the starter relay is what's causing some hard starts.
 
Good week this week. Bit of climbing bit of bucket work. Highlight of the week was today, finished a birch removal and a neighbor came along to see if I could have a look at three trees he wanted removed. Went and looked at three Doug Fir (little but he maintained they were huge) told him $50 bucks to drop the three. They were on the bank behind his house and garage but were easy fells. Took me all of five minutes including getting the saw out and putting it away. When I was done I told him I couldn't take $50 bucks for that so said just make it $20. The old dude was so happy he danced a little jig and gave me a big hug, thanking me profusely, it was pretty funny made my day :) . In case all the leaflickers out there are wondering about why the trees were removed, no need to worry there are hundreds more on the old guys property.
 
Today,so so.Went to the shop and fiddled with the tranny from the Ranger,should have bought a rebuilt.:(

The picture is a pile of green oak I got dropped of by a benevolant tree trimmer or really just a place to dump it,ha.Now I have to split the danged stuff.


Al, sorry about the tranny. Are you already getting ready for next winter? I could not do that, although the thought of a fire in the fireplace sounds romantic. (with the ac at 60 degrees!!!!:P )
 
. Are you already getting ready for next winter? I could not do that, although the thought of a fire in the fireplace sounds romantic. (with the ac at 60 degrees!!!!:P )
I burn anything V. but can be very selective because I had access to a huge amount of really good burning wood .I work on equipment for two small tree services and when they get some really good stuff such as oak or hickory,they drop me off a load or two.

I think what I'm going to do is finish my splitter I've procrastinated building for twenty years .In the off times those guys can split and stack it.During the off season they can sell the firewood,I get a little,they get a little.

I plan on doing the same with usable saw logs but it seems I'm a little slow finishing the bandsaw mill as well.Tom sells a few saw logs but he only gets about a dime a board foot for them.I should easily get a buck a board foot ,green sawn.In all,I have plans for the firewood and lumber.I just haven't figured out what to do with the saw dust.It costs the most to make but makes the least amount of money.
 
Ground a stump left from a take-down of a fruitless mulberry yesterday 20" dbh, and ground another stump from a take-down of a grapefruit tree a couple of weeks ago. Not very exciting.
 
I removed a pine and started on a nother.

My friend whose job it was thought we'd do it with the pick-ups.
I told him we better get a debris box. Thank Goodness we did.
 
It would have been about 4 runs with both pickups.

Plus he thought just me and him were enough guys.
He's still learning about bidding and job sizing.

I taught him a little about bidding and job sizing for the next time.
 
I taught him a little about bidding and job sizing for the next time.

I never got taught, just learn as I go. If you have any words of wisdom, articulate please.

I have learned that if I look at a job and think it will take about two hours that it usually takes about four...and that the cleanup takes a LOT of work.
 
Off to murder 3 oaks today. No pics, the broken camera hasn't been replaced yet. :( Light rain is falling now. I hope it clears in the next hour or else I might be sitting in a diner somewhere waiting for the skies to clear.

I hope everybody has some fun today. :)
 
I actually got to play contract climber yesterday for one of my competitors who was in a bind with a good customer of his leaning on him to get rid of 2 decent sized Cottonwoods and 2 other smaller trees so the landscapers can into the yard and do whatever it is they are going to do.

It was nice being a hired gun and not have to worry about clean-up and log disposal, just climb and cut the trees down to a height that they could fell the spars. Also gave me an oppurtunity to spy on them and see how they handled a job. I can see now why we get underbid, they are just plain rough, lawn damage wasn't a big issue but a few trees didn't fare so good being used as anchors so they could winch those big Cottonwood spars out the yard, some deck posts got rubbed with a chain also, not good, they even took apart a landing railing just because it was in the way. Just the difference between them and myself how a job gets done. It was the other guys job for a change, nice feeling not having to be responsible about how a job turns out, just cut and get paid. Sweet :)

Today, well not so good, went to the dentist and had three of my last remaining wisdom teeth pulled that is part of the ongoing saga to restore my " dental health" lucky me. I just took a pain pill and am able to type but going to have to take a nap. I really hate going to the dentist. After I heal from this it is deep cleaning under the gums to clean out the bacteria and what ever else is in there causing bone loss to my teeth. Fun Fun :what:
 
haha, my new dentist wants to "restore my dental health" too!
what that basically means is he wants to charge me £500 per tooth to cosmetically enhance my smile
 
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