How busy are you this year compared to other years?

My two friends here are booked out four and six months. I just did two jobs for an old customer who couldn’t wait for the six months. The six-month backlog crew is working till usual closing time Friday and two to three days between Christmas and New Year to catch up.
 
4-6 mos makes no sense to me, who would wait that long
 
Cory, people will wait for quality work.

I think we are up 13% this year. John runs a fantastic tree crew and keeps them on task. The lawn maintenance crew is holding their own.
 
Cory,
Some of those customers have been with David since I started with him almost forty years ago. He also plows for a lot of those ‘neighborhoods’, including Greenville, Chadds Ford, and the priciest estates in northern Delaware which are his bailiwick.


I am sure he loses some of that business but he is pretty zen about it - I’ve rarely seen him upset. His log yard regularly looks like a clearcut landing and log buyers clear it every month to two. What doesn’t sell to the mills goes to pulp buyers and the firewood processor who rents space from him.
 
I’ve been reasonably busy. It naturally slows down for winter here. We still do some work but I am happy doing 2-3 days a week. Work harder when the weather is better.

No point in busting a nut in horrendous weather. Take it on board and spend more time with the family in the mountains, boarding Hiking and hunting.

It’s a work, life balance for me. I work to provide me the time and resources to have fun with my family and friends.
 
I just had a long talk with the forester at Jægerspris forest, my former apprentice and our main client by far.
Next year will beat least as busy as this one was.
So I'll be saying no or pricing myself out of all the other jobs that don't appeal to me.
Actually I'll just pass most of them on to the two companies that sub for me.
Might have to change my mind about hiring, if I can find a couple of good folks.
 
Stig,
If I wasn’t getting so arthritic, and so involved with the ornamental woodturning (not to mention the hurdles of Danish employment laws and work certifications) I’d gladly come over and be part of another crew just for the thrill of working with you!

It would also give me a good excuse to visit the young woman who cycled through years ago and climbed while here. She is a top-notch confectioner there, after being in the national baking competition (Bagedyst ?) twice.

Kirsten Thur’s KonditOgDat
 

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That would be fun, but like you say, sadly impossible.
We have set up strict regulations that are ( though nobody will say it out loud) primarily made to keep muslims out.
Unfortunately everybody else, who are actually seen as welcome to come and work here, become "collateral damage".

I've never owned a TV, so I don't know the young lady.
 
That would be fun, but like you say, sadly impossible.
We have set up strict regulations that are ( though nobody will say it out loud) primarily made to keep muslims out.
Unfortunately everybody else, who are actually seen as welcome to come and work here, become "collateral damage".

I've never owned a TV, so I don't know the young lady.
I was afraid of that, which is why I didn't volunteer myself. Though I wouldn't mind coming to "just watch", could definitely learn something from such a "Boring" fellow or maybe drink and argue politics I don't really care about.
 
I have since retirement done a few AIRs (Arborist In Residence) trips. I go and visit tree care companies and spend time with the younger climbers teaching (and still occasionally learning!) new skills.
We have a place to stay in Amsterdam. Perhaps we’ll hop up to Denmark to say hello.
 
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Miriam and I want to do some AIR trips. What a treat. Hard to do with an already busy company schedule.

Traveling work is a HUGE skill builder for those who can get away!!
 
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Calls are slow, but I don't advertise.

Small number of mouths to feed and small overhead, here, keeps me turning away work, here and there.
 
Radio silence here, hence my job hunting. I'm not alone. I've stated elsewhere that my friend Jher had to go sign on to a landscaping company. I also rarely see any work being done. One of the larger companies has their yard at the other end of the valley, and I go by frequently. There's weeds growing up around almost all their equipment.

If I had to guess, and that's all it is, I'd say that two out of three chippers haven't moved in a year or more, and only one forestry truck seems to be in service. That said, there's an ever-growing collection of meth heads in RVs in the yard.

If there were more ants about, instead of all these grasshoppers, I could sell firewood. It just always seems like that's a late summer fall kinda thing, no body is ever interested before then, and that leaves me screwed for the next four months or so.

Eh, I shall endeavor to persevere.
 
I can say my team is hardly capable of handling all we got, so we keep a steady pace and don't overwork.
These last 3 weeks between work, quoting and training I had no day off.
Life is hard and sweet and we love it.
 
Who wrote the copy for the website? Too complicated, goes round in circles. Lots of stuff not making sense.
Welcome anyway!
 
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I've stayed busy, but customer bid request contacts are low-ish.

Tree through a fence, today, for a regular.
Small stumping job to bid.
Breezy, drizzly weather.

Good weekend weather, two weekends in a row, stimulates calls.
 
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