How'd it go today?

I bet the ride home was a load, suprised it all fit;)

Only brought home 4 yards of chips and the gear stayed. We'll trailer the mini tomorrow after work to the shop. The chipper will stay there and be moved to the next account. Should only be a couple yards of chips tomorrow, so the gear and saws come back as well.
 
Picked up a 3 tree job on a bid this afternoon, then got a visit from the old Sax player that stopped over a few days ago.

He is cutting some tracks for a recording of some of his original tunes and wants me to play Double Bass on them...been a while since I did the blues/jazz thing but I'm up for giving it a go... waiting on chord charts now...

Sounds cool Dave. I used to play tenor sax, wish I still had one. Got to play a three quarter size double bass once, that was pretty cool! A full size one is hard to find in my area.

Also wish I remembered how to read music!


Good to see the kids helping you Stephen. My oldest does a lot of chores around the farm too. We have not negotiated a wage yet, maybe in a couple of years!
 
Lilly and Levi each earn about 2 plus per hr.
Sometimes as much as 10... Depends on the job and how much I want to motivate. I will look at the boys when I am dirt tired and tell them whomever unloads 4-5 yards of chips gets 10.00. Two split it... Takes me 20 minutes. Takes them about 1/2 hour. Seth will string it out for up to 40 min.
Normally Seth will make about 3-5 depending on the job.
I offer the kids really good money for splitting wood we bring home. If they want something special and expensive, they have to chip in.
Seth has been offered more than a couple times to split fire wood. I set up the splitter and park the trailer where he can pitch it right in.
Wood is all cut to size.
He splits and stacks 1/2 cord in the trailer, I put a for sale sign at current price for the species.
He gets the cord price less fuel.
Both boys proudly own their own computers. They all three have their own animals and projects in 4H.
Lilly buys girl stuff mostly. But she is, at 5, learning the value of the dollar. And how to count, add and subtract ;)
 
That sounds like a great program Stephen. My daughter is five now and she is starting to remember to bring her purse when we go out. We dont really have a program put together yet but she gets to keep loose change and small bills in her bank. She really likes to save, but it is cool to see her count out the change for something she wants and then the look of pride when she buys something with her own money. I kinda thought she was too young for an allowance, but she does have a lot of chores that she does, might be a good time to start. You are right, it is a great learning tool. Keeping track of money, working hard for the money, and making decisions on what to spend it on. I wonder if they even teach kids how to balance a check book in school anymore?

I might steal some of your ideas if you dont mind!
 
I wonder if they even teach kids how to balance a check book in school anymore?

I might steal some of your ideas if you dont mind!
Unfortunately, in CA, they don't.

The kids have chores, those are family things everyone has to do. They do not get paid for it. They get appreciation, atta boys, and time as a family doing it, just like on a farm.
Seth does the horses, goats and geese. Levi does Chickens and rabbits. Lilly waters the garden, her room (is a big concentration now), and rabbits. They can also help each other and make their own deals accordingly. They all help with breakfast as they feel they want to. Levi has more inside chores, Bathroom, vacuuming. Seth has his own dog. Lilly has her kitten.. I do meals and meal planning. Dishes. Washing laundry, kitchen, mopping and things that require chemicals not needed around children. I take care of heat and hot water. Wood and propane. Seth is learning how to light a pilot and change tanks. Both boys can build fires, split wood and drive the mini. Katy has her own shat.
This is family stuff. Making money stuff is beyond that. What can be done outside of everyday life or over lap.
Levi has his own weed eater this year with all the appropriate PPE. I can't weed eat any more. I have to either hire someone or pay the boys.
Seth worked on a weed eater for 4 hours yesterday.
I made 1.00 per week as an allowance as a kid growing up.
I made over 20.00 per week collecting bottles from neighbours. Scrap copper and aluminium from job sites my dad worked on. More on a paper route. Mowing & watering lawns. Washing cars. Killing wasps. I made a dollar per nest when I was 6-8. $1.00 per lawn when I turned 8. I learned that if I wanted to do stuff or have stuff, you work for it. My kids will have several trades to pull from once daddy's job is done ;)
 
good day today.

knocked out eight stumps then switched out to bucket and moved some dirt. Picked up two more trees for next Sat and already got paid for them.

Should have a full week or two coming up barring rain.
 
Going to attack the day wearing one of my new Rutherford Contracting tee shirts, all the way from Mississippi! Very nice shirts, thanks Carl!
 
I'm working on de-frustrating and de-stressing my life. I bit more of it today.

Its been a transition for sure from working too much between SPs and biz, then just biz, without the spring build-up and being out and seen, and D, then winter, and all those changes. Too much work, then too little, sorta. Too many PITA, which I am trying to sort out. One less employee should help.

By the time I make it a year out of SPs, my 41st birthday, I hope to be dialed back in to business fully, with a mini, good way of moving all my stuff, and a solid log of work, building up some money for the winter, etc,etc.
 
Same here Cob, these lakes froze as hard as I've ever seen them this year, and are just now breaking up. We had a mini-crisis at our coal fired power plants this winter, as the freighters couldn't get through to deliver. South winds in the 70's, north winds in the 40's.
 
I'm lucky in that regard, Dad does the majority of the bids. Normally he runs out during the work day while I run the crew, or at least part of the day.


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That's the road I want to take. Hire a climber and start having the freedom to break away from jobs at different points. I honestly have as much to do off the job as I do on the job.
 
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