How'd it go today?

Ha. I honestly don't miss it. We just got hammered by a storm last night. A lot of tree carnage around. As I drove my kid to school and looking about I was thinking about how screwed up my schedule would just have become. I do miss getting the huge checks from the odd big project, I can admit that!
 
Well. I finished up a bunch of paperwork today to become a certified chimney sweep. I had to swing through a lawyers office to have them notarize a paper and wouldn't you know it, the lawyer(who is my parents lawyer but not mine) didn't charge me a dime. Told me to think a good thought about him today. Lol. So I had to share that, still can't believe it?

I will add though, that I've known him awhile just through small town/my parents. And before he was a lawyer,.....he was a logger! I kid you not. He was a handfaller for many years. So that probably explains his random act of kindness today.

Anywho as a certd sweep I'll be able to do inspections. Gravy work, often required by insurers and during real estate transactions. As with treework I could see right away that becoming certd was definetly going to be worthwhile doing.
 
Squish, in fairness you did say that you had a phone available for emergencies, I missed that. I think you go a little overboard on your demands in some things, but that's your right if you think you need that to succeed and people are willing to adhere to them. I guess like Sean said, there is not a lot of common sense amongst a certain type of worker these days. I get a different perspective where I am though, where absolutely everyone besides the ones living on the street unceremoniously and unequivocally reliably bust ass day after day. As far as rules go on a personal level though, I absolutely hate that shit, being on either end of it. It probably shows. Particularly someone i don't know right off the bat wanting to boss me around, man my back gets up. Check out and see how a person operates before ordering them around, is my view.

I'll take your word for it that a lot of people aren't smart enough to get the lowdown without an enforcer. That isn't me though, and all the people that I sometimes work with. There is enough trust amongst the work force, at least the part of it that I'm involved with, that each person's own perspective on how they need to act is sufficient to enable the whole overall situation to work as well as it needs to. Maybe a life of almost total self employment dictates my thinking, but just the thought of rules pisses me off. You're right, Squish, we could never work together as a boss and employee, but we'd probably get along fine as equals. I can't much turn off my mind to not be a free man or much endure a situation where anyone wants to take that away from me. Anyway, if i did work for you in the tree game, perhaps we could have an arrangement where I might be fixing your chainsaws in my spare time, I don't mind doing that, and you'd cut me slack. I could need to call my bookie before a race to lay down another fifty. There are critical moments besides family issues. Give and take is my motto.
 
I know it's not everyone. I never even had to have the conversation with my uncle or the fellow Graham who was with me for five years. It never came up.
 
Thanks Butch. Four to eight weeks until my application is processed so still a bit to wait.


Jay to clarify, if I ever had the honour and privilege to work with you, you can bet I'd do a lot more listening than talking, and a lot more asking than telling. I'd probably still have my tree business if I was able to hire men of your caliber.

But I'd need you to have my back with some of my petty rules, to keep the rest of the crew in line. ;)
 
Total chaos yesterday.

Report of blown water main. New pressure vessel's inspection cover was torqued wrong from the factory and developed an air leak, which means a shutdown of our two primary wells, and had to organize the annual fish plant (stocking Rainbows and Browns) at various locations. We spent all day yesterday ripping shit up to find the leak, which with water levels being what they are, put us below the water table. Rigged up a trash pump so we could expose the pipe. Ran out of daylight, left the pump to run all night, and turned the water back on. Hell with it I said, let it leak for the night. Got up at 5 to meet a guy from the city who has an account with the utilities supplier (got an application for credit while I was there so we can set up an account. They had EVERYTHING.). Five guys standing around the hole tell me it's 6 inch pipe, so, being a retard, I didn't measure it myself. Got back with the sleeves, gaskets, bolts and collars, only to hear that it's actually 4". That's on me as much as anyone. Anyways, back to town, exchange everything for 4", rent a cutoff saw, and buy the $300 ductile iron blade that we needed. Race back, cut the pipe, cut the new pipe, splice and torque everything in. NO LEAKS!! yay.

Meanwhile, the guys removed the inspection cover, rotated the gasket, added a little RTV, and are now in the process of properly staking down the cover on our main water tank. Hopefully it will hold air.

Also, put together a group of kids (20 year olds, but whatever) to bucket brigade fish into the designated lakes. . . I'm not going to worry about how that's going. They're going to have to figure out how to do things for themselves eventually. . . Right?

So, by the end of the day we should have fixed the busted water main, fixed the leaking pressure vessel, planted the damn fish, snuck off the property to go grind the rest of my stumps, then fire meeting tonight.

Ugh. . . It's been a busy day.

Got recruited for a tree job by the guy I met at the city though, so that was cool.

Just bitching, no point to any of this 8)

Cheers.
 
It's not, give it a shot - one time. If you don't like it, I'll reimburse you.

Along with my bad eyesight, big belly, and the fact that it takes two hands to handle the clippers I prefer to delegate that chore.

:drink:
 
No, not on the phone, MB, I think I probably was on my way to some pear trees.

You're too kind, Squish. I'd relish the opportunity to work with you. Sure I'd have your back. I've been reading what you guys have been saying about your crews for years, I could do with seeing it for myself. It would be informative to see a schooled equestrian too. All I know is jumping on and three gears with no reverse.
 
Well if you came over right now you could be in charge of lumber grading. Crap wood in one pile, antique barn wood in the other. You could use a phone, and take as many breaks as you wanted. But I might have to pay you in horseback rides. My horses all have those same three gears, but the added luxury of a real nice park brake and a smooth reverse. :D
 
Good because whoever built this thing went to the same carpentry school as my grampa. Need a nail there? Better use three!

So far I can see it's all cedar and fir for lumber. Old fir sets up damn near like stone it seems.
 
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