How'd it go today?

Here is a story for you guys. Yesterday we were working for an older gentleman, maybe late seventies. Usually when we get started on the site we just get going right away, and only knock on the door if we need the client to do something, like move a car. The client always knows exactly when we are coming anyways. So we are moving and shaking and the neighbor stops us to ask if we had knocked on the door. I said no, and she asked that I go do it, so I did. No response. Next thing she tells me is that he usually picked up his newspaper everyday, and she is concerned because there are three papers still sitting on the driveway. I was led to this man because I have done a lot of work for his daughter, so I giver her a call and she says to open the garage and see if his car is there. Yep, it is. Knock on the door inside of the garage. Nothing. We called the police and they came, then the firefighters and EMT's, and then.... the coroner. He was dead on his bedroom floor. Certainly a first for me. I called the daughter to tell her to come ASAP. I didn't tell her he was dead, didn't feel it was my place, just that something was wrong. Not a fun phone call. She had called me later in the day to thank me for how well we handled it, and I told her to no problem and not to worry about payment for the work, since she had enough on her plate as it was.
 
Did you finish the job?

Strange situation for sure, but it will surely reflect well on you.

Had a customer collapse and die at my parents garden centre a few years ago, it is a very surreal experience.
 
Wow, Fred. What a story.

I'm not having a great morning so far. Ended up bailing on a job that had me spooked from the first cut. It was supposed to be a reduction on an old laurel oak over a house. The tree was every bit of 85' and had been previously stripped up to over 60'. It had already split out 3 big limbs and the city forester/ code enforcement would not issue a removal permit. On the big leads over the house I was fully stretched out and still at 16" wood. I wasn't willing to take that big of a cut over a house, rigging it off itself. When my client started whining about how tight he had bid the job and he didn't have enough money to hire a crane, I told him to just not pay me and I left. The consequences for not finishing the job are less than the consequences if I had continued. I was absolutely convinced something was going to go wrong.
 
Skwerl said:
Wow, Fred. What a story.

I'm not having a great morning so far. Ended up bailing on a job that had me spooked from the first cut. It was supposed to be a reduction on an old laurel oak over a house. The tree was every bit of 85' and had been previously stripped up to over 60'. It had already split out 3 big limbs and the city forester/ code enforcement would not issue a removal permit. On the big leads over the house I was fully stretched out and still at 16" wood. I wasn't willing to take that big of a cut over a house, rigging it off itself. When my client started whining about how tight he had bid the job and he didn't have enough money to hire a crane, I told him to just not pay me and I left. The consequences for not finishing the job are less than the consequences if I had continued. I was absolutely convinced something was going to go wrong.
Click to expand...

You made the right choice! Always go with your gut!
 
Peter said:
Did you finish the job?
Click to expand...

Yeah we finished it was only a two hour job and we were halfway through it when everything happened. I honestly had the chills though.

Brian, that was a smart decision you made there. Some things are just not worth the risk.
 
i bailed on a limb walk on friday. live oak head reaching way out with a cable support half way up right at a big cavity. another cavity 2/3 the way out, and at that point i was even with my tie in (which also was a sucker i had guyed to the head behind). i said fug it, ill come back with the bucket. im glad i did. im going to listen to the little voice in the back of my head more often.
 
Damn Fred, I had thought I had heard just about everything until then.

I agree with everyone, always go with your gut or that little voice in your head. Its worked for me.

As far as me today, not a fun morning. Started it off rear ending someone in Dad's Chevy 3500 dually with a cop right next to me in the other lane. Looked down for a sec to check the GPS, looked up and traffic was stopped, didn't have enough space to slow down. Hit the guy in front of me going about 40-45mph. Dented his van in the back, and frigged up the front of our truck. Going to cost $6000 just too fix our truck, but insurance should cover it.
 
Wow, my day was really dull. I took out a camphor tree in Escalon and did a couple of little jobs for the neighbors and then did a couple of bids. Yesterday returning from Petaluma I decided to stop and see if I could buy a music CD for the trip home and I got Allison Krause and the Union Station at the Target store in Novato. Excellent. I also got Dexter season 1.
Having a disappointed client is a lot better than a big hole in the house with a limb sticking out of it.
Good on you for finishing the job Fred. RD, as long as no one is bleeding, it's all good.
 
Ahhh Jeez Adrian.. At least you are ok.

Day of cutting 6 foot plus tall thistle... Ohh joy :roll:
New client, I'll tell him he needs spraying next year.
Playing catch up as well. Wyatt just came back on board for a while. See how it pans out. He has a girl friend, so all bets are off. :lol:
Rebuilt the top end of another fs 250. I had put new rings in it over a year ago and the P&C were just pooped out.. Had another laying about, all good to go tomorrow.
DR parts came in tonight, so I will have that running tomorrow in some fields. Rest of my dad's father's day gift came in, the gloves. Wrap everything back up in the box with a card and ship it day after tomorrow.
50% off sale at Palm Flex on different medium gloves
Just a heads up ya'll :D
 
Lots of interesting post in this thread since I've last been able to check in...Fred, sounds like you handled an awful situation with grace, good on you.

Brian, best call you could have made, and one of the most difficult for us (after all, we git 'er dun, right?); that's the act of a mature, secure in his skin, expert in the field.

Adrian, it sucks, eh?...been there at your age. Sorry it came to rest in your life, too :).
 
rangerdanger said:
As far as me today, not a fun morning. Started it off rear ending someone in Dad's Chevy 3500 dually with a cop right next to me in the other lane. Looked down for a sec to check the GPS, looked up and traffic was stopped, didn't have enough space to slow down. Hit the guy in front of me going about 40-45mph. Dented his van in the back, and frigged up the front of our truck. Going to cost $6000 just too fix our truck, but insurance should cover it.
Click to expand...

I did that in my Dad's car, twice in the space of six months.

Except I was checking the map, we didnt have GPS in those days!
 
Mine was at 17, driving about 40 mph in traffic in a light rain. A spider dropped down from my sun visor to about face level, then dropped down into my lap. By the time I looked back up it was too late.
 
Adrian, we may have a problem; I believe there's an unspoken rule that only one TreeHouse member per week is allowed to fug up a vehicle. You're a few days early.


Glad you're ok, little bro. :)
 
HA, 98% on both my presentations for poli-sci...looks like grade is good enough that I don't have to take the final exam tomorrow.

Adrian, glad no one was hurt badly. Strange how we can get complacent about observing the gadgets in our vehicles. My Dad & brother were both killed because a guy looked down for a second to adjust the radio.
 
The mid week money saver .

I've been fooling with rusty junk most of my life and found the very best penetrating oil I have ever seen .Kano Kroil .They get upwards of 100 plus a gallon for this stuff .

Now being somewhat of a tightwad I kinda figure that's a tad high .Aha it is .If you go directly to Kano labs via the internet it's 46 buck a gallon plus around 11 to ship it plus you get a freebe airesol can of Aero-Kroil which is silicon based .:big-money:
 
NeTree said:
Adrian, we may have a problem; I believe there's an unspoken rule that only one TreeHouse member per week is allowed to fug up a vehicle. You're a few days early.


Glad you're ok, little bro. :)
Click to expand...


I just got a call that one of our guys got rear ended. Ha, the guys first day on the job driving JOHN'S truck. :lol: So not funny but...laugh or cry.
 
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