How'd it go today?

I did a lot of pole pruning work today, without the extension on it. After such a long winter my body was like, "No." Ladders are good.
Loud-n-clear, Darin. Gas prices are what's killing my bottom line. I fight a time line on jobs to avoid return trips >>> $
 
Todays job was like that OM. Basically ended up working 3 hours for free. The week started out the same way, actually. Just underbid. Oh well, onto the next.
 
Sorry Darin, my week was the exact opposite. Set up to do a job (1day) in a neighborhood nearby. Once the chipper started roaring, the neighbors started coming outta the woodwork. Ended up to be 4days in that hood!!!!! SWEET. I glad I plastered my number all over my chipper. MIni skid gets the numbers next, people always stop and ask what it is. I parked it with a huge pile of brush in the grapple up in the air during lunch, I should have counted how many looks it got, BIGGER NUMBERS on this one.
 
Happy it's busy for ya'll - even if some of those lower bids have to be done and got outta the way.

Seasonally what we're doing now should've been done during Winter more...but many people are just coming out of the money shock from Christmas and just now feeling that tax returns can fund projects - 'least around here for the working class. The Jan-Feb-March doldrums.
 
Sorry Darin, my week was the exact opposite.

Good for you. I didn't mean to complain so much. Things are pretty good right now. Putting my name and number on the chipper when I get it just got added to my to do list.
 
I am so bad, I don't even have that on shirts yet. Sometimes I just need to do one project at a time.
 
My calls are transitioning to install work now, still pruning too but when the sun pokes out here and there it changes the direction of peoples thoughts around here. Planted two caliper trees yesterday, one tree each at two sites, made a good buck. Bring on the spring! :)
 
We are booked out the next two weeks with a huge backlog of estimates to do. We never had the typical winter slowdown here due to the huge windstorms, then torrential rain storms, then the snow, then the rain again..... Neither of us can remember a busier winter. The phone just never stopped. Now coming up to the "busy" season - Spring - we are trying to figure out how to balance work and life. Hopefully we'll be able to find someone to hire soon. At the rate we're at now Tree Guy won't be able to take much if any time off after the baby is born. :(
 
Good morning Paul.

So true. A week of sun and everyone is out in their yards. Good for business!
 
Have you ever busted ass for 11 or 12 hours of work and then just to torture yourself do the math and figure out how small of a sum your taking home?

I try not to figure it out....very depressing. :cry: :what:

Spent the last 24 hours trying to save another calf....hope this works out better than the last one. Turns out the tiny abandoned calf was actually a twin, must have been born at night and I just assumed the only calf I could see was IT. Skin and bones. But, I've gotten a couple quarts of milk into her.....we'll see what happens. Damn....tied to another bottle baby all summer. Good thing they're so cute!!
 
Have you ever busted ass for 11 or 12 hours of work and then just to torture yourself do the math and figure out how small of a sum your taking home? Its been a hard week.

A solution with two words.... Drinking Heavily
:|:

Seriously, I know the feeling of those "learning experiences" that sting. :X

Its the steady drop that wears the stone - maybe it will help to focus on a profit/loss for a month or year instead of by the day.


:la:
 
Hey, Darin, at least you're working, had work that day and have work booked...it wasn't so long ago that you questioned whether you'd find customers at all.

It'll get better.

Building a successful business ain't for wimps...which is why I work for Uncle Sam :D .
 
Friday ,the eagle flies but for me the work week ends on Saturday.Tom the tree guy has been in Wisconsin,Alabama,Indiana and finally Pa looking for a newer bucket truck.He got a nice 55 foot All-tech on a GMC diesel running gear ,for a relatively good price.I think it's a '97 model,with a Cat engine and somewhere around 40 thousand miles.It looks good.

I'm going to fly it a little bit after work as I have a sugar maple that needs a little attention.The danged thing is partly hollow but I think I can nurse it for a few more years and it's far enough away as to not get the house if some thing goes bad.
 
Altec, Al it is Altec!!!! Lord knows I am glad it is Friday. Our office administrator has been out of the office all week...yikes, I had to cover her! She is actually John's right hand girl during the day and it was tough meeting the bar she sets with him. I will be glad she is back on Monday.
 
Had a great day today. Started out with a couple easy trims/ cleanups on some old leggy declining oaks, had a good time joking around with the crew while we worked. Then a small crane removal job fell in my lap because the crane guy's climber never showed up this morning. He asked if I wanted to climb it and I was like "Hell yeah!" I haven't done any crane work in ages.

Crane showed up at 11:15 and the tree was gone by 12:45. Two guys on the chipper filled two chip trucks in a little over an hour. We rocked and rolled all over that tree. I stopped for lunch and was heading home by 2 with a nice fat paycheck for the day.

On a side note, my friend Luke Hill came home from the hospital last Tuesday. He's the former Florida state ISA climbing champ who had a 45' fall on the same day that Butch had his accident. I went over last night to visit for a couple hours. He's up and around but a bit slow on his feet, already itching to get back climbing again soon. This chit is in our blood, can't escape it. :P





Gigi, do you mean to say that you aren't the one running the office down there full time? And there's another woman who can satisfy your husband better than you? :lol:
 
Pretty good day here too. Had 5 calls for estimates. Left my guys working on a couple of liquid ambars while I went to do bids, had a half day booked at the guys place, didn't know what I was going to do the rest of the day and the guy kept adding stuff on until we didn't finish until 6:00.
 
Things are busy. I ground stumps until dark yesterday. I think March has been my busiest work month in Tanager Tree Service history. I am experiencing a lot of that "Weakness Leaving Your Body" as Steve's shirt describes. I also had the cops called on me last night for trespassing. I drove the stump grinder over the corner of a neighbor's yard to get to the customer's stump, only to have the neighbor run out and start yelling at me. I apologized and drove around and later as I was raking up two squad cars came. Things got a little nutty. More on that later.
 
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