How'd it go today?

Looks like I might be losing one of the big White Mulberries in my front yard. They marked all the underground lines today...only in part of my yard...can't imagine another reason...seems strange, they just trimmed the two of them a few weeks ago (I have one in each front yard)...now they will only take out one?
 
Better than you sitting.


Worked until dusky, dusk.
Forgot to take pictures, threw a bunch of cable/brace tools in the Ikea bag catch-all bag, and put some other stuff in the 'good enough for now' spot in the truck, which needs a good clean-out, as evidenced by me finding my thermal coffee cut at the end of the day, rather than when I wanted it.

Triangular triple-cable and two brace-rods in a mimosa/ silk tree, about 25' tall. Used the full 16' of my larger ladder. If the 16' isn't a PITA overkill, it's just enough, and today, just barely.


Looking at a burger and maybe a beer for dinner at the local bar and grill, a mile down the road. Make a hi-vis presence, maybe get a local job lead. It's the only advertising I have in place, basically.


An established customer just had a rental property roof replaced, so now it's time for pruning. Got the bid-request while out today, as I was hoping for, from someone.

More snow over the next couple days, so I'll get some more interest there, then start with some more fruit tree pruning in the latter half of the month, I think.

Have a lot-clearing job coming up I think, maybe next month, waiting on the permits. Couple in the 150'+ ball park, grand fir and doug-fir. On the ground and limbed. The site-prep/ septic contractor, who I know, will have a big excavator onsite to handle wood. He'll buck to length based on breakage and what he can handle, for a log truck.
 
Right on Sean. Keep trucking.

Work is slow here... I'm seeing either a close out, black out or pass out coming... The city contracts are drying up for the small fish..my wife says not to worry. I'm so happy and pleased with what we've done... then again I'm a pessimist I hate being surprised with bad news so I invent my own and avert it... or target fixate and blow the corner into oblivion and beyond.

But Dirt biking I've been going out a lot more lately.
And Running again... wow did my mind and body and soul miss that...
 
Was a BS business day (accountant, insurance agent, diesel mechanic follow up, etc...), but did manage to sneak in the stick drop, cut & stack in a somewhat pleasant drizzle from that dead ash yesterday. Measured 27" DBH and 31" at the stump cut.
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The original estimate pic is here (pretty much smack dab in middle of pic; the tree on the other side is where the throwline fun I mentioned yesteray came into play; damn these hardwood spindly little branches!!!):
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New brake lines are all on the truck.
Had one line that was wrong/missing from the kit so had to make a trip to NAPA…ended up making a line for the missing one.
The ABS block was messed up (threads stripped), so hunted one up and it should be here in a few days.

New owners bought out the old family run mill in Missouri where I purchased my buckwheat pancake mix...something isn't right with it now & their customer service leaves much to be desired...so found a new mill to try...some cert. organic place in Oregon...that was pretty sad...

First batch from a place in NY arrived in mail today. Hope it's decent ,cause the stuff is getting near impossible to find anymore and I'm not about to switch to them little girl's buttermilk cakes.
 
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Spending 6 days doing dead ash removals for an event center. It’s a 36 acre property and have multiple gravel roads through the woods. Hasn’t been to bad so far. Mostly easy felling with only a few to beat over. Blowing chips into the woods and keeping logs for firewood. I know something ugly is coming up soon. I don’t get these nice easy jobs often, but when I do I know I’m about to get f#%?&!🤔
 
Pruning Apple trees solo, home owner clean up, out in front of a storm coming in that should sport some 50 mph winds..... wheeeeeeee!
Sounds like a calm before the storm.



I figured out a bit more on an intermittent starting issue that I've had trouble with for a while on my chip truck. Figured out where I may have a loose connection or grounding.

Probably very cheap to fix, now that I've gotten more info.




Banged over a dozen-plus dead pecker pole Doug-firs in my friends' woods next to their yard. All pretty much hung up and had to be worked down. Tall and skinny without much weight to pull them through.



Had a top break off and come for me. Butt impacted the ground away 20' away, and tipped at me. I did Daniel-son Paint the Fence, and a side step.

Banged on the muscle, not the bone of my forearm.
At least had a hoodie for a bit of arm protection.
Grabbed an instant ice-pack from the truck, and wrapped it up in an elastic bandage. Not a big deal, but a reminder.



If it's not too snowy, I'll wreck a tall co-dominant fir where the tops spiraled 180*, and a couple canopy raises.

No clean up!
 
Was on boundary with the boss today. Pretty low key, but the bittersweet on this job was out of control, and pissing me off. I don't know how people can let it grow up like that. Pulling down trees, and just being generally ugly. I wonder if I could get paid to take down vines, and clear brush? Not total eradication, but just get things manageable so they could keep it trimmed. I'd work cheap just for the pleasure of destroying vines.

Wasn't a day for climbing around here. Really windy, and the oaks were waving their arms all over. Had to setup under some vine infested trees, and I was a little concerned. Some sticks were coming down, but nothing too big while I was there.
 
Friend rolled a crane today trying to avoid a moron that cut in front of him. Not sure I’d chance trading my life for another. Hour and fifty minutes to get him out, had to air lift him to Shock Trauma in Baltimore. He lived but not very happy.
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Oof... Friend's alright I guess? I hate driving anymore. People's skills have degraded severely from the already poor start from when I started driving. Cellphones and a greater sense of entitlement I think.
 
Finished up day 2 of a 4 day job for daughter's friend's parents. 9 take downs and 5 prunes. Got all the small/medium take downs and prunes done yesterday and today, and tomorrow will be the first of the 2 100+ft oaks next to the house. Tight quarters, so will need to rig/neg block both down. Should be fun in the 20-30 degree weather...BRRRRRRRRRRR!!!
 
Dang Bob, that's nuts. Hope he heals up in good order.
Sounds a close call Sean, careful mang.
Yeah, calm before the storm. Pruned the trees, checked on yesterday's fires and then it slammed in. Sleet, 50 mph winds made pines look like they were about to break in half. Then snow. 3" in less than an hour to cover the ice. We were supposed to go to a dinner meeting. I turned the truck around..
The 4wd works great. But watching other idiots slide across the road just seemed more prudent to return to a cozy fire.
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Went to help my son take down a 60 foot pine for a firefighter buddy....the fellow that owns the firetower. Limbed it first....bombed limbs beside/onto a conex...makes a good noise. Then threw a 20' top...real windy so a pull rope was the insurance with the top. Then had a 40 foot skinny bowed pine to drop into the woods...easy enough. But the two trees turned into 8 before we left...he is making room for another conex box. Took out all the pines behind the tower in 2nd picture...except the biggest one. That will come out later.

He has asked us to come back and replace the metal sides of the crow's nest. (we already replaced the metal roof)

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He has a nice green mailbox at about the 95 foot level! We watched skydivers freefalling and skydiving while we worked...pretty cool.
 
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