I have a million things to do, and only one of me. I need so many things for my office and shops. To get started I need to get my sign out front. Get a counter at the entrance of the shop, and need work benches.

I also need to put wrought iron on all the outside windows. I have made a excellent dead bolt for the back door. I need to get the place secure before I begin to bring in an inventory, and start taking on repairs and sales.

It will all come in time, just need to do what I can. I just get so excited, and can’t do everything. I want it done now and now will be later. So I will just poke along, once I get the sign up and the counter, I will start selling chains and doing repairs.

I met with a Sthil representative today. Sthil is a company for power tools. They require a certain amount of sales space, so they can have there display set up. You are required to purchase every type of equipment they sell in the industry your in. In other words you can not sell just a certain type of equipment, its all or nothing.

I was okay with most of that, and then we started talking logistics. He told me that I was to close to another dealership. He said I was 2.5 miles away from another one and it was to close. I then asked him what the mileage criteria for a dealership were. He said there was not one. I asked him why he was putting criteria on me.

He then said that he couldn’t put another dealership, it was to close. I asked him how Sthil felt about veterans, and explained I was a retired Navy veteran. He said “Sthil is from Germany, so they don’t know about veterans”. I explained to him that I was just asking, because there are usually companies that will make an extra effort, for the veteran.

After that he stated that I was just to close, I said I will get back with you, and see how I feel about a dealership. He said “I am not offering you a dealership”. I again asked for all the information and explained to him that I would get back with him. I really need to check across the country, and see how many dealerships are 2.5 miles apart. First I need to see if I am 2.5 miles from the one he said I was.

I found a climber, a little green, but a climber. Need someone to get started, haven’t done any business in over 7 days. Still looking for someone that is experienced and knows this type of work.  

This type of industry is strange, because not everyone wants to do this type of work. So there is a small circle of employee to choose from. Most are already working with a business and will stay there all summer. But some of those will get upset, and quit that job and be looking.

I will end up getting a person like that or, someone that just came to from another state that is looking for work. It’s always like that. Just a matter of time when the phone rings and it’s the guy I am looking for. Until then I will make do.

Well what a shock to me. My foreman is from North Carolina. He told me that he is going back. That caught me by total surprise. We were going to do a joint venture and become partners in this new business.

It really left me and my business in a big time bind. I depended on him to run the crew, and take care of the everyday operations with the working side of the business. I did all the administrative operations. So now I don’t have a climber or a foreman.

He didn’t give me a 2 week notice, or even a 2 day notice. He was sending his wife back to North Carolina. They were having issues, fine. He said he was staying here, fine. Then he rented a U-haul, and got her set to go. I waited a week for him to get her ready to go, and postponed all my jobs for a week.

Well the day he was suppose to work he says he is going back, fine. I wish he would have told me week ago. He is young and will learn. Marriage is a 50-50 deal, on good days. On other good days, its 60-40 or 70-30. There are times in a marriage that you need to listen more, love more, and keep the marriage healthy. It’s not always going to be a bowl of cherries.

This page has me on nerves end. I seem to be the only one in the universe that can’t follow directions. I tried to set a counter button, like 5 times and not! So for now I will have a Vanilla page.

Yep, just a plain page, until I get someone to help me with it. I really don’t want much; don’t need all the sparkles and glitter. Just the basics. I think a page with too much on it lures the readership away from the intent of what you’re writing.

I like to write about everything. From A to Z, I am really comfortable in most any arena of conversation. Have been a lot of places, met a lot of people, seen, and done a lot of things. I once taught a German shepherd to bark in Spanish.

Its hard for me to navigate thru this site, and set up my page. I just tried to get a counter set up and yuk. I will be on here all day trying to get it together..........

It’s May and we just moved into our new office, and yard. It’s a much smaller yard, but the office space and workshops make up for it. We have accumulated some workshop benches, desks, and cabinets. We need a lot more to get into shape for retail and repairs.

I bought a steel pipe (schedule #40) about 27 feet long for our sign that will be out front on Federal Blvd. so the whole world will know we are there. We will repair chainsaws, chippers, stump grinders, some diesel engines, welding, chain sharpens, and a lot more. Really need a month to be there and get it all together. Can’t do that cause I do estimates, and it takes my whole day.

Lots of ideas, and most will work out, it’s gonna take some time. We will be “one of a kind”, there is no other company that will offer more to the tree service industry like we will. We will not do lawnmower repairs, weed trimmers; in fact this will not be geared toward the landscaper. It is for tree trimmers, and that type of industry. That’s the problem with a place that repairs mowers, snow blowers, and chainsaws. They make their living on the landscapers, so the tree businesses that need repairs take the back seat.

All that is about to change very soon! We will get repairs completed fast, with a turnaround of 3 days, unless we have to go mine the steel to make the part. In this day and age it is absolutely ridiculous to have a manager tell you, “we are waiting for the part”, or it will be a few more days. What does this mean when they tell you this? They either can’t handle the work load, or don’t care. They are not telling you the truth.

Need to get busy and put the finishing touches on the sign. Marshall, my foreman came up with a good scheme, and I think we will go with it. This scheme he came up with will also change the colors of our logo. It’s a new day for us and we are excited!!! Can’t wait till we are in full swing. Maybe it will be the ‘THE SUMMER OF SWING’

Signed a lease. What a job it is moving all our equipment and materials over there. My foreman started today taking firewood over. We have some that is split, and some that is in rounds, and needs to be split. 

There is so much wood and debris that need to be moved to the new place. We are thinking that it will take 2-3 days to move all the wood. After we do that we can concentrate on moving the equipment and cleanup. Anyway you look at it we have a lot to do in a short time!

Talk about waiting till the last minute. My tax guy calls me up and says I can pick up my taxes; it was 9:30pm when he called. We drove over and got them, then started looking for a Post Office that was open. What a hassle that was. We went to the Littleton Post Office, and it was closed.

Left there and we were going to go to the main Post Office, but someone told us that the Bear Valley Post Office was open. That is so weird, that’s our Post Office, and we live right by there. So we drove over there and it wasn’t open, but had an employee outside collecting mail.

The big drop off mail boxes were full, so he had big trays that he was putting the taxes in and putting them in his truck. We gave him our taxes and went home, by that time it was almost 11:30pm and time for bed.