Quote for the Day 1/4/08
At 7:53 AM today, before another day of cutting posts from a hedge row:
Shane: Let's go. We're a half hour late. This is unacceptable.
Grant (hopefully): Fire me.
Shane: No. I'm just going to make your work later.
On New Year's Day, Shane worked for several hours before we left for Sterling and our annual tradition of celebrating the New Year with Japanese food with Hiromi's sister's family. At the edge of the wheat field, on top, everything was frozen hard, but underneath, the ground was very mushy, making it difficult to get traction. "Well, I almost rolled the Mustang," (skid steer) he informed us nonchalantly while we were wrapping the gyoza for our feast.
He plans to leave on Sunday for a two week session at Faith Builders in PA, so getting out of the tree row all the posts that are cut is high on his priority list. He needs the money to pay for the trip and the school session.
The wind chill on Wednesday was four below zero when they cut wood. High winds yesterday hampered the effort. The ice/snow/mud mixture underfoot is not pleasant to work in. The person who had agreed to take the firewood for a specified price stopped by the other day and said he doesn't think he can do it after all, unless he can get it for $20.00 a half cord. I think he's figuring out what Shane figured out recently when he said:
Shane: This is definitely the last year I'm cutting firewood. I can figure out lots of easier ways to not make money. Besides, when I got done with those ways, I'll still have a back left.
I think he should consider simply charging what it takes to cover his costs, along with a decent hourly wage. With heating fuel prices rising as they are, firewood prices can still be a competitive alternative, even with a price increase.
Shane got up this morning muttering about his stupid phone alarm. Last Friday morning he had set it for 3:30 AM when he wanted to leave to push snow off parking lots in Hutchinson. This Friday morning, it was still set for 3:30, and he didn't realize the problem till he was standing upright trying to wake up. When he recognized his mistake, he gratefully went back to bed, only to be summoned again by the alarm clock ringing at 3:35, his backup plan for getting up last week. At least he knew what had happened this time, so he took care of it quickly and went back to sleep. Then, during the night, his phone decided to reset itself to the eastern time zone (perhaps in anticipation of his planned travels :), so it rang again at 6:00, our time, instead of 7:00 as it was supposed to do. At 7:00, after three false alarms, he finally got up, and then got out the door a half hour late, thanks to Grant's deliberate getting-ready pace.
Someday he'll see these things as small problems, easy to solve or compensate for. But for the present, they are unwelcome complications.
Shane: Let's go. We're a half hour late. This is unacceptable.
Grant (hopefully): Fire me.
Shane: No. I'm just going to make your work later.
On New Year's Day, Shane worked for several hours before we left for Sterling and our annual tradition of celebrating the New Year with Japanese food with Hiromi's sister's family. At the edge of the wheat field, on top, everything was frozen hard, but underneath, the ground was very mushy, making it difficult to get traction. "Well, I almost rolled the Mustang," (skid steer) he informed us nonchalantly while we were wrapping the gyoza for our feast.
He plans to leave on Sunday for a two week session at Faith Builders in PA, so getting out of the tree row all the posts that are cut is high on his priority list. He needs the money to pay for the trip and the school session.
The wind chill on Wednesday was four below zero when they cut wood. High winds yesterday hampered the effort. The ice/snow/mud mixture underfoot is not pleasant to work in. The person who had agreed to take the firewood for a specified price stopped by the other day and said he doesn't think he can do it after all, unless he can get it for $20.00 a half cord. I think he's figuring out what Shane figured out recently when he said:
Shane: This is definitely the last year I'm cutting firewood. I can figure out lots of easier ways to not make money. Besides, when I got done with those ways, I'll still have a back left.
I think he should consider simply charging what it takes to cover his costs, along with a decent hourly wage. With heating fuel prices rising as they are, firewood prices can still be a competitive alternative, even with a price increase.
Shane got up this morning muttering about his stupid phone alarm. Last Friday morning he had set it for 3:30 AM when he wanted to leave to push snow off parking lots in Hutchinson. This Friday morning, it was still set for 3:30, and he didn't realize the problem till he was standing upright trying to wake up. When he recognized his mistake, he gratefully went back to bed, only to be summoned again by the alarm clock ringing at 3:35, his backup plan for getting up last week. At least he knew what had happened this time, so he took care of it quickly and went back to sleep. Then, during the night, his phone decided to reset itself to the eastern time zone (perhaps in anticipation of his planned travels :), so it rang again at 6:00, our time, instead of 7:00 as it was supposed to do. At 7:00, after three false alarms, he finally got up, and then got out the door a half hour late, thanks to Grant's deliberate getting-ready pace.
Someday he'll see these things as small problems, easy to solve or compensate for. But for the present, they are unwelcome complications.
posted by Mrs. I at
5:54 AM
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