Houston we have a problem!

[picframer]

Well I must say my heart sank when I went outside at 5 this morning, this was not even in the forecast when I checked around supper last night. We finished that 8’+ deep drain yesterday, well 80 percent, the soil we are back filling with is so saturated with water there are two spots requiring three hours work I can not even get to. So I brought the equipment home for service as it was a beautiful afternoon, everything is ready to go but the roads are pretty slippery here at the moment so the only place they will be going is to sleep. We were to start a new drain today and probably still will......not sure depending on which weather channel you check it could be light flurries or Environment Canada says it could be 15 to 25 cm of snow. This is really bad news for us and I understand it will melt as we have some better weather coming this weekend however for leaf clean up jobs, well I am afraid this could kill it as the snow really makes them wet and it takes days to dry. Was I prepared, heck no, nothing is put away, covered, winterized or anything as this was not supposed to happen. Anyhow I guess it will be a errand day and I guess I should clean the sheds out and pick up a pallet of wood pellets for the woodworking shop as it looks like that business may as well get going.

Attached Images

	firstsnow-001.jpg (72.0 KB, 5 views)
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Andy
Halifax, Nova Scotia

[Steve]

Lawn care business tips

WOW I think you get the award for first snow fall picture of Winter '09 ! Anyhow I guess it will be a errand day and I guess I should clean the sheds out and pick up a pallet of wood pellets for the woodworking shop as it looks like that business may as well get going. How do the wood pellets compare in cost of heating vs. oil or natural gas or just wood?

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[picframer]

Originally Posted by Steve

WOW I think you get the award for first snow fall picture of Winter '09 !



How do the wood pellets compare in cost of heating vs. oil or natural gas or just wood?

It took me an hour to get my daughter to school, normally a 15 min drive, the snow is insane......

Pellets where I live are about 1/4 of the cost of oil which is the only other option, well electricity but we have the highest rates in Canada.

I burn pellets in the woodworking shop as it's the only thing they allow for insurance, I burn hardwood in the house, my home is about 4,000 square feet, costs about $450 a year to heat as I built it to R2000 standards and beyond, normally a house this size would be close to three grand a year.

Errands are done, roads are really bad even with the four wheel drive, time to have an afternoon nap then I will have to go plowing, I sub'd most out but have 12 close by I still do, it won't take too long to switch the tractors over and I have three tractors home at the moment that can plow and staff standing by although I will probably have to get them as the city was not expecting this and they do not have plows on their trucks last I herd.

[fldodger]

Thank God I live in South Florida. NO SNOW here EVER

[swstout]

Originally Posted by fldodger

Thank God I live in South Florida. NO SNOW here EVER

To quote my wife, "Snow is a four letter word".

The last storm we had before moving to South Carolina dropped almost 6' of heavy wet snow. When it slid off our roof, it trapped us inside. The door opened outward and I couldn't open it more than about 9".

Steve

[Steve]

The last storm we had before moving to South Carolina dropped almost 6' of heavy wet snow. When it slid off our roof, it trapped us inside. The door opened outward and I couldn't open it more than about 9".

That's a lot of snow!

I burn pellets in the woodworking shop as it's the only thing they allow for insurance, I burn hardwood in the house, my home is about 4,000 square feet, costs about $450 a year to heat as I built it to R2000 standards and beyond, normally a house this size would be close to three grand a year.

I guess the pellets are just easier because they can be set to flow into the fire to keep temperatures constant versus having to manually feed wood into the fire?

[picframer]

Originally Posted by Steve

That's a lot of snow!


I guess the pellets are just easier because they can be set to flow into the fire to keep temperatures constant versus having to manually feed wood into the fire?

A little more, you don't have to cut and split the wood, pile it, let it dry, bring it in then put it in the fire, pellets, you simply buy a pallet of them 65 bags does me about 2/3 of the winter in the shop which is around 2,000 square feet, no mess hardly any work, down side is a wood stove blows them away on the amount of heat.

[Steve]

Do you ever get a chance to talk to your customers and find out how they heat their homes? I wonder if the wood pellets are popular with them as well.

[picframer]

Originally Posted by Steve

Do you ever get a chance to talk to your customers and find out how they heat their homes? I wonder if the wood pellets are popular with them as well.

No it's not something that I am interested in, many install heat pumps which although desperate expensive, it is the most cost efficient way to heat a home, at least a new one. If a client asks where they can for example have a heat pump installed, I refer a client we worked four weeks for, I always ask where people work and when the chance I refer business to them, what goes around comes around, network marketing in a way.

[arthur712]

Originally Posted by fldodger

thank God I Live In South Florida. No Snow Here Ever

Amen!!!!!!