Knock Knock

Who’s there?

The Carpenter….. the Carpenter who? We had one around here a long time ago, but he seems to be absent, any idea where he went? Oh boy! It’s been awhile….again. I don’t even want to see the date of the last post I made here. We are in the midst of traditionally the busiest time of the year for builders. Spring is here and people are planning. …

You know when you know.

You know those times when your gut tells you.. you are right, and you KNOW you are right, but someone is trying to convince you that you are the one mistaking and fusing over nothing, and you start to think it’s maybe YOU???? Well it happened to me recently. I was trying out a new subcontractor. They actually came to me from a couple of good referrals. …

The weight of work.

Spring is almost here! I know that because road restrictions go on tonight at midnight. (3/10) For those of you who don’t know what those are, it is a weight restriction that vehicles can’t exceed during the spring thawing season. They start tonight and depending on the weather, they usually get lifted sometime between April 15 and the 30^th. …

Oh my goodness!

No wonder the artist has been asking me for a blog post. It has been since November 30th that I last wrote. It's February 15^th, two and a half months have slipped by. What’s been going on you ask? Lets see…..

Below Zero.

It has started. The cold weather that cancels workdays that is. This is not a good sign. It is only December 1^st and I have already canceled work for tomorrow. We are waking up to 20 to 30 degree below zero wind chill values. …

Late nights.

I’m getting ready for Turkey! Yep, Old Tom Turkey best be hiding about now.

That time is here again, the start of the holidays. Every year we probably all ask the same thing…where did the last year go?

The busier we all get, the faster time goes. The last two weeks for me has been a blur. Two weeks of over 80 hours, this week alone I just finished 91 hours of hands on actual work. That is one downfall of having a shop where we live... never can get away from it.  When every night turns into being in the shop till midnight or later, something is way out of balance. If you read this on a regular basis, you remember I wrote about margin in our lives. Well I have messed up my margin in a big way recently. …

Letting Go.

I have been struggling for some time to make the decision on whether to hire right now or not. It has been a real roller coaster of thoughts. Sometimes I am ready to, and then the feeling fades. It usually fades when we start to get on top of our jobs. Right now, the roller coaster is climbing again. We are looking at booking work now through Christmas. …

Dash.

Whoa! How can it be, so many weeks since I sat down to write something. 

A friend of mine told me some time ago that we all need “margin” in our lives. Do you know what “margin” is? Margin is that time we all need in our busy schedules to just step back, breathe a fresh breath, and not let the pressures of the day control us.

Well I have not made much margin in my life of late. The time I have made for a couple of special things, my Nieces drum line show, my nephews football games, all seem to come with a give and take cost of time of some sort. …

The Hummer and the Carpenter…

They are so much alike. I’m talking about the bird, not the truck. :)

The Artist has been keeping me informed about our cute little hummingbird, she refers to as “the hummer”. We actually had a nesting pair somewhere on our property this summer. Saw the little ones and the parents at our feeder. Right now, it’s just the mom that is still hanging around. The Artist has read that right now hummingbirds are bulking up for a long flight down to South America to spend the winter. We even think we can see that she has fattened up a little, at least we want to think that. …

Roller coaster ride.

I heard her loud and clear… time for a blog entry. It has been a long time. My only excuse is busyness.

It is September 12, my boat has not moved since camping in mid-July. Have not gone fishing all spring or summer. I have heard rumors that Mille Lac (lake) is still there. I hope I can confirm that once this fall. My Banker said he would invite me for a day of Muskie fishing with him yet this fall too. My fingers are crossed.

So what has been happening? …

Vacation over.

We are home…yep another vacation is in the past. Always too fast and way too short. We have been going to the Lake Chippewa Campground for about 11 years now. It is on lake Chippewa which is part of the Chippewa Flowage about 15 miles east of Hayward Wisconsin. …

A former customer called last week…

She has had a tough last few years. She has been the main care provider of her husband while he was fighting cancer for several years. Sadly he lost his fight a few months ago.

A couple of years ago we built a cute little cedar gazebo on their deck. I think it was something he wanted to give to her before he was gone. He could have done it himself in better times. He was very handy. He had also done remodeling in their home. He built a beautiful northwoods theme bathroom in their lower level, and he had several other projects going too that he would tackle on his good days. I was impressed considering his situation. …

These are the days……

 … we live for in Minnesota. 78 degrees, no humidity and blue bird skies.  A far cry from that snowy night in January when it was snowing about 2” + an hour, and I was trying to get Tyler un-stuck in the driveway after a night of training. Ahhh, our reward! Fellow Minnesotans, enjoy every bit of it for tomorrow it may snow!

Applewood is entering a new season again. Looks like the hiring fishing pole just got baited and cast into the waters. Yep, The time seems to be here. As my last post said, http://carpenterandtheartist.blogspot.com/2014/06/monkeys-in-rafters.html I just can't keep up with it all. Especially the physical demands. ...

Monkeys in the Rafters

Ok, here we go… into the first un-official week of summer. If today is a pre-curser of what is to come…. drywall mudding on one project, shingle delivery on another project, a junk run to the dump, looked at another potential project, met with fireplace salesperson, met with lumber sales person, a window delivery is in, some decking is in, worked on two bids, looked at my office (chills), got to the Y for a work out, and finished cutting the grass. It’s now 11pm and I promised the Artist a blog entry. …

Good and bad.

Boy oh boy,

Has it really been since April 27 that I have been here? No wonder the Artist has been asking me to write something.

I wish I could give the excuses that I have been gone on fishing opener, or that the Artist and I went on our every 3^rd weekend in May long weekend camping get-away. Well sadly, neither of those happened. We have said many times that this blog is an insight to a small business with all of the good and the bad. …

Why not me?

Well it’s been a tough night… yep, I will be Dodgeless for a few days. I got home tonight and as I looked back at the truck as I usually do, there was this disturbing stream of liquid raining down under the engine. …

The other day….

I ventured out of my comfort zone again. I decided to become a truck mechanic.

The brakes on the Dodge started moaning last week and were getting louder each day. So…. on a Saturday when I had no time to do a brake job, I decided to “go in”. …

Things on my mind...

Well it’s been awhile, I just emerged from a snowdrift that held me captive for a very long time! It finally hit 50 degrees for a couple of days, the thaw has begun, its grip has loosened and finally set me free. This is what is on my mind as we enter into spring….

A day in the life of an apprentice.

Okay Tyler… remember don't dig too deep, because you are going down there.

It’s a beautiful day…

On the lake. I have been fishing and swimming and sunning. The birds are singing and the eagles are soaring. A tall cold glass of iced tea is sitting in my chair's cup holder and I see the kids coming down the road with ice cream in hand.

Aren’t summers in Minnesota grand! It’s so perfect today I almost think I am dreaming……Oh nuts... I am! The good news is this….. 30’s next week! I think we are going to turn the weather corner real soon, I feel it in my bones. …