We have been doing start-ups for three weeks already? I was hoping we would be done by now……..
I found out today I am going to be a grandfather to another boy that is scheduled for arrival in September.
We are still getting requests for sprinkler start-ups, but in general, they are slowing down. Start-ups including backflow tests are also slowing down as we increase the number of pressurized irrigation requests.
This coming week we are going to work in Eagle and Canyon county, and also start our pass around the valley where we have already been this season. The second pass through the valley will go much faster, but we are also going to try and take two days this coming week to concentrate on lawn aerations only which days are still undecided, but I am hoping for Wednesday and Thursday. We really needed to get all start-ups done this week so we can start on major repairs next week as we have already scheduled, but at this point, it isn’t looking good. We have three main & drains waiting on us to dig up.
Jacob’s grandfather, my ex-father-in-law has been placed in hospice care and isn’t expected to live more than a few more weeks. When he passes away we will be making a trip to Forest Grove, Oregon to pay our respects. This will also throw off our schedule and probably aggravate a few people, but unfortunately they will have to be patient or choose to go somewhere else for service.
As I stated earlier in the week, it looks like most businesses in the area are way behind on service requests, or almost to the point of shutting down because they do not have the coverage to stay open. We are fighting the same battle, but are not going to close. We are going to keep plugging away steadily as we get service cancellations and new ones come in to take their place.
I’m really getting the feeling that some people just don’t want to work. My son hired three painters last week and two of them never showed up. No call, nothing. Just disappeared. As for us, the one I hired a few weeks ago that needed to finish up a current job he was working on is likely not to show up either, so we are still looking for help. We need two more people at this point to keep things running smoothly, and 3-4 total by the time sprinkler blowouts start up again. We currently have four machines, and really could use one more right now, but not going to make a purchase if we can’t get people to run the ones we already have. We were very fortunate last fall to find two people that just wanted a temporary position, but this year since Jesse abandoned ship we need three. I could go back out and run a machine again, but the business would suffer without me in the office coordinating 80-100 blowouts a day.
So far we have around 100 more start-ups than we completed all last year, and up more than 100 backflow tests right now, and it is still early in the season. We increase every year which is good, but with only Jacob and I taking care of requests, and me being stuck in my office most of the morning because of a barrage of texts, it is hard to get anything accomplished.
Here’s hoping for a productive week.