Tree Machine, one week deal

[Tree Machine]

My wife is going house hunting in Florida, leaving Wednesday, April 20, coming back April 27. During that time I'll be here in Indianapolis doing my normal tree work, probably working 6 or 7 days straight.

I'm a one-man operation, and I don't really need help, but I thought it might be fun to have an apprentice for a week. I haven't had a helper since about the middle of last Summer.

The ideal guy would be someone motivated to (currently or eventually) running their own business. I'll be doing all the climbing, your responsibility during the day will be picking up sticks (I'm not going to sugar-coat it).

You don't need any gear, just a few days change of clothes. Actually, you could come with nothing and we'll get you all you need at the local thrift shop, about two minutes from here.

You should want to come for the instruction; customer relations, doing estimates, record keeping, contact tracking, some gear maintenence, sharpening, etc., recycling of all wood material, clean-up strategies and, of course, everything from fine pruning ornamentals to hairy scary technical aerial work. PPE will be provided.

Don't come for the pay, it's only $15 an hour, figure 10 hour days, for 6 of the 7 days. You should be passionate about trees and tree care and want to start your own tree business as a solo / small-team operation when you go back home. This would be a fast-track business training with a core of actual tree operations. It's feasable to even have two guys in for the week, though we'd have to get more beer. You'd be staying here at Casa de Tree Machine and we eat well. We'll need to go canoeing part of one day (tree pruning from a boat in swift current), hunt (yellow) morels if it would hopefully rain (part of the canoe trip), and Thursday morning we deliver food to homeless shelters. Other than that, it's 100% tree work

WHERE TO START: Reply here, tell us why you feel this one-week stretch would benefit your future in arboriculture. Sell me on what's in it for me (remember, I've got a business to run). Tell us what you're doing now, and what you hope to learn. Also (insider tip) play on the fact that I'm all about making the work as fun and entertaining as is humanly possible and you're more likely to get an invite.

It doesn't need to be a full 7 days either. It can be 2, 3, 5, whatever. Like I say, I don't particularly need help, I just want to stir it up a bit and have some fun. You just have to leave before Elizabeth gets back.

The application process starts now. GO!http://www.arboristsite.com/attachment_22876.php

 

[Old Monkey]

My wife is going house hunting in Florida, leaving Wednesday, April 20, coming back April 27. During that time I'll be here in Indianapolis doing my normal tree work, probably working 6 or 7 days straight.

I'm a one-man operation, and I don't really need help,.......
...... Like I say, I don't particularly need help, I just want to stir it up a bit and have some fun. You just have to leave before Elizabeth gets back.

The application process starts now. GO!http://www.arboristsite.com/attachment_22876.php

So one of us lucky dudes gets to be Elizabeth for a week? What other responsiblities will we have at Casa de Tree Machine? :Eye: :Eye:

 

[Tree Machine]

So one of us lucky dudes gets to be Elizabeth for a week?

That is not exactly what I had in mind.

One guy called me today and left a message that went something like this: "Hey Tree Machine, I'll come in and work with you for a week. I'd love to get $15 an hour to go canoeing."

This also is not what I had in mind, although I have always paid my guys if they're expecting to work and I change the plan. I'm very fair that way.

Other responsibilities.... if the ice cream truck comes down the street and I'm up in the tree, it would be your job to flag him down. That's the only company rule; Ice Cream Man comes, we stop work and the boss buys the treats.

I've never been real big on rules, so I figure if I have to make them, then they might as well be cool rules.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Hahahaa. This is gonna be good.

 

[texasnative]

Working with trees is almost as fun as canoeing. Sounds like a week that I could benefit from, as I am, for the most part, a struggling one man band. Firing my wife and getting divorced have broken me in more ways than one. The timing is off, though, as I have responsibilities here in East Texas that I cannot get away from (living on a farm, owner going on vacation), such as fishing, hunting mushrooms, gotta prune two water oaks, many white oak seedlings to transplant, and there are alot of critters to feed. If it were week after next....

 

[Chris J.]

Wish that there had been more notice.

I don't know what your response would've been, but it sure sounds interresting.

What you describe sounds just about like something I've been thinking about trying to put together. Work outdoors , look/listen/learn :Eye: , get paid as well , & get away from my routine existance for a week or so. Hmmm.....

 

[Tree Machine]

Texasnative, I'm sorry bout your exspousal unit. That's never any fun for either side. The following week would be less than ideal. Elizabeth would be back, and we couldn't be party boys at night.

Knot Whole, it'd be great to have you up here and get you out of your routine existence..... wait a minute.... routine existence? I'm getting the feeling that you're not a treeguy. That's one of the benefits of our profession; it's anything but routine. No two trees the same, no two properties the same, no two clients the same, a job for any mood.

If anyone is pricing flights, come in early early morning or at night and I'll come get ya. During the day, I'll pay your shuttle or cab to the jobsite and I'll keep a cell phone on me up in the trees.

Looks like some blessed rain tonight, which will make the yellow morels pop. It's that time. We just need to get the ground good and soaked.

Come play in my hardwood wonderland!

 

[Tree Machine]

I am, for the most part, a struggling one man band.

This is what I'm hoping for, noobs who really want to establish themselves as a profitable business. If you're struggling, you shouldn't be. We can straighten that out. We just isolate where it is you're having problems and we go to problem-solving.

Starting up a business properly shouldn't be a struggle. You shouldn't have to suffer, not with a resource like Arboristsite here to answer any question you could possibly have. Ideally, if you are clueless and deficient in whatever area, you'd see how I do it, first-hand, and go home and do it better.

I'm pulling together some <i>really</i> cool jobs. Also, I just did a major job for the local brewpub, and my tab there is at a record high. Treating you to dinner and beer is the only way I can knock it down at least into the three-figure range.


OK, I'm buying the ice cream, and treating you to dinner and brewskies, and taking you through all aspects of the business, and offering to pay you to go canoeing with me and hunt mushrooms.

The benefits are stacking up. I'm putting an opportunity out there, but I'm not begging. All I want is to have more fun than I otherwise would

Elizabeth leaves tomorrow morning, April 20. I've almost forgotten how Bachelors live.

 

[Tree Machine]

Ya don't have to be a noob, either. You seniors could come in and teach me stuff. I've been meaning to learn a bowline, and I know some day, just for fun, I'd like to actually climb with a Blakes hitch, or a distel. I know how to tie those, but have politely passed on actually using them in a tree.

Tom Dunlap, why don't you come in? That would be fun. You're a swift climber and good with a Silky. Maybe I could be the ground guy. Now <i>that</i> would be an experience for me. I have been groundguy for another climber only twice in my life, and that was about 12 years ago when I was an ultra-noob.

Master Blaster, why don't you come up and do a few climbs for me? I promise I won't heckle you from the ground.

Brits and Swedes would be awesome. Kiwi climbers WELCOME. Aussies, come take a working vacation. Teach me how to drink beer like a Big Dog, Woo Hooo! BTA; Bachelor Treeguys Anomynous.

 

[Chris J.]

Tree Machine:

I'm certain that you would've received many more replies if you'd given some more planning time. Sounds like you're wanting tree guys, newbies or experienced. Maybe the next time that your wife heads south you could give a little more advance notice?

Just some comments from a harry homeowner weekday desk jockey weekend warrior saw mechtech wannabe.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Master Blaster, why don't you come up and do a few climbs for me? I promise I won't heckle you from the ground.

Heckle away, I'll have my earplugs in. I would like to meet and work with all the regular members here, that would be neat. If I was younger, I just might do that, but in my old age I wanna sleep in my same bed every night.

Hey! Enjoy that bachelor's life for a week, eh?

 

[Tree Machine]

I can agree with Knot Whole, maybe some more advance notice would've helped, but there's still lots of time, I take her to the airport this morning. It was sort of a spontaneous idea, Elizabeth's actually. She thinks if I have help, I'm more likely to actually work, which is true. She worries about me during morel season because I get a lot of calls to lead forays, and i'll just go out by myself at the drop of a hat. She's been with me on big finds and knows that all priorities get shelved if the mushroom hunting is good.

Also, all our caving friends know she's leaving and she's rightly concerned that I'll go camping and drop some big pits over the weekend with my buddies. Then there's a couple home projects I've got going; installing the marble mosaic floor in my outdoor shower and the final trim phase of a timberframe deck I put up last year. Then there's the noises I've been making about going and buying a MIG welder (set up for Aluminum) and bustin out a long talked about project. Then there's the canoe thing and of course, the time I spend here at Arboristsite

Basically, she's afraid I won't work while she's gone. I just got slammed with taxes and insurances and like all of you, I'm perpetually chasing the bills. A helper would ensure I actually do some tree work in the next week. Smart girl.

 

[vharrison2]

My wife is going house hunting in Florida,.



Where in Florida?

 

[Tree Machine]

Here.

 

[Tree Machine]

My friends, it hasn't even been a day yet.

 

[Tree Machine]

I miss my Mrs. Tree Machine.

 

[Tree Machine]

Here's where you are, and where my wife is doing house reconnaisance, and where I am.

 

[Tree Machine]

Remember.....

 

[rivahrat]

just found this thread. wish i found it sooner. i would love to do this. just cant afford the ticket from va to indianna

 

[Tree Machine]

Not such short notice

Right now we have six full days to work with. You would be amazed how much you can take back with you in a day's time. As well as $150 a day, and food, you could pay for your flight and go home with a couple hundred bucks in-pocket, in just a few days. Go home intent and empowered to launch your own profitable business.



I appreciate that you like the idea, anyway.