Coffee anyone ?

[Alaskan]

I need to get a monitoring system for air quality. Right now the AQI (air quality index) is at 42 yet when I look outside its brown no sight of the sky and there is a 165k acre fire 2.5 hrs south of us blowing this direction. I would put the AQI at 200 right about now. You would think someone or somewhere there would be a monitoring station in town for wildfire prone area.
Remember all those burn pit exposed vets they keep talking about and the whole PACT act they passed, yeah I'm in the burn pit registry and rely on inhaler for times like these, I actually keep a P100 welding mask around for it.
That's another hardship not many know of when building this pole barn, high winds, sub zero temperatures, temperatures over the 100's, rain, snow and wildfire smoke.
That discoloration is from smoke in this picture...View attachment 111018

Sad/bad about everything... except that glorious barn you built. NICE design!

 

[Weldman]

Sad/bad about everything... except that glorious barn you built. NICE design!

Thanks,
Some can take chaos and make a masterpiece out of it.

 

[Mini Horses]

Another wonderful morning of cool temps. Open windows at night, close in morn and great all day -- free AC. I'm home a few days, meaning job work only 2 days next week Guess I'll manage some farm work -- AND I've promised self house cleaning gets some time.

Enjoyed leisurely coffee and a bacon sandwich -- now I need to get busy. Diesel buy first, to keep tractor working....after that is done, I can focus on what to tackle next. There's just so many "needs" to choose from draw straws!!

 

[Weldman]

I did a stint as diesel mechanic over a year ago, well in that time frame I have been looking for part time something to do and so far they have been through 3 diesel mechanics in a year and half. Guess they last about 6 months or less and fade away.
Wife suggests I go for it again, problem is majority of the time it's doing tires. One cattle pot after another needing new tires, I would average 21 tires a week and back can only do so much after rucking 150 plus lbs in the service. Also I was fixing everything once they seen how well I could do, it ranged from semis' to the owners wife vehicles to grandmas rocking chair, yes I welded, fabricated and fixed grandmas antique rocking chair too.
Another problem is when things picked up, it picked up as in 96 hr work week.
There is 14 tires per a cattle pot then factor in 10 to 12 tires a semi add in there is 7 tractor trailer rigs that I maintained single handily then add the owners dad has his fleet of grain truck rigs then add in his dads fleet of rigs too so basically 3 fleets I kept together. I wonder why diesel mechanics faded away..

 

[Mini Horses]

End of summer garden ...

 

[Mini Horses]

I've enjoyed some lower summer temps the past week....lovely really. 50-62 nights, 75-85 days. Alas, this week back into low 90 days. Won't last long & we will see 80s again. Fall cometh.

Just closed windows, cool enough inside! Haven't needed AC for several days always glad to cut electric use. These temps all year would be ideal.

Once dew dries on grass, I'm thinking I'll cut yard. Then, I'm thinking I'll cut all around the barn areas. Would like that lower for working around there. Plenty of pasture, don't need this as graze. I'd let it grow during the June heat & no rain time -- need to clean it up again! Not much planned beyond some "clean up" like that. May get into lower fields

 

[Baymule]

I did a stint as diesel mechanic over a year ago, well in that time frame I have been looking for part time something to do and so far they have been through 3 diesel mechanics in a year and half. Guess they last about 6 months or less and fade away.
Wife suggests I go for it again, problem is majority of the time it's doing tires. One cattle pot after another needing new tires, I would average 21 tires a week and back can only do so much after rucking 150 plus lbs in the service. Also I was fixing everything once they seen how well I could do, it ranged from semis' to the owners wife vehicles to grandmas rocking chair, yes I welded, fabricated and fixed grandmas antique rocking chair too.
Another problem is when things picked up, it picked up as in 96 hr work week.
There is 14 tires per a cattle pot then factor in 10 to 12 tires a semi add in there is 7 tractor trailer rigs that I maintained single handily then add the owners dad has his fleet of grain truck rigs then add in his dads fleet of rigs too so basically 3 fleets I kept together. I wonder why diesel mechanics faded away..
View attachment 111033

Go up on your hourly wage and make them hire a tire guy. No overhead crane? Not even a little swing are 2 ton crane? They really want a workman’s comp claim, don’t they?

 

[Weldman]

Go up on your hourly wage and make them hire a tire guy. No overhead crane? Not even a little swing are 2 ton crane? They really want a workman’s comp claim, don’t they?

I tried before leaving to get them to hire just a tire guy and they wouldn't do it. They weren't pleased with paying me $30 an hour either, so to have asked higher I wouldn't have gotten it.
No, no overhead crane, no tire cage amongst other OSHA violations. The owner of the business is about 28 years old, given to him from his dad who is my age and he is twice my size. It's fun watching him do tires he will jump on them with his knee to knock them onto the rim cause he weighs so much, I was hoping to see him miss or go too hard and bust a knee. Would of made my day.
Just as with any small town, if you aren't a local the locals won't utilize your business and the ones that need work done that aren't local will get ripped off by the locals. Yes I still have the Texas deep south accent so no hiding I'm not local..
This year alone I have only had 3 contracts that lasted average 2 to 3 days. I can blame it on the dump truck and excavator going down, but the phone never rang during that time and I have skills that exist outside of those pieces of equipment. Thought about advertising in outer city limits of Billings, long drive, but wouldn't be working that many days a week.

 

[SageHill]

Holy underpaid batman. $30/hr - good Lord. That's about what yard/landscape/pick up at Home Depot guys get.

 

[Weldman]

Holy underpaid batman. $30/hr - good Lord. That's about what yard/landscape/pick up at Home Depot guys get.

Only people that make more than that are doctors, lawyers and such yet we have prices the same as where you are. This is why having a business is hard if you do the things I do, very few can afford you in a area of less than 10k people.