This Week out of the Woods
It is the beginning of week 4 of what we have labeled “Corona-cation”. I have been mostly working at the garage and Chrissy has been working from home with the three kids, trying to teach them at least a little something. She has had to get a little creative with the oldest because he is not exactly the sit down and do a worksheet type. They went out and counted different species of trees and made a bar graph of their data. Trafton learned how to tap a maple tree and boil down the sap to make syrup and they’ve gone on adventures in the woods to collect items and research them. Pretty much the only way to grab that boy’s attention is to involve trees or equipment. Let’s just say the apple didn’t fall far from the tree with that one. Gardner is a bit more like his mother. A little more eclectic and adventurous in his learning. He is more willing to try new activities so he is a bit easier to teach at home without having to be overly creative.
We have been busy at the garage doing oil changes and filters. We always take the time to thoroughly spring clean everything this time of year too. We take all the panels off, dig out any debris and mud, and then pressure wash it. It’s important to do this cleaning in order to keep the machines running smoothly, and it also prevents them from over heating. About every 2000 hours we have to change the transmission fluid and rear end fluids on the skidder so that was the first order of business. Luckily there were no major maintenance items on that machine. The circular saw on the loader had to be taken off and “hammered” so it runs doesn’t wobble. The saw spins so fast and so often that it starts to come out of alignment so to speak. This isn’t something we can do at the garage so the part gets sent out to Quality Saw for maintenance. Next machine on the list was the excavator. We got the mulching head set up to work with the machine, so that part is good to go. But, I was checking it over and I found one of the track drive seals was leaking so I tore into that to replace the seal…… and I broke it more. I don’t know why I always have to learn the hard way. I should have hired that one out. You live and learn. We will get it back going. Luckily, the servicing company is still working through coronacation so we should be up and running ASAP.
Before this corona crisis started, we had been cautiously considering some opportunities for growth. We finally built up the courage to take the plunge on a couple of investments and then the world fell apart. One of our long term goals is to own and manage our own woodlots. We found a beautiful piece of earth in Stoneham that is actually conservation land and got a contract to purchase it. We are very excited about the opportunity and can’t wait to manage it long term. There is a small building envelop on the property, but the rest is strictly for forestry. Chrissy and I would like to build a small cabin for escaping life up in the woods. Not sure when that will happen now, but you gotta have goals. Fortunately, this virus isn’t going to stop that deal from closing. The other investment we finally took the plunge on was a building on Route 26 for an office for Kimball & Sons Logging and for U&R Real Estate which Chrissy is affiliated with. She currently does all of the work for both from home. We were under contract for this when the world came crashing down as well. I think we both questioned whether we should continue pursing it initially, but we feel like long term it couldn’t possibly be a bad idea…. so onward we go. It will be so good to get the bulk of work out of the house and into an actual designated office. When the work is all sitting on your desk at home it is hard to feel at home at home. Chrissy feels like she is always at work. Half of the building is leased by a frozen custard shop, so if we start looking like we’ve gained a few pounds, you’ll know why! We are looking forward to having a place to meet clients and of course the visibility from the main road will be a major bonus.
