Making it through another year, '23-'24

[Old Greenhorn]

I think I am going to start a new thread titled "Stupid things Old Greenhorn does" where in I list all the stupid ideas I come up with and actually try. For instance, recently we have had the 'beer can thing', the 'attic/kiln thing', and the '6 pack carrier thing' to name just a few. If things got slow, the design committee could come up with ideas to egg me on. Waddya think?

 Todays stupid idea was that since burning that bark a few days ago worked out pretty good, provided heat, and got some large bark slices out of the way, I went and picked up a bunch more, split it into stove sized slices and filled a wood hoop with it.



 

 It cleaned up about half the pile on the splitter. I figure wood is wood and even though this was a live tree last year, the bark seems to be drying pretty fast and is quite thick. I figure it's good for the damp fall days. Now to figure out what to do with the rest of it.
 I'll think on that thread some more.  BTW, the attic kiln went over 103° today with humidity at 34%.
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 Speaking of stupid, These delivery drivers that come to our road amuse me. My neighbor across the road has a driveway that drops off the road at a sharp angle to the road. Easy approach coming from the north, but coming from the south one has to make a 160° turn and there is now way to do that unless you are on a bike. Still they all have to try it, and they all have to 3 point the turn (at least). Well, all but this one.



 

 I didn't want to embarrass him any further, so I didn't get detailed photos, but his front left wheel is hanging in space over an 18" drop, and the rear right tire is 4" off the pavement. I offered to yank him out (not my first time for this), but he said they had a contract, it was paid for, and the guy was ten minutes away. "OK" I said. The tow driver was a bit miffed. He said it was the forth one of these he had done in 3 days. He hates this contract. They give him a lot of work.  I told the van driver to use my driveway to make the turn safer for him.
 Tomorrow is another one.

[thecfarm]

I've burn bark before. Seem like I had some that was an inch thick. Maybe hemlock? It makes heat!! 

[doc henderson]

Cottonwood is thick also.  dry bark and dry wood have the same BTUs per unit dry weight.

[SawyerTed]

This is in Hanging Rock State Park family campground.   The driver’s regular job was driving a delivery van.  

I wonder if she’s still driving for a living? 

The maintenance men jacked the car up and pulled the rock out with a tractor and chain.  
br>
 

[Peter Drouin]

Some will never get it, [driving] 

[aigheadish]

I was a bit nervous going down that driveway in your Mule (assuming it's the driveway I think it is), I think it'd be pretty easy to screw it up in a delivery van, especially if you aren't paying much attention...

[Old Greenhorn]

OK, I got the truck loaded up this morning for tomorrow's show. I took my time and it took me two hours with some messing around trying different stuff. I sold two large pieces at the last show, so it was a bit easier, but also the crates and things I made helped to consolidate it a little. I usually have the back seat loaded, this time I have nothing there except extra moving blankets. I also moved some stuff around in the shop and fit the whole truck inside and could close the door. I believe it's the first time I have ever gotten this whole truck in. I figure at best, I am driving home in the rain tomorrow and want it all inside for unloading. I am not sure I can do the unloading when it's inside using the floor space, but I'll figure that out later.
A rare view of the truck loaded from above:


 

I got 5 benches, 1 coffee table, and a corner shelf up on the ladder rack this time. Looks good now, but in a driving rain, not so much. Also, there is stuff in the bed that will not hold up in the rain and will have to be moved to the backseat on the return trip, or just tossed in the woodstove at some point.
 I piddled around on other stuff and went down my checklist (nearly forgot to bring my change money), but mostly I watched the weather forecasts. They are all over the map, but none are encouraging. I am not one to give up, I have a lot of time invested in this show and I need the sales. One forecast I just saw expects it to start raining around 8am. Complicating things is the show is an hour west of me, which should put us in a better spot, but it's about 1,000 ft higher. High temp for the day will be around 52° and they expect more rain out there for some reason. None of this is going to bring people out, and the overall is not looking good at all. I am fully expecting a bust. The only reason I haven't bailed out at this point is that I can't let myself quit on a plan, which is probably a dumb choice. I have seen these things turn around for weird reasons and if you don't hang in, you miss the opportunity. I know I am going to have a lot of soaking wet moving blankets to dry out, not to mention wet furniture. We won't have dry weather until Tuesday.
 So in more ways than usual, we will have to see what tomorrow brings, because sleeping in is not an option.

[thecfarm]

Looking forward to the outcome!!

[ljohnsaw]

Have a BIG roll of 6 mil drop cloth plastic ready to wrap everything for the trip home?

[Old Greenhorn]

Ray, I am interested to se the same thing and have it in the rear view mirror.

John believe me I thought about it, but look at that photo above. How do I wrap that stuff up top? I did bring a tarp to at least try to cover the stuff in the bed, but wrapping that stuff on top is dang near impossible for 60MPH driving.


After a fitful sleep last night I woke to find the forecast changed.....yet again. The satellite shows the system is over us, the radar shows the rain should start in an hour, but the forecast is saying no rain here (home) until late afternoon/evening and for the show site around 3pm. The temp is about 50 and quite damp/cool. It is not going to be a pleasant day weather wise in any event. It's got me thinking 'where are my gloves?'.
 So it is what it is and I will stay the course and ride it out. I'll be on the road in a little while.

[Nebraska]

Good luck and great sales to you...

[gspren]

Either an enclosed trailer or a step van is in your future if you do many shows. In the distant past I had an old bread truck (step van) and it was very manuverable but without 4WD it required thought off the road. I now have a 6x12 enclosed trailer and it's really handy to own.

[WV Sawmiller]

   I agree - loading on that rack is going to be too much work and risk to you and your crafts. Have a great sale.

    We have an event this weekend at a State Park I'd loved to have gone to but it is 50 miles away and weather is a concern but mostly I committed to help my son cook catfish at their annual church fish fry.

[Old Greenhorn]

Well midway through the day and I will just say it's not a good weather day, nor a good sales day, but it has been ok for my ego.  of I could put compliments in the bank I would be on good shape.

[Old Greenhorn]

Well, I will keep this short. It was not a great day, but not a terrible one either. I sold just short of a hundred bucks in stuff, which would make it a fail. But I did make a lot of contacts and had a lot fo 'those conversations' that will lead to meaningful stuff down the road. This is, of course, part of the goal of doing these shows and this one was smack in the middle of my target demographic. So that part was good. I'll write a bit more about it later, right now I am so tired I can hardly hold my head up.
 Packed up the show just as a driving rain started and hung in there for over an hour. Pretty much everything got soaked except any paperwork I had, which went right in the back seat of the truck. I have moving blankets that weigh about 30 pounds right now. My jacket and hoodie soaked right through past my shirts. I did manage to pack in 48 minutes, which I am thinking is pretty good for being alone and not being sloppy. Working through a driving rain and not getting in the panic mode and taking the time to do it right once is a learned skill, but it is always hard when you are uncomfortable. I drove home and half the trip was more driving rain, the other half it slacked a bit but I had a citidiot in front of me who could not decide on a speed to drive between 45 and 60.
 Got home and got the whole truck in the shop right away and emptied the bed, but had no more room for stuff with the truck in the way. I was shot. I went in the house, gave the wife 'my report' and was going to put on dry shirts and get back to work. Realized I would just get the dry stuff wet, so I stuck with what I had and got back at it. I was too tired to eat dinner anyway. She ate without me and I got the truck emptied, and out of the shop. The I started pulling each piece and drying the water off it. Every piece had to be wiped down and I went through a half dozen towels.
 I have everything spread out on the shop floor, but lots of soaking wet moving blankets piled everywhere. I don't think there is any water damage, but I lost a lot of price tags I will have to re-do.
 Was it worth it for the $95 (well, $65 after the show fee)? HECK NO! Was it worth it for the contacts I made? Well, time will tell on that.
 I've been up since 5, going all day, and right now (at 8:45 local) I feel like it's 3am. I am sitting here in wet jeans and damp shirts and need to move on. Tomorrow is another day. (And yes, that is my version of keeping it short. )

[WV Sawmiller]

   Sorry for the weather and extra work it created but glad you had a good time and positive outlook. I consider my shows such as these as advertising and list them on my tax accounting as such. I often barely make the lot rent/fees but I'll get a profitable job from such a contact months to even years later.

[Resonator]

I think the best word for a day like that is "persevered". 
Defined as: "To have continued in a course of action, even in the face of difficulty or with little or no prospect of success." 

[Old Greenhorn]

Res, your definition could pretty much be my business plan.
 Agreed Howard, I am hopeful the public contact will turn into something, but that takes time. I did pick up a commission at the last show and had in depth conversations about a second one (waiting for her to call me and set up an appointment). This show I had one in depth conversation about details and we will see if she calls me back. I gave out a lot of cards. Time will tell.
 There was also some networking on this one. There was a wood turner down at the other end and we hit it off. We took turns visiting each other during the day. He had an enclosed trailer like I am looking for and gave me some insight as to how much it helped him as well as inviting me to look it over well. We talked a lot about woods and such. I may be making some bowl blanks for him down the road. He was over at my booth when a fella came by to invite me to participate in their show in a few weeks and this fella piped in and said "If we both come, you have to put us next to each other." I do no turning, he does very crude rustic signs and such as well as fine turning so it would be a good fit. But that show was $75 for an outside booth and came with a lot of hassle. I will pass on it this year.
 I also met another fella looking at booths and inviting a few folks to come and do his show, which is about and hour and a half from me. I have yet to check that one out.
 The woman who is the main organizer for the show came by to thank me for coming and invited me back for next year. They had a few cancel but it still covered a 20 acre field nicely. I know the history of this show and would not let a bead day change my opinion. My wife was doing this one 15 years ago. I have been many times myself and it is usually packed. This year we only had a few that drove from out of state because of the weather. Usually its quite a few.
 I was surprised by the number of people that made a point of telling me what nice work I did. It was not just the usual "nice stuff" comment, but more like "wow, this work is really beautiful!". I think that may be because I had little competition.
 As far as it not being a 'winner', I attribute that more to the weather than the show itself. As I said, been at this one many times and the crowd was greatly reduced as it drizzled and rained off and on all day. That takes a slightly more hardly person to attend and consequently they were mostly long time locals who didn't let the weather interfere with their daily plans.

 Lessons learned: I need to make a sign that says "I'll be back in 3 minutes" to put up when I go to take a leak. Being alone, I have nobody to cover for me. Better to see the sign, than see nobody. I should also think about having larger photos of other work I have done in the past, perhaps an album of 8x10's for folks asking about commission work. I also need a larger sign that says I prefer to do custom work to order. I answered that question a dozen times even though I have signage. I also need to lower my signs, nobody looks UP to where I have them around the inside perimeter of the canopy. I could use a larger booth and a larger canopy to spread things out and fit more, but I think that has to wait until I have a trailer.
 Here's a short clip of the field and setup:



 Now I have to start a smudge fire in the shop to help dry stuff. The moving blankets will have to wait until it stops raining (tomorrow?) to get dried on the line. I'll also look into the upcoming shows and try to figure out what I am bringing and what I am leaving in the shop.
 But first, breakfast!  It's another (rainy) day.

[Resonator]

Res, your definition could pretty much be my business plan.

Tom, I speak from experience. I quit my day job to build a business starting with nothing... (and that's pretty much what I've still got). 

[Old Greenhorn]

.......
 But first, breakfast! It's another (rainy) day.

Well, no sooner did I hit "post" on that one and the wife comes down and says "got no water pressure, can't take a shower", 'hmmm' says I (that's not what I said) and I go in the utility room to check things. I have water everywhere, running out the door, the carpets are under 2" of water and it's spreading fast. I hear it coming down and can find the source, all my pipes are dripping. The boiler is running full tilt but I see no pressure on the aquastat. I search for a source and finally find the pressure/temp relief on the boiler is running like a garden hose. I shut off the well pump, then the boiler. Yeah, that valve won't close. I have 3 rooms flooded. Put in a service call and start sucking up water. The tech calls back, I give him the details, he asked if I can shut of the well pump. 'Already done'. Can I shut off the boiler? "already done, pressure valve won't close". He says he'll be here in 20 minutes. I start sucking water, lots of water.
 He arrives, looks it over, yep the pressure switch is part of the problem, also the expansion tank is waterlogged. New Tank, new valve, tested, good to go. He is done in twenty minutes and he tanked me for knowing something about my system and shutting off the right stuff, as well as giving him a heads up on what to bring.
 Finally around 10:30 my back needed a short rest, so I made that breakfast. I probably have about 60+ trips in and out emptying the vacuum of about 4 gallons at a time. I am starting to gain on it, but I needed another break and the water needs time to spread to where I can reach it. This will take 2 days at least to get fairly good. My wife's sewing machine foot switches were on the floor and they shorted which made the motors 'try' to run, I pulled those out and got a few 'wake ups' along the way from voltage leaks. I hope they are not damaged, that will be expensive.
 Time to get back to it. Gonna spend my day sucking.