# Why oh why...



## forbidden (Dec 22, 2010)

Here I sit in sunny above zero C Calgary waiting for snow. Nada, zip, zilch, zero. Where I move from 4 months ago.... they have had 3 meters (close to 10feet for you US boys) in 3 days. It may be on the skihill 30 minutes from town but to have that contract would sure be nice. They have had to close the resort before due to too much snow, 19' in one night for example some years back, at least 1998 from what I recall. Down in the city where I came from though, totally different weather situation. Being right on the ocean, you need a canoe to get around if the wind does not blow you away.... don't miss that part at all.

http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Canada/20101225/record-snow-at-vancouver-island-hill-101225/

Now the eastern seaboard is getting labelled, Mother Nature, you have some explaining to do. Send me snow, is that too much to ask?


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## buckwheat_la (Oct 11, 2009)

i don't know about Calgary, but in Lethbridge they are calling for 5-10cm Wednesday on the Weather Network, and Environment Canada is saying we may see snow over Wednesday and Thursday. Actually I thought November was a rather busy month.


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## forbidden (Dec 22, 2010)

November was indeed far busier. December has been a make work kind of month. Finding iced over parking lots has led to 20 hours of bobcat time in the last week. Now to find some more. EC called for 15 cm here on Wed as well, alas, welcome to Calgary, don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes.


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## buckwheat_la (Oct 11, 2009)

already down graded to 5 cm of snow, still enough to do some work though


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## buckwheat_la (Oct 11, 2009)

did you get any of this snowfall that lethbridge is getting? we actually had a pretty good 15cm on the ground in places


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## forbidden (Dec 22, 2010)

We did get some of that snowfall, ended up with about 10cm to 15cm. Enough to plow out the couple of small commercial properties I have and the rest of the day was all residentials all over Calgary / Okotoks.


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## buckwheat_la (Oct 11, 2009)

LOL, i bet you are wishing you hadn't complained now!!! I don't know about Calgary, but we have a real mess developing in Lethbridge, and if you are in Medicine Hat, you are totally screwed


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## forbidden (Dec 22, 2010)

Completely screwed here today. I did not even get half my route done and I could not keep up with the snow that was coming down. Down a tire on the bobcat today, no tire stores open and of course no tools or jack with me... home I go... tire off, Fountain guy comes in and back in service. 2 hour delay. The residential complex I was in has so much snow in it that I have very few places left to stack it in now. Did not get to my normal Calgary route at all and now the morning is going to be a fun start at 5am.... have to leave my bobcat with one of my young guys and hope for the best.....

At least my wife got her route done, took her son and one worker with her and they should be home soon. News has people stranded in their cars for over 20 hours! Unreal out here, I can only imagine how bad you are getting labelled down south.


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## buckwheat_la (Oct 11, 2009)

It's bad down here, all my equipment is way over due for a service. I was short on hand crews, so I joined with one, OMG I need to give my guys a nice bonus because this was sh!tty work. A couple of 14 hour days on the business end of a shovel sure kicks your butt. By tomorrow sometime we should be all caught up


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## forbidden (Dec 22, 2010)

I am now caught up. 2am to 10pm and got it all done. I did not even make it out of town yesterday! Calgary not much snow. Dewinton and Okotoks got creamed. I had all my guys running today and another 2 ready to start.


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## buckwheat_la (Oct 11, 2009)

forbidden;1191949 said:


> I am now caught up. 2am to 10pm and got it all done. I did not even make it out of town yesterday! Calgary not much snow. Dewinton and Okotoks got creamed. I had all my guys running today and another 2 ready to start.


Good job, my friend. This snow fall was not a fun one, we well be skidding stuff out for a week.


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## buckwheat_la (Oct 11, 2009)

One of my guys was in Medicine Hat this week, apparently they look like Winipeg there.


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## buckwheat_la (Oct 11, 2009)

Arent we happy we aren't in Ontario right now!!! I wonder if they are getting it any worse then we got it last week?


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## forbidden (Dec 22, 2010)

I wish I was in Ontario right about now..... This 2 days of work and then a dry spell is a killer. I hate not working.


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## buckwheat_la (Oct 11, 2009)

How much snow did u get up there? We had a fair bit, 20cm or so. Looks like some this weekend too.


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## buckwheat_la (Oct 11, 2009)

Do u do anything when not snow plowing?


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## forbidden (Dec 22, 2010)

We had close to 25cm of snow, not much for drifts this time around. Not many places left to stash snow in the condo complex's that we work on and they do not ideally want to pay for removal but that may become a necessity for them. 

We purchased an already successful business from my brother in law. He did snow removal only in the winter, laying his staff off and paying them cash as they were called in.

What else do I do? I have many hats that I can wear. Previously I owned a car audio shop for the last 15 years and worked for other for 5 years before that. I can do all sorts of 12volt wiring from lights, audio, alarms, remote starters, heated seats, heated mirrors, backup camera's, backup sensors etc..I hold a Aux. Constable certificate with the RCMP. I was recruited to work at the 2010 Olympics at the last possible second and was given the US Ski Team as my asset to protect for the duration of the Olympics, being made the supervisor upon hiring. I was the head doorman at a busy bar for three years amongst other things. I am capable of doing all sorts of construction type of work as well. If I can learn it, I can do it. I am trying to find other uses for the equipment and employees at this time. I decided not to lay off the employees and give them an advance every two weeks whether they work or not. It goes against their future earning this summer season. Good for them, a risk for me but it keeps them here and working for me at a moments notice.

What I am looking at is firewood delivery. A investment in a cutter/splitter that can mount on the back of our tractor and operate off the PTO would turn another piece of equipment into a money maker. Currently it operates only in the summer with a rough mower deck on the back. We have a large dump trailer for delivery as well as a 1 ton dumptruck. We have the staff as well. All I need is a supply of wood by the logging truck load and develop a market starting with my existing customer base and we go from there.

Other than that, I am at home working in the shop on equipment, cleaning stuff up from the move out here in August and generally driving my wife nuts. I know she prefers me out and working and not at home here.


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## buckwheat_la (Oct 11, 2009)

It isn't looking good for tonight/tomorrow, 30-50cm which is going to suck, but + temp and blowing are going to be worse later this week.


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## forbidden (Dec 22, 2010)

We were slated for 20cm last night.... nada.... slated for 15-20 today until tomorrow morning. Not much to keep me busy.


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## buckwheat_la (Oct 11, 2009)

How did u make out with this last snow fall?


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## forbidden (Dec 22, 2010)

Went out at 3am to start building up more snowshovels, adjust the snowblower and by 5am I was out the door. Had to go to north Calgary to pick up a extra worker. That killed 3 hours..... got in at 1am last night. 99% of work completed. Stupid check engine light came on in my truck again after having it fixed last week. Backup sensors not working, found a small marker pole (first war wound to bumper and the pole is fine). Young guy got too close to a garage door with a bobcat and creased a panel. Now he knows why I said always to clear snow by hand. He was trembling while talking to me on the phone and to the customer. Picked up 4 extra plow jobs yesterday so that will help cover the panel replacement. Two customers cleared their own sidewalks as "the sidewalk gets covered in ice when you don't do it by 8am" and "the mailman comes before 12 and you have to have it done by then". The roads were insane up here, the foot of snow to move did not help and your worried about the mailman and the sidewalk? I am worried about my safety and I am not coming to do your house at 8am to appease you for $30.00. You are on a route and you will get done when we get there. A mother and daughter..... the son, no complaints from him.... Other than that, a good day. Slept till noon, all crews went out this morning at 6:30 and 10:00 for some final cleanup work and I can start doing what I need to do now. Like solving the airflow issue to my radiator when my plow is on to keep the stupid check engine light from coming on.


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## buckwheat_la (Oct 11, 2009)

Sounds like you had a busy weekend. Mine was about the same.just seemed like we were chasing our tails, guys not showing up, equipment issues, customers being a pita, etc. finally broke down and bought a new skid steer, and now no snow go figure. Staffing has been a huge issue this year too, I have lost some of my permanent staff, but there have been lots of great replacement staff so realty there is no great loss. We do construction and that seems to be where we are struggling lately, seems like we just get people trained and they walk off, is it too much to ask for some loyalty? The good news is there is lots of new workers around. I am hoping w are getting a break for a couple weeks so I can get this project done and maybe take some time off before the spring push.


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