clients

[steev]

I did some work for people who were clearly doing the internet short-term rental thing, (I care not one whit) but they were weird about giving me access to their gated yard; didn't want to give me a key; wanted to restrict the days/hours when I could come; I walked away from that account; too much BS for yardwork. I have enough trouble with weather and helpers; I don't need grief from clients.

Unfortunately, another client is making noises about not trusting my helpers (afraid they'll "case" her place and come back to steal her shit, despite not having the gate-code, which I've never given anyone. I may need to inform her that if she requires only me to work on her property, my rate will be 50% higher than my normal per-man-hour rate. I'm too damned old to put up with this shit! She may think I'm bringing "cholos" to work in her yard, but I'm not, so I take her concerns personally, as a critique of my judgement. Again, do I need this client?

[prairiegardens]

People do seem to be getting weirder by the day, or perhaps just less shy about making clear how weird they are. Someone in another group said that she was greeted with information that the visitor didn't know women could drive a tractor! That startling bit of information was later followed by the observation that the visitor had decided to buy a farm, it seemed an easy fun way to make a living.

Good luck with your clients. If you only got all your clients to pay you 50% more then you might need fewer of them and therefore less help?!

[steev]

First, not all my clients would pay 50% more, if any, as I already charge more than the "mow, blow, and go" guys.

Second, I'm too old to do all the grunt labor alone; these days, I've been getting along with only one helper, anyway.

Third, without regular help, I'd be in no position to do profitable odd-jobs, like prepping yards for sale.

I've been considering the pros and cons of stopping my ad, letting normal attrition reduce my client list, and officially going out of business, but I'd lose the benefits of buying tools and materials as business expenses, and the potential to sell the business would be lost.

Once I have a house on the farm, I'll be in a better position to make these decisions.

[richardw]

I know where you are coming from steev ( you're special,i dont tag you cause i know you lurk in every nook and cranky within this forum) i shear sheep for people who have the money to buy land within richmans zone, (just outside the city's limits and inside farming areas) the sheep have names and many only have one or two, i call them ultra-pets, these landowners prefer to have a hand shearer shear there wee darlings than have a machine shearer which is so much harder on there animal, so, they are happy to pay more. I just weed out the ones i dont want as a clients because i can pick and choose, even people who only talk about themselves and not ask about me and my life get a line through there name when a get home. Fuck em steev, we are getting too old to put up with the wankers out there.  

[steev]

Ah; bitching in harmony; so affirming!

"nook and cranky"? Is that a judgement? Not that I'd dispute it; hell, I'd wear it like a medal; not sure what the "nook" implies, though. Is that related to "mook"? That's a term common to Philly, of which I've no clear understanding, other than that it's negative.

Of course, I considered it might be a "typo", but we know what Freud said about slips of the tongue (fingers). Oscar Wilde is alleged to have said "A gentleman never insults anyone unintentionally."

I may be reading too much into this, but one must make what one can of the paucity of material here in NorHem's winter slack-time.

[zeedman]

Jan 23, 2017 0:18:11 GMT -5 richardw said:

I know where you are coming from steev ( you're special,i dont tag you cause i know you lurk in every nook and cranky within this forum)...

[philagardener]

The space between the mooks and the midriffs is getting narrower all the time . . .

[templeton]

dictionary dot com "nook and cranny, every. Everywhere, as in I've searched for it in every nook and cranny, and I still can't find it. This metaphoric idiom pairs nook, which has meant “an out-of-the-way corner” since the mid-1300s, with cranny, which has meant “a crack or crevice” since about 1440."

[steev]

Coal to Newcastle, T.

[templeton]

[steev]

Um, Phila? I'm still not clear WTF the deal is about "mook"; your post is mildly "disturbing"; if this topic isn't PG, feel free to pm me (I don't care about PG, but perhaps you do; I'm a big boy; I'll not be upset; I'm just linguistically curious).

I will reiterate that I love language, in all its dialects (and nooks and crannies!); its occasional hilarious variations of pronunciations are treasures of our common humanity, our cultural diversity, and our genetic inheritance, as well as the provincionality of those who perceive the "hilarity" of others.

The whole point of language is COMMUNICATION, that we may deal with each other on a level higher than "animals"; I "quote" that to indicate that I don't denigrate animals, nor our pre-verbal fore-bears, but only to emphasize that language is possibly even more important to human evolution than the discovery of fire. I mean, we could still be eating raw meat, but we wouldn't have Wall Street without language; maybe not the most optimal example, but I hope I've made my point.

[philagardener]

Jan 23, 2017 1:42:33 GMT -5 steev said:

Ah; bitching in harmony; so affirming!

"nook and cranky"? Is that a judgement? Not that I'd dispute it; hell, I'd wear it like a medal; not sure what the "nook" implies, though. Is that related to "mook"? That's a term common to Philly, of which I've no clear understanding, other than that it's negative.

Of course, I considered it might be a "typo", but we know what Freud said about slips of the tongue (fingers). Oscar Wilde is alleged to have said "A gentleman never insults anyone unintentionally."

I may be reading too much into this, but one must make what one can of the paucity of material here in NorHem's winter slack-time.

I guess you are reading too much into it, steev, particularly since you are the one who raised the topic.

I'm more interested in watching my tomato seeds germinate - back to the real action.

[richardw]

In this country to refer to 'in every nook and cranky' would be interrupted as looking everywhere or out of the way corners, places etc

[steev]

richardw: that last sounds like you might have been a tad in your cups (not that I am one to disparage that state; just ask Holly). Well, what else would one do after busting one's ass all day, but hit the suds and go on-line.

BTW, recently a stretch of that Big Sur highway has been cut off, due to a land slippage destroying a bridge on the North and another dropping house-sized boulders to the South; just another result of this year's uncommon rains, following years of drought. The locals are mostly getting by with helicopter support, which is doubtless providing an adequate supply of craft beer, wine, and "medical" weed. Fortunately, it's coastal Cali and rather upscale in attitude, so mellow is the vibe. These folks have always been sort of "remote", so a bit more so is no big thing.

[richardw]

Now there's a saying ive not heard before 'tad in your cups'

I would imagine there may well be similar problems with the quake damaged Kaikoura coastal highway this coming winter too as there is now huge areas of exposed rock