Second day of training

After my last post with pictures, one of my readers asked me what the purpose of hex signs are on a barn.  There is some disagreement as to whether there is some meaning to them or whether they are just decorations.  If anyone else is curious, here is a link to a Wikipedia article on hex signs:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hex_sign. Continue reading

Natchitoches at last!

We actually left Lafayette yesterday and arrived in Natchitoches last night.  I enjoyed the scenery but I didn’t get any pictures.  I still don’t have any pictures because Mark and I have been getting ready for the class we’re going to take here starting tomorrow morning. Continue reading

Done, except for the pay!

This morning I was sitting at the table checking e-mails while Mark went to the VA for a fasting blood draw.  All the blinds were closed.  As I was sitting here I became aware that the chain link fence next to the RV was rattling, so I opened the blinds to see what was happening.  What was happening was that the fence company was taking the fence away.  I called our boss and he said he was aware of that and they would be bringing a trailer out this afternoon to pick up everything that belongs to Holiday Hills Christmas Trees.  Continue reading

A Dickens Christmas

It was Christmas Eve and Bob Cratchett sat huddled over a candle flame trying to warm his hands.  Scrooge heard his lack of work, counting money and writing figures, and told him to get back to work.  Bob said, “Please, Sir, may I take off a little early tonight?  It is Christmas Eve, after all.” Continue reading

It’s beginning to look less like Christmas…

It was in the mid-70’s today.  Mark and I have let our employees go with a handshake and their final pay.  There are so few customers coming in now that we can handle it ourselves.  We’re down to our last thirty one Christmas trees as of tonight, and we spent a lot of today beginning the tear down process while remaining open for business.  We are so-ooo looking forward to this job ending!

They let me out of the cage!

We got slammed last weekend (Black Friday through Cyber Monday) to the point where I was wondering if I could do this.  At least half the trees we had set up disappeared.  We had a couple employees knocking them out as fast as they could, but unfortunately they were setting them up crooked.  Mark finally took over cutting and drilling and setting up trees, along with flocking.  There was no way he could catch up by himself. Continue reading

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers!  I was looking forward to having a day off for Thanksgiving, but it didn’t exactly work out like that.  We had a delivery of trees this morning, so I called in one of our employees.  While he and Mark dealt with the trees and some other set-up stuff, I tried to find a Laundromat that was open.  It’s been over a week since I’ve had time to wash clothes (let alone dishes)! Continue reading

Lots and lots of Nobles!

Our first delivery on Wednesday was eighty three Nobles.  Wednesday we had three workers, one of whom was a very experienced person.  He quit the next day because we couldn’t pay him what he wanted.  Thursday we had three workers, one of whom was a young man with a lot of tattoos.  The next day he didn’t show up.  Friday we had three people.  One was a Christian man who doesn’t drive and doesn’t have his own phone.  He said he’d call this morning to see if we got our second delivery. Continue reading