I've drank your wine

The term "Tree whore", I coined from my friend Mike Rogers and my time in the "Fire world". It works like this, super breifly. You get a job on a Fire Crew or as a single resource Fire Fighter for an agency such as, lets say the BLM. Your loal Dispatch center get an order to fill" From a reagonal Dispatch center, for in this case a "single Resourse" Fire Fighter, for a fire in Colorado. You are now an asset or a liability to that fire. You belong to that Fire. It behoov's one to bust ass no matter what type a resourse you are. For you are now in the "Fire World." Once the fire you are on begins to winde down. It (the incident team) begins to release resources from the fire. Usually the undsireableables first. The o0bject is to stay out (away) as long as you can. So, if you or your crew has maintained a very good reputation, odds are you've been able to stay committed to the fire. For Mop-up or Rehab. When it's time tobe released or "De-mobed" from that Fire, lets just say there is another Fire that is close by. And it needs a crew or single resource Fire Fighter. Guess where your going? This could happen for 21 days strate. We want this to happen 21 days strate. If your "In theblack" or burn area and the fire has not yet been controled and contained, you recive "Hazard pay" which is 25% of your regular hourly rate, per hour. Federal work to rest guide lines dictate a person must have one hour of sleep for every 2 hours worked. so, Its possible to work 16 hours a day. You better belive that almost all crews, PUSH 16 HOUR DAYS, HARD, ALL SUMMER LONG. With your first eight hours being "time and 1/4", your second 8 hours would be "time and 3/4". Hollidays are like going to Vegas. Your first 8 hours are "paid twice". You get the holliday worked, then you get holliday paid plus 25%. Thats "double time and 1/4, for your first 8. Your second 8 would be " time and 1/2" plus 25% (hazard) thats "time and 3/4s! Chaching chaching Chaching!!! A "Fire whore" is the term I first herd Mike Rogers use. One day at S.L.I.F.C. the Salt Lake Interagency Fire Center while doingsome work for "The Raven" "Damn Chris, you've been quite the Fire whore this summer. Getn some serious oat's (OT)?"  Immediately I understood his refering to me as a "whore". Me being a tirst year "Projects" worker on the Salt Lake Ranger District. I had totaly made myself avalable for any and every Fire call. It was the whole reason for geting a job with the Forest Service. If being gone for every Fire made me a whore. "Fuck that man! Im a fuckn Fire porn star! I jam out with my clam out!! They keep fuckn callen me because they know I'll say YES!!" Thats where the term "Tree whore" came from..
A "Tree Whore" is a person very much like myself,( except I am now in the Sasha Gray catagory legendary' lol), who does anything to drum up some work up in the canopy. Knock doors, post ads, talk trees all day to anyone and everyone. All kinds of shit. The Bar has gotten me tons of work. And if I wasnt married tons of pooter! I never knew that alot of women find  Tree MEN, so interesting and strong and so..interesting and so ..crazy and so (rubbing my leg now) "married" That puts them at bay....usually. As i was saying, Tree whores will work for any competitor if the price is right. Which it was and I did. I lost track of how many. It was a fuckn lot!!  I made some excelent loot.
I was able to get some rest on saturday and a little on sunday that weekend. But sundayFootball,well, that ment the CanyonInn for shots,beers and my Saints! I  remember the Saints won, my flight was at 9 and my contact upon arival was "Toby". "Toby, who the Fuck was he? I hope Tony warned em." I guess my flight was plesant. I passed out on my flight and was woken by the atendant. "Sir.Sir"

T6

 Wouldnt ya know it if lots of travel was in the cards. It was such an ass saver to have Duane to deligate responsibilitys to. Situations like this would have surely cost me some of MY customers. Now I could leave town if I had too, work would continue and not miss a beat. Bad ass! My 9-5 had informed me via three-way, I woud be departing for Boise, Idaho on Monday. "Shit!" It was a good thing I had a couple of days to wrap some things up and line Duane out on some work at Mrs Howell's property. "Lovies house!"Is how I refered to her as. Sometimes I would look at Duane ande in the Thursden fasion "Lovie!!...would you pleazze touch my Ballzz!!?" We quiet with this though, she was a sweet ladie. Ms Howell is a widow, wnos second husband left her set up FAT when he passed away. She had to be sittin on an acer and a half in the Walker Lane area. And it was filled with all kinds of trees and shrubs. Different kinds of Maples, lidins, Redbuds, Whitebubuds, a big ol blue spruce and manymany7 more. If you asked me, the "prize Trees" on her property were the two White Ash trees. Particularly the one in the backyard. I remember walking the property with her for the first time. "Holy-" "-Shit! Ya, thats what everyone says when they walk this place with me. So! What month are you gonna give me!? Whant to move in!?" She basicly sold the job to me! She was my kind a customer! The fact of the matter was,, so far, she had shelled out a hell alot of capital. It was her account that put the down payment on my new Dodge. "project propertys" were always welcome. They were the jobs that earnd notiryity and usually an endless amount of leeds. They also brought on a different sort-a problem. A great problem to have. The magic involved in keeping the "Machine" runing was huge enough as it was. Somehow I conjured up some more to fit Ms Howell in the fold. "Listen, do anything you want..spend some time...Do not touch the Ash in the back yard. That one is mi9ne!" Were the instructions I gave Duane, as we walked the property. "Im flying to Boise for a few days. I guess they have some serious hazard trees need to be handeld." "Right on man! Dont worry about a thing, everything will be on the tip-top." I loved that about Duane
  JD and I, were working right on the east edge of Sugarhouses "food district" on a large scale removal project on one of the commercial accounts my 9-5 was responsible for. There was..."a funken ton of wood Steve! There is no ay in hell this job's gettn done before I leave monday, I dont care if you send the whole shop up here." I had told them 2 days ago, when we bagan the project. "For this to be efficent, we need 2 chip trucks, one dumping at all times. We need 2 climbers and 2 groundmen. Thats 6 people." I got 3. At that point "If they dont care then I dont care." It had become thesummers theem. "What ? Whats going on man?" J had walked over to see what was going on. "Im being flown to Boise on Monday." "Dude! I Want to fly to Boise! How come I dont ever get to travel!? What the fuck am I gonna do!? Who in the fuck are they gonna give me while your gone!? I,ll have to admit JD was 100% pleading my case for me. "I,m kinda currious about that myself?. Cease the oppertunity J!!" Honistly I really did'nt give a rats ass. Today I was feeling so weak,. Walking had become "dragn my ass" everywhere. Tree that I normaly would have "ran-up" began to feelmore like the top was 200 feet away instead of the actual 20 that it really was. Thjat morning, It my toes felt as if my big toes were  where my little toes were supposed to be. Backwards. J had also mentioned "Dude you need a long vacation! And I think you'll start feeling better" " I know, but winter is so close! If I can just make it to the end of the season, then I.ll go to the Doctor" "If you make t to the end of the season!" "No shit, Im starting to get scared We are supposed to wrap things up by 4 so were back to the shop no later than 5." Policy" usually dictated that all jobs were to be cleand up at the end of a work day. "Bullshit!! Buch a blue collerd loggers!!? Aintb gonna happen jiim!! "JD, Its your show while Im gone! Dont kill anyone...or yourself for that matter." We made it back to the shop by 7:00

T5

Really cool things were happening for me business wise. All the little bids or customers or consoltations, "seeds" Is what I referd to tem as.Well alot of those seed sstarted to sprout , at the same time! All over northern Utah. I really did'nt care where I "planted" them. Until the time came to give em some "water", or close the deals. I was writing down my mileage religiously, driving everywhere twice, sometiomes 3 or 4 times, to bid, to close, to do aditions. I think everyone has experenced the "Wall-mart coupon shoper", is what I call them. The custumers that want to "amend" the bid. Saying "You know I think we want to scratchthe bigTree" after that "Corporate theif" sat there and watched  all work completed flawlessly the major surgery has already been preformed. Somtimes I know they are looking for a company to sue. I've learnd, that if your gut tells you"Ahhh, Hell No!" You better listen! I can vowch for possitive energy. Every contact or call or consoltation. No matter what, I made sure I got a smile or a laugh on every contact I made for Wasatch Urban Forestry (My company) Sure there are always haters, but not many here.
I keep saying "I", when it was more like "We". Duane DeBore, Wasatch,s first employee. Duane had been along time friend. From The Belgian waffel 24 hour house days, drink coffee,smoke, drink more coffee, go get stoned. And yet more coffee, usually by this time the late nighters were all but gone. Lowrey or Walley, the cooks, would begin the nightly pillage of the nitris tank (WAHH WAHH WAHH WAH! lol) The be the first chair for fresh face shots at Brighton days. The earn your turns days. Duane stands about 6'3", a little on the anorexic side but sinewy built , with a bald ass head and creepy long alian looking fingers. He's another "rubber band" man, born to climb. He had began an "apprentiship" with Brock Jones of Apical tree care. Brock had subd me out to do some climbing for him. Duane, remineded me so much of myself at various stages of my "rigging" carrer. His thirst for knowlege was unquenchable. These are precisely the people we NEED more of in our industry. Duane and I began working together on some of my jobs. Brock got butt hurt yada yada yada! I turned Duane out" so to speek. And so began Duanes transformation into a "Tree Whore" Duane's the only person I ever felt good about leaving jobs with. I could go do my 9-5 and also know "Wasatch" was up and running as well. The fact Duane was my friend kinda kept me a little sceptical. His work ethic was excelent, which these days is so hard to come by. In the Arborist business or Tree business as it were, it is very difficut to train someone or even want to train somebody. The job entails endless hours of draging and chiping brush. After it has been determined your not affraid of doing this sun up to sun down. And provided you havent run yourself through the chipper. I'll teach ya to run "Pepe" the baby chainsaw. If your doing everything right I bump you up to the bigger chainsaw and I'll start getting you involved in some rigging and lowering. Usually my elpers remain groundmen, as it's obvious they dont understand the dynamics or geometry involved in the art of rigging. "But I want to climb! I know I can climb!!""Ok, what cha gonna do when you get there?" People actualy thing Im going to put them in the air! There are some people who hve "talked me into it Man!" Only to have me try to talk them back down the tree. Due to there inability to function at the top, of the bottom 1/3 of said tree. Fellas that "have been climbing for years!" All you gotta do is put them in the air! If you dare! With Duane I sorta dared. His first time climbing "I fell about 20 feet."  the way I had interprited the "skinny" was Duanes boss Brock had kinda dared Duane up that tree with condasending type talk. Then left Duane alone on the job. So, what did Duane do? Put on a saddel a pair or hooks (gaffs) In tennis shoes I might add. Gassed up a trim saw and went for it."Kinda a pride thing" At this point Duane was on the losing side of statistics, he fell. He landed Flat on his feet. Now, Duanr cant walk right any more. The arch in his right foot broke. The point im trying to make is, I had found my trainable Forman.

"Angry Interns"

Hey frolks (whoever you are) Writeing a "blog-book" has been a very -unique- experence. While my ADHD has whaa whaa whaa! I really like the ide3a of "crafting" a pice of medium with words. Makes me wish I hyad paid WAY more attention in english and litarary classes. Not to mention my spelling! I need to let "cyber world" know that I am aware that my postings and my blog are moveing at a snails pace. I am haveing some technical difficultys. Circumstances are kinda limiting computer time. And I also suffer alot of spasticity in my fingers. Sometimes I can Hen-peck pretty well. Peck peck peck peck. Sometimes my fingers will not alow me to, they "spaz" to the point where i can not flex them. They get completely flat and straite if I try to type. Although I am still capeable of finding porn! lol. It is improving! It's been great PT for my hands and fingers! And I hope to be able to gain more computer time soon. Another post will be comming in the next 12 hours..Thank you Management