We Need a Vacation!

Jim and I have never been more in need of a vacation.  Jim is averaging 12-hour work days, including weekends.  I honestly don't know what's keeping him going. And I've been logging extra hours managing the books while supervising several home projects.  We are definitely in overload mode.

Years ago, we decided to keep the business small.  The main deciding factor was how difficult it is to find good employees.  We currently have six full-time technicians, two part-time people in the office, and a part-time bookkeeper.  As busy as we've been since March, however, we could easily keep another technician busy full-time. But that means the expense of a seventh truck fully equipped and insured, and another possible problematic personality to manage.  We definitely, however, need more help in the office.

How does an owner control the growth of a business?  We don't advertise. But we've established ourselves as a trustworthy service provider who responds quickly. which is why the phone keeps ringing with referrals from happy customers.

It's time for a Board of Directors meeting to talk about the company's future, again. And I think a beach somewhere would be the ideal location :-)

Finally!

A week later than planned, the driveway was repaved today.  The original asphalt in front was over 30 years old.  The back was repaved once, 20 years ago.  It was clearly time for a new driveway.

Years ago, the next door neighbor replaced their asphalt with concrete.  Besides the huge expense, there are several reasons we never seriously considered that option. As "they" say, there are two things you can count on with concrete.  It will never be stolen; and it will definitely crack.  But I'll add another.  It will eventually get stained.

The best thing about asphalt is that a yearly sealing makes it look new again. Our new driveway, therefore, should last for several decades.  And, finally, we just might have a completed project that's "one and done."

Sharing The World of Harry Potter

Elliott arrived yesterday afternoon for a sleep-over and stayed until his swim lesson today at 3:45 P.M.  So we had a nice long visit.  We built two Harry Potter Lego sets and watched parts of two Harry Potter movies.  And, instead of stories before bedtime, we spent an hour looking through the Lego Harry Potter Building The Magical World book.

I'm having so much fun sharing my love of all things Harry Potter with my grandson. I never expected it to be so soon, but Elliott is not an average five-year-old.  He's extremely bright, inquisitive, sensitive, and aware of everything around him.  And we've all noticed how much happier he is since school ended.

I'm not at all sure Elliott's preschool was a good fit for him, primarily because of his teacher.  Ms. Jackie seemed extremely militant with no patience for Elliott's displays of emotion and creativity.  And I'm not the only one who had a problem with her. Before the year ended, she ran off two teacher aides, one of which was Elliott's favorite.

One of Ms. Jackie's parting cautions to Emily was that Elliott would be upset about being dropped off in front of school, which is the system used to move cars quickly through the queue.  Of course, someone he knows will take him to class.  Last week, Ms. Jackie's warning was tested.  Elliott took a one-week art class at the school where he'll attend Kindergarten, and they used the drop-off system.  He handled it like a champ.

I hope Elliott's Kindergarten teacher is a better fit.  I've never known a five-year-old who's so eager to learn how to read.  Given the right environment, Elliott will be reading the Harry Potter books in no time!

Happy Birthday Daniel!

Today my oldest child and only son is 36 years old.  He's happily married to a South Korean and living in her country. At 36, I had a 12-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter, and was a stay-at-home mom.  (A year later, we bought the family business, which put me back into the work force.)

When I was 36, I never dreamed I would eventually travel to England, Scotland, Amsterdam, France, and South Korea.  Daniel's already been to all those countries and many more.  If my memory's correct, it was my 36 year when Jim's mom treated all of the family to a Hawaiian cruise.  At the time, it was the furthest any of us had ever traveled.  Daniel's celebrating his 36 birthday in Japan.

Clearly, my son's life is nothing like mine was at the same age.  In fact, Daniel's living a life unique from anyone else on my side of the family or Jim's.  And it doesn't surprise anyone.  Happy birthday, Daniel, and continue staying true to the "beat of your own drum!"