Sales still above last year

This is a small portion of my loggers woodyard. Since I pay him $10 more a load than anybody else, yes, I own this wood so to speak. Wild when you start doing the math on how much inventory I can build in a day, week, month with purchasing this firewood. And then what I can sell it for. Five loads a day is certainly possible if I didn't goof off and have lunch and a few coffee breaks. However, there is usually only one guy, sometimes two, that are doing the processing. And the logger has the main guy off doing stupid stuff constantly instead of processing firewood. So in reality, I can't rely on firewood being available all the time.

 

I hear you, shouldn't be possible. I keep trying to beat home about the uber wealth in and surrounding Nashville. Here is my secret sauce and I hope it doesn't come across wrong. I am a retired Naval Officer, fit and trim, clean cut and always well dressed on my deliveries. I am in these people's yards, garages, and often inside their homes bringing in firewood. They trust me because of my appearance, the way I talk with them and the respect I show for them and their property. Every time I encounter another seller at a gas station on my way to Nashville the dudes always look like ZZTop impersonators with a cigarette hanging out of their lips or a pinch between the cheek and gums. Having great seasoned hardwoods is just a bonus.

 

Just a LCDR. However, was a Chief before commissioning which is why I am not afraid of hard work.

 

Yes, do not know what the difference or if there is any going through Chiefs initiation in the Navy. Fortunately, I was on a four-man Explosive Ordnance Disposal dive team, so the team could not afford to send me around to do stupid stuff for three months. Funny how the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay were seen as torture victims. Chief's Initiation, Shellback Initiation for crossing the equator, and the entirety of dive school are all special forms of torture. Even being the junior Ensign comes with special treatment. Supposedly what doesn't kill you makes you stronger? None of this stuff is permitted anymore. A lot of this stuff was stupid, but certainly toughened one up.

 

One of this morning's deliveries was typical. The guy says, "you certainly charge a lot for your firewood, but I could tell by your pictures and video that you had great firewood." And then he thanked me for showing up the next day and on time. He said his other firewood guy said he might be able to deliver in a week or two or maybe next month sometime. The customer's wife wanted firewood for entertaining tomorrow. So another typical middle Tennessean firewood guy just lost a customer. These dudes make it easy to kick Ash in the firewood business. Oh, and again, thanks FHCers for showing me how to make pretty splits and stacks. Looks do matter to my customers.

 

One more than off to split and stack. Another guy resells firewood purchased from my logger. Unfortunately, I run into him all the time when buying. He is the guy I described above with a huge load of obnoxiousness in addition. He sells for $200 a face cord which is pretty good comparatively speaking. I know he re-splits some, but just piles it high in his woodyard. I use to constantly counsel people in the Navy about their appearance and demeanor, hated it, but part of the job. I know he has a wife and kids and could surely use the extra $75 a face cord that I command. But no way now that I am retired would I ever again tell someone how to square themselves away in order to succeed in life. He would probably just tell me to mind my own business or bash me in the head with a hickory split.

 

Awesome that you had some time on the deck of the NJ. I am jealous.

 

Two face cords of hickory loaded and heading down the road tomorrow to my restaurant customer.

 

Those five gallon buckets are for my clothes. Bleach and dawn detergent to kill the ticks and chiggers.

 

Not likely...unless one of your competition comes on here, figures out who's who and what's what, decides to "rat you out"

 

I was being tongue in cheek about it, but now you have me worried. Would hate to get stuck with 70 cords of unsellable firewood. I do get a little depressed when the stacks get smaller, but then the Benjamins help cheer me up.

 

You need to tell him you prefer Johnny Walker Blue Label after a long day of stacking wood.

 

I had a Marine Corp buddy receive a promotion on the decks of the USSNJ. We got to explore a limited amount of the vessel and it was very impressive to the average land lover.

 

Do you even have time in the fall to deliver it all

 

I’d say zero