Living Hazzardously

Little pieces of our journey with Jesus

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Where have all the workers gone?

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WARNING!! incoming rant. I warned you!

Are you interested in learning a great trade? Are you interested in making a good living? Are you interested in living where others go to vacation? 

If you answered yes, then I have a deal for you!! 

If I could hire a good employee, I would hire him tomorrow… It’s an odd thing that 44.8% of the population in North Itasca don’t have jobs!

“In Itasca County, MN, the labor force participation rate for the population aged 16 and older is approximately 55.2%, according to 2020-2024 U.S. Census Bureau data. This implies that roughly 44.8% of the population aged 16+ is not in the civilian labor force (not working and not looking for work). 

Census.gov +1”

I personally have more than 3 full time jobs. 

I turn down work alot… because I just can’t do more work. I’m getting older, I am slowing down, my knee is messed up from years of hard labor and I discovered the 36” pipe wrench is a lot heavier now.

Nobody is interested in working for me… ARE YOU KIDDING?? NOBODY WANTS TO WORK PERIOD!! The HVAC-R industry is screaming for new workers, but there are none, and when you do find one, they struggle with… working. 

A great man once said “Most folks miss opportunities because they usually are dressed in cover-alls” (or something like that.) But the reality is much more than a generation that won’t work.

REGARDLESS of what I pay, they just don’t work. 

And now the new laws on “safe and sick time” (1:30 hrs is paid time off), family leave time off (20 weeks off out of 52 weeks) And then fees If I pay a guy $100 for working, I also pay about $40 MORE to the government… on top of his pay… then he still needs to pay his taxes and fees… Did you know I need to pay the government a huge portion of money just to work for myself? I pay the first $16 dollars of every $100, TO WORK FOR MYSELF! Then I start to pay my taxes and fees… the bottom line is if you bill for $1,000,000.00 in gross sales, you actually only earn about $60,000.00.

A little one man HVAC shop, it’s no wonder I can’t find anyone that wants to work. 

I can get $1200.00 each month if I decide to not work…Plus money for smokes. 

The last three guys I’ve hired either don’t show up, show up and sit around on the phone or just stand there looking at me while I do the work…

Over my lifetime in the trades, I’ve had hundreds of techs work under my supervision. Some techs showed up in flip flops and shorts to work in a large boiler room. Some techs have thrown their tool bag over the edge of a roof because I “told them” rather than “asking them” to remove the hood from an exhaust fan at Famous Dave BBQ on South Robert street … .

I helped run a business that grew from just the owner and myself to over 10 guys. I worked for the largest non-union shop in the Minneapolis St.Paul area. I’ve built 200 ton refrigerated Corn coolers. Replaced and repaired boilers of 500 HP. I have Maintained my Chief boilers licences for over 20 years. I got my refrigerant handling licence before they had a registration program… 

I have been a maintenance tech, an install tech and the lead troubleshooter.

I’ve been the tech that quotes and runs large repair and replacement jobs.

I’ve seen the Stubborn, the Cocky and the Humble.

I’ve worked with the Dangerous, the Overly safe, and the Clueless. 

I’ve managed the Introvert, the Extrovert and the Backstabber.

I’ve Hired, Fired and Trained. 

Worked for the man, worked with the man and been the man

I have seen it all!! So why am I telling you this? Something has changed! I mean dramatically changed. 

I’m writing this out of frustration for you, my customers… I wish I could hire a guy that wants to work, learn a trade and carry on the long traditions we had in our industry of learning on the job.

A quick Google search reveals these disturbing facts

The trades are the way to go as a young guy starting out…  it’s harder to find anyone to fill the ever increasing hole in labor and prices are reflecting this even more.  Only a few short years ago I could replace a furnace for under $4000.00, now it’s closer to $7000.00… but soon that same furnace will cost $12,000.00 because the market will demand it… Imagine a bidding war at -40 degrees to have a furnace replaced. How much would you be willing to pay when your furnace dies at -30 degrees? Because the highest bidder gets the furnace when there are 4 furnaces to replace and the tech can only do one furnace… 

In closing, it’s an excellent time to be in the trades as a young guy, starting out… want to make $1,000,000.00 in three years after starting up? Well, that’s actually an easy goal in HVAC, even up here in the middle of nowhere. (just remember, that’s $1,000,000.00 gross, after the government takes its cut you will have $60,000.00)

But don’t worry, at least your employees will get time off that is paid. 

So bottom line, I don’t blame the younger generations, I blame the older generations, they built this mess, and my generation is just surviving the mess, the younger generations are living in this mess and the Gov keeps taking more and getting bigger… 

I grew a great opportunity to pass this trade on to the next guy that wants to do well in life, turns out, they all moved west. 

I try to stay out of this topic for the most part but today? Well, its a mess.

Good thing I know Jesus, How is your relationship with Jesus? 

God Bless, C.

Minnesota ice age.

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The snow drones on like a persistent and spoiled child throwing a temper tantrum in the Walmart check out aisle. “MOM!!!! I WANT….” You know the one, screaming, calling mom names and hitting anyone in reach, slamming products onto the floor and making a huge messy scene, all because mom said “NO”

Winter never seems to understand his presence is like nails on a chalk board. But who is the brat causing a disturbance? Me? You? Us? Them? Ya, it’s got to be them!! You and I would never have a hissy fit over an old man named Winter, or the not so distant cousin named “icy roads” WOULD WE?

So we complain about the snow and the cold, in the midst of a global warming catastrophe, we complain about the cold and snow. As if our complaining will change the course of time and produce a more pleasing outcome of warm sand beaches and sun drentched umbrella decorated cocktails….

A man in the bible named Job (biblical name Job is pronounced “Jobe”) talked about the cold descending from the north, most agree he would be talking about the post flood ice age that was brought on by atmospheric interferences of the Sun’s power to heat the earth… How silly to complain about the weather. 

This week I felt like Job of the bible. Except I’m not as righteous as he. I got news, my day was changed, life changing news actually, the kind of news that makes a person sit back and re-evaluate everything, reflect on goals and re-consider choices.  Then the weather hit, Easter weekend was ruined, I still had to cook up 2 large hams, all the potatoes and everything else to feed 8 at home and 12-15 at Sams Place. Now WE spend the day cooking so that the food can be stored and used in other ways. 10 pounds of taters, green bean casserole, cheesy taters and gravy, over a gallon of gravy, way over a gallon. 

Like a mortar round that was perfectly on target…. Then more thuds as mortars kept coming, situations, news sickness and distress… when will it stop! My knee needs to be replaced and today the pain is a five or six…. My foot is killing me, I hope the Dr can figure out what thats about. My Fibro is flaring and the whole body hurts.

Everything bad just kept hitting me on que, not giving a minute to breath… Trouble at Sams place was next… It just kept coming! I looked out the window, I need to fix the chicken water thats frozen… I cant even see the coop because of the heavy snow fall…. the snow!

I won’t share all the news we got that day nor will I share all our struggles, at least not today… maybe in a future blog. Pushed to my limit, the day never showed mercy and attacked me!! Spoiled and relentless, the day never ended. One thing after another. The kids are not coming! Quickly change plans! I don’t get to see my grands or my boys or my DIL’s… and then it was there… I finally found it, the end of my rope.

A swift proclamation, I heard my mouth utter “GOD HAS DESERTED ME!”

Deserted me?… GOD?? What did I just say? 

My mind flashed back to a man that questioned God, his name is Job.

JOB 1:13-19. Job lost everything! sons, daughters, livestock, servants… the only thing he did not loose? one employee, the man that brought the news of Job loosing EVERTHING HE HAD! (sumarized)

Job 1:20 Then Job got up, tore his robe, and shaved his head; then he fell to the ground and worshiped. 21 He said,

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
And naked I shall return there.
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away.
Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

22 Despite all this, Job did not sin, nor did he blame God.

How is it possible, I blame the Lord? And just like that, I sinned. 

It’s a humbling moment to see just how weak I am and how quickly I blamed God for my lack of faith… I immediately realized my failure, I turned to my wife and said I was wrong to think this and I’m sorry for being weak. In the stillness of my heart I asked the Lord for his forgiveness, and he granted it to me. 

I’m glad I live in the time of grace. I’m glad that God is not unforgiving, I am glad that when I sin, God makes a way of reconciliation and forgiveness. 

Praise the Lord that he has set me free and He is always my KING!

In sack cloth and ashes, C.

Easter Morning

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The sun breaks over the trees in a magnificent display of majesty and power. Try to stop the sunrise, try to stop the warm beams of light, all that can be done is “HIDE” or take it in.

Jesus has beaten death and the victory is his.

Jesus has won the battle for you, so lean into that when you feel like giving in.

VICTORY? Dont give in to your weakness today, do not be a victim today! TODAY, BECOME A VICTOR! Become a victim tommorrow! Not today.

God Bless, C.