Last month I posted about my decision to go back to school and pursue a new direction in life as I work towards my Pennsylvania teacher’s certificate.  Since writing that piece I have officially started classes at West Chester University, and I have to say, I’m enjoying every minute of it.  I love the philosophical discussions in class, and love challenging my mind.

I’ve barely scraped the surface as far as classwork goes, but there are a significant amount of reading assignments already, with papers, quizzes, tests, and field observations on the horizon.

I have also continued my research into the fastest way to actually get paid for being in a classroom.  Every state has different requirements and regulations into allowing one to captain the classroom ship, and wouldn’t you know it, Pennsylvania has one of the strictest set of requirements in the country.  Figures.

I won’t get into the pro’s and con’s of needing to be fully certified to teach.  Certainly as a parent with two school-age children, I want to know that the caretakers I entrust my children to every day are fully qualified at what they do.

But from a teaching perspective, and someone who pays the bills, I’d like to be getting paid for my time in the class, not merely observing.

Pennsylvania won’t even allow you to substitute teach until you are 100 percent fully certified.  No real argument here.  Just disappointment in that I’d like to be getting paid.

Fortunately, we live only a short 15-minute drive to New Jersey, and New Jersey does offer a substitute certificate.  An undergraduate degree, background clearances, and of course the pre-requisite fees are all that’s required to obtain a NJ substitute credential.

Satisfying the necessary requirements, I am now a certified substitute teacher in New Jersey.  Cool.  And I’ve already had a handful of substitute assignments in the Garden State.  I even get one of those cool necklace thingies with my ID badge attached. 

Make no mistake, substitute teaching certainly isn’t the goal here.  The substitute teacher’s life is full of uncertainty from day to day – where will I be tomorrow, what time does school start?  Where the heck is Woodbury anyway?  Not being a native Jersey son, I find myself glued to my GPS and maps just about anywhere I go over there.

But I am getting paid (a little), which of course is better than not getting paid at all in PA.  Certainly a step in the right direction.

So to recap, I am now taking two graduate-level college courses, substitute teaching on a day-to-day basis, and still trying to line-up some hardscaping projects for the spring/summer.  Implicit in the hardscaping side of things is the fact that I really don’t want to find myself in a position of chasing down projects fruitlessly, or that will interfere with what is now my top professional priority – school, and eventually trying to secure a full time teaching job.  All while managing family responsibilities, shuttling the kids to karate and acting and soccer and gymnastics and scouts and … well, you get the idea.

Soooooo, what this means is that my already hectic schedule is becoming even more crazy with a new set of responsibilities.  Something’s got to give.  And unfortunately, I’m afraid, this means that this blog needs to get shelved for a bit.  At least as far as the weekly posts go.

It certainly isn’t a shutting down of the blog.  I do plan on posting some project updates in the spring and summer once the projects start happening.  And most likely a few other miscellaneous posts here and there.  But for now, I do need to back off a bit, if for no other reason than to maintain some sanity while I get accustomed to the new schedule.

Perhaps the focus of the blog may change a bit too.  Instead of relevant hardscaping and construction information, there may be a focus on my studies, teaching info, the trials of getting certified, etc.  “The trials of a mid-life 40-something career change.”  Or something like that.  We’ll see how it plays out.

In the mean time, though, I need to take a break for a bit.  I most likely will continue with a few biz-related Facebook posts, and I’ll be checking in on others’ blogs and posts on various forums and platforms.  To all of you have been regular readers and commenters on my posts, thank you.  It’s always nice to know that my musings are being read by somebody – anybody – and hopefully of some value to you the reader.  The blog has re-kindled my love of writing, and I’ve certainly enjoyed the process.

So for now, farewell, see you soon, and keep on keepin’ on.

For the past several years, I've spent my February hiring my staff for the year.  With my recent decision to downsize the business and go back to school, this will be my first year in a few not spent weeding through resumes and interviewing prospective laborers.

And I have to say, it's not something that will be missed.  I've gained a fair amount of insight into what the labor force looks like out there, and while I won't go as far as to say I've seen it all, I will say I've seen enough to offer a few tips to anybody looking to join a crew for the year.

And I'd like to offer a few tips for anybody who thinks that a career, or even just a job, in the landscaping industry is for them.

1.  You're not special.  OK, maybe you are, but your prospective employer won't know that until you demonstrate what makes you special.  Expect to work.  Hard.  You will be lifting stones and heavy wheelbarrows and 80-lb bags of mortar and concrete.  You'll be digging.  And sledge-hammering.  And moving materials.  That's what we're paying you to do.  If you want the job, then don't think you're above the work.

2.  A few basics -- fix your alarm clock.  Make sure your car runs.  And has gas.  Make sure you don't have to drop your sister off at work unexpectedly.  Call your boss if something comes up, but don't make a habit of it.  You're not in high school or college anymore.  You're in the real world.  Skills to pay the bills is good, but it takes more than just skills.  It takes maturity and responsibility.

3.  Be respectful.  And own it.  When you show up to your interview, or get ready to go to work, give the impression that you can be trusted and that you respect yourself and the ones around you.  Those teardrop tattoos on your face won't put the homeowner with young children at ease.  If you smoke, don't expect to smoke on the site, in proximity to neighbors and young children.  The neighbors really don't want to hear your R-rated rap lyrics at full blast.  Or hear you continuously dropping f-bombs.  Do what you want at home on your own time, but when you're at the job, you're representing me and the company. 

4.  Remember this -- labor expense is one of, if not THE, biggest expense a company incurs.  For every hard-earned dollar you receive, it's far more out of your employer's pocket once you factor in unemployment insurance, workers compensation, etc.  If I'm shelling out that kind of cash, you'd better be earning it.  Because if/when I need to cut expenses, it's the slackers on the crew who are the first to go.

5.  Play the game.  I'm not one for busy work just for busy work sake, but I'm REALLY not one to pay you for doing nothing.  If you don't have something to do on a site, then find something.  I've always been big on telling my crews there's always something to do on a site.  You finished moving the bricks I asked you to move?  Great.  You better not just be sitting around waiting for me to tell you something else to do.  Find something to do.  Pick up a broom.  Organize the tools.  Empty the trash.  I may re-assign you to another task once I see you're done, but I'd rather ask you to put down the broom than find you sitting around playing on your phone.  If nothing else, pick up a tool so at least you look like you might be busy.  Nothing looks worse to the public than a crew of guys sitting around blatantly doing nothing.

6.  Learn.  Ask questions.  Show an interest or commitment.  One of the first things out of my mouth at any interview is the fact that I'm not looking for guys who know how to do everything, but rather for guys (or girls) who are responsible, trustworthy, dependable.  I can teach the skills, but the responsibility and interest can only come from one place -- you.

7.  Think.  It is quite rare that any project or task goes exactly as you plan.  Yes, the planning process is important to help eliminate surprises, but they will still happen.  And when they do, the workers who can effectively solve the problem will be the ones that get recognized.  Figure out what the best way to conserve materials is.  Think about how the job you're doing could be done better with a more appropriate tool.  Think about the impact any task may have on tools, supplies, the surrounding area of the yard.  If one cut creates a tremendous amount of debris that needs to be cleaned up and uses up material that could have been used more efficiently for other projects, then it probably wasn't a good use of time or materials.  As the boss, I'm thinking two or three steps ahead on just about anything I'm doing.  If you do too, it will certainly leave a favorable impression.

Truth be told, these tips go a lot farther than just looking for a job in the landscaping industry.  It's a good blueprint for getting (and keeping) a job period.

So last week I highlighted how our perception of snow days changes over the course of the winter.  I really wasn't planning on turning this into a continuous series, nor am I planning on turning this blog into a weather blog.

Of course I really wasn't planning on spending half my week shoveling snow either, so that shows where plans will take you.  We're all about the flexibility over here.

The hits just keep on coming, and given the weather from the past week, I think we deserve to pick up where we left off.

February 9:  As last week's post was going online, rumors were circulating of the storm to end all storms.  20, 25, 30 inches depending on who you asked.  The Megaladon of all snowstorms.  A possibility of sharknados was imminent.  I think everybody's getting a little snow-punchy, as all these rumors were completely unsubstantiated.  But there was more snow.  1-3" was forecast.  We ended up with about 4".  Meh, who cares.  Kids go to school, we go to work the next day like nothing happened.

February 12-13:  As the previous storm moved out, we begin to look at another storm heading our way.  At first the little icon in the newspaper just shows ice cubes falling from a cloud, but as the storm gets closer we hear big rumors once again.  Whatever.  It's a Nor'easter, which really needs to be said with a strong New England accent to give it the full impact -- Nawh-EAST-ah.  The Nor'easters tend to be the big ones.  This one could have been huge, except for the fact that it turned to rain for a good portion of the day.  10" of snow, followed by sleet, ice, and rain.  Kids are stuck inside, and shoveling wet heavy slush in the rain really is no fun.  And then we learn yet another new weather term -- the wrap-around storm.  Sounds kind of kinky actually, but this means the back end of the storm gives us another 3" on top of the frozen slushy 10", on top of the leftover 4", on top of the leftover ... you get the idea.  Completely running out of places to put this stuff.  Oh yeah, and another 5-day weekend for the kids.

February 14:  First of all Happy Valentines Day.  Bad news and good news as far as the weather goes.  More snow to come this weekend -- just an inch or two though, and then ...  Dare I say it, 40, 50 degrees on the horizon!!  We'll take what we get.  I'm about done with this stuff.  Bring on the crocus sightings!

Here in the Delaware Valley, winters can be a bit unpredictable.  Several years ago we had two of the harshest winters I can remember, with a bevy of 20-inch-plus snowfalls and record-setting yearly accumulations.  For the past two years, we had barely any snow, with unusually mild temperatures.  Last year in fact we had a freak snowstorm in late March, and the 2" of wet slush surpassed the snowfall totals from the rest of the season.

Not this year.  This year has reverted back to the Hoth-like winters of '10 and '11.  We're still in early February and we've already surpassed 40" of snowfall for the year.  And you're kidding yourself if you think we're out of the woods yet.  February is usually our big snowfall month.

With a decent sampling of snowstorms to observe, I find it interesting how our perception of the white stuff changes over the course of the winter:

December 8:  The turkey leftovers are still in the fridge and the excitement of the Holiday season is building rapidly.  The forecast calls for 1" to 3", just enough to add even more excitement to the season.  The Eagles have a home game scheduled with playoff implications, and everybody is out and about doing Holiday shopping when the storm hits much harder than anticipated.  More than 8" falls in just over four hours -- Everybody is caught off guard, but everybody is loving it.  The Eagles win, and everybody enjoys the Holiday snow day.  Fun day, no doubt.

Jan 3:  The kids have been back in school just one day after Christmas break before they are awarded another snow day.  This time it's 9" and a bonus round of snowmen and sledding.  Everybody's a bit more prepared for this one, and nobody is really complaining about an extended vacation from work and school.  The sledding hills are packed, and I'm sure Hot Cocoa sales are through the roof too.

January 6 - January 26:  We all learn a new term -- "Polar Vortex".  It's basically a regular vortex, only polar.  In layman's terms this means it's cold.  REALLY cold.  All I can think of is the scene from Finding Nemo when Marlin wants to exit the East Australian Current and he defines his exit strategy as the "swirling vortex of terror".  That about sums it up -- terror.  We go through a five-day stretch where temperatures don't break 20.  Nobody enjoys this.

January 21:  Temperatures have been at ridiculously low extremes, so much that snow from nearly three weeks ago is pretty much still around when the next storm hits -- this time it's 14" of the lightest fluffiest powder you've ever seen.  Not great for snowmen or snowballs, but still fun for the kids.  At this point the adults are starting to have a slightly different view of the season, but there's not much we can do.

Jan 21 - January 31:  Temperatures continue to struggle getting above freezing, so all that snow is sticking around, getting dirtier and icier.  Young kids in dry clothes can't seem to stay off the dirty salty snowpiles, adding to the parents' frustration.  A series of 1" and 2" storms seem to replenish any snow that was lost due to solar melt-off.  What would have been a fun distraction in December is now a barely noticed inconvenience.  Firewood piles are diminishing.  The kids even seem to be getting tired of Hot Cocoa.  Ice scrapers are getting a regular work-out.  Everybody's car is coated in a white brushing of salt residue.  I'm hearing a fair amount of complaining from adults, hoping for a warmer drier weather pattern.  The newspaper count-down to spring training taunts us.

January 29:  An email announcement is sent out by the schools that they have used all the built-in snowdays for the year.  That means for any new day off, there will be an extra day tacked on at the end of the year.  When this information is shared with the kids, their impression of snowdays also changes somewhat.

February 2:  Groundhog Day.  That silly rat predicts 6 more weeks of winter.  Never liked rodents anyway.

February 3:  After a brief tease of 50-degree temperatures over the weekend, we are treated to 5" of heavy, wet snow, and another day off from school.  Great snowman snow.  Horrible to shovel.  The kids want to do something more exciting than sit around and watch movies, and its apparent that they are getting a bit bored with just being out in the snow for being out in the snow sake.  A few organized activities get the kids back on track, but at the expense of parental productivity.  Love having the kids home, but I've got a boatload of schoolwork that I was counting on knocking out while they're at school.  I think just about everybody is hoping for some degree of return to normalcy.

February 5:  The good news is that we seem to have escaped the polar vortex.  The bad news is that it means the next storm is a slushy, icy mix.  Horrible.  No fun to drive in, no fun to play in, no fun to live with.  The forecast calls for 1" to 3" of snow before switching over to sleet and freezing rain.  It ends up being no snow at all, -- just ice and freezing rain.  PECO reports more than 600,000 customers without electricity in the 6-county region of PA suburbs.  Or more than a third of the customers in the region.  The roads are awful -- a slick sheet of ice covers everything, tree limbs down, major slip-and-fall hazards.  Nobody enjoys this one in the least.  It's almost enough to wish that vortex would come back.

So what's to come?  Well that's anybody's guess.  The forecast for this coming weekend certainly looks ominous.  At this point there's only one thing for certain -- just about everybody is looking forward to spring.

And on that note I'll leave everybody with one parting note:  5 days until pitchers and catchers report to spring training.  The end can't be too far away, can it?