DECEMBER 2017 NEWSLETTER

2017 has certainly been a memorable year for both good and bad. At the beginning, we had the good fortune of lots of rain. Then in October, unprecedented wildfires wreaked havoc from Santa Rosa to the Carneros. 2018 looks like a year to begin rebuilding and trying to raise our spirits a notch or two. We've been spreading a lot of annual rye grass seed over burned areas lately in an effort to keep the soil from washing away. So far the gentle rains have been helpful , germinating plenty of seed, giving the landscape a fresh green face.

We rolled a little fresh sod in early November onto  the five bare spots on the Plaza's lawn caused by the beautiful sculptures the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art had erected there last summer. It was our little contribution to help the museum defray expenses.

As we move into December and January, we'll be cutting perennials, trimming roses and fruit trees and taking care of all the winter chores. Our new wrinkle is that we will no longer be able to clean gutters due to restrictions placed on us by our insurance providers. Insurers are watching us more closely these days making sure our safety meetings are up to speed. We don't provide services they deem unsafe. Our overall safety record is very good due to at least in part to our efforts to take this part of the business seriously, providing excellent training to our employees.

Speaking of our employees, they're ready for their annual Christmas party. As though you might doubt it. And to take the holiday spirit to the limit, a record 8 guys will head to Mexico for a bit of well deserved vacation and visits with their families. While they're catching the southern sun and enjoying life in Mexico, don't forget to do a little relaxing yourselves.

We here at Waldron Landscape certainly wish everyone a joyful holiday and of course a wonderful 2018.

OCTOBER 2017 NEWSLETTER

Our stray cat Lucky had hardly been fixed by our friends down the road on 8TH ST E at Sonoma Pets' Lifeline when he decided to move on. He's probably next door at the Montini Ranch. Meanwhile, a resourceful young possum pays a visit every night to clean up our long time yard cat Vagabunda's left over dinner. Nothing goes to waste around here.

Our sturdy and impervious-to-heat gardeners arrived back at the yard on the Friday before Labor Day Weekend in 100 plus weather to be greeted by our own temporary cantinero and chef,  Miguel Gutierrez, who offered sodas and the beer of choice of our Guapos: Budlight. (Corona  runs a distant second.) Miguel Gutierrez grilled up the meat and vegetables and supplied the tortillas. Everyone ate and drank in the shade of the huge Valley Oak in the western corner of the yard. Food, music and comaraderie  add  a welcome dimension to company moral and nobody deserves it more than the great guys we're so lucky to have with us.

We hope the worst of the heat is behind us and look forward to raking leaves under more pleasant conditions. As the year winds down, we're still going full speed to catch up on a backlog of installations. Jose Hernandez, who manages the installers, seems to have kept some semblance of sanity during the crunch of Summer work. Juvenal Gutierrez, our resident irrigation expert, has been working six days a week for months keeping timers and leaks plugged. He is remarkably efficient  and the most imperturbable employee we have.

We hope everyone enjoys the cooler weather and coming Fall color. We'll be on hand with our trusty rakes and leaf blowers to keep your gardens the way they should be:"neat and tidy". 

AUGUST 2017 NEWSLETTER

 One of our summer helpers, Juan Pablo Estrada, is looking past the hot work days he still faces this August to entering Sacramento State University later in the month. He's got his sights on a degree in construction management. If he succeeds, he'll be the first in his family to graduate from college. He'll be quitting his second job at MacArthur Place. There's no lack of work ethic in his life.                                                             

The maintenance crews under Raphael and the installation crews under Jose are at full speed these days. The only  creatures to sit around are the two yard cats. Vagabunda, our old calico, was joined recently  by a black cat, who after a brief stay at Pet's lifeline for minor surgery (you guessed right) was released back to our corp yard where he'll enjoy fine dining and plenty of places to hide. With luck, he'll catch the moles that pester Juvenal in his vegetable garden. We haven't named our new black cat yet, although  finding a new home with  breakfast and dinner served daily, "Lucky" might fit. If you have any suggestions, let us know.

While on the topic of education, it should be noted that Juvenal's daughter Bianca is still on track to become a kindergarten teacher. She's been at SRJC and will complete her studies at Sonoma State University. Rafael's daughter Brianda is working toward a career in special education. She and her brother Brian are both at SRJC. Jose's son Eduardo, is at SRJC studying to become an X-ray technician. It's great to see the kids of our employees putting in the hard work in college to enter professions they aspire to.

Call us early for any extra work or larger landscape needs, so we can get to them in a timely manner. Stay cool and enjoy the rest of  the summer.

MAY 2017 NEWSLETTER

In our efforts to find free places to dump clean gravel and soil from our various jobs, we often resort to spreading it on the road right here at our corporation yard on 8^TH St E. Each year, as you might have already guessed, the road gains a couple of inches in elevation. We’ve been looking at the problem and searching for long term solutions. Right now we’re thinking of continuing to build up the property and as the sea levels rise over the next couple of centuries,  give the future owners of Waldron Landscape the opportunity to create a resort on what might be called “Schellville Keys”. Since Glen Ellen will have a deep water port by then, our resort will cater to the thousands of tourists tendered from the cruise ships that will dock there. We’ll expect to sell lots of wine from the local wineries who were smart enough to plant their vines high up on the mountain sides.  There should be some great scuba diving on the artificial reefs created by all the warehouses that now surround our yard. Of course we’re only in the planning stages: No EIR reports yet. None of the guys seem eager to start working on their scuba certification though.

Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are a-Changin” is very relevant in today’s world. Interesting times to say the least, and we’re not talking about globally, nationally or statewide but right here in Sonoma and more precisely, the tight  local labor market. Here in Sonoma it seems like every store has a sign in the window that says “We’re Hiring.” All the Tradesmen are looking for workers too. In the last couple of years there has been fewer and fewer people coming out to our corporation yard asking for work. The group of men on the corner of Boyes Blvd and Sonoma Hwy doing the same also has vanished. There is a shortage of employees for us and other local trades. Yes, you can guess where this is going, our prices must go up. We here at Waldron Landscape pride ourselves in treating our employees with respect and paying them a fair wage along with vacation days, sick leave, paid holidays, 401-K, Kaiser Health and a yearend bonus. We have given  everyone a substantial raise to keep them happy. The raise might also help them with their bills and from jumping ship and joining another firm. As of June 1^st we will be raising our prices to $46 per hour. We hope you understand, but without you, we can’t make the lives of all of our employees better.

Our prayers for rain were finally answered, and now we’re praying again. This time for the ability to keep up with the growth of weeds, high grasses, lawns and ornamental shrubs which are calling for either shaping, shearing or removal. It’s irrigation time too. The temperature is pushing 90 and that means it’s time to get the timers, valves and sprinklers back in action. Our concentration will still be on efficiency and water conservation. We can help out with getting this year’s annual color and vegetable seedlings planted as well. Call as soon as possible.

MARCH 2017 NEWSLETTER

Did you think you’d ever look back with nostalgia at the drought? It’s a relief for those of us whose business relies so heavily on water to see the heavy rains finally fill the lakes, but there are times even we are ready to beg for a little sunshine.  Vagabunda, our resident corporation yard cat, thick winter coat notwithstanding, is tired of dodging raindrops. Her favorite sunny spot on the wooden pallet by the office just hasn’t been seeing enough use.

Now that better weather is upon us, the phones are already ablaze. Lots of work has been delayed, weeds are growing with a bionic mania, and five of our regular gardeners are spending their last precious days of winter break in Mexico. They’ll be back soon to join the gardeners’ version of “March Madness” played with mowers and rakes instead of basketballs. We’re ready to charge into the next busy eight month season. Call as early as you can for any late winter pruning or early irrigation checkups. Also plan ahead this year if you are considering any landscape projects around your house.

By the end of March you’ll notice new signs on all of our trucks. The governing powers put the pinch on us for not having legal signage. Our signs now show “WALDRON LANDSCAPE  996-5868”. Our upgraded and legalized signs will show “WALDRON LANDSCAPING INC. 996-5868 LIC #346260” I should back-charge the previous owner (big brother Dave) for selling me a company with illegal signs, but I’ll probably let it pass, since the trucks that came with the company are so old and rickety that the signs might keep their doors from falling off.