Oliver Haan's Weblog

Advice

oliverhaan — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 01:25:58 +0000

Today I’m going to do something that I almost never do. I still believe that I can make a comfortable living from farming, and that is much like believing in Santa Clause and the Easter Bunny both! So how can advise others? However this past weekend’s event, leaves me with no option but to share my advice. And it is this; determine what is important to you and protect those items ! A small fire (chimney, I believe) in in the neighbours house, the only neighbour for a mile, a house that I’ve pasted, played in and seen several different families in for over forty years now. Started small, family out, we pulled some photo albums and small items to safety, nothing organized, no plan. Fire trucks on their way, they can put it out quickly, we all agreed. Two and a half hours later, the hi-hoe pulled the house apart and the piles that once was a family’s home and it’s contents, where quickly put out!

Seasonal Hat

oliverhaan — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 02:35:16 +0000

Today’s entry is a question; what occurs in a seemingly normal person’s brain when they get behind the wheel of an SUV or a mini van on a winter’s day and asked to share the highway with snowplows? Does anyone have an answer? Let me expand:

A hat that I’ve been wearing since the winter of 1984 is that of ,winter maintenance personal on the 401 highway, over the years I’ve done it all, from a wing operator to supervisor of a fleet of trucks and large group of dedicated operators.This winter I’m a plow operator with a sander/salter on the large plow truck that I’m asked to navigate through large volumes of crazed car and truck drivers all the while attempting to make the road a safer place to be.

I had the joy of spending a fair chunk of the holidays on the 401 in my snowplow and seen things that force me to ask what’s going on?

Here are a few facts:

Ditches are not designed for car parking

Four wheel drive will not assist you when trying to stop on icy roads at 120 kms but may help you get out of ditches if your vehicle stays on it’s wheels.

Mini vans are not equipped with a protective force field, even if you have installed a” baby on board” sign.You are driving a car on earth, not a space ship on a far away planet. By the way, the same strong, reinforced plow designed to push snow off the road works well to remove cars too and keep in mind that my seat is at the same level as your roof rack!

The only one that can come back time and time again from getting run over by a ten tonne truck is Willie E Coyote. Sorry to break the news to you but he is a cartoon character and not real.

And lastly, the single finger, number one salute, or the waving of ones fist is not an appropriate gesture to give someone that is trying to save your life.

Snowplow operators find no enjoyment in holding traffic at 40 to 50 kms. It’s just that no one has figured out how to get the slop and snow off truck windshields and how to keep salt and sand on the road where it will help you, at higher speeds. Do you know why snowplow operators are race car fans ? We are trying to develop a faster snowplow! Until then, we max out at about fifty kms.

So the next time your on the highway delayed behind a snowplow, consider yourself lucky!

HATS

oliverhaan — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 01:26:34 +0000

Many of us wear several hats, some for fun, some for work, some because we believe it’s our chosen path, some, simply for trying to make a difference in this world and then there are those hats we wear for reasons unknown to even us! I’m no different, I perhaps have too many hats on the rack, and it’s all these hats that has kept me from taking advantage of the art of blogging, first because of time restrictions and second because my views may be mistaken as the views of an organization that I represent but the organization knows my views and it’s time for me to share them beyond my little circle. So going forward, I’m going to share the views from under all those hats in hopes of educating others and also for an education in return, as I hope that stirring things up a little will get some feed back. I was told that we should share what we do” it’s interesting stuff ,I was assured”well I’m sure that at some point a padded van with two big guys ,will show up in my driveway armed with a tailor made straight jacket just my size, but that’s a chance that I must take, or so Owen says. (by the way Owen, please start taking up a collection from the cohort to bail me out) Till the next time, keep your hat pulled down tight, as it’s going to get a little windy….Oliver

Hello world!

oliverhaan — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 17:19:22 +0000

Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!

We are off to the field

oliverhaan — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 18:41:52 +0000

Well…………… the rubber has now hit the ground, It’s off to the field of blogging not sure if I’ll be able to plow a straight furrow or get stuck in the mud!! Lets put the wheels in motion and move forward with this diploma in agricultural communications at the University of Guelph.