Friday - afternoon

Final day of work freedom. I spent most of it in bed so it wasn't like a vacation or anything. But, I am feeling much better today thankfully, sort of need to go back to work.

We - we being the kids and I, mom was at work - took the tractor over to the property, I had no problem getting it off. I thought I might because of the way the dude drove it up on there like it was -- difficult or something. Nope. It came off smoothly and without any problems at all really.  I then proceeded directly to the back of the RV park and plowed down the grass and weeds, almost all of it.  

This machine is 1,000% better than that thing I was using from the kid.  They're not even in the same world if you're talking functionality.  Mine is hydrostatic, his was old and completely manual. You had to push the clutch in for everything.  This? No clutch at all, it's pretty much the same as an automatic car.  Put it in gear and then forward and reverse are just separate pedals, no hand work at all.  There are levers all over the thing, of course, but it didn't take long at all to figure everything out.  So much easier and simpler operation.  

And the motor is very powerful, I am extremely glad I opted for the higher HP engine.  It's a smooth ride in the park, this thing is worth every penny I am paying for it.  

There is the entire front to do, but I figured not to push it too much, I have to get up at 5:30 am tomorrow - Saturday - don't want to tempt fate and get sick all over again.  We went to IHOP after that - remember, kids are on summer break as of yesterday early afternoon. Gone 3 days next week, we'll get a much needed break from them.  Love them to death, just it can get trying with young kids constantly full of energy and wanting this, that, the other thing, the house, the moon and the stars to boot. It's endless, trust me that is not an exaggeration. 

If I would have thought about it and touched on it yesterday in this blog...I just should have bought a new tractor 2 plus years ago.  Then again, I was helping the kid out. He's starting out in life, he has some sort of heart problem that he needs surgery for, was going to school, working a job and helping out on his family's farm.  He's now making at least $36 per hour fresh out of school, that's what SWEPCO (power company) pays them if they graduate.  

So, I guess I won't regret helping a person out that isn't lazy, has a good work ethic and just trying to get started in life. 

But now, I need to focus on getting the 3 empty lots filled up.  I forgot to take pics, dangit.  I'll have to go back over there.  I need pics and get ads running all over Facebook.  I won't use Google ads, they are useless. Pay a lot of money for nothing in return. Facebook ads are far cheaper as well and I usually get some results out of it.  The money is needed to pay off debt for the upgrade project - I spent several thousand on it already beyond the septic system and I want it paid off sooner than later - and I need more money to get those 4 lots finished.  

Why finish those lots when you have 3 empty? Because this stuff comes in waves.  You go without anyone calling for a lot to 50 people in a month calling.  It's crazy the way it works. Last year I probably turned away 50 people wanting a place to stay.

Now, I do have some prospects that are interested in coming and moving in there, but I don't count my chickens before they hatch, not in this industry.  People say they are coming and don't. They find something else and don't bother to tell you about it.  I am at a distinct disadvantage to other parks with not having a main building to have an office, a C store, game room, Tv room, whatever. A gathering place.  I'd love to have a deli, but that isn't really a thing unless you have enough spots to warrant a full time employee to run the thing. 

Since I don't have those amenities, I cut throat my rates and advertise the fact that my park is closer to town then any of them.  My park is cheaper and my park is easily the quietest park in the entire region.  I am a mile and a half away from the Interstate and several miles away from 59, a mile away from 43.  The first 2 are heavily used highways filled with truck traffic and those other rv parks are right next to or very close to them. NOISE NOISE NOISE all the time.  

You pick the best attributes you have and work with it.  It brings people in, but mostly the pricing is what gets people in there, that and the quiet part.  Students like it because it's close to all 3  colleges, tho the university if further away, it's still closer than any other park around.  They don't want to waste time going to school and they don't have a lot of money (usually, sometimes the parents are financing everything).  

That gives me an idea. I haven't even targeted the students! What a crock, I should have been doing that a long time ago. I get there are posting boards and internet rooms with students where I could post my park.  

 Thursday - night

Definitely still under the weather. I am getting better but not that much yet. At least the headaches are mostly gone.  That was annoying, an all day long headache I couldn't get rid of.  

Anyway, the boys got home from school early - earlier than I anticipated but not by a terrible amount. Mom was busy all day long with work, happy to help out if I"m not working or otherwise doing something that I have to get done.  

So, I decided we'd go get a bite to eat and then head over there to the tractor place, otherwise known as United AG and Turf, ergo: John Deere. If you look it up, it will tell you that John Deere was founded in 1837, long before gasoline or diesel engines were even invented much more an every day thing that you basically must have in this "modern" world.  

Now, I bought John Deere not just because of name brand and highly regarded reputation, no, that actually wasn't my top priority.  They have a very large store covering a few acres of property in town with a complete service shop. That's what did it for me.  I have extended warranty coverage and some plan for replacement parts including the expensive stuff if it goes on the whack.  A relative few extra dollars.  

Anyway, I don't want to have to drag a machine 25, 30, 40 even 45 miles each way to get the machine to a shop.  I don't have time for that or the desire.  John Deere is the only tractor store in town here. But boy do they have the selection.  From absolutely mammoth machines down to itty bitty little things.

Mine is bigger than itty bitty but certainly doesn't compare to those monster farm machines, I don't need anything that big and frankly, it wouldn't work.  This unit is hydrostatic, not clutch driven. That old Kubota the kid had over there was nice to have around but it was a pain to use. Push the clutch in for everything and slow.  I got the larger engine and I think I made the right decision on that. A few thousand more but the extra horsepower will get dirt jobs done easier.  

They also sell a hoe attachment for it, but at 12 grand I scoffed. No thank you. I use one of those every once in a while, if I absolutely have to have one, I'll just keep renting them.  They are near $500 per day rental, but at maybe twice a year? No need for it.  I was trying to keep the payment at around the cost of an RV lot. I was already giving the lot away for a couple of years in exchange for tractor use, now I wonder if I shouldn't have just bought the unit at the get go and have 2 years of payments behind me already....oh well. 

Anyway, after seeing the unit sitting there in it's green glory, I was very pleased with the purchase.  It's much easier operation than a manual setup, MUCH easier.  I wasn't very happy that people who came in after me were getting taken care of before me.  I had texted the salesman who asked me to let them know before I showed up he would make sure they have it ready. 

Nahh, bro. 2 other customers were taken care of before me.  I guess a form of discrimination in that they were obviously spending a lot more money and likely frequent customers.  I was actually on the verge of leaving - they can call me and I'll tell them exactly what was happening and how I felt about it, they can deliver the thing now or cancel the contract and I'll go out of town for my tractor needs.  Oh, I don't mind discrimination such as race or gender or whatever, just that you know that many businesses will give better service to repeat customers, especially if they're spendy.

Applebee's would be my example.  I go there often enough they all know me by name, they know where we want to sit and they know what we are drinking before we say a word.  I've been going in there for at least a decade now. It seems unfathomable that I have lived out here this long.

Well, they came up to my truck where we were waiting and said, well that guy just has to chain down his tractor and we can load you up. Some other dude came out and asked why not just ask that guy to move? He must have seen me sitting there patiently - trying to be patient anyway - waiting for some time now and I agreed. PLENTY of room up ahead of him and that tractor isn't going to magically fall off the trailer moving it 50 feet at 3 mph.

That guy that came out ended up being far more helpful than this salesman. Note that this salesman wasn't the one I was dealing with to purchase the unit. They had a yard worker drive the think up on there and then I asked where the tie down holes are? Well, there aren't any. 

Now that is kind of weird. MOST heavy equipment has holes built into them for chains to tie it down, the manufacturers know you have to chain down heavy equipment in order to haul it anywhere.  Just think after all of this time in the business they would have thought of that.  Anyway, the guy said well, just my input and you don't have to do anything I'm saying, but this is how I do it...

Yes please, I have no idea where you would chain this thing down without damaging it, at least not without studying it for quite a while.  We got it all nicely chained down and they were kind enough to put air in my trailer tires. They looked fine - until all that weight was driven up on it.  They were half flat.  Yikes! They filled all the tires up - they are newer tires that trailer just doesn't get used that often. Nice to have around when I need it but I really, really, reeeeeally didn't want to have to go out and buy a new trailer for this thing. It worked out nicely.

Well, I headed down I-20 to the next exit to get to my property but it started raining and I was running out of steam. Still sick, you know. Just wanted to get this done and over with. So, I got off at that exit and drove home instead.  It's parked in the front yard. I want to get a tracking device for it. One of those GPS things you hide on it in case it's stolen. But I have a good place to park it where a person or people would have to go way out of their way to steal it and would be doing it in plain view of tenants.  I have some good people in there now. I let them do things and in return, they watch out for me and my stuff. 

I've got another long term coming in soon, well they say they are anyway and another coming for a month or two.  Trying to get all the lots filled back up, I have 3 empties right now.  

That's about it. It did rain today but nothing like the forecast was showing. I didn't do much after the tractor affair.  Sleep, cook dinner, made the unfortunate decision to succumb to demands to go for a bike ride and just watched tv and played a few games after that. Oh, and one of the kids fell off his bike. Nasty fall.  I forced him to put a bag of ice on that knee, he was complaining at first but after a while, ohh this is working!

G'nite.  

 Thursday - morning

I slept the best sleep last night that I have had in quite a while. 9 solid hours. I was soooo tired when I went to bed last night I was really hoping to get some good z's in.  This is what helps you get over sickness more than anything, good quality sleep. 

It was 8 am before I finally said enough, it's time to get out of bed, but perhaps I should have slept  longer? It's an hour and a half later and I still feel like I could go right back to sleep and stay that way a couple more hours.  I might just do that.  I'd rather get better than "go do things".

The kids last day of school is today and they are getting early release. Mom says they should be getting home by around 12:45.  About 3 hours earlier than normal. I'm really not ready to have kids around like that, it can get old quickly. They still aren't allowed to play their games and even if they were allowed, dad has them with him in his truck.  He's not supposed to be home until some time late next month. 

However, the kids will be going to church camp and after that, grandma is coming for them to stay with her and grandpa for a week. The fact of that matter is is that they would be going to grandma's sooner but the youngest has a doctor's appointment that can't be missed. Won't go into those details, but he's having problems and not of the illness/sickness variety.

That tractor is sitting there waiting for me to come get it. I simply haven't had the energy for it and before I got sick, I didn't have time. I would have to go get the trailer then drag extremely heavy ramps out of the back yard and hope they actually work for the trailer I have and then go to the outlet, do whatever they want me to do there, load it up, chain it down, take it back to the park and offload it.  

It isn't that much work, or is it?  I really don't know how I feel until I try to start moving  - but - I didn't wake up coughing and this yucky feeling in my lungs so there is definitive improvement    

Anyway, the vacation in July is paid for, basically. I paid my room plus a room in New Orleans when we're heading there - no clue, the ladies want to see stuff there before we get to Gulf Shores - and just gas and food money. 

Well, I'd write more but I have decided to get out into the real world for a bit and see how I feel.  It's Saturday I'm slated to go back to work, so I have all of today and tomorrow to get to feeling well enough for that level of activity.  

  Tuesday - morning

I'm sorry the company is having driver issues. People who do not want to work probably shouldn't be - working.  Go live off the government I guess.  Trucks breaking down is not my responsibility either. They have an old fleet, this is expected. Having a lot of trucks break down at the same time? What do they expect? And they are too cheap to rent tractors while the trucks are in the shop. So, they put the contracts in jeopardy of losing them by not getting product to its intended destination on time.

Late shows are a big thing when you are hauling liquids that will shut down an entire plant if they run out.  

And if I get sick once in a while? It's been quite a while since I was last sick, some time last year.  It is what it is.  I'm not going to work. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, I truly am, but I feel like hell and have stayed in bed the entirety of yesterday excepting going to the bathroom and a couple visits to the kitchen and today I did until 8 am.  The 11 year is graduating elementary school. Yes, it's a thing nowadays to graduate elementary and middle school. Older generations will remember the only graduations were from high school.

Times have changed. So we went, the boy was given a certificate and a couple of awards and that was that. I am now back home and doing absolutely nothing.  How do you get better if you keep working or moving around too much? Well, it takes a lot longer.  You will likely, eventually get better but why drag it out? And feeling like this? No thank you. 

Oh I have plenty of things I could be doing, beyond work.  I kind of feel bad for the manager, this company puts him into impossible situations.  The driver quitting didn't help anything tho it certainly didn't bother me that that particular individual is now gone.  There is another driver who only does 2 runs per week, he could be doing 3 when times are demanding it?  I rarely ever  tell my manager no when he's asking for a favor - which is usually no small thing. A complete alteration to my plans, I don't like having to cut plans short because they want me to either drop what I am doing or continue to keep working when I was scheduled off.

I have nothing right now beyond this. Bed is calling my name. 

 Monday - morning late

Well when you get sick, you tend to sleep well enough anyway.  

Definitely not feeling well and have done nothing today besides lay in bed. 

It was no shock to me that work called - I had the ringer off and on purpose - and left a message stating: "We had you working today".  Uh, no and no.  You did not have me working today, I checked the tablet several times.  There was nothing put in there for Monday on Friday, which is when they would normally put it in there and there was nothing put in it Saturday or yesterday. 

As it stands, I barely made it through yesterday work-wise. I was going to go get the tractor today but I'm doubtful. Someone stole my tie down chains - they are expensive now a days - and so I would have to go spend $200 on those and binders before even considering going to get the tractor.  It's not that far, maybe 4 or 5 miles, I just don't have any energy.

Anyway, I was in no mood to talk to them so I waited an hour or longer before calling them back.  The manager clarified after I flatly stated there is nothing in the tablet for work for today that he knew it hadn't been put in there but they were supposed to put it in there yesterday.

No, I thought, they are supposed to put it in there Friday.  Regardless, I wasn't going to work today I don't care what the threats or urgency is.  I doubt he would threaten me but other trucking companies would try and I would quit right then and there. I will not be treated like some sort of machine or slave that is forced to do a company's bidding when they are the ones that screwed it up in the first place. 

If you can't tell, I'm in a mood. That phone message put me in that mood I am trying to claw back out of it.  I can tell ya my immediate thoughts were quitting, just say fine, come get your truck.  I have knee jerk reactions sometimes to stuff like this when it comes to trucking simply because of the way I have been treated in the past.  I don't need their job as much as they need me to drive their truck.  Yes, I need a job but they are more needy. Especially this company with junky equipment and low pay - tho I got out of the low pay bracket pretty quickly. 

Whatever was going through my mind, however, is not what came out of my mouth. I don't really want to quit or be fired and it really wasn't going to go there at all, I'm just not feeling well and a bit grumpy. I stay away from people when I get sick because - I get cranky. I know I get cranky so I just figure it's best to lay low until I get better again.  Getting phone calls from your employer when you shouldn't be getting phone calls from your employer mixed with sickness is a toxic combination, at least for me. 

He had dumped it on another driver who, admittedly, has been working his @$$ off. He is also 30 years younger than me and has lots more energy than I do. I remember the days in my 50's saying I could outwork 20 year olds, that isn't likely true anymore and I don't care that it's not true, it's just a part of growing older that I have accepted and I keep the pace that I can keep and I'm fine with it.  

However...he did not dump the entire load on the other driver, he wanted me to do the other half of the run tomorrow.  I said that isn't going to happen if I don't start feeling better and quickly, I am pretty weak right now.  It is highly likely he's going to have to figure something else out. I hate to put him in a bind but this is a legitimate reason unlike almost all of the other drivers who regularly bow out of work via lame @$$ excuses.  He tolerates them because he doesn't have much of a choice. This company doesn't have people breaking down the doors trying to get in with it for employment....

.......and when they do find people, they either can't do the job correctly or they don't last. I KNEW that driver that kept skipping in front of me until I had to get really pissy about it and put my foot down wasn't going to last. I figured 6 months and I was right on the nose. He found a "better" job somewhere else.  There are a lot of "better" companies that simply won't tolerate the crap he was doing at this company, good luck with that. 

Enough ranting. I have no ambitions to do anything today. I just made myself some breakfast and that's the end of the line for me.  

G'day

 Sunday - afternoon

What I didn't want to do this morning, what I abhorred doing this morning? Getting up at 5:00 am.  There was nothing in me to force me out of bed but sheer willpower to get the day rolling and get it over with.  I was still incredibly fatigued from the previous night' lack of sleep. OH yes, I slept well this time but it wasn't enough.  At least, until now. I feel fine now.

Anyway, I get up to the plant in Gurdon, drive down the driveway that goes into the plant where the scales are and what do I find? The gates are closed and locked! 

First off, I have newer seen those gates being used before regardless of the day of the week it is. Second, there is no way to flip a Uey there. Third? Well I called them.  What is with the locked gates?  Well the plant is under lockdown, you'll have to go around to the main gate (there are 4 gates).  

Umm, I can't turn around here, I'm going to have to back down this driveway (about 800 feet) and then back into the highway. There isn't much visibility for that. Umm I can't help you with that! WTH

I backed down that driveway - not a big deal - but backing blindly into a 2 lane highway with lots of traffic? Yes, a big deal.  I did it without running into anyone and went all the way around to the other side of that gate where the scales are. 

So what's the big deal here? The security guard said that someone had been fired and had called in death threats and threatening to shoot up the place.  Gee, that's just what I want to be in the middle of on a Sunday morning....

And what is with people going into rages like that?  Let's just kill people because - excuses?  Like, your life must truly suck to be threatening to act out like that.  Get help. Better yet, get Jesus!  Or repent and ask Him for forgiveness more like it. 

I forced myself to drive all the way back without stopping. I wanted to stop and take a nap, NOOO. Do that at home! Get this junk over with now!  So I did. Got home, went to Applebee's - the kids were insisting and I didn't mind that much since I don't have anything else pressing today - and now safely home and sitting at my bedroom desk.  

Although a little late, I intend on taking my Sunday afternoon nap after writing this, in fact, I can finish this later...

______________________

Yeah - no. Not feeling it at all. My voice is down an octave, my lungs are congested and I have a slight sore throat.  Headache, flu symptoms, crud.  Going to bed.  

 Saturday - evening

I am so tired.  I drove around 2,000 miles in the last 4 days including today.  I don't normally have to drive that much and it's wearing on me.  Long days that I don't want, give that to someone else that needs the money more than I do.  Oh, well, a driver quit so there is that.  I hate working weekends but at least - I think anyway - I have Monday off.  They haven't exactly put anything in the tablet for after this run that I am finishing up tomorrow.  

The back yard is for all intents and purposes, clean.  An entire dumpster worth of junk hauled out of here plus 2 trailers full of metal to the recycle place and I gave those people that old ATV that hasn't worked in years. They wanted it, I gave it to them.  I am not spending the money or time it would take to get it running.  Not worth it to me.  I still have the other ATV over at the park and it ran the last time anyone tried to use it, but that was a while back. I don't want to ride that thing at the present time either.  

I have also burned a lot of wood. There is still some minor cleanup to do, but the majority of it is done and over with, the money spent and well worth it, the place is clean and it feels amazing.  Just happy to have that hell hole looking place turned back into something that people can actually enjoy.  We are considering an above ground pool.  

The guy that helped me is so good I have had him doing some work over at the park.  Mowing and weed eating.  I won't have him do too much, he's a bit on the pricier side, but there was stuff I haven't gotten to and wanted to get it cleaned up nicely. I'm trying to get 3 lots filled up and the nicer it looks, the better. 

The neighbors over there put up that gaudy looking fence the entire stretch of the property and after I wrote to the owners that they can either put that fence ON the property line or face a lawsuit, they fixed it. Mostly.  Good enough now. I found it amazingly humorous that they then went and mowed the grass but, of course, left the grass on what is now "my" side unmowed.  He used to mow it, but then again, he thought that property was his.

He also ran the fence line right over the top of their propane tank, lol.  I knew that thing was on my property but as I said before, I never said anything to them about that or anything else for that matter.  They forced this issue by ripping down my driveway at ridiculous speeds on that 4 wheeler and tearing it up while they're doing it. I have to draw the line somewhere. 

___________

Many hours later, I'm too tired to write any more of anything. It's pretty early as far as bedtime goes but I think I'm going to crawl into the sack and call it a day.  

 Friday - night

No time for a lengthy post, time to go to bed.  3 straight days of driving hard that I will just have to get into next post, probably tomorrow.  A few things going on, most notably finally finding a person who will actually work for the money he is paid. I need help with the expansion and I'm 90% sure this is the person that will help me get it done. 

He's a very hard worker, he earns his money.  If he says he's going to do something, he does it.  It started at our house, the queen of the house found him somewhere, probably on a Facebook ad - we have almost completely cleaned out the backyard. I got a wild hair and decided to rent a large dumpster, she found this dude a while back to cut lawns and the rest is history.  Out back yard is actually pretty nice now. 

More to be done but it's nothing like the jungle it was. 

I can tell ya that after I got done delivering yesterday and asked the manager about getting my trailer back from the place in Haughton to restart my normal runs?  Yea, that didn't happen.

"I have a big favor to ask of you".  I know when he says that that whatever it is, I'm not going to like it nor will I want to do it.  The driver that kept walking all over me was fired.  He needed me to drive clear to the loading plant in Arkansas to load that day - yesterday - after already driving to Dallas and planning on going and getting my trailer in Haughton and getting life back to normal. 

Yeah, no.  I ended up driving the 5-1/2 hours up there and back to El Dorado where I spent the night in a Hampton hotel - I refused to sleep in the truck for the AC doesn't work and frankly, it's a pile of junk.  I don't want to sleep in it.

I woke up this morning and left there at 6 am to drive the 5 plus hours back to Ennis, offload and then back to my Park.  

There is a lot more, but I'm exhausted after 3 days of OTR style driving mega miles. You know I don't like driving anymore and this has been a real stretch for me.  Totally nothing I wanted to do.