Tuesday.  Energy still hasn't returned.
This got old last week, no description now.
And yes, yesterday stunk.
Excepting I was able to sit around and do much of nothing at work for 4 hours and then a run that took another 4 hours and the day was done.
Today?  Loaded the truck and dragged it out all day long.  I could have gone faster, but why? I got everything done that needed to get done so that's all that counts.

Got home today and went to bed for an hour and a half.
Got up and went to work.
Worked for an hour and went back to bed.
Got up and went back to work. Clock is ticking, gotta get this stuff done and over with.
So it goes.  If I had my energy I would be all done with this now, just looking around double checking things.
Guess the double checking will be next week, goal this week is to get boxes packed and sent out UPS.  One box completely done, 2 more almost done, a 4th half done.  Probably be 6 of them by the time this is over, maybe 7.  Drawers all emptied out.  Nothing left to do in drawers. Closet 80% finished.  2 small boxes left of papers I have to sort through and decide what to chuck and what to take. It's getting closer.  A couple more days and I'll have this done and over with - I hope - or at least the vast majority of it.

Meanwhile m'lady found me a temporary place to live.  It's nice, a converted large shed type of structure. They completely remodeled the interior of it. An elderly, widowed lady who wants to make extra income.  She dreaded putting an ad out and having strangers come over.  She was happy that it was m'lady - who brought her youngest girls with her - that went over well and that was that.  I don't expect to spend that much time there actually. Nightime sleeping, that about it.  I will have my hands full with everything going on over there at her house and work, won't be time for lolly-gagging around.  Well there will be down time at night at least.

So, my project.  The 16 year old that is.  His gf's mother texts me yesterday asking if Josiah can go with them to celebrate their anniversary and her birthday - the mom's that is.  My initial reaction was no.  Josiah has been cranking on his mom, rebellious plus he's been over there 2 weekends in a row.  I told her that.  She writes me back talking as if she was a teenager herself. PULLLLLEEEEEAAAAASSSSSEEEEEE let him go, on and on and on.  How to you respond to that?  I didn't reply.  Talked to m'lady.  Her reaction - NO WAY.  So I told the lady that m'lady would call her later.

Later on in the day.  Josiah - the 16 year old.  We started talking about something can't remember what and then this comes up.  I wasn't being nasty with him, but I pretty much let him have it for quite a while.  Shoulda listened to me for the last several months asking for you to lighten up on your mom, just play the game, even if you don't want to. Learn how to SUCK UP to a person even if it's fake it will be nicer than the s*** you have been doling out to her forever and a day now.  This went on for over 2 hours.  I wasn't relenting.  You have failed miserably, you haven't even tried!   I finally told him something like this: IF you can be an angel and no fails and treat her like a queen for the next 4 days, not one single time making foul comments and all the rest of it in anger and contempt, then maaaaaaybe you can go and that's a big maybe, definitely no guarantees here at all whatsoever.  You don't have to convince ME, you have convince HER.

So you can't guarantee I can go if I do all of that?  What if she comes over (gf) for the next 3 weekends in a row after this weekend?  Makes no difference. This is about your attitude.  It sucks, basically.  You are ALWAYS contending, fighting and arguing with your mom.  THAT is what this about, not who spends time where.  Though that is an issue too, at comes a far distant second place to how you have been treating mom.  Well can I talk to mom about this? NO.

 So, I'm talking to m'lady and her initial reaction is no way.  You don't understand how badly he has been treating me.  I said yeah, but if he does really well the next 4 days, you at least might have a change of heart.  4 days of being treated like a queen would be a totally different thing going on over there.  I didn't guarantee him anything, anyway.  We talked awhile and she thought, yeah, that would be nice if I could get a reprieve from his s***.  My goal isn't just this week, it's forever.

Back to boy.  He just started working this week, his privilege to drive was given to him but under very controlled conditions.  He is at work now tearing out carpet or something in a large Presbyterian church. I know he's at work because the truck is parked in front of the church.  I know the truck is parked in front of the church cause' the tracker is showing it there.  The tracker tells when the engine is turned on and off, location every 5 minutes; "zones" you can set up which so far at home and school, and sends texts.  I am getting texts of the engine on and off.  I will get a text if he goes over 60mph on any road.  It will show any location that he stopped at.  Pretty useful tool for a kid that has - ideas - in his head.

Well last night he just couldn't stop texting and dragging this out.  I said okay, this are the terms, you already know them, I don't need to go over all of this again.  He wanted it spelled out - so I did.  If you fail once, you are toast.  Period.  You won't go and that's that.  His mood went all over the scale.  Up and down.  The final mood he tried was pity party.  Sorry dude, that ain't gonna work.  Okay.  He agreed to it - what choice did he have if he wants to go this weekend? I've seen pics of the rental boats, looks pretty fun - and this morning?  Good morning Ben!  Good morning Josiah! Well I hope you have a great day!  Thanks Josiah, you too!

Mind you, I never get texts from him in the morning.  I always send him a scripture or say something about God before he heads off to school, but he never replies.  Whatever, doesn't bother or faze me at all, I'ma get through to that boy or die trying.  I suppose the driving factor has changed his life even if only in small steps at first - for right now he is only allowed to drive to school and work.  Definitely not to gf's house.  His previous plans were he could drive over there AND be allowed to take her out on a date.  Fortunately even gf's parents dismissed that idea in a quick hurry.  Not now, son.  Not now.  He's made it 24 hours with the best attitude she's seen in a long time.   "He's schmoozing me".  Yup.  "I like it, wish he would do this all the time"  Yup. That's the goal.  I originally gave it 50% odds that he would make it, maybe even lower.  Hot head, gotta temper.  But I am upping it to 70-75% range because he is motivated.  It's an entire day out on a big boat, fishing, with his gf.  So maybe up it even more.

So that's that.  Meanwhile, she left 3 little ones at ex's, Josiah at work, so decided to take the other two to the movies tonight.  Good job, IMO.  Obviously get a bit expensive doing that with all 6 of them but when opportunities arise to take a couple of them, then do it.  I forget what movie they are seeing.

Enough.  The only real drag right now is attempting to get everything done.  I was going to take my desktop - which I am using right now - with me in car but I don't know that it's going to fit with a dog and all the rest of it in there.  I would prefer to take it rather than ship it but -- just don't know. Not taking little dog. Lynnette said she would take, I'm giving that dog to her.  She likes it so that's cool. I am not in love with it. I don't hate it but it's just not my favorite dog.  Duke is the last of the Mohiccans. After him?  I dunno.  She has 2 dogs though one of them is also getting old.  Her friend said she would get me another Great Dane if I wanted one. Yeah, probably will, just need to get everything done first.

Countdown: 11 days.  Not much time, really, but I got the car sold and the pond out, fish sold and done with.  Just the inground pond remaining and Mark said he would take care of it.  I didn't want to shut it down cause it would mean a lot of work removing it and infilling it and why bother? I got the big fish it, it will require very little maintenance.  Just about 25 small fishies in there.

It's my room that has presented the greatest challenge just that's where all of my personal possessions are.  What to keep, what to chuck and what to donate make for slow progress.

Well, getting late - for me anyway and I want to get another half hour done before I go to bed.

Ben