Can I tell you that I was actually happy to see an empty trailer in the yard down here in Brownsville when I pulled in here? Usually I want to see no empty trailers - it's worth a lot of money to wait - but this town is shut down to the Nth degree.  I have masks now - they are mandatory in this town anywhere you go - but still, a lot of restaurants are completely shut down, everything is at a virtual stand still. 

I'd just as soon get under an empty and go home.   There  is another driver coming down here today as well - whoever that is is going to have to wait.  I got underneath this one so whoever that person is couldn't take it, I'm here, it's mine! lol. 

Meanwhile, the other house.  Not the one in Phoenix.  The brother of the man that owns the house texted Maria today saying that the 6 months is up.  The lease that is.  He apparently had misconstrued the desire for a 6 month lease with the desire to leave the house after that 6 months is up. I'll lay that one at the feet of Maria, I said no such thing and she is the one that mostly communicates with this guy.  So she started freaking out today, sending me screen shots of the conversation.  "Gus, do I need to go start looking for a new place to live?". 

Panic attack.  "I have nowhere to go if I have to leave here".  These are my projects in life.  Helping people. It comes with its risks and it comes with intervals of upheaval and having to deal with things I'd rather not have to deal with.  She got the extremely unadulterated hint, for example, that she is going to have to learn how to deal with living with other people if she wants that house situation to continue.  For I am not going to keep shelling out a bunch of money because people got into heated arguments and the new person leaves. 

Look, I don't always agree with my friends where I live. I bite my tongue almost always and just deal with it.  I love my living situation regardless of some things I'd like to see changed. It's not my house, they are free to do with it as they please. We all get along.  Very well, actually.  But we don't just get along, we like each other's company.  We hang out with each other.  I could easily go get my own rental place. Or for the cost of housing in that town, I could buy a second home.  But, I don't want to.  I'm not staying in that town because I like living in that town.  I am living there because I am with good company.  They are going through the midst of hell right now - well that has changed actually almost overnight.  But they are cool people. 

What changed? Childcare is free for 3 months.  Apparently a part of the stimulus.  That's a grand a month they don't have to pay.  They also got their stimulus check which was two adults and two children.  On the other hand, James employer is restructuring.  Getting rid of 3 plants or whatever and streamlining into one.  That meant that were going to lay off a lot more people and they were going to find out today.  Writing this post reminded me of that so I just texted him. He looked freaky last night. You could see the anxiety all over his face. 

Ahh, well he wrote back quickly:  I was told I was stuck there for now lol.  Okay!  haha

Meanwhile? The numbers of cases in our county of Coronavirus is going up.  Yup, it's not even 100 people -- yet.  But the curve is going way up, not flattening out or going down.  I'm not wishing this shit on anyone, but I knew from the beginning when they started reporting this crap over in China it would spread around the world. I said that when it started getting reported.  It's not going away. The government is controlling us far beyond any measure I have ever seen in my life time, at least in America.  Who gave them all this power? WE DID.

I have choice words for the government right now. Both state and Federal. They can kiss my @$$.  Little state governor devils handing out executive orders like pancakes and waffles at Waffle House. I am NOT opposed to social distancing or even wearing a mask, but damned if you are going to tell me not to go out on a blooming lake.  Or watch a freaking movie. They can DO social distancing at ALL of the venues we love.  Meanwhile, they are crowding the grocery and warehouse stores with people and they think nothing of it. WTH. This is where the disconnect comes in.  I can't go out on a lake with my boat - far from anyone, but you don't give a shit if I go into a store crammed full of people?

I drove on the Beltway in Houston today. I looked over at the Home Depot parking lot. The lot was literally FULL of cars.  Walmart and HEB the same exact thing. HEB is a grocery chain in the south.  What is the sense of all of this? 

I'm not exaggerating, btw. Those parking lots were FULL all the way out to the outer parking spaces. I'll snap a shot of it tomorrow if it can be seen from the other side of the beltway - cause' honey, I'm hooked to the trailer, I already inspected everything, my paperwork is filled out, the ELD junk is filled out, I'm ready to go.

But hey fam?  You want to take that boat out on the lake? Nahh bro, can't be doing THAT now can we?

Whatever. A lot of this doesn't make sense unless you want to invoke politics into it and then it starts making a lot of sense. 

Whatever the case, it's almost bedtime. I intend on getting up early and getting back earlier than normal. That's my intention, who knows what my brain will say in the morning.  Alarm goes off: Uhh, no, you don't have to get back that early, snooze a little longer! lmao

My stimulus money showed up in my bank account this morning.  A sizeable sum of money owed to me was also paid. And the lady renter that is in the hospital is paying up her rent.  And now a proposal to give every american over the age of 16 $2,000 per month for at least 6 months being floated.  Because we can just print money and make that happen!  These people in government making these decisions.

Isolate anyone that has the virus, keep the sick and elderly quarantined, put everyone else back to work.  I don't care if anyone doesn't like that idea, because, of course  - we're all going to die!  Well we're all going to die anyway.  I don't know when, but it's going to happen.  Our economy and our way of life is going to die right along with it if they keep everyone in their homes indefinitely.  Meaning, 6 months?  Naw, fam, we can't be shut down for 6 months.  Or go ahead, do it!  Let all those businesses die. All those small businesses - the back bone of our society - how many of those will go under?  Heck how many of them have already gone under?

Meanwhile. I haven't seen my next door neighbor in quite a while. He's the banker/cop.  Turns out he is still doing security work at the Sam's club a few towns over. First it was large numbers of people just walking out with goods that they didn't pay for.  Then, it was people attempting to buy more than limitations that most stores are putting on certain things.  After that - now - it's no more than 10 people in the store at a time.  Can you imagine? Sam's Club is a huge store.  10 people! Why even bother being open? Is there a crowd of people - close together - standing outside waiting to get in? I don't go to Sam's Club anymore, I haven't in a long time. Too easy to just spend way too much money in those places, the temptations to buy everything is too much. I just stay away.  One thing for certain, you aren't going to mess with that man. He works out - hours - every day.  Huge man, arms the size of most people thighs.

Whatever the case, we are taking it easy today. Taylor had a low grade fever last night that didn't last long and went away. So why she told work about it I have no clue, they told her to stay home.  I guess.  She is going into the docs today sometime. Are they going to give her the virus test? Who knows.  If she has it, I'm screwed and so is everyone else in the house.  Sit at home 14 days.  Or end up in a hospital.  Lol, whatever comes, comes.  I have no fever, I check every day now.  Why? Why not.  Doesn't cost anything, might as well.  I'm more concerned about the 2 little ones going to day care every day. That's where disease spreads like wildfire.

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Friday morning.  Getting ready to head out to Brownsville. I now have ample masks to go into truckstops with - these masks stop the virus both ways, not just going out.  The reported cases in this area more than doubled.  Apparently a nursing home got infiltrated with it and everyone got sick. None of them have died, thankfully, but that remains to be seen. The county Judge extended the shelter in place decree and there are lots of people not working here.  I can tell ya that if you aren't working, $1,200 won't do much. Might pay your rent/mortgage for a month and maybe a utility bill or two, but that's about the extent of it.

Just astounding to me they are talking about even more stimulus money. Open the damn businesses back up, quit making up money out of the thin blue air. 

I was talking with someone yesterday that doesn't understand why we can't just keep printing money?  Ever hear of hyperinflation? Do you think that money is free? Yes!  Really?  Yes, I don't understand this.  THIS is why this nation is screwed.  People think that you can just print out money and it's furrrrrrreeeeeeeee!

Have a virus free day.