Monday, August 8, 2022

 Sometimes I write a post, get distracted and then never hit the "publish" button. Such is the case with the last entry that is just going to sit there in draft form for infinity and beyond! Lmao.

Anyway, I did go to Lowe's get all the stuff (most of it anyway) needed for the bridge project yesterday (Sunday).  It was then that I realized just how terribly out of shape I am. Lifting 12, 80-pound bags of quickrete about killed me.  Lifting a cartload of 14 and 16 foot long boards was also no small feat.  And then, loading it onto the trailer....but....a young dude came out - huge, with rippling arm muscles and said don't worry about it, I'll get this.  

I replied simply, thank you! You are way better shape than I!  But I still ended up loading the 80 pound bags onto the trailer while he was loading the wood.  

Over to McDonald's, a place I almost never eat at but my tag-along wanted to eat and it was what he wanted so I just said fine and got a Big Mac.  Over to the property.  My "plan" was a stupid one, now that I look back on it.  A bit more thinking about that and I would have never gotten myself into that mess.  

The plan was too hook the trailer up to the 4-wheeler - which it did, it has a ball hitch on it - and then drive it down the road into the basin to the bridge project site.  The problem? That 4 wheeler is definitely no match for that trailer!  That trailer is made out of heavy duty angle stock and it heavy enough empty,  but loaded? I barely started down that hill and realized this was a huge mistake.  The trailer started pushing the 4 wheeler down the hill even with the front brake on.  I mashed the rear brake down as well and it barely stopped it from moving forward.

It dawned on me that if I try to drive that thing down the hill? It's going to end up killing or severly injuring me, that 4 wheeler is no match for the weight of that trailer.  I was starting to sh** bricks, to be honest, when it kept moving even with the front brake on. That's disk brakes on that thing.  

Getting the thing stopped with the rear brakes was fine, but how was I going to get off the thing? I can't hold the rear brakes forever......

I turned the front wheels sideways, set the front parking brake and that did it.  Got 4X4's off the trailer and blocked all 4 wheels on the trailer and then.....figured I could drop the trailer and pull my SUV down there.  But no, after attempting to drop the trailer and seeing that I wouldn't be able to get it hooked to the SUV, I decided to leave the landing gear on the ground but still hooked to the 4 wheeler and then I would have to get James and come back with his 4X4 truck and a chain and pull the trailer backwards out of there.  

Then, use either his truck or my SUV to take it down the hill. After that, hook it back up to the 4 wheeler and tote it back to the bridge site.  I planned on leaving the trailer with all the materials on it there.  Well, anyway, for those that know me and have my Facebook as a friend, the kid made a video of this fiasco while it was unfolding. He had no idea how serious the situation was.  I had him standing behind everything before I even started down the hill as a precaution.  He was never in danger, thankfully.  

We went home after that. I was exhausted and burnt out. Seriously fatigued.  The heat and all that lifting did me in. I did not ask James to go back yesterday, I was too out of it.  I'll see if he will come out there the next time I'm off and he's home. He'll do it, it's a challenge if nothing else and his 4 wheel drive truck would be better suited to taking it down that hill than my SUV/. But oh yea, if it comes down to it, I will drive that trailer down there with my SUV. I"m not concerned about that, it's getting back up the hill I have my doubts about lol.  It's a pretty steep hill.  

There is another way back there on another trail, but the trail isn't wide enough in some areas for a trailer that wide to fit.  The hill is not as steep getting to the trail and not as long.  

Fortunately, the trailer and 4 wheeler are far enough down in the back of the property that no one drive around the top can see it.  There is some money sitting on that trailer worth of wood and new construction tools that I didn't have that I will need to be able to do that project.  

Ok, enough of that.  The shed building - they call them sheds but they are buildings - said he wanted to come out today and build it.  I can't, I replied - much to my dismay I had to turn it down because I was coming down here today, Brownsville.  I said I would probably be back on Wednesday and he said he would call me on Tuesday - tomorrow.

Yeah, well there aren't any empties down here so I don't know if I'll be home tomorrow and if I do make it back, I have no idea whether they are sending me out the next day or not.  This is the huge drawback to having to continue to work a very-much full time job while trying to put this project together.  They want me there before starting the project.  They will have it done the same day.  

I absent-mindedly scratch this ridiculous nonsense all over my body from these sand fleas that bit my entire torso, arms and back and they instantly start bleeding.  I have it going now in the sleeper, sitting here wiping it off trying to get it to stop.

Anyway, I contacted the sign maker once again today. They just didn't do what they said they were going to so I just wrote them off.  If you weren't interested in doing my project, why lead me on? Just say so and I would have moved on.  I have been trying to support local business here while putting this project together. Obviously, I had to find someone local to do the dirtwork and install, but signs? I can have those made anywhere.  Same with buildings.  They wrote back and said they had just finished the same project they had been working on when I contacted them 23 days ago.  A stained glass work, it took them awhile. According to her, anyway.  I just replied, well, you said you were going to send me a pic of the proposed sign over 3 weeks ago. 

I want my sign out there, soon.  Now, actually, but whatever, let's get it done! There is a sign company in my town, I will go there.  I'm giving them one more chance.  They said they wanted the work so I'll just see what happens. 

I'm waiting on the address maker to get back to me.  I hope it doesn't really take 10 days to do that, but it probably will, lol.  

The entire front portion of the property needs bush hogged.  I don't want to pay someone the high fee it will cost to do 7 acres.  I've got to figure something out.  My resistance to getting into any more debt is stopping me, at least for now, from buying something on credit and payments.  A riding mower would at least cut down the 500 linear feet that was cut out by the dozer, I will be getting one of those. But the rest of it?  Really need a farm tractor with the bush hog attachment.  

I dunno, it's a real headache for me.  They'll charge at least $500 to bush hog it - a contractor/side hustle person.  

There's so much to do and think about.  It just kind of fries my mind at times.  

I need rest.

G'nite. 







 Friday late-morning Typical morning when there is no work.  It was, I should say, until the new guy called.  "There's nothing wron...