Tuesday, August 30, 2022

 They are at the property installing the new septic system. It has 2 small tanks and one large one - tho the small tanks aren't exactly small, it's just how I'm describing it looks. The small one is where the waste solids go into.  The second tank is where the "water" gets pumped from one tank to the large center tank to treat it.  After that, it goes into a clear water tank and then pumped out into lines to be sprinkled out.  They're well on their way to being finished with it already.  

Unfortunately, they decided to install it right along the path of where the power lines were going to go.  It's far too late to tell them anything differently now, One would think they would consult with me before determining a location to install the setup. I would have directed them a bit further south and away from where the power lines were going to go.  Now, I will have to contact the electric engineer and ask him if that's going to be an issue, and if so, we are going to have to go with his plan B - whatever that was.

Yes, he had a plan B but I never asked him about where it would go, exactly, because it became unnecessary.  There's plenty of room to re-route the electrical, I'm just a bit miffed they didn't ask me about exactly where I wanted that set up before installing it.  As I have said repeatedly, they do great work, but their communication skills suck.  The lines will probably have to go another 15 feet east, eating up even more land for easement.  I have some plans for the front, I should still be able to do it but it's not getting any easier with this setup.  All I can say is any future septic installs will be going in there - somewhere and definitely not towards the south.  

I really want around another 50 spaces before I call this thing done and over with.  I figure I can go 3 rows tho, so it shouldn't be a problem, speaking of goals for the future.  

Regardless, I tried to get some work done on the bridge this morning.  Digging out just one hole took it all out of me.  Yes, I am starting to feel better,.  No stamina, or very little, but I don't feel near as miserable as I was feeling.  I got one hole done and left.  No sense in wiping myself out to the point I will be bedridden another week.  Yup, I have plenty to do, but I can only do so much right now.  

I'm waiting until this septic is done and I am billed for it before doing much of anything else.  Well, excepting starting work on the doggy park.  The local rental store rents a walk-behind bush hog  No way I'd try to use it for the entire front, but I can use it to hack the weeds down where the park is going to go.  I'd like to rent the thing, hack down the weeds and then spread grass seed over the 100x100 plot before putting any stakes in the ground.  There is an area where they used the dozer to level off a spot where it can go and won't interfere with either the power, septic or the lots themselves.  

The rest of the weeds? Well, the only thing I have found so far that is "cheap" is a pull behind setup you put on the ATV.  It has a tow hitch you hook the machine up with. The machine is 48 inches wide and says you can do an acres in an hour.  It claims it can cut down up to 3 inch diameter trees.  These units are not cheap, starting in the mid 2,000's, but a tractor and bush hog attachment are far more expensive.  At the rate they want to have someone come out and do the cutting? I'd eat up that's $2,500 in 4 or 5 months.  

I'm not pulling the trigger on it just yet, but I'm very close to the point where I need to do something.  I can't have 7 acres of weeds, that will not be very appealing.  I don't really see any good alternatives to this setup. I've looked. If the local rental would rent a tractor with bush hog attachment, I'd go that route for a while. But, they don't.  

The sign maker finally got the board in. I am going to meet up with them today to give a deposit and get that sign made, installed, over and done with.  Again, this ;is a hand painted sign that will give a much better feel for what the park is going to be about then a sign made in a sign shop with machinery.  I will have small signs made at a local sign shop to put in the ground out by the main highway and perhaps down at the Interstate.  If they're cheap enough anyway. The one on the main highway will stay, there are numerous signs there that the county doesn't remove, but the Interstate signs? 

I don't know if they allow those or if they tear them up and throw them away. If a sign is $10 and they do that, no biggies. If it's more? No thanks.  

As I try to ponder how to go about doing this, I really feel that I will just start with a parking pad with full hook ups, a doggy park and hopefully have the trails cleaned up by then.  There is a lot of cleaning up to do.  Felled trees, branches, just a lot.  And it has to be hauled to an area where I can burn it.  I'd prefer not to have multiple burn piles all over the place back there, so there is really only one place I want to do that, which means, back to the trailer.  The trailer I want is around $600 and I just can't get around it.  I 've made offers on used trailers and they just laugh at me.  I laugh at them back.  You want almost as much as a brand new trailer....

Oh, well I want grass next to the pads, a picnic table and a fire ring where feasible.  For future reference, all pads will be 50 feet wide.  40 feet simply isn't enough.  I thought it was, I thought wrong.  There is one pad that is 50 feet wide by design and it's about perfect.  The end lots also have a lot of room.  Live and learn.  It is what it is and it's all installed now, there is no turning back on the 14 I have in there already.  

Well that's about it for now. Take a short nap, try to get some energy and then go meet these people for the sign down payment.  

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