So, we went over to the property.  Took the boys, James drove us over there and we went on the same trail Addler used to absolutely love.  It was his favorite place, easily. He used to tromp around the trails like a miniature horse, sniffing everything and always running ahead of us.  The goal was to find a big rock that would be brought home and transformed into a memorial.  Well, we got almost to the bridge at the rear of the property when I spotted a large rock that was mostly buried in hard dirt. 

James started working on it and then I got a stick and started digging at it as well.  It took a bit, but that thing came out of there.  Nice sized rock, he carried the thing all the way back to his truck.  

I envisioned Addler running ahead of us the entire walk . Maybe he was there with us in spirit.  I dunno, folks, I'm just fumbling my way through time of missing my doggy and still wishing he was here.  

The rock is home, I'm trying to motivate myself to get to Lowe's, buy that wire and the circuit breaker and get back to the property and install that stuff.  It's hot, I'm highly unmotivated, but it needs to be done.  I got a call that some people want to bring a couple of trailers in, in the "next couple of days".  I hated to say it, but I don't have availability until Monday morning when 2 lots will open up for whatever, long term, short term, but short terms are far and few between right now excepting the 13 day stay and the 9 day stay.  

I'll be collecting more money here soon and I will be able to pay the power - well I can already pay that, I have sufficient funds for it - but also be able to dump some more money into my bank account.  In fact, I've got several payment to collect in the next couple of weeks which should keep me afloat.  A couple more long term would certainly help with that. 

The man said well, he was coming in a couple of weeks but he has a worker that is coming in the next few days, I'll see if he can wait.  I hope they can, that's all I can say. They are going to be around awhile, guaranteed income I can rely on.  

I haven't heard from the trucking company this week that was going to hire me. Today is Friday, if they don't call today, I'm going to treat that as canceled for whatever reason.  If I were closer to Tyler, I could apply for that fuel hauling job that actually trains the drivers. It's just too far to drive 5 days a week. It would be something like 130 miles per day round trip just getting to and from work.  I've done that before but it gets old and it gets expensive. 

It's enough to drive hundreds of miles a day in a truck without having to do the same thing just getting to and from work.  There is another local job. It's long days, but it is, allegedly, 5 days a week.  It's just that they are pretty low paying.  48 hours per week for 65k per year doesn't sound particularly appealing. 

My park insurance will come due in December. I am being informed by people in an rv park owner's group that the particular company I am using tripled their rates for the next coming year.  Triple?  Like, at least so far, I haven't made a single claim on it.  I mean, if they do that to me, I will be calling every rv insurance company I can find to see if I can do better. Because, that will cost me $4,800 and that's too much. I won't go without liability insurance, that is ALL I have besides the shed which is insured but only at the cost I paid for it at $4,200.  

_________________

Over to Lowe's, property, hook up trailer, go to repair shop, get the mower he couldn't find for 5 minutes looking around for it, back to the yard, drop trailer with mower still on it - not fooling with that today but in case I get a wild hair this weekend, I can go cut those weeds - back to property.  Hooked up the entire 30 amp system without actually installing it in the ground.

IN other words, I did most of the work in the much-cooler-than-outside shed.  MUCH cooler.  Probably 25 degrees anyway.  I got the entire thing hooked up, including screwing the 30 amp outlet box to a 2X4 and then installed it into the breaker box.  Flipped it on to make sure I didn't get anything wrong - even tho I was sure I didn't - turned that back off and set the box to the side.  I then turned on the faucet for the new water outlet - that's working fine with no leaks. Dug out more around the sewer line, cut that out, installed my sewer y setup with the fernco couplers, got that nicely tightened down. 

The boy flushed the toilet, looks good, no leaks.  Cut out a piece of sewer pipe to put over that under ground valve.  IF you have the right tool, you can just stick it down in there and turn the water off in an emergency - versus turning off the entire park.  

Was burning up. Took several short breaks to go inside, cool off, get a drink and go back out. I'm not going to die of this nonsense.  We have a heat index, right now, of 110.  You can stand in the shade and still break out sweating profusely. If you are working in the direct sunlight - as I was - well, just no sense in risking it. I got a lot done. I probably have around an hour left tomorrow to finish it.  I'm going to remind them in a bit that I am coming over tomorrow to move them over there. They don't have a problem with it - they don't have much of a choice considering they are behind on their rent.  

I'm giving them a discounted rate now as it stands.  I'm thinking I'm going to have the guy do some work on the RV to help finish that up.  He appears to be a solid handyman and I could use the help with that thing. I could give them $100 off rent to get the propane line installed and check the drain system..

She - the tent camper - seems to think the shower drain is leaking underneath the carriage of the rv onto the ground.  She could be right, who knows. 

Now don't get me wrong, these New Jersey people are very nice and polite, they aren't thieves, they don't go around the park asking for handouts.  She is needy in that she is both poor and has severe rheumatoid arthritis.  I feel like when I go before the Lord, He isn't going to fault me for helping the poor. Christ specifically stated to help the poor and needy.  I still want money out of them, but only because i know they get money from the government.  But it's also why I reduced the rent. They aren't using as much electricity and if I get them behind the shed, they aren't taking up a lucrative spot.  And it's why I give them a grace period. They DO give me money, I have been writing down in my note binder everything they give. 

In fact, I write down everything everyone gives in that binder.  It all goes into the business checking account which is automatically transferred over to Quickbooks. I only do that for any auditing purposes.  Otherwise? I'm old school. Give me lined paper and I'll just write everything down.  It's much easier for me, I can just open it up, see who needs to pay what, when and be done with it. 

If I had 100 spaces, that would be a challenge with that system.  

Whatever the case, I got as far as I could before I told myself - enough.  I was out in that heat during the hottest part of the day and the only reason I did it is because I need that trailer over there tomorrow.  It will stay there until they leave.  

I will likely go ahead and trench from lot 1, I just don't have to do that right now.  I really don't want as much load as I'm putting on the west side, but there IS one lot empty right now over there.  So, there isn't as much being drawn off of that side as if there were full lots over there. But, come Sunday, it will be a full house overnight for 16 lots.  Just for 2 days. After that? I'm hoping to get more calls on long term. I'm blacking out all lots except 2 for long term.  In fact, I'm going to do that as soon as I'm done with this post. 

As I often do, I'm writing post, mention something I need to do, say I will do it later  but then....I just stop writing and go do it. Those lots are all blocked until the 1st of October.  I'm leaving 2 open for overnight, but rest assured, if I get everything filled up and someone wants one of those short term lots? It's going to them. The only other reservation I have now in the system is for December 19th.  They placed that reservation many months ago. It's paid for and I intend on honoring it.  I will pretty much keep at at least on spot open for overnighters.  

And when we get into cooler temps, it may be that more people are coming through or coming here. The colleges will be fired back up as well.  They get the sports teams fired up and parents come in their trailers to see the games.  I had lots of them earlier this year.  

Going back to work, even if a local job, is going to necessitate that I find someone at the park that I can trust to deal with issues.  Well, that isn't anyone in the regular lots. I can trust them but they have full time jobs, all of them.  They aren't going to be interested in dealing with my stuff.  The tent people - the lady now has a job and the dude - he doesn't do anything but sit in the rv all day long, smoke cigarettes and play on his phone. 

He has absolutely no social life beyond her, brother-sister.  It's kind of weird. He seems to be a decent guy, he can hold a conversation but I don't ever see him come out of there.  

The 8 year old is now acting as if Addler is here  in ghost form.  Who am I to tell him anything different?  It's a phase he's going through to help deal with the loss so I'm just playing along with it.  He'll get past it eventually.  I'm not one to tell people to "just get over it" when it comes to grief. I would suspect a psychologist would tell me that it's a perfectly healthy way for the kid to deal with it.  They would also likely say - unless it goes on too long.  

I don't know how long it's going to take to do the rock memorial, I'm going to build a simple cross and we can post Addler's pic on it in a plastic shroud to keep it from deteriorating too quickly and maybe hang a leash around it.  The leash maybe a bit symbolic, but he really wasn't on leash too often.  Maybe some day I'll find his missing chain in the back yard and we can loop that around the cross as well.  I'm going to let the kid decide where to put this memorial, I only want to stipulate it's on the trail.  We can put it to the side and when I get the ashes back, some of it can be buried by the cross. 

Addler was one of a kind dog, at least to me and yes, it's worth all of this effort to remember him by.  It's not a lot of money, in fact none of this will cost anything but the time to do it.  The kid will have something to remember him by, I will too.  I've seen remembrances like this on trails before, I didn't think it tacky. I just thought, someone really love that - dog, horse, whatever.  

____________

One of the overnighters canceled. They could have done this days ago and spared me losing some long term.  I called a man that called earlier back immediately. I have a cancellation, your worker can come here if you are still in need. Oh? That's great.  He didn't commit to it but I had to at least try, he's coming to town in a couple of weeks as well.  I promised him a space, too.  I'm not playing around with losing people.