Sunday - late morning

Last night was a bit crazy.  We went to eat at a local mexican food restaurant.  All well and find, however, something in that food started making my stomach go all different ways out of whack.  We went home and after James got off of work, we then went to Applebee's.  It was very noisy in there, much like a dive bar.  They were doing karaoke and the volume was turned up very high.

There was one dude that was singing, he was octaves off pitch and just, well anyway, it wasn't pleasant on the ear drums.  Some other people came up to the mic and belted out songs I have never heard before.  I am not much into current day music, I consider much of it to be - off - to put it mildly.  I've never been into rap music, in my view it is just a person talking trash at a high rate of speed with very little music added to it and giving a message of how great the thug life is.

Anyway, by the time I got home from that, my stomach was talking to me.  Drank down some Pepto Bismal which eventually settled it down.

Anyway, it's Sunday morning, leaving for church in a few minutes. I haven't been in 3 weeks, this would be week 4.  2 weekends were working and another was going to 6 Flags.  I probably could have made it back in time from 6 Flags, I had decided against it for I was very tired after walking all day long.  

Anyway, the dude at the tractor dealer didn't bother to let me know they were reopened, I had to contact him. He got back to me a few hours later, but by then I was fully involved in other things.  I had second thoughts about doing business there. What kind of salesman just leaves a solid lead left on the table?  What happens when you need service or repairs?  I dunno. Maybe it was just an oversight, maybe it wasn't.  I haven't even looked at that business' reviews yet, now that I think of it, I will do that after I get back from church today. 

I don't think anyone else is going to church today and the kids are still in Arkansas and will be until Friday.  I'm not letting that deter me, I have sat in church alone for many, many Sundays. I usually get something out of the messages even tho it is really devoid of the "meat of the word".  The pastor doesn't believe, for the most part, in discussing the "deeper things" of God.  I'm simply referring to repentance and all the things Jesus told us to do with our lives. It would help to hear messages like that, that bring conviction from the blessed Holy Spirit.  

I have thought about going to a different church, the kids will have nothing to do with it and now that mom is going off and on, they can go with her if I did, indeed, decide to go somewhere else. There are plenty of churches in town. It's just that probably most of them have nothing like the setup they have for kids at this church.  

Well, time to go.

G'day

 Saturday - morning

I rather enjoyed not having to wake up to an alarm going off and having to immediately get up out of bed and get the day rolling.  Instead, I woke up an hour and a half later than normal, which isn't as much as I would have liked but hey, there is no rush to do much of anything.

I am really not feeling like doing anything today - unless I had a tractor then I'd get over there and fix that driveway.  It is in horrible shape and I am simply going to have to ask for 2 days off during the week.  It is not a weekend thing unless I had Saturday through Monday off.  Then, I could have the tractor all the way up until Monday morning and get the driveway as good as it can get with that particular tractor.  

Wait, but what would work is if a Monday was a late delivery.  I don't leave the yard for a late run until 9:15 am and that would be ample time to return the machine.  They open at 7 weekdays. I am pretty much on the idea that I am not getting a tractor soon enough to fix that mess, it needs to be done now, not a week from now or however long this process is going to take to get one.  

Wait.  I have late loads next week...I'll look later, the tablet is elsewhere.  

So, these people pay for a spot, show up and just keep driving through the park, not even slowing down.  Or was it them?  Sometimes people mistake my place for the private park down the street.  I dunno, but whoever it was? They never called, they didn't ask for their money back and I have no idea why someone would show up to just leave like that.

I get that my place - as is any business - isn't for everyone.  Most people like it, some people don't.  Speaking of that, it's time to run another ad on Facebook.  I mean, the boost thing not just the ads I place on my Facebook account.  Actually, I could probably just run it on all the local facebook groups for free and see if that does anything.  Facebook boost has been getting some rather interesting things happening.

It places the ad on people's profiles that are not looking for an RV park or in some cases, don't even own an RV.  Shrugs shoulders - excepting the part where some of them come to my business profile and start trash talking and posting stupid memes and things like that.  

I have 3 lots open right now and only a smattering of reservations that don't even pay for one of them for a month.  Just placed a boost ad but also looked at the audience.  Coverage was "united states".  No, no, no.  I was reading some information on targeting your audience and I didn't know Facebook just presumes you want the entire nation covered.  Well, the entire nation isn't coming here.  Some of them might be, but I want ads more targeted to the local region where people are working/living and looking for something different. 

So, I kept United States in there but then also added several cities in the surrounding region which caused a nice, large bubble to show up over the entire thing.  Some people don't mind driving 25 miles to work or even further. I did it for a couple of years when I moved here. I didn't like it but it was the only option at the time. Actually, it wasn't the only option, I was being narrow-minded in wanting to stay with my company and transferring out here.  I wanted to keep the job because I had so many vacation hours for I had been with them quite a while and I was just on the verge of getting up to - was it 150? - vacation hours per year.  Yes, it was like a month off.  I don't miss that place - at all.  Low pay, horrid working conditions (which wasn't the case in AZ), it just plain sucked.  

I get so easily distracted lol.  First the coffee got cold, then I decided to start dusting the room, then I wanted to get some electrolyte pills I had completely forgotten about (summer, heat, helps) then I got to looking at the tablet and sure enough, I have late load Monday.  Also on Friday.  2 late loads in a week.  I'm not going to say anything, I'll see what happens the week after upcoming week. If they do that again I will have to say something.  I don't necessarily hate not having to get up early, it's just that the day doesn't end until at least 5 pm.  

And takes me back to whether I want to rent that machine today, or not, or if it is even available. It wasn't there yesterday, if my memory serves me correct. They are right next to highway 59 and all of their equipment is lined up out front, facing the road.  I guess I'll call them and see if it's available.  I am not really in the mindset today for working, I'm more in the "gee, let's stay home, maybe do a little cleaning, put away the clothes that are in the dryer, maybe vacuum the floor, and definitely watch some movies" mind frame.

However....that driveway....videos and pictures don't do it justice.  You have to experience driving over it in it's current state.  I have  a stream running down my driveway whenever it rains and then it crosses over. Where it crosses over - which is at several points - is where the damage occurs.  Last time I rented that tractor, I spent many hours just going over the same areas repeatedly.  It's because their tractor doesn't have rippers on it and they don't have them on there on purpose, without giving explanation as to why.  Hence, I really don't want to pay that much money to rent their tractor again .. however...they are the only ones in town to rent from.

Everyone else is at least 30 miles away.  It does work, just not as good as it would be with rippers/teeth on the box blade.  And it eventually works after going over the bad spots probably 50-75 times.  This is why it takes all day to do that project, it doesn't have what it needs installed on it to get the job done much faster.  And we aren't talking cheap, it was near $400 last time I rented it.  I feel that if I have to keep renting machines and will have to continue renting them in the future for sure, why not just get one?  

____________

I have 50 minutes to make up my mind.  I don't mind the part about spending  all the time today and tomorrow on the machine, it's the taking-it-back-to-the-store-on-Monday part that I'm not really fond of.  That's, take it back to the store at 7:00 am - you can't take it back later than that or they'll charge you for an extra day. The appealing part is it's only $311. I dunno if my memory is failing me or if I definitely recall them charging me near $400 last time.  I know the mini-ex is over $400, but that's pretty normal for a machine that is more expensive to buy, maintain and operate.  

I'm going to sit here and think about this for a few minutes and make a decision one way or the other.  

Regardless, we are going to El Taco today for a "last meal" sort of, 2 of us are on a challenge that will last 30 days. Dieting/what you're eating/drinking etc.  We are getting too fat and that's - well that may adjust my desire to rent this machine today.  I will also be fasting again.  Ugh, this is a tough decision.  I think it would be far better and easier to just have 2 days off during the week and do it that way.