Sunday, July 28, 2024

It dawned on me today after thinking about what the current electric bill might be that the next bill should be somewhere near or even lower than what I might be seeing now. I say might for I had not even thought to look at the current bill, it isn't due until the 11th.  It's $2,200.  The reason I believe the bill shouldn't be as horrible as my thoughts were taking me is that the last week? We've had storms and it's been cool.  AC units not working so hard to keep trailers cool, less electric usage. 

Anyway, the dude that might or might not show up? showed up about an hour ago. He called from the park.  I looked at the video, huge trailer.  I'm actually not in love with them, they use far more electricity. I mean, I'm not rejecting them, I charge more but I can't charge that much more.  It just seems to me that I should target the 30 amp trailers - smaller and only one AC unit.  How do you target 30 amp? Well, if I really wanted to do that? Just advertise 30 amp only, sorry, we don't have 50 amp here. It's that or just jack the price of 50 amp much higher and if they want it, they can have it, but I suspect they would move on.  I can see charging $500 per month for 50 amp to make decent profit off of them.  I say decent, I didn't say greedy. 

I've changed my thoughts about a pool. I still want one, it's just not doable right now.  Interest rates are jacked up to ridiculous highs.  I'm instead thinking of a large hot tub.  Those are popular year round, even in hot summer.  Much cheaper, the entire setup.  You're talking 10k or so for the actual tub versus 50k or more for the pool. Both need a deck - or - many hot tubs can just sit on a concrete pad.  I dunno, this is still a thought process.  There are other things I am "thinking about".  ATM, however, the coach is in the works.  Well, it's not being worked on ATM and the lady isn't even staying at the park. I was informed she's staying at the "kid's house", wherever that is and why, :I have no idea.

Marital issues?  She hasn't been around in almost a month.  She's very handy, I'd love to see her back lol. 

Not my call and certainly not inserting myself into other people's issues.  However, I do need word either way if she's going to repair and fix up the coach.  If she's not, I will head other directions and leave that thing be until I find the right person to do the job.  Other directions are my continued focus on "cabins". They aren't really cabins, that's just what they call them in the RV world. Much of it are sheds, they call them to keep them out of housing designation.  

What I want and what I need aren't that far apart.  I need something finished or very close to it, not just a shell. Finished as in the interiors being completed or certainly much of it done. Electrical, plumbing, flooring, walls, insulation, etc.  It needs to have heating/cooling or a built in area to install it.  It obviously has to have financing. Something finished like that is at least in the 20k territory.  I would pay that much and more to buy one unfinished and then have the interiors installed. Doing it myself would save money, but I am not there right now.  I don't want to do that kind of work atm.  It's enough to run the park and work a trucking job.  

The park host, so far, has been an invaluable tool to keep my head on the right side of sanity.  He deals with stuff I don't want to do.  I just plain don't want to do it and losing a month's worth of lot rent to have it done for me is fine by me, as long as I can keep working.  I say that because no one is granted tomorrow, and even if you get tomorrow, no one is granted the health to be able to do what you want to do tomorrow.  I keep that in mind always, not in fear but as a general way to keep myself in check.   I'm starting to get old and I am starting to need naps.  Not that I haven't always wanted to take naps, especially in trucking, driving 8 hours and getting a 30 minute nap in, now it seems like I need those naps. It isn't unexpected, I've watched many people growing old and the things that happen slowly, over time.

But whatever.  I just wish this inflation s*** would end and the fed would start lowering interest rates.  I need a loan to really move forward.  I can do stuff piece meal, that will take a long time to do it that way.  Now, if I could get a cabin under financing that's basically instant income.  No guarantees, but the local housing market is hot and on fire for places to rent.  And we aren't talking cheap.  I've been watching the market for some time now.  

Anyway, the washout took much longer than necessary.  There is a guy that does washouts on other types of trailers that feels like he needs to get every last bit of anything out of the trailer.  He spends far more time on it than anyone else and it's completely unnecessary and a waste of time.  He carried on almost to the point of having to go a second hour on it, which costs more money.  It's a mixed bag on Sundays, the place is closed but you can call them out 24 hours a day.  I rarely even see this guy, apparently this was his day to be on call.   After that and getting to the plant? They got me in and out of there quickly.  

Anyway, the park is full again, but on Wednesday another lot is vacating. And 2 more potentially vacating.  I have that guy saying he'll move his kid in - or will he? He never called back. People do this stuff all the time.  They say they'll call back, they don't and then...they just show up.  I don't argue with them, of course, but it seems a bit of a chance to just leave the park on hold and hope? that there is something available?  No clue.  I just go with the flow here, or at least I try to. It's the nature of RV parks? Yes, but you are more on the overnight side with people coming and going, not this type of thing where a long term just up and leaves without notice or a long term just shows up without notice. Or they tell you they might be coming, and then 2 weeks later, you hear back from them - at the park.  

I'm not going to feel bad if one of these people shows up and there isn't anything available.  Confirm it or don't, but if you don't, it isn't guaranteed that a lot will be available. When it comes to long term, it's pretty much first come-first served.    

It's starting to get late, I sort of stopped writing on here and ate dinner and tended to other things.  


 Sunday 7:30 am

I'm slowly starting to feel better. These chest colds have always kicked my @$$.  It's nothing new, but they allows pack a serious punch and just take me down for a while.  I've been working the entire time, thusly making the punch even worse. I get home from 7 or 8 hours of trucking and I'm toast, done, wiped out and ready to lay down.

The college kids up and left - I dunno if I reported that last post or not, I don't think so.  There was no advanced notice, it was: "School is over, we're going home!".  You know, while I'm turning some people away because I have no spaces available?  They literally said nothing until they were ready to hook up and leave.  Whatever.  A "dad" called yesterday going in an extremely long explanation of his kid, what the kid is doing, how well behaved he is, the fact that he, the dad, is buying him a brand new trailer and one that will "last for a long time", etc.  

Daddy is rich, I can tell ya that just by that conversation. We're talking a 150k trailer, not some hunting stand type of camper.  The kid will be going to a local college, there are 3 of them here (it still amazes me after living here 10 years that this bitty little town has 3 colleges, one of them is growing exponentially, another was part of a movie of a small town versus Harvard, I think it was, the other is a state college that churns out people who are instantly offered high paying jobs).

He wants to start paying rent on a lot on the 1st, even tho the trailer won't arrive until the 15th.  You got it!  I don't care what they want to do and so far, the college kids have, actually, been the best behaved of anyone.  Speaking of behavior, the park host went around after I told him I was getting disgusted with people parking on the grass and told everyone to get their vehicles off the grass, please and thank you.

And sure enough, people did it, with one threat of moving out.  Bye!  Those people would drive on the grass up to their front door.  Absolutely appalling behavior, as if they just bought that lot.  Even if they had purchased the lot, they would still be under what amounts to HOA rules.  How many people do you see parking on their front lawn?  Not many, hardly ever.  I may lose people, I'll take it over people who feel entitled for some unknown reason to abuse the privilege.  I'm not making money hand over fist here, folks, I'd need a lot more lots to do that.

I am watching the construction of a new RV park about 30 miles up the road, I pass by it every time I go and return from Gurdon.  They put the gravel in which really made it stand out. Stand out, however, as one of the worst set ups I've seen. It's old school setup where they cram as many spaces in as the possibly can in a very small area.  I mean, if you get a trailer in there with slide outs an dyou get another trailer next to it with slide outs - and most trailers being built now have the slide outs, I have to wonder if they could even do it without hitting the neighbor's slideout. 

I don't know who designed the thing, the only thing I can think is maybe they are just going to off cut throat rates.  Even then, having them that close together is very unappealing nowadays.  I've done my own polls and I've seen the stats, people don't want to be crammed in if they're paying. If they aren't paying, they don't care as much, think: truck stops where RV'ers think it's perfectly acceptable to park their rigs in truck parking spaces and then flaunt truckers who complain about it.  You won't find signs at places like Love's Travel Centers saying trucks only, they don't care.  If you go to a big mom and pop place, they very well may enforce trucks only, but those are few and far apart.

Anyway, there is allegedly a man moving in today.  I am not sure tho, he seems to be wishy washy about it, I am not counting on him arriving.  I have the college student spot empty and another is leaving on Wednesday and there is a one monther that should be leaving soon as well.  So just like that, down 3 spaces.  Oh and the people that said "we'll just move". Well move your @SSes out now if you're going to have that attitude, I don't need that s*** in my park.  They don't drive or park on the grass now, however and they aren't letting their dog out to roam freely around the park.  

I'm loosely following politics, it's really a circus act.  I'm amazed that democrats think they are pulling anything over anyone's minds.  Biden was sharp as a tack, now he's stepped down and this person that has no clue what she is doing and certainly has no business being at the helm of the country has been pumped up to the point you'd think she just invented electricity, made all the appliances for your house and you are experiencing the wonders of dishwashers and electric waters heaters all at once.  

And, of course, the left is calling anyone (read: Republicans) that opposes her racist and misogynistic.  Literally, they are doing nothing but using identity politics. She must deserve the position simply because she is black and a woman.  Virtue signaling on steroids.  What I know is, leftists engage in ad hominem attacks regularly online.  You can't have a conversation with them about politics without them attacking you personally.  You bring up something that is factually correct and can be verified with various articles from a myriad of different outlets both left and right leaning and they will still dismiss it, call you names and that's the end of the conversation and yes,  they won!

It's amazing how fast they change the narrative.  Did you see where Biden now wants to impose term limits on Supreme Court justices?  This is a change to the Constitution itself.  He's a self-imposed lame-duck President.  You do know that fully 3/4's of the House and the Senate PLUS 3/4's of states have to vote in the affirmative to ratify a change to the Constitution?  That is, if my memory serves me correctly.  The point is, in this political environment? That is literally impossible, especially with such a ridiculous proposition.  I don't recall Republicans wanting to change the structure of SCOTUS simply because leftist judges were installed?  If I am wrong, feel free to correct me, I don't have the time to look that up right now.  Nor the desire, it's absurd to think because you don't get your way, you are going to start crying like a baby and demand that you get your way! And wanting to impeach 2 of the longer tenured justices because...reasons.  

100 days until the election. What else can go off the rails?  And they are floating Gretchen Whitmer for the VP! You remember this chick? She banned stores "over 50,000 square feet" from selling gardening supplies, saying they are "not necessary" because of the Coronavirus.  You want to talk about Communism, there is a grass roots start to it right there.  Let's tell everyone when to piss and eat while we're at it!

We will become the laughing stock of the world, previous generations will all turn over in their graves at once creating a worldwide earthquake and the end of mankind as we know it. Ok, that might be a wee bit of an exaggeration. Lol.

I just wonder what 4 more years of this chaos will do to our country and what kind of poisonous, toxic, hateful environment we will be living in if Harris wins and ends up with a VP such as Whitmer?  

Meanwhile, I am watching footage of Israel striking back at Hezbollah in Lebanon.  Apparently Hezbollah fired off a rocket that hit somewhere in Israel and killed 12 children that were playing on a playground.  Imagine the outrage of these idiots that hate Israel - the people in this nation that are anti-jew and anti-israel (and who also hate America as it stands, tho most of them will never outwardly admit it) taking a stand against anyone that supports Israel in it's quest to defend it's own borders.  

The deadliest single attack against Israel since October 7th, I am hearing now.  They're showing a blurred pic of a child laying on the ground, but even blurry, you can see his legs are covered in blood.  

Well, anyway.  There is evil in this world and that's not going to change until you start to see the book of Revelations coming into play. When that happens or if that is going to happen in our lifetimes? I dunno.  "there will be a massive response ot this attack in Lebanon" and questions as to whether that will lead to a broader war.  Well, my guess? Of course it will. Hezbollah is evil, they might as well have the devil as their leader. They are just another extension of Iran the same as Hamas.  Israel, btw, has stated that they are going to take out Iran's nuke capabilities.  Sure sounded that way, anyway, listening to Netanyahu speaking during the speech he gave to Congress.  

You know, we live our lives and experience things like this and wonder, what is the end game of all of this? Well, I have the answer! Just start reading the Bible.  If you believe, you understand. If you don't believe, well, live in ignorance. I can only say that God gives the "peace that passes all understanding".  

I keep thinking "I need to leave now" and then I think, oh, yeah, other drivers who don't show up to appointments on time, which has a cascading effect.  The plant will say screw it and start loading their own trailers and then, when that late driver shows up, they will have to wait for the plant to finish loading the other trailers.  I was out of there at 10:36 am 2 days ago. I have the late load today, which sucks, especially on a Sunday.  I might leave early anyway just to get there and even if I have to wait, I will be en-queue to get loaded as fast as possible.  But still, it makes no sense to show up there before 11:30 am.  

If any of those other drivers were to show up on time regularly, I would already be on the road right now. 

But, I am going to get out of here anyway.  Leave by 9, at the washout by 10:30, over to the plant around 11:45 am.  I won't get home until 4:00 pm at the earliest is my best guess just from historical perspective.  Not that bad, I guess.  Not great but not bad.  2 Sundays in a row of missed church.  Kids haven't been to church in 3 weeks including today, unless mom gets up and takes them.  

And with that, I am getting offa here. Make another cuppa to go, a glass of ice water, maybe stuff something to eat in my mouth and get this day rolling.  I almost called in sick.  Just because I want the day off, lol, and because my sleep has been not-so-great.  

However...bills are calling me.  ONE more payment on that shed and I just keep putting off paying off the phone, I need to get that done.  Pay it off and rid myself of a monthly phone payment that is rather pricey.  Couple those with no more internet service at the house - however they are doing that, more power to them.  They will  have internet there, I just haven't heard how they are going to do it, some other plan that I don't know about because I am not there. Local deals aren't going to show up 1,300 miles away.  I fully look forward to ridding myself of a little over $600 per month in payments.  

G'day

 Thursday - early It's days like this when I wish I wasn't working.  I woke up a couple times last night but it was short lived and ...