Day 1. Saturday
Meet her at TYR. Visit one of her friends - this lady has 10 children. Interesting housing situation (I am not trying to denigrate or look down on her, but just something you would see in the hills). Nice visit though short, maybe an hour and we left. Over to Smash Burger and sit there for quite a while snuggling next to each other, eating good hamburgers and talking about whatever. Different stops on the way back to her house and then home. Not quite so shocking to walk into that house this time, I pretty much knew what I was going to see, here and experience from the multitude of kids. Some of this is fuzzy, a lot happened since I was there and day 1 a long time ago. No, picked up the 3 little ones at babysitter's before heading to her place. 15 year old was all over it, the others a bit shy still. 9 pm and drove her truck back to her store, set up camp and went to sleep. No, I am not staying at her house, put aside all appearance of evil and potential accusation.
Day 2. Sunday
Get up, get out of there, stop for a dozen donuts for the kids and a large cup of coffee for me. Umm, there is not a fat kid in the house, btw. They are all VERY skinny. Weight not a problem in that family coming from her side, she is all of 5 and half or so feet tall and 110 pounds. She WAS at 100 pounds until I started encouraging her to start eating more. It was Sunday so we headed off to church. Good service though she was struggling. 12 year old lifted his hands in worship, that was encouraging. 14 year old said he did too, but he was on the other side of m'lady so I didn't see it. Back to her house, load up the 15 passenger van - dead battery. Fired right up with jump start, headed out with 7 kids, her and I to her friends house, about a 3-1/2 hour trip. Kids not used to anyone buying much of anything for them, so I was a shocker to them. I'm on vacation, I bought lunch, snacks, drinks. She doesn't know what to think of me sometimes. She didn't like some of the stuff I do for them at first, but the response is something completely different than what she is used to. I am not buying the kid's love, just doing what comes naturally to me. Arrive sometime later after a trip with a lively exchange between her, me and the boys. 2 boys, actually, sitting on the front bench, talking the entire trip, the rest of the kids behind them, some of them talking among themselves, the rest listening to what's going on.
At the house, I meet her friend and husband. Almost 70 acres of farm/ranch with all kinds of animals out in the country. The man that the kids are so afraid of turns out to be cool. We hit it right off. Talked for hours, then headed down to a huge and very hot bonfire their boys and friends had built to have a party down there with all of us. Cooked hot dogs over the fire and shot the s*** for a couple of hours down there. Back up to the house - it was very cold out there btw - and then sat down and talked with the guy for a couple of more hours and then off to bed.
Day 3 Monday
Woke up late for me, but that was before just about everyone else. Took my computer out to kitchen, sat down with her and read the news and whispered back and forth for about 2 hours before everyone started stirring. I like to read the news even if it's mostly just negative stuff, I want to know what's going on in the world. They all come out almost at once, strange how that happened. Shot the breeze with him about airplanes since he's a United captain for quite a while, he was showing me how he picks and chooses what he wants to do for an entire month. We - him and I - went to a neighbor's pond after that. I pulled out a 4-1/2 large mouth bass - pic posted on my FB wall. Did that for a while and then he said he got a call saying he has to take his daughter's friend home and his daughter to a guitar class.
We drove around that part of Texas for hours. Had a great time. Really, I haven't connected with anyone like that in years. A lot of years. I haven't really tried to be honest, long story, don't need to go into that for this synopsis of events. We got back to their place after having a really good time with him, I mean really, I was amazed at how easily we connected with each other and how we could spend an entire day together without getting bored or otherwise clamming up with each other. But - we are both talkers and we are both rather opinionated and we are both Christians - so that makes it easier. I suppose that could also make it much more difficult, but fortunately didn't work out that way. Home, dinner - good country dinner - bed for me early. My way of doing things, everyone there knew that before I got there, no problems.
Day 4. Tuesday.
Get up, talk, have some breakfast, get in the van with all those kids, head home. She doesn't want to hear them yapping so she wants the 2 in the back. I say no, let's just deal with them instead of banishing them somewhere, better to deal with them than to try and shove it off. Exactly what happened, too. In fact, I pretty much got the upper hand on any crankiness in the van with children that stayed up too late and did not get enough sleep. Quiet - or we will be stopping the van and getting out. Mom, can we get something to eat? NO, we will eat when we get home. Not. Stopped for fuel, bought them Subway. She's gonna have to get used to my way of doing things as much as I am going to have to get used to hers, hence the idea of visiting several times first and coming to that understanding both ways. I intentionally subjected myself to as much as I could with those kids to get an idea of what I am getting myself into.
Get home. Hang out for a few hours talking with her. Boys decide that they are going to go with me to the store, one boy per night. This was NOT my idea and though I did not object to it, I decided that 2 would have to go for the sake of having a "witness". Not good to set yourself up for a fail. At the same time, the store is loaded with security cameras running and recording 24 hours per day, so not too worried, but still. I'm sure you get the gist of what I am saying here. The 15 and 14 year old, of course, decide they are coming the first night.
Day 5. Wednesday. Drawing a complete blank. I cannot for the life of me remember what we did the day after we got back from the trip to her friend's house. Been racking my brain about it, maybe it will come to me eventually. The 17 year old and the 12 year old came to the store with me that night. It was an opportunity to get to know the 17 year old more. He un-clammed himself quite a lot and started talking, when the valve was fully open, he was talking for 2 hours without hardly shutting up. Which was cool, I had been trying to figure out how to get around his barriers.
Day 6. Thursday
Up early, 17 year had to go to work so I had to get him home to get dressed and get in the car and drive. Got back to the house, hung out with m'lady, and then off to the pond.
12 year old and 14 year old wanted to go, 15 year old said he was sick though he came out anyway and showed me how to operate the tractor. He then went inside. I got to concrete pile and then shut it off. Thing wouldn't start. I decided the 15 year old was going to help us regardless. He came back out but he had changed his mind anyway. We spent the day attempting to build a small dam to increase the water level of the pond that supplies water for the cows.
It was a good day. Not because we built a dam, but because I got to spend hours and hours interacting with these boys. I cannot possibly go into all of it. But the tractor got stuck once, the tractor was almost tipped over 3 times, and almost slid completely into the pond once. I was making fun and jokes, it isn't really too hard a thing for kids to be around me for extended periods because I always have something to say about everything. Got back from that, ate dinner, took a shower. Hung out with the lady for quite a while and then drove back to the store. This time, the 15 year old boy and the 10 year old went with me.
Day 7. Friday
Up late. Up and at em. NOT. I was exhausted. I stayed in bed until 11:00 am, a thing unheard of for me. Got up, got the boys up, went to Denny's for breakfast, got some donuts, went to the house, visited with m'lady and then got out into that cold - 30 degree weather which is my version of cold thank you - and got busy. This time with the 10, 12, 14 an 15 year olds in tow. It was fun. It really was. Just a lot of bantering and back and forth and sarcasm type of stuff. Those boys never know if I'm being serious or joking, lol.
Back to the house. I walk in, take off my work boots - shipped some stuff over UPS instead of paying the money for checked baggage and that included an old pair of work boots - walked into the kitchen and then heard this young voice declare loudly: "I love you Ben!". I turned around to see the 12 year old with this big grin on his face, so I gave him a big hug and told him I loved him too. Which I can honestly say - pretty easy to love a person in the Lord regardless of what's going on. Hurting boy. Long story there, just not going into that here. Dinner, shower then sat down alone with m'lady and watched a movie called The Notebook. Love story, I'm not really into those that much but this one was good. Back to the store, this time with 14 and 12 year old. The 15 year was begging mom to let him go with us, but she said no and I wasn't going to interfere with that. Pretty much same scenario, hang out with the boys for a while and then go to bed.
Day 7. Saturday. Dragged myself out of bed - the air mattress was pretty comfortable btw and that store and sleeping in it saved me $300 in hotel costs so I wasn't complaining - got the boys up, got out of there and went to Starbucks for my free Latte. M'lady gave me a big Starbucks cup for Christmas which gives you free lattes every day in January. Taking HUGE advantage of that. $5 drink for free, can't beat that. Stopped at the donut shop - as I did every day we were in town - got the boys some thing called - well I don't remember Kapskies or something, hot dogs baked into a bun with cheese (I call them pigs in a blanket, thanks) and a dozen donuts. We got back and went straight down to the pond. Water had found it's way through and though the level was MUCH higher still some work to do on it.
But save it for a later day. I didn't have much time on Saturday to be with everyone so working on the dam was out of the question. Perhaps a good rain will come and wash a bunch of junk into it and cause it to stop up, otherwise, there are plenty of sand bags down there that I can stack under water where the water is getting through. Back up to the house and hanging out with the lady and the boys. I was dreading Saturday because this time, I definitely did not want to leave. I wouldn't be seeing her or the boys or the little girls again for quite a while and that was a bit much for me to take. So, I relished every moment with all of them and spent the time wisely, just being with them and getting as much in as I could.
I sat there on Craigslist with the 15 year and all the rest watching looking up dirt bikes. Found one. He has been waiting so long. My hotspot was the only working internet in the house. Hers goes in and out of service though I guess she does have it on her phone. I meant for the kids, no internet for quite a while now, she is paying for it but it stopped working and her priorities do not, apparently, include internet for her boys. I will be going into some of the things I don't necessarily agree with in another posting. She had stated to him the last time I was there that he could get a bigger motocross dirt bike (motorcycle) but then this time she started back-tracking. What if he gets hurt, I have all these kids, how am I going to get him to the hospital and deal with the kids at the same time? I have kept quiet on a few issues that I thought probably should wait for a future interaction. But this wasn't one of them. Hon, you told that boy he could have a dirt bike, h has been looking for one for 2 months now. If you tell him now that he can't have one, you are going to lose him. She has been losing these boys for a while. You are going to drive the nail into the coffin and he will be gone. You are going to have a very angry and resentful 15 year old boy on your hands.
My thoughts to her apparently had effect, because we found a bike and he was all over it. Mom, can you take me down there to buy it? Pleeeeeaaaassssseeee mom! She said yes! I let loose a big sigh of relief. He looked at me, should I buy it? Dude, she said yes, YES, get it! I never told him and never will that she had decided to not let him get one. No need to pour gasoline on an already huge bonfire. So, all of the rest of what went on at the house before I left was that stuff going on. Bypassing a lot of stuff, we were alone driving to the airport and just recapped the week and talking and got to the airport and that was it. By the time I got to DFW airport, I was feeling it. She texted me: Ben, come home. Yeah. That did me in.
Well, that was all of my trip in a shortened version, though Wednesday simply eludes me.
ben
Monday, January 6, 2014
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Is this too good to be true? How does something like this get dropped on my lap? I have sought it for a long, long time and when it finally came and now in the middle of it, it is like a dream. I look into the dream and wonder if it will vanish, go away, turn to dust, dry up and wither away. I ponder a life alone without anyone. I ponder a life with her and with all those kids. I wonder about giving up my house and all the work I have put into this property. Years worth. I look out my windows and see the fruits of that labor.
I think about the serenity of my current existence and come to the conclusion: it is only an existence. It is void of all the things that make a person feel loved and living a life to it's fullest. What is there here? A desert full of heat. A family full of contention and people that can't stand to be around one another for more than a few hours, a couple of times a year. I hate to leave my mom behind, but she has money,she can come visit if she wants to.
I don't feel like I"m leaving my son behind because he has found his path and he is walking in it. I have let him go. Not gone forever, but in the spirit of a father letting go of his son, to go forth in life, find out about life, walk his own path, hopefully with the Lord and hopefully a good walk. I can only pray and hope and yes,take some pride in the path that he has chosen. I will never lose him, I know that and I have peace in that.
I have some trepidation, maybe call it fear. What if we get married and then it doesn't turn out well? What if this and that. What if I can't make that difference in those boy's lives and all continues to go to hell in a handbasket? Yet I have a peace about this. She told me tonight they were all standing in the kitchen, laughing and having fun with the memory of the 2 days we spent at the pond. Saying there is finally a real man around.
My mind is so full of clashing thoughts right now. Can this work? Yes it can work! But what if this? You'll figure it out. What if that? You'll get through it. Over-analyzing, but maybe not so much. Trying to dig up every fathomable thing that can happen and attempting to walk myself through it in my mind and come to a realistic conclusion. I am not having second thoughts, I am attempting to grasp all of this in my mind. In my heart. In my soul. In my spirit man.
Midnight, call it Sunday morning. Got home an hour and a half ago. Dogs were all over me, then tenants. I'm tired but winding down from traveling with a bunch of screaming kids making all kinds of noise in the airplane. And kicking my seat. And making me want to do things, such as pull off my belt and take care of business. But I refrained from doing anything and that was that.
Good trip, though, as far as the visit is concerned. I had 4 boys traipsing along with me to the lower pond on both Thursday and Friday. I was intent on building the dam and they were intent on helping me - though the idea of driving a pickup and a tractor were certainly part of the allure. Still, they just hung with me for half a day like flies on honey. I got the message: they want a man around and they need that kind of attention. I'm not a person to sit around and do nothing and I do have a sense of humor though my kind is hard for people to figure out at first. Those 2 days were very productive for me, not in building a dam though I got that 80% finished, but in terms of figuring out whether this is going to work or not.
For me, it isn't just about the Lady, it's about the entire family. I can love her to death but if her kids hate me, then what? Not a workable situation. 2 days ago, the 12 year old blurted out in front of everyone and much to my surprise: I love you Ben. He said it again a couple of hours later and then a couple of times since then. Then, the 14 year old - serious issues but the right kind of input would fix it I think - said the same thing. The 15 year has been saying that since the night those kids found out about m'lady and I. The 17 year old opened up quite a bit, much more than expected. Several times, too, not just one occasion.
That was really all I needed. I can go into more about all of this later, but this is the jist of it with those boys. She is coming out here in February, no kids, time spent alone, it will be, for me, the final thing I need to make a definitive decision. If that trip for her to here turns out well, then it is a done deal for me. Let's do this. I will propose to her and if she accepts, a entirely new book, not a new chapter. I don't need new chapters in an old book, I need a fresh book started at page 1.
Enough. I am exhausted.
Good trip, though, as far as the visit is concerned. I had 4 boys traipsing along with me to the lower pond on both Thursday and Friday. I was intent on building the dam and they were intent on helping me - though the idea of driving a pickup and a tractor were certainly part of the allure. Still, they just hung with me for half a day like flies on honey. I got the message: they want a man around and they need that kind of attention. I'm not a person to sit around and do nothing and I do have a sense of humor though my kind is hard for people to figure out at first. Those 2 days were very productive for me, not in building a dam though I got that 80% finished, but in terms of figuring out whether this is going to work or not.
For me, it isn't just about the Lady, it's about the entire family. I can love her to death but if her kids hate me, then what? Not a workable situation. 2 days ago, the 12 year old blurted out in front of everyone and much to my surprise: I love you Ben. He said it again a couple of hours later and then a couple of times since then. Then, the 14 year old - serious issues but the right kind of input would fix it I think - said the same thing. The 15 year has been saying that since the night those kids found out about m'lady and I. The 17 year old opened up quite a bit, much more than expected. Several times, too, not just one occasion.
That was really all I needed. I can go into more about all of this later, but this is the jist of it with those boys. She is coming out here in February, no kids, time spent alone, it will be, for me, the final thing I need to make a definitive decision. If that trip for her to here turns out well, then it is a done deal for me. Let's do this. I will propose to her and if she accepts, a entirely new book, not a new chapter. I don't need new chapters in an old book, I need a fresh book started at page 1.
Enough. I am exhausted.
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Happy New Year's!
10 am and I'm just getting out of bed. In Texas of course, stayed up until midnight, then headed out from the lady's house and over to her store to sleep, 2 teenage boys in tow with me. They wanted to come with for whatever reason so the lady let them and I hung out with them for a while and then headed off to my air mattress bed to get some shuteye at 2 am. I think the last time I went to bed that late was at least 3 years ago when I was at the casino and was determined to stay there until I got my money back, which I did and then quite some more than that.
Well anyway, I arrived in Tyler at the appointed time on Saturday, she was waiting. We headed off to one of her friend's house and visited with her for a while, went over to Smashburger and had some delicious burgers and hung out together and then back to the farm/her house. The next morning, we loaded up the 15 passenger van and headed off to her best friend's house, about a 3-1/2 hour trip. Met her friend and her friend's husband, hit it right off with him. Spent the next 2 days hanging out with him, shooting the breeze and it turns out this guy is an airline pilot with United Airlines a captain no less so there was plenty to talk about, lol. I love flying and planes. Not that knowledgeable about them but I love to talk about them.
Awesome people with a HUGE expanse of land filled with every imaginable kind of animal. Second day there we went fishing and I caught a 4-1/2 pound bass shortly after we got there : ) Then, he said he had to head off all over the place, taking his daughter somewhere and taking his daughter's friend home, so I said yea, what the hey. Spent all day with this dude but it was fun. Nothing like meeting a complete stranger and hitting off so well you'd think we had been best friends for life.
Back home the next day, pretty much hung out. Got into another conversation with 2 of the older boys after mom told them in 6 months if it doesn't straighten out, they are goners. I then took over the conversation and let'em have it. In a nice and firm way, yes, but still. The 15 year started tearing up and defending the previous week's actions: I have been doing a lot better! Yes, you have, but there's still a long way to go. He had apparenltly "forgotten" about the previous week's threat from mom - get rid of the tudes and anger or get out. Well, he hadn't forgotten, that's why he spent the last week trying to do things right. The other one I grilled pretty good, cause' he's the biggest problem child. He didn't want to hear it and I didn't care, he finally started responding though.
After that, midnight hit, wished my lady a happy New Year, drug those 2 boys with me and they played video games for a couple of hours. I decided not to get into it with them again, you can't unload on teenagers all the time and not give them some happy time as well or they will simply not respond to you and you will lose them. But I do intend on picking up this situation with their attitudes and how they treat their mother again and also telling them directly that if I marry her, and if you two are still around, you can expect that I am going to be ALL up in your business, as the current generation likes to say it, and I will not be relenting.
That's it up until this morning. It's 11 am Wednesday, I just got out of bed half an hour ago, gonna take these 2 to Denny's for some breakfast and then head back to the farm. Just an update of things going on. The boys are all asking when am I going to marry their mom. I just say when God releases it. That's what I am waiting on and that's what it's going to be. But I need more time with her and her boys. I must know that this is going to work. And she needs to know that I refuse to live in a house that doesn't have peace. Yes, there can be squabbles that's all well and fine, here and there, but on a daily basis with belligerent teenagers mouthing off and dropping f bombs and destroying things and all the rest of it?
NOT. And that's where I am going with these problem children. They obviously like me, like hanging out with me and being around me, that's cool, but I am not going to be their best friend if I marry their mom and they need to know that. I can be friends with them up to the point that it doesn't interfere with authority over them to tell them what to do, when to do it and get with it, shut your mouth, drop the attitude and let's get on with life.
Enough.
Happy New Year's to everyone again!
G'day.
ben
10 am and I'm just getting out of bed. In Texas of course, stayed up until midnight, then headed out from the lady's house and over to her store to sleep, 2 teenage boys in tow with me. They wanted to come with for whatever reason so the lady let them and I hung out with them for a while and then headed off to my air mattress bed to get some shuteye at 2 am. I think the last time I went to bed that late was at least 3 years ago when I was at the casino and was determined to stay there until I got my money back, which I did and then quite some more than that.
Well anyway, I arrived in Tyler at the appointed time on Saturday, she was waiting. We headed off to one of her friend's house and visited with her for a while, went over to Smashburger and had some delicious burgers and hung out together and then back to the farm/her house. The next morning, we loaded up the 15 passenger van and headed off to her best friend's house, about a 3-1/2 hour trip. Met her friend and her friend's husband, hit it right off with him. Spent the next 2 days hanging out with him, shooting the breeze and it turns out this guy is an airline pilot with United Airlines a captain no less so there was plenty to talk about, lol. I love flying and planes. Not that knowledgeable about them but I love to talk about them.
Awesome people with a HUGE expanse of land filled with every imaginable kind of animal. Second day there we went fishing and I caught a 4-1/2 pound bass shortly after we got there : ) Then, he said he had to head off all over the place, taking his daughter somewhere and taking his daughter's friend home, so I said yea, what the hey. Spent all day with this dude but it was fun. Nothing like meeting a complete stranger and hitting off so well you'd think we had been best friends for life.
Back home the next day, pretty much hung out. Got into another conversation with 2 of the older boys after mom told them in 6 months if it doesn't straighten out, they are goners. I then took over the conversation and let'em have it. In a nice and firm way, yes, but still. The 15 year started tearing up and defending the previous week's actions: I have been doing a lot better! Yes, you have, but there's still a long way to go. He had apparenltly "forgotten" about the previous week's threat from mom - get rid of the tudes and anger or get out. Well, he hadn't forgotten, that's why he spent the last week trying to do things right. The other one I grilled pretty good, cause' he's the biggest problem child. He didn't want to hear it and I didn't care, he finally started responding though.
After that, midnight hit, wished my lady a happy New Year, drug those 2 boys with me and they played video games for a couple of hours. I decided not to get into it with them again, you can't unload on teenagers all the time and not give them some happy time as well or they will simply not respond to you and you will lose them. But I do intend on picking up this situation with their attitudes and how they treat their mother again and also telling them directly that if I marry her, and if you two are still around, you can expect that I am going to be ALL up in your business, as the current generation likes to say it, and I will not be relenting.
That's it up until this morning. It's 11 am Wednesday, I just got out of bed half an hour ago, gonna take these 2 to Denny's for some breakfast and then head back to the farm. Just an update of things going on. The boys are all asking when am I going to marry their mom. I just say when God releases it. That's what I am waiting on and that's what it's going to be. But I need more time with her and her boys. I must know that this is going to work. And she needs to know that I refuse to live in a house that doesn't have peace. Yes, there can be squabbles that's all well and fine, here and there, but on a daily basis with belligerent teenagers mouthing off and dropping f bombs and destroying things and all the rest of it?
NOT. And that's where I am going with these problem children. They obviously like me, like hanging out with me and being around me, that's cool, but I am not going to be their best friend if I marry their mom and they need to know that. I can be friends with them up to the point that it doesn't interfere with authority over them to tell them what to do, when to do it and get with it, shut your mouth, drop the attitude and let's get on with life.
Enough.
Happy New Year's to everyone again!
G'day.
ben
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Sitting for what seems like an eternity at Dallas/FT Worth airport. It's been a long long time since I've been here and I didn't remember how large this place was, it's huge! An over 3 hour wait, gag. Then a short flight over to Tyler and then meet up with the lady. I'm trying to wake myself up, got up at 3 am and then fell asleep for a little while in a very uncomfortable chair only to wake up and find people staring at me. Saved money on baggage check in by - not checking any in!
Lol. Justtrying to figure how the next trip out will go in using Spirit airlines instsead of these higher priced ones and trying to figure out how to get from the airport to the grey hound station. But I'm lacking motivation! Guess I'll just have to figure it out next time!
I'm not sure about this trip though. I gotta figure all of this out and I don't know if I am going to get the opportunity to do that. It's not that I don't want to spend time with her, definitely do and most of it, but there has to be some time figure this situation out with the boys and whether my involvement in their lives is going to be accepted or not. I can only do that by spending some time with them. Hard to make a defnitive decision about this without being able to do that.
Going to church tomorrow and then straight down to whatever the name of the town is where her best friend lives and also has a slew of children. They want to meet me but also would be good for her to visit with her friend, I don't think they've seen each other in a while.
Well sitting here writing an entry with people staring at me is a bit unnerving, have to pick this up later.
G'day.
ben
Lol. Justtrying to figure how the next trip out will go in using Spirit airlines instsead of these higher priced ones and trying to figure out how to get from the airport to the grey hound station. But I'm lacking motivation! Guess I'll just have to figure it out next time!
I'm not sure about this trip though. I gotta figure all of this out and I don't know if I am going to get the opportunity to do that. It's not that I don't want to spend time with her, definitely do and most of it, but there has to be some time figure this situation out with the boys and whether my involvement in their lives is going to be accepted or not. I can only do that by spending some time with them. Hard to make a defnitive decision about this without being able to do that.
Going to church tomorrow and then straight down to whatever the name of the town is where her best friend lives and also has a slew of children. They want to meet me but also would be good for her to visit with her friend, I don't think they've seen each other in a while.
Well sitting here writing an entry with people staring at me is a bit unnerving, have to pick this up later.
G'day.
ben
Friday, December 27, 2013
A rather extraordinary thing occurred yesterday.
At least from my perspective was.
I was talking with my lady and she was talking about how they are trying to get a computer monitor to work for the oldest boy (that is still at home anyway, there is one older one than him) so he can have his PS3 in his bedroom instead of locked up in mom's room.
Well, me being the shy person that I am, I interrupted him on a FB message and started talking to him about it. I know a wee bit about video gaming myself. Well this conversation exploded and was the first real conversation I have had with this kid. He has been talking to his mother like she is a piece of dirt, he frequently drops f bombs on her as well. So I kinda had to put that aside in my mind and just attempt to talk to him as if I didn't know that, cause' otherwise, that conversation would have gone downhill quickly.
This conversation went on and off for 6 hours! It went on so long that I completely lost track of time in talking with him, his mother, the 12 year old and the 15 year old. 3 different FB messages plus text messaging on the phone! I can't do that today, lol, I have plenty to do after work in getting ready for leaving tomorrow morning for the second plane trip! Can't wait! First trip I was a bit nervous because it had been so long since I had been on a plane and I had gotten seasick at San Diego this summer, but nothing of the sort happened and the flights were very cool and it helped that on every single flight, I had small, petite women sitting next to me! Versus big people with their skin hanging over, lol.
I am encouraged the more I talk to these boys. They really just need some male adult interaction, good interaction, not the kind their dad has been spewing out to them. Though apparently he is every so slowly coming around. I still think it was totally lame for him to take those kids on Christmas and not give them a single gift. But, he's lost several of them already who don't like going over there and now they are getting some attention that doesn't include getting angry, dropping f bombs and throwing tantrums. Not only that, but I broke in on the 15 year old when they were all over there and asked him to ask his dad how to start the van, the security system was stoppinng it.
Well have to pick this up later, taking a tenant to the airport and yes, it's EARLY! 4:30 am!
G'day.
ben
At least from my perspective was.
I was talking with my lady and she was talking about how they are trying to get a computer monitor to work for the oldest boy (that is still at home anyway, there is one older one than him) so he can have his PS3 in his bedroom instead of locked up in mom's room.
Well, me being the shy person that I am, I interrupted him on a FB message and started talking to him about it. I know a wee bit about video gaming myself. Well this conversation exploded and was the first real conversation I have had with this kid. He has been talking to his mother like she is a piece of dirt, he frequently drops f bombs on her as well. So I kinda had to put that aside in my mind and just attempt to talk to him as if I didn't know that, cause' otherwise, that conversation would have gone downhill quickly.
This conversation went on and off for 6 hours! It went on so long that I completely lost track of time in talking with him, his mother, the 12 year old and the 15 year old. 3 different FB messages plus text messaging on the phone! I can't do that today, lol, I have plenty to do after work in getting ready for leaving tomorrow morning for the second plane trip! Can't wait! First trip I was a bit nervous because it had been so long since I had been on a plane and I had gotten seasick at San Diego this summer, but nothing of the sort happened and the flights were very cool and it helped that on every single flight, I had small, petite women sitting next to me! Versus big people with their skin hanging over, lol.
I am encouraged the more I talk to these boys. They really just need some male adult interaction, good interaction, not the kind their dad has been spewing out to them. Though apparently he is every so slowly coming around. I still think it was totally lame for him to take those kids on Christmas and not give them a single gift. But, he's lost several of them already who don't like going over there and now they are getting some attention that doesn't include getting angry, dropping f bombs and throwing tantrums. Not only that, but I broke in on the 15 year old when they were all over there and asked him to ask his dad how to start the van, the security system was stoppinng it.
Well have to pick this up later, taking a tenant to the airport and yes, it's EARLY! 4:30 am!
G'day.
ben
Thursday, December 26, 2013
All's well that ends well.
The lady got all the presents together, wrapped them, put them under the tree and waited for them to get back from dad's.
I haven't actually talked to her yet since then cause' she was too busy with them and presents. But here's a few pics she sent :)
4 out of 9 of them, anyway. But a pic of the oldest will never be posted on this blog unless he relents and changes his mindset towards his mom. Oh, those are the gifts I sent them in those particular pics, there are mmore pics just figured to post a few. Will be there in 2 days. Spend the first day with her, then Sunday go to church and then head to her friend's place, kids in tow, which is like 150 miles away. I have to have her friend's stamp of approval before anything else can happen, lol.
But in reality, I have been talking with her friend for a while now on FB messaging system and apparently I already have the stamp of approval, they just want to meet me and have some fun. Unlike her ex, I like to laugh and not just sit there stone faced all the time.
Meanwhile. Morning after Christmas. Going to work. Gag. Susan just came out and declared that "this going to work business the day after Christmas is for the birds". I completely agree and then she announced that next year is the same thing! Noooooooo! Two years in a row? No way!!
That's it. 2 days until I depart for round 2 of Texas. Probably start making some decisions internally about whether this is going to end up a permanent deal or what. I think this particular trip will be telling for both of us as to whether this is a good fit - or not.
G'day.
ben
The lady got all the presents together, wrapped them, put them under the tree and waited for them to get back from dad's.
I haven't actually talked to her yet since then cause' she was too busy with them and presents. But here's a few pics she sent :)
But in reality, I have been talking with her friend for a while now on FB messaging system and apparently I already have the stamp of approval, they just want to meet me and have some fun. Unlike her ex, I like to laugh and not just sit there stone faced all the time.
Meanwhile. Morning after Christmas. Going to work. Gag. Susan just came out and declared that "this going to work business the day after Christmas is for the birds". I completely agree and then she announced that next year is the same thing! Noooooooo! Two years in a row? No way!!
That's it. 2 days until I depart for round 2 of Texas. Probably start making some decisions internally about whether this is going to end up a permanent deal or what. I think this particular trip will be telling for both of us as to whether this is a good fit - or not.
G'day.
ben
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas to everyone!
One of my favorite days of the year. Give and get presents, feast with family (sometimes that works out, sometimes it doesn't end so well, lol), and just have a good time in the Lord. At least for me. I was a little saddened that my lady's kids got nothing from their dad this morning :( I don't know what it is about that guy. He's got all 9 of them over there, the oldest is home from the Navy all the way down to the 6 year old girl and he had absolutely nothing for them. No, it's not a money issue, he makes like a hundred grand per year, this is just how he treats his kids and then invents ways to blame it on her!
I texted the 15 year old this morning and he was clearly not in a good mood because of it. When I told mom, she freaked out. Well, she pretty much blew up. That guy told the kids some story and that he would get them presents in a few days?!!!
Whatever. We came to the conclusion that they would get the presents I sent for them today (versus waiting until I get there) and her presents and then her mom sent presents as well. They are coming home tonight so they will have a nice surprise waiting for them.
Whatever the case, Mark and Lynnette gave me some presents that blew my mind! A gold necklace, a new shower combo head set for my bathroom and a Subway gift card! Coooooool that! And then more to come later on today at bro's house. Very nice :)
Ummm, nothing much more cause' I'm about to call my lady and talk with her a few hours and then off to my brother's house. So, wishing everyone a very merry Christmas and hope yours is a good one!
ben
One of my favorite days of the year. Give and get presents, feast with family (sometimes that works out, sometimes it doesn't end so well, lol), and just have a good time in the Lord. At least for me. I was a little saddened that my lady's kids got nothing from their dad this morning :( I don't know what it is about that guy. He's got all 9 of them over there, the oldest is home from the Navy all the way down to the 6 year old girl and he had absolutely nothing for them. No, it's not a money issue, he makes like a hundred grand per year, this is just how he treats his kids and then invents ways to blame it on her!
I texted the 15 year old this morning and he was clearly not in a good mood because of it. When I told mom, she freaked out. Well, she pretty much blew up. That guy told the kids some story and that he would get them presents in a few days?!!!
Whatever. We came to the conclusion that they would get the presents I sent for them today (versus waiting until I get there) and her presents and then her mom sent presents as well. They are coming home tonight so they will have a nice surprise waiting for them.
Whatever the case, Mark and Lynnette gave me some presents that blew my mind! A gold necklace, a new shower combo head set for my bathroom and a Subway gift card! Coooooool that! And then more to come later on today at bro's house. Very nice :)
Ummm, nothing much more cause' I'm about to call my lady and talk with her a few hours and then off to my brother's house. So, wishing everyone a very merry Christmas and hope yours is a good one!
ben
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Well here we are the Night Before Christmas. Okay, the day before the night before Christmas, lol.
Last night not so much fun.
She is in depression, she doesn't want to take meds for it at least temporarily to bring her out of it and says she will come out of it on her on.
Possibly, but when? How long will that take? If I had known when I was going through depression after divorce that there was something out there that would make me feel a lot better, I would have taken it. Not the rest of my life but until I figured out how to deal with all the junk going on inside of me and get past it and get some help from the church.
I can deal with kids that are rebellious and down and all of that, a little harder to sit here and say that I can deal with a person that is in depression and will be in such a state of mind for X period of time. She threw out some words last night that set me back: I don't care. She was plainly speaking about our relationship and telling me out of the blue that she doesn't care whether I stay in it or not, that she has been getting rejected all of her life and if I do the same thing, it will hurt but will be nothing new.
??? Those words stung pretty good. She ended up apologizing for it, I was ready to say goodbye to her. I'm just a dude, I have feelings, they can be hurt as much as the next person.
Well whatever. I'll be out there 4 days from now and I suspect some serious talk about this situation is going to ensue, I'll bring it up if she doesn't. I can try to support her and help her in her current situation, but with depression, she is going to have to find her own way out of it, been, there done that bought the farm. People can only say so much, at some point you just have to determine that living like that sucks, frankly, and then you just start pulling yourself up, with help from God at least for me, and get yourself out of that funk.
Well, that will occupy my mind and time for the next few days as I ponder where this is all going. I knew time would bring out things in both of us and how we deal with them and if we can deal with them together is what will determine whether this is something that can work forever - or not.
Christmas at my middle brother's tomorrow. I had all my gifts bought until they threw out a statement that so and so and so and so else were going to be there. Great. Nothing like giving a person time to get something, anything, to show up with for everyone there. Gift cards and that's that.
Work today: as expected, nothing going on, manager not coming in, sit here and be bored all day. Or not, lol, I'll figure out something!
G'day.
ben
Last night not so much fun.
She is in depression, she doesn't want to take meds for it at least temporarily to bring her out of it and says she will come out of it on her on.
Possibly, but when? How long will that take? If I had known when I was going through depression after divorce that there was something out there that would make me feel a lot better, I would have taken it. Not the rest of my life but until I figured out how to deal with all the junk going on inside of me and get past it and get some help from the church.
I can deal with kids that are rebellious and down and all of that, a little harder to sit here and say that I can deal with a person that is in depression and will be in such a state of mind for X period of time. She threw out some words last night that set me back: I don't care. She was plainly speaking about our relationship and telling me out of the blue that she doesn't care whether I stay in it or not, that she has been getting rejected all of her life and if I do the same thing, it will hurt but will be nothing new.
??? Those words stung pretty good. She ended up apologizing for it, I was ready to say goodbye to her. I'm just a dude, I have feelings, they can be hurt as much as the next person.
Well whatever. I'll be out there 4 days from now and I suspect some serious talk about this situation is going to ensue, I'll bring it up if she doesn't. I can try to support her and help her in her current situation, but with depression, she is going to have to find her own way out of it, been, there done that bought the farm. People can only say so much, at some point you just have to determine that living like that sucks, frankly, and then you just start pulling yourself up, with help from God at least for me, and get yourself out of that funk.
Well, that will occupy my mind and time for the next few days as I ponder where this is all going. I knew time would bring out things in both of us and how we deal with them and if we can deal with them together is what will determine whether this is something that can work forever - or not.
Christmas at my middle brother's tomorrow. I had all my gifts bought until they threw out a statement that so and so and so and so else were going to be there. Great. Nothing like giving a person time to get something, anything, to show up with for everyone there. Gift cards and that's that.
Work today: as expected, nothing going on, manager not coming in, sit here and be bored all day. Or not, lol, I'll figure out something!
G'day.
ben
Monday, December 23, 2013
Less than a week away from departure to Texas.
Meanwhile, major blow up last night. MAJOR blowup.
The 14 and the 15 year old giving their mom hell, to be frank about it.
To the point of cussing, fighting, throwing things, etc etc etc.
I can't to into all of it, WWW and all, but she ended up in her room, crying and sobbing hysterically.
The 15 year contacts me freaking out and wanting sympathy.
Are you kidding?
I gave him none. Told him like it is and that was that. His panicking started when she told him and his 14 year old brother that they have one week. ONE week. Attitudes don't change, they are history, sending them to either dad's - who doesn't want them - or send them into the "system". State custody in other words. I talked to that boy for 2 hours on facebook messaging system. I talked to mom until she calmed down and could stop crying. And then I told her his panic and flipping out - which was not designed to get mom's sympathy, only to tell her that whatever had happened with her over there with the sobbing and telling them she's done with them - might have actually had done some good.
The boy is telling me he's going to bed so I'm telling her that cause she's locked away in her room. By that point I had her in a much different mood, she was big enough to get up and go hug the kid, kiss him on the cheek and then tell him they would talk in the morning.
Soo who knows, the boy had a come-to-Jesus moment and told me how he was going to change and just totally panicking. I ministered the Lord to him for a couple of hours and then waited to see what was going to happen today.
________________________
Long interlude. Now Monday morning.
Yesterday. The boy contacts me again. I am sort of letting him go to his own devices for the time being, but if he contacts me I will talk to him. Says he's doing great! Yes, it turns out, he did more than just his regular chores, he had a great attitude about it and he was the only kid in the house that would actually do anything yesterday. So I said good, proud of ya, but it's only one day. Not to be a wet blanket but his attitude has basically sucked for quite a while now, getting far worse in the last month or so. I tried to be encouraging while at the same time being realistic. I used to minister to teenagers long ago, I had lost some of my touch and connection in talking with them but that's all coming back now.
The point of saying all of this: I love that lady and I want to marry her - but I have to first make sure we are a good fit with each other and only repeated visits will tell that. We talk on facebook or the phone all the time. But that isn't the same as being together. But secondly, yes I know what I am walking into with these boys and the oldest daughter - though she doesn't live there any more she still starts a lot of trouble and just shows nothing but hate towards her mom - but I have to know how and if I can fit in there and if I will be accepted by those kids. Cause' if I ain't, pardon the poor English but not really, this ain't gonna work. I can't walk into hell with a bunch of kids that totally disrespect their mom and worse than that and expect that I can just "live" with it. Kids can be changed, but only if they are open to it. You can force stuff on them, but that can pretty much lead to resentment and bitterness, which means a house full of hate.
I don't need or want that. If the 15 year old continues on this new path, that's a big stride towards improvement. The 14 year old is the other hellion, maybe worse than the 15 year old. But I can't talk to him on FB because he has an "addiction" problem - bad - and he isn't allowed on the internet at all because of it. I would definitely try talking to him though, he's asked for help and she has tried to find someone to minster to him from within the church, looking for a man to do it since that's what he really needs, but I guess people taking on that kind of thing just doesn't apparently hit anyone's fancies in the Christian church today.
I understand it's someone else's kid, but there must be someone over there that the Lord can get a hold of their heart and impress on them to take that kid up as a mission field in itself and work with him. She's been searching a long time now. Their youth pastor is trying to help, but he's being pulled a thousand different ways, it's a pretty big youth ministry, that church built an entire separate building to accommodate for all of those kids.
It's not really a dilemma for me, those kids, I just want to know that they are going to be able to accept my authority in the house. Because I will not back down to teenagers and especially rebellious ones that think they can do or say anything they please to their own parents without possibility of any consequences.
Monday morning. Well, 2 days of work, though tomorrow is a half day with the other hours paid by the company, Wednesday/Christmas off, back to work Thursday and Friday and then off to Texas, flight leaving 6am Saturday. Just odd work week to have to go to work 2 days, get off the middle of the week and then back to work. My preference is a 3 day weekend end. But that's just my preference, lol, I'll take a free day off whenever! Regardless, there is plenty to do this morning at work and one huge delivery so that helps me a lot, especially early Monday morning and it's still dark out and you are wondering why you aren't in bed sleeping instead of at work - working!
G'day.
ben
Meanwhile, major blow up last night. MAJOR blowup.
The 14 and the 15 year old giving their mom hell, to be frank about it.
To the point of cussing, fighting, throwing things, etc etc etc.
I can't to into all of it, WWW and all, but she ended up in her room, crying and sobbing hysterically.
The 15 year contacts me freaking out and wanting sympathy.
Are you kidding?
I gave him none. Told him like it is and that was that. His panicking started when she told him and his 14 year old brother that they have one week. ONE week. Attitudes don't change, they are history, sending them to either dad's - who doesn't want them - or send them into the "system". State custody in other words. I talked to that boy for 2 hours on facebook messaging system. I talked to mom until she calmed down and could stop crying. And then I told her his panic and flipping out - which was not designed to get mom's sympathy, only to tell her that whatever had happened with her over there with the sobbing and telling them she's done with them - might have actually had done some good.
The boy is telling me he's going to bed so I'm telling her that cause she's locked away in her room. By that point I had her in a much different mood, she was big enough to get up and go hug the kid, kiss him on the cheek and then tell him they would talk in the morning.
Soo who knows, the boy had a come-to-Jesus moment and told me how he was going to change and just totally panicking. I ministered the Lord to him for a couple of hours and then waited to see what was going to happen today.
________________________
Long interlude. Now Monday morning.
Yesterday. The boy contacts me again. I am sort of letting him go to his own devices for the time being, but if he contacts me I will talk to him. Says he's doing great! Yes, it turns out, he did more than just his regular chores, he had a great attitude about it and he was the only kid in the house that would actually do anything yesterday. So I said good, proud of ya, but it's only one day. Not to be a wet blanket but his attitude has basically sucked for quite a while now, getting far worse in the last month or so. I tried to be encouraging while at the same time being realistic. I used to minister to teenagers long ago, I had lost some of my touch and connection in talking with them but that's all coming back now.
The point of saying all of this: I love that lady and I want to marry her - but I have to first make sure we are a good fit with each other and only repeated visits will tell that. We talk on facebook or the phone all the time. But that isn't the same as being together. But secondly, yes I know what I am walking into with these boys and the oldest daughter - though she doesn't live there any more she still starts a lot of trouble and just shows nothing but hate towards her mom - but I have to know how and if I can fit in there and if I will be accepted by those kids. Cause' if I ain't, pardon the poor English but not really, this ain't gonna work. I can't walk into hell with a bunch of kids that totally disrespect their mom and worse than that and expect that I can just "live" with it. Kids can be changed, but only if they are open to it. You can force stuff on them, but that can pretty much lead to resentment and bitterness, which means a house full of hate.
I don't need or want that. If the 15 year old continues on this new path, that's a big stride towards improvement. The 14 year old is the other hellion, maybe worse than the 15 year old. But I can't talk to him on FB because he has an "addiction" problem - bad - and he isn't allowed on the internet at all because of it. I would definitely try talking to him though, he's asked for help and she has tried to find someone to minster to him from within the church, looking for a man to do it since that's what he really needs, but I guess people taking on that kind of thing just doesn't apparently hit anyone's fancies in the Christian church today.
I understand it's someone else's kid, but there must be someone over there that the Lord can get a hold of their heart and impress on them to take that kid up as a mission field in itself and work with him. She's been searching a long time now. Their youth pastor is trying to help, but he's being pulled a thousand different ways, it's a pretty big youth ministry, that church built an entire separate building to accommodate for all of those kids.
It's not really a dilemma for me, those kids, I just want to know that they are going to be able to accept my authority in the house. Because I will not back down to teenagers and especially rebellious ones that think they can do or say anything they please to their own parents without possibility of any consequences.
Monday morning. Well, 2 days of work, though tomorrow is a half day with the other hours paid by the company, Wednesday/Christmas off, back to work Thursday and Friday and then off to Texas, flight leaving 6am Saturday. Just odd work week to have to go to work 2 days, get off the middle of the week and then back to work. My preference is a 3 day weekend end. But that's just my preference, lol, I'll take a free day off whenever! Regardless, there is plenty to do this morning at work and one huge delivery so that helps me a lot, especially early Monday morning and it's still dark out and you are wondering why you aren't in bed sleeping instead of at work - working!
G'day.
ben
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
There is one thing about this whole situation that has totally enamored me: all the attention.
I haven't had this kind of loving, focused attention in a long, long time. I have been living my life alone for all intents and purposes. Surrounded by people, yes, but any kind of real relationship with anyone? Just my son, the father-son kind and that IS something that I cherish and relish. But that boy is on his own now. Even if he comes back for a while, it won't be permanent and then he will be gone again.
And the attention isn't just from her, either, although if it was it would definitely be more than enough! Her kids always telling her to tell me hi; getting on the phone with me and sending me all kinds of things through FB messages.
At the same time, her kids are a total disaster. I am not saying that in a dissing or otherwise spiteful type of way, it is what it is. They mess with her. They get all up in her face and give her all kinds of hell. They don't listen to her. She asks them to do something and some of them will actually just walk away from her, telling her no! God have mercy on my child if he were to EVER do that when he was growing up. I was having an FB conversation with her best friend today, a real friend that has stuck through it with her, but at the same time, my lady has stuck through it with her friend through some pretty bad stuff as well. Amazing that some of the best friendships are formed out of the most hellish and chaotic of circumstances, but I can attest to that myself.
Her friend had totally written the older boys off, proclaiming that she doesn't know how my lady has even survived this long. She flat out told me today that if those were her kids, she would be in prison now for assault and battery of her own kids, cause there is NO way on earth that she could have taken the amount of s*** that my lady has put up with. I've just kept saying no, they may be bad, it may look hopeless, but that is not my take on it. She finally came around today and said okay, there is hope for them, but something would have to drastically change because if it goes the way it is now, it's only going to get worse.
Totally agreed with her on that point. I also said that my first reaction when I hear the stuff they say and do to her, I would just want to haul off and stuck a boot up their ass and make them feel reeeeaaaaalll good about what they had just said or done. But I know that isn't the answer, they are in the same hell she is and they need something to grasp onto and get a hold of that will change their lives. It isn't me, either, it's definitely God they need but as her friend said today: they need a real man around that place and she went further to say that her ex is NOT a man by any stretch of the imagination and going on to say even worse things.
She has seen it for 15 years, she knows the guy well enough. It would be good for the man to get some counseling, he has already and finally admitted he is responsible for destroying that family. He rejects his own offspring to the point of telling the oldest boy still living at home that they - the kids - were the reason the divorce happened. What kind of sick mind does it take to tell your own kid that divorcing his mom was the kid's fault? But I flat out told her I have hope for them. With the right kind of attention and influence, they can still be saved.
And she can't leave overnight. I mean, like in the hands of the older boys. Not even a happening event. That house would come down, so to speak, by the time she got back. Blame the ex only? No. Blame them both. I don't believe she should be let off the hook, either, and her best friend certainly does not. Let her off the hook, that is. She tells her like it is and that's a good thing. Her friend has 8 children, so it's not like she doesn't know what it's like to have a bunch of kids around.
Well that's enough. Pretty much what my little world has been revolving around for a while now.
ben
I haven't had this kind of loving, focused attention in a long, long time. I have been living my life alone for all intents and purposes. Surrounded by people, yes, but any kind of real relationship with anyone? Just my son, the father-son kind and that IS something that I cherish and relish. But that boy is on his own now. Even if he comes back for a while, it won't be permanent and then he will be gone again.
And the attention isn't just from her, either, although if it was it would definitely be more than enough! Her kids always telling her to tell me hi; getting on the phone with me and sending me all kinds of things through FB messages.
At the same time, her kids are a total disaster. I am not saying that in a dissing or otherwise spiteful type of way, it is what it is. They mess with her. They get all up in her face and give her all kinds of hell. They don't listen to her. She asks them to do something and some of them will actually just walk away from her, telling her no! God have mercy on my child if he were to EVER do that when he was growing up. I was having an FB conversation with her best friend today, a real friend that has stuck through it with her, but at the same time, my lady has stuck through it with her friend through some pretty bad stuff as well. Amazing that some of the best friendships are formed out of the most hellish and chaotic of circumstances, but I can attest to that myself.
Her friend had totally written the older boys off, proclaiming that she doesn't know how my lady has even survived this long. She flat out told me today that if those were her kids, she would be in prison now for assault and battery of her own kids, cause there is NO way on earth that she could have taken the amount of s*** that my lady has put up with. I've just kept saying no, they may be bad, it may look hopeless, but that is not my take on it. She finally came around today and said okay, there is hope for them, but something would have to drastically change because if it goes the way it is now, it's only going to get worse.
Totally agreed with her on that point. I also said that my first reaction when I hear the stuff they say and do to her, I would just want to haul off and stuck a boot up their ass and make them feel reeeeaaaaalll good about what they had just said or done. But I know that isn't the answer, they are in the same hell she is and they need something to grasp onto and get a hold of that will change their lives. It isn't me, either, it's definitely God they need but as her friend said today: they need a real man around that place and she went further to say that her ex is NOT a man by any stretch of the imagination and going on to say even worse things.
She has seen it for 15 years, she knows the guy well enough. It would be good for the man to get some counseling, he has already and finally admitted he is responsible for destroying that family. He rejects his own offspring to the point of telling the oldest boy still living at home that they - the kids - were the reason the divorce happened. What kind of sick mind does it take to tell your own kid that divorcing his mom was the kid's fault? But I flat out told her I have hope for them. With the right kind of attention and influence, they can still be saved.
And she can't leave overnight. I mean, like in the hands of the older boys. Not even a happening event. That house would come down, so to speak, by the time she got back. Blame the ex only? No. Blame them both. I don't believe she should be let off the hook, either, and her best friend certainly does not. Let her off the hook, that is. She tells her like it is and that's a good thing. Her friend has 8 children, so it's not like she doesn't know what it's like to have a bunch of kids around.
Well that's enough. Pretty much what my little world has been revolving around for a while now.
ben
I dunno, but it's a roller coaster ride, I'll tell you that.
I got a bunch of kids now wanting to talk to me on Facebook - her kids - every day now.
I'm serious, I'll have FB messages popping up from any of 4 different phones.
12, 14, 15 and 17 year olds. Oh, and the oldest girl even said hello a few days ago.
And at least 2 of them get into such serious conversations, you'd think you were talking to another adult going through a hellish time in their life or something. Especially the 12 and the 15 year olds.
I don't really mind it, but some of these conversations are very draining attempting to discuss with a kid things in life that their father didn't care to discuss with them about. And no, we aren't going into sexual things, I draw the line there cause' they aren't my kids and doesn't feel right. Well, in listening to her, their father doesn't really like to talk to much of anyone about much of anything, but if he really does have Asperger's syndrome, that would explain why.
Anyway, short little more time and I'm back off to Texas for another week. That will be the last of week long stays as my vacation hours are going to be down there, probably around 50 or 60 left after this next trip. I am not going to use up all of my vacation hours early in the year. I will - Lord willing and this relationship continues to grow - be making trips out there but not full weeks off from work. Maybe 2 days off and include 2 weekend days and come back on a Sunday afternoon, get home late go to bed and get up for work type of situation, that's the best I will be able to do, much to her chagrin, she wants me out there much more frequently and that just doesn't work out either financially or with my vacation hours that are available.
That's my world, at least for now, that and time to be off to work!
G'day
ben
I got a bunch of kids now wanting to talk to me on Facebook - her kids - every day now.
I'm serious, I'll have FB messages popping up from any of 4 different phones.
12, 14, 15 and 17 year olds. Oh, and the oldest girl even said hello a few days ago.
And at least 2 of them get into such serious conversations, you'd think you were talking to another adult going through a hellish time in their life or something. Especially the 12 and the 15 year olds.
I don't really mind it, but some of these conversations are very draining attempting to discuss with a kid things in life that their father didn't care to discuss with them about. And no, we aren't going into sexual things, I draw the line there cause' they aren't my kids and doesn't feel right. Well, in listening to her, their father doesn't really like to talk to much of anyone about much of anything, but if he really does have Asperger's syndrome, that would explain why.
Anyway, short little more time and I'm back off to Texas for another week. That will be the last of week long stays as my vacation hours are going to be down there, probably around 50 or 60 left after this next trip. I am not going to use up all of my vacation hours early in the year. I will - Lord willing and this relationship continues to grow - be making trips out there but not full weeks off from work. Maybe 2 days off and include 2 weekend days and come back on a Sunday afternoon, get home late go to bed and get up for work type of situation, that's the best I will be able to do, much to her chagrin, she wants me out there much more frequently and that just doesn't work out either financially or with my vacation hours that are available.
That's my world, at least for now, that and time to be off to work!
G'day
ben
Monday, December 16, 2013
Monday morning.
2 Christmas parties this weekend, one with Church and one at the GM's of our company's regional area. Both were good, though the one at the GM's pretty much had a bunch of drunk people that were somewhat out of control by the time dark came around and it started getting a bit later. Which isn't shocking or surprising, just that at a certain point, I had enough and went home, maybe around 9 pm or something.
My hunting buddy got a line on a deer - 8 pointer - and let loose an arrow which killed it dead. His brother, who was set up at another location also bagged one. Funny thing is, no-one else hunting in the area got anything - but that's simply because those people weren't even getting out of their vehicles. I dunno how you hunt from a vehicle, I guess hope that one darts across the road. It's not exactly legal, I can tell ya that but there wasn't a sign of Forest Rangers up there the 2 times I went up. I'm sorta hoping I will get a deer steak out of his kill, but who knows.
So he's done with his hunt unless he can get another tag, I dunno how many bucks they want taken out of that area, gotta leave some around to mate with the does!
That was my weekend along with dealing with a person that has teenage boys who are at the verge of being totally out of control, especially the 14 year old of which I am assuming at some point she is going to have to call the police on to deal with. He's already starting junk with her this morning about going to school. She is going to have no choice but to dump him into the system. Ex won't deal with him, never has which is how the kid got the point he is at in the first place and she is way smaller than this kid. I dunno, I'm not there to help her with him and the rest of it, my hands are tied.
I could go into all of it but it would take forever a day and a half and it's Monday morning and I certainly do not feel like doing all of that right now. Her 12 year old got on Facebook and then posted a message on my wall saying the names of the 2 older boys and how they were in a bad fight and to pray. On my Facebook wall?!! I removed it and she had to explain to him why that was inappropriate.
Well anyway, another lovely work week and time to get cranking.
G'day.
ben
2 Christmas parties this weekend, one with Church and one at the GM's of our company's regional area. Both were good, though the one at the GM's pretty much had a bunch of drunk people that were somewhat out of control by the time dark came around and it started getting a bit later. Which isn't shocking or surprising, just that at a certain point, I had enough and went home, maybe around 9 pm or something.
My hunting buddy got a line on a deer - 8 pointer - and let loose an arrow which killed it dead. His brother, who was set up at another location also bagged one. Funny thing is, no-one else hunting in the area got anything - but that's simply because those people weren't even getting out of their vehicles. I dunno how you hunt from a vehicle, I guess hope that one darts across the road. It's not exactly legal, I can tell ya that but there wasn't a sign of Forest Rangers up there the 2 times I went up. I'm sorta hoping I will get a deer steak out of his kill, but who knows.
So he's done with his hunt unless he can get another tag, I dunno how many bucks they want taken out of that area, gotta leave some around to mate with the does!
That was my weekend along with dealing with a person that has teenage boys who are at the verge of being totally out of control, especially the 14 year old of which I am assuming at some point she is going to have to call the police on to deal with. He's already starting junk with her this morning about going to school. She is going to have no choice but to dump him into the system. Ex won't deal with him, never has which is how the kid got the point he is at in the first place and she is way smaller than this kid. I dunno, I'm not there to help her with him and the rest of it, my hands are tied.
I could go into all of it but it would take forever a day and a half and it's Monday morning and I certainly do not feel like doing all of that right now. Her 12 year old got on Facebook and then posted a message on my wall saying the names of the 2 older boys and how they were in a bad fight and to pray. On my Facebook wall?!! I removed it and she had to explain to him why that was inappropriate.
Well anyway, another lovely work week and time to get cranking.
G'day.
ben
Friday, December 13, 2013
Well. A temporary tenant in Caleb's room. This one paying cash up front for two months. JUST in time for Christmas, really the only reason I wanted to put someone in there. Not needy, either, has a jet black Mercedes sitting out front, came in with a lot of high dollar clothing. Was looking for a place to stay for a couple of months to - golf. Whatever turns him on! Cool, too, not a jerkoff, at least so far. My son's room is relatively small at 11X12 in dimension, at least compared to the other rooms in the house. My house is nothing fancy and isn't worth a million dollars so no clue why he would want to stay here. Don't care, either, as long as it isn't for ill will. But, a LOT of people migrate here in the winters for golfing. That's it. There are hundreds of golf courses in the Phoenix metro area and yes, we have winter grass - rye grass is what it's called - it is much easier to grow, actually than the summer version and looks much better. It will only grow during the winter months and the summer grass dies out. They simply seed use a machine to take most of the summer grass out down to almost the dirt and then seed the rye grass right over top of it.
Golf is big business here in the winter. Just a bit curious though if that person is loaded with money why he wouldn't just stay at a resort or a fancy hotel. Though, I can tell you that after a while, living in hotels isn't all that much fun. Been there and done that. Time will eventually tell - or not. Who knows. I just tend to keep my eye on new people here. This guy's in his 30's. The other new tenant - of which I have no clue how long he's staying here - is melding in with the crowd here as well. So, so far anyway, cool tenants.
So, anyway, the cash infusion was good. Going on my trip to Texas, I wanted to have some extra spending money. My Christmas shopping is all but done at this point, that wasn't really the issue. I bought 8 out of 9 kids over there a Christmas gift, already sent and most of them already received. The 18 year old girl, whose relationship with her mother is not good at this point in time, asked yesterday to my lady if I were going to get her a present as well. Undoubtedly the 15 year old told her about the gifts, lol.
Whatever. It's Friday, faced with either going up to the mountains or going to 2 Christmas parties, one tonight and one tomorrow after noon, Church and company party respectively. I was really leaning towards going up to the mountains but I am now really thinking the Christmas parties will be much more fun and congregating around people. In fact now that I think about it, definitely going to the church Christmas party, undecided on driving 50 miles one way to go to the company Christmas party, figure that one out tomorrow.
Enough for this entry, cause' it's time to go to work!
G'day.
ben
Golf is big business here in the winter. Just a bit curious though if that person is loaded with money why he wouldn't just stay at a resort or a fancy hotel. Though, I can tell you that after a while, living in hotels isn't all that much fun. Been there and done that. Time will eventually tell - or not. Who knows. I just tend to keep my eye on new people here. This guy's in his 30's. The other new tenant - of which I have no clue how long he's staying here - is melding in with the crowd here as well. So, so far anyway, cool tenants.
So, anyway, the cash infusion was good. Going on my trip to Texas, I wanted to have some extra spending money. My Christmas shopping is all but done at this point, that wasn't really the issue. I bought 8 out of 9 kids over there a Christmas gift, already sent and most of them already received. The 18 year old girl, whose relationship with her mother is not good at this point in time, asked yesterday to my lady if I were going to get her a present as well. Undoubtedly the 15 year old told her about the gifts, lol.
Whatever. It's Friday, faced with either going up to the mountains or going to 2 Christmas parties, one tonight and one tomorrow after noon, Church and company party respectively. I was really leaning towards going up to the mountains but I am now really thinking the Christmas parties will be much more fun and congregating around people. In fact now that I think about it, definitely going to the church Christmas party, undecided on driving 50 miles one way to go to the company Christmas party, figure that one out tomorrow.
Enough for this entry, cause' it's time to go to work!
G'day.
ben
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
For Fin, the answer is: NO, the firewood situation has NOT improved! There are almost 4 cords of wood outside her house, maybe - ummm - 75 feet from the door to bring it in. Some of those kids have literally flat out refused to either bring in wood or kindling to make a fire. It REALLY irritates me. She goes and busts her @$$ all day long so those kids can have a place to live, food to eat and all the rest of it and I'm telling you, sometimes they treat her like nothing more than a pile of dog s*** on the floor. Disgusting, abhorrent and unacceptable behavior. Edited: I talked to one of them on the phone and insisted he bring in enough wood to last for a week. He actually did it!
Whatever, hope that answers your question on Facebook. As for last night, I had this horrific dream. Seemed like it went on for hours. I was at work on the forklift. I was lifting up a small Cessna (yes, an aircraft) way up high on the forks for whatever, unknown reason, would get off of the forklift, walk away from it and then the whole thing would fall over, destroying the airplane. Time passed and I did it again and again and finally something like 5 or 6 times. I knew my "method" of doing whatever I was doing was wrong yet I continued to make the same mistake, over and over. After the last time, the crash caught the plane on fire and then I was running to get a fire extinguisher when a face out of the past - a person I sincerely do NOT like - showed up. I cussed him out, he backed down and then I ran with the fire extinguisher to the plane to put the fire out. Then all these people were telling me it would be alright and all this stuff designed to encourage m and lift my spirits. But I knew I was going to lose my job over it so I just decided that I was....
....oh hey, wait a minute, this Texas stuff is even pervading my dreams! I was going to move to Texas! Strange dream, though. Really strange dream. I dunno why I get some of that stuff going here and there but when you wake up out of it, surreal.
Well, work is slooooow. There wasn't a single delivery or pickup to do yesterday. Spent the day sitting around doing nothing until a truck came and dumped off a bunch of material. Went through that and then back to nothing. But I kept my mind occupied doing stuff online and thinking about the possibility of moving to Texas, that thought seems to creep into my mind a lot lately. Hard to ignore.
She has been going to counseling sessions which have been helping her immensely in how to deal with ex, family and kids. Long ways to go but definitely some serious signs of improvement. Meanwhile, the 15 year and I continue to talk on FB messages. I'm not soft on him, either, cause' I don't like the way he treats his mother so I pretty much give it to him. I throw other stuff in there as fluff, I guess, but it's kinda strange that he keeps coming back for more. I literally tell him about himself, then tell him about the Lord and then send Bible scriptures to him. Not exactly what one would think a 15 year old would want to be hearing repeatedly, over and over, but whatever, that's what I'm dishing out. If I were THERE, this whole situation would change in a heartbeat. I have no tolerance for mouthy kids that don't listen to their parents. I just don't. How I go about changing it would depend on their attitude towards me.
Well whatever. Wednesday morning. Went through yesterday a LOT of sites looking for cheap airfare - if she wants me to come out more frequently, then I have to find a LOT cheaper method of getting there. I did find Spirit airlines going to Dallas for $127 round trip - that's pretty cheap folks - but the charge $30 for carry on or checked baggage, each way! But again, I can send a UPS package in advance for $10. Then round trip on Greyhound to the city she lives in for $54. The only extra ordeal is getting from the airport to the bus station but there is apparently a city bus that runs between the two. That's cheap, the whole trip, just saying. I have been looking for airfare to the city next to hers - way too expensive for whatever reason to fly directly to her town - it's $337 for the cheapest fare i can find and that is not doable on a frequent basis.
It won't take a lot more trips for me to make up my mind and for her to make up hers. She may have already made up her mind, I dunno. I'm a bit more patient. If God ain't in it, I want nothing to do with it. I don't want another bad marriage, that's for sure.
Well, time to be off to work.
G'day.
ben
Whatever, hope that answers your question on Facebook. As for last night, I had this horrific dream. Seemed like it went on for hours. I was at work on the forklift. I was lifting up a small Cessna (yes, an aircraft) way up high on the forks for whatever, unknown reason, would get off of the forklift, walk away from it and then the whole thing would fall over, destroying the airplane. Time passed and I did it again and again and finally something like 5 or 6 times. I knew my "method" of doing whatever I was doing was wrong yet I continued to make the same mistake, over and over. After the last time, the crash caught the plane on fire and then I was running to get a fire extinguisher when a face out of the past - a person I sincerely do NOT like - showed up. I cussed him out, he backed down and then I ran with the fire extinguisher to the plane to put the fire out. Then all these people were telling me it would be alright and all this stuff designed to encourage m and lift my spirits. But I knew I was going to lose my job over it so I just decided that I was....
....oh hey, wait a minute, this Texas stuff is even pervading my dreams! I was going to move to Texas! Strange dream, though. Really strange dream. I dunno why I get some of that stuff going here and there but when you wake up out of it, surreal.
Well, work is slooooow. There wasn't a single delivery or pickup to do yesterday. Spent the day sitting around doing nothing until a truck came and dumped off a bunch of material. Went through that and then back to nothing. But I kept my mind occupied doing stuff online and thinking about the possibility of moving to Texas, that thought seems to creep into my mind a lot lately. Hard to ignore.
She has been going to counseling sessions which have been helping her immensely in how to deal with ex, family and kids. Long ways to go but definitely some serious signs of improvement. Meanwhile, the 15 year and I continue to talk on FB messages. I'm not soft on him, either, cause' I don't like the way he treats his mother so I pretty much give it to him. I throw other stuff in there as fluff, I guess, but it's kinda strange that he keeps coming back for more. I literally tell him about himself, then tell him about the Lord and then send Bible scriptures to him. Not exactly what one would think a 15 year old would want to be hearing repeatedly, over and over, but whatever, that's what I'm dishing out. If I were THERE, this whole situation would change in a heartbeat. I have no tolerance for mouthy kids that don't listen to their parents. I just don't. How I go about changing it would depend on their attitude towards me.
Well whatever. Wednesday morning. Went through yesterday a LOT of sites looking for cheap airfare - if she wants me to come out more frequently, then I have to find a LOT cheaper method of getting there. I did find Spirit airlines going to Dallas for $127 round trip - that's pretty cheap folks - but the charge $30 for carry on or checked baggage, each way! But again, I can send a UPS package in advance for $10. Then round trip on Greyhound to the city she lives in for $54. The only extra ordeal is getting from the airport to the bus station but there is apparently a city bus that runs between the two. That's cheap, the whole trip, just saying. I have been looking for airfare to the city next to hers - way too expensive for whatever reason to fly directly to her town - it's $337 for the cheapest fare i can find and that is not doable on a frequent basis.
It won't take a lot more trips for me to make up my mind and for her to make up hers. She may have already made up her mind, I dunno. I'm a bit more patient. If God ain't in it, I want nothing to do with it. I don't want another bad marriage, that's for sure.
Well, time to be off to work.
G'day.
ben
Monday, December 9, 2013
Just a quick note since it's early Monday morning, haven't written in days - well I have but I keep getting stopped in the middle of it - and it is cold outside!
High of 56 today!
Went up to the mountains again on Friday, we did some hiking about 3-1/2 hours worth - found the areas where we had been last time and the corn was all gone that was laid out. The camera apparently was at a bad angle that we had strapped to a tree and didn't catch anything - the view of deer not in the pics.
We found a new spot, though, where deer obviously are hanging out quite a lot and that is where we decided to go ahead and mount the camera.
Archery hunting season starts on Friday, he is going up on Thursday afternoon. I may go up on Friday and stay through Saturday and then leave. I haven't decided yet.
Less than three weeks and another trip to Texas. She is wanting me to come no less than once every 4 weeks. That is a big money issue though and not one I can necessarily afford. I have plans to try and locate a shipping container - the large metal ones - and convert it into a rental unit this coming year and that is going to cost some money to do. I need more income and that would do the trick nicely.
Well whatever. Time is almost up. Don't remember if there was anything in the system to do at work today, will just find out when I get there, but hopefully there is.
G'day.
ben
High of 56 today!
Went up to the mountains again on Friday, we did some hiking about 3-1/2 hours worth - found the areas where we had been last time and the corn was all gone that was laid out. The camera apparently was at a bad angle that we had strapped to a tree and didn't catch anything - the view of deer not in the pics.
We found a new spot, though, where deer obviously are hanging out quite a lot and that is where we decided to go ahead and mount the camera.
Archery hunting season starts on Friday, he is going up on Thursday afternoon. I may go up on Friday and stay through Saturday and then leave. I haven't decided yet.
Less than three weeks and another trip to Texas. She is wanting me to come no less than once every 4 weeks. That is a big money issue though and not one I can necessarily afford. I have plans to try and locate a shipping container - the large metal ones - and convert it into a rental unit this coming year and that is going to cost some money to do. I need more income and that would do the trick nicely.
Well whatever. Time is almost up. Don't remember if there was anything in the system to do at work today, will just find out when I get there, but hopefully there is.
G'day.
ben
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
George - basically informing me he's moving out. Exactly when, not known but guessing not too far in the future here. I"ll be sad to see him go cause' he always pays his rent on time and we have mostly gotten along for the extended time he's been staying here. His dad is apparently going to buy a house, George is going to move into it and make the monthly payments. It's kinda hard to find people that will stay a while - that are normal people. Not impossible but sometimes you gotta go through a few to get one like that. Oh well, cross that bridge when it comes. The newest tenant is hardly ever here, wouldn't know he's here when he is, and pays me via email through the bank. I have no idea how long he intends on staying, very quiet, stays to himself, doesn't much care to talk to any of us. Which is okay, I can deal with that.
The lady and I went through a bit of a rough day yesterday....make that day before now, I started this entry and got busy with all kinds of other things. One, the kid tenant who refuses to leave. He has 7 more days. He hasn't actually been here at all in the last month or so, he obviously has some place to stay, so why he is dragging this out, I dunno. But I am posting an abandonment notice on his door as well so I can have 2 justifiable means for packing up his stuff, putting it into a couple of boxes, changing the lock on the door and washing my hands of it.
Well I'm just going to have to finish this whenever, I don't have time this morning!
Time to be off to work!
G'day,
ben
The lady and I went through a bit of a rough day yesterday....make that day before now, I started this entry and got busy with all kinds of other things. One, the kid tenant who refuses to leave. He has 7 more days. He hasn't actually been here at all in the last month or so, he obviously has some place to stay, so why he is dragging this out, I dunno. But I am posting an abandonment notice on his door as well so I can have 2 justifiable means for packing up his stuff, putting it into a couple of boxes, changing the lock on the door and washing my hands of it.
Well I'm just going to have to finish this whenever, I don't have time this morning!
Time to be off to work!
G'day,
ben
Monday, December 2, 2013
Scored a 60" Vizio for my mom on Thursday's version of Black Friday at Walmart. No need to body slam people, either, lol, police and security HIGHLY visible and present everywhere in that store, which was a very good thing. I got there half an hour before the 6pm sale started, got a wristband, got escorted to near front of line - 10 back from front - was out of there and home at 6:22 pm!
I still gotta take the thing over there, though, which I am half contemplating doing today. But only half. I am woooooorn out from Friday's expedition up in the mountains. It was crazy fun. Up and down steep ravines looking for signs of deer crossings. Poop and tracks to be exact. He was specifically looking for places where trails cross and the more trails crossing each other the better. We found 3 very good spots, 4-1/2 hours of hiking to do it and yes, my legs were toast after all of that. We went 4 wheeling in his Jeep after that and then back to camp, had some dinner, sat around and talked for a few hours. Sleep - in tent but I had my thermals on - up in the morning, a little breakfast and then headed home. Going back next weekend with him to check the places where we went on Friday - he set up a camera at one of them. Motion activated. He's looking for a big buck and wants to be at the place where he will find one.
So, got home yesterday and nothing. I hadn't been hiking that long in that kind of terrain in that steep of hiking conditions in a long, long time.
_______________________
Long interlude, Monday morning. I ended up cleaning out both pond filters yesterday plus other stuff plus talking to the lady to the point that I ran out of time to finish this one. I never did get to my mom's, but I didn't necessarily expect to anyway. She's good with getting it whenever I get it out there, she's happy to have saved $300 plus on a very nice and large TV.
And got to ride and go 4-wheeling in a Jeep while up there! That was my first time ever riding in a Jeep. I don't recall as a kid going with anyone so it's gotta be. We went camping as kids and all that - lots of camping in fact - but we didn't have anything that even faintly resembled a 4 wheel drive vehicle. JP - the name of the dude I was with - took that thing up this "road" and was going at it. Pics posted on FB, maybe post some here later on today or whenever I can get to it. It was fun though!
We're going back Saturday for a day trip. He wants to check his camera - motion activated thing that will snap pics of any deer down there that might be walking by and yes, there was fresh bear droppings too - and see what's up. He texted me last night and told me he's bringing a backpack for me cause he wants to drop some corn down there. Well whatever works.
As for me, it's about time to get going to work. My legs? ......still rebelling against me. I put them to work on Friday, I haven't done a hike like that in years, maybe more than a decade. Not forever though, I used to hike quite a lot. But to go on something like that and not even condition them for it? Lol.
G'day.
ben
I still gotta take the thing over there, though, which I am half contemplating doing today. But only half. I am woooooorn out from Friday's expedition up in the mountains. It was crazy fun. Up and down steep ravines looking for signs of deer crossings. Poop and tracks to be exact. He was specifically looking for places where trails cross and the more trails crossing each other the better. We found 3 very good spots, 4-1/2 hours of hiking to do it and yes, my legs were toast after all of that. We went 4 wheeling in his Jeep after that and then back to camp, had some dinner, sat around and talked for a few hours. Sleep - in tent but I had my thermals on - up in the morning, a little breakfast and then headed home. Going back next weekend with him to check the places where we went on Friday - he set up a camera at one of them. Motion activated. He's looking for a big buck and wants to be at the place where he will find one.
So, got home yesterday and nothing. I hadn't been hiking that long in that kind of terrain in that steep of hiking conditions in a long, long time.
_______________________
Long interlude, Monday morning. I ended up cleaning out both pond filters yesterday plus other stuff plus talking to the lady to the point that I ran out of time to finish this one. I never did get to my mom's, but I didn't necessarily expect to anyway. She's good with getting it whenever I get it out there, she's happy to have saved $300 plus on a very nice and large TV.
And got to ride and go 4-wheeling in a Jeep while up there! That was my first time ever riding in a Jeep. I don't recall as a kid going with anyone so it's gotta be. We went camping as kids and all that - lots of camping in fact - but we didn't have anything that even faintly resembled a 4 wheel drive vehicle. JP - the name of the dude I was with - took that thing up this "road" and was going at it. Pics posted on FB, maybe post some here later on today or whenever I can get to it. It was fun though!
We're going back Saturday for a day trip. He wants to check his camera - motion activated thing that will snap pics of any deer down there that might be walking by and yes, there was fresh bear droppings too - and see what's up. He texted me last night and told me he's bringing a backpack for me cause he wants to drop some corn down there. Well whatever works.
As for me, it's about time to get going to work. My legs? ......still rebelling against me. I put them to work on Friday, I haven't done a hike like that in years, maybe more than a decade. Not forever though, I used to hike quite a lot. But to go on something like that and not even condition them for it? Lol.
G'day.
ben
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving to whosoever reads this blog! Which ain't that many, but still. Lol
Just got back from mom's she cooked a full, traditional turkey dinner and it was fabulous.
My oldest brother not there - hasn't shown up to a Thanksgiving get together in at least 4 years if not longer, can't really remember. My middle bro was in good spirits, which was cool even though mom started some trouble with him about the gift he wants for Christmas. I had to show mom what he had previously asked for on Facebook to prove to her what he was saying was true - kinda got ugly there for a while.
She went over and apologized to him after I showed it to her in writing (she asked to see it, not like I was dumping it down her throat). Everything was cool after that, sort of. Calmed down anyway.
I had seen this on the net before and had given it fleeting thought, but my brother brought it up. He wants to sell his house, buy some property and then build a container house on it. If you've never seen a container house, just google it. It's a house made out of those large, metal shipping containers like you see on trains or ships loaded with them. In other words, he doesn't want to owe money to anyone, including debt on a house.
The reason it intrigued me is an 8X20 container is only 160 square feet. It's big enough to build an efficiency out of - meaning a potential rental unit- but small enough I don't need city approval for it. Anything under 200 square feet you don't have to have city permits and codes don't apply. I'm always thinking of how I can earn some extra money. I think you can get those things pretty cheap. Cost me a couple thousand to turn the inside of it into a rather nice living unit - small but nice and then rent it out for $450 per month and have easy income. That person wouldn't even be in the house - you put a very small bathroom and a very small kitchen in it and then the living room is also the bedroom. This is probably the most viable idea yet and may seriously start to think about doing it. Next year, though, lol, have my hands full until after the New Year's right now.
I'm packed ready to go - scouting expedition for an upcoming hunting trip of a son of an old friend of mine. The son is all grown up, mid 20's I'm guess, married and 2 kids. But avid hunter, totally into it, just the kind of person I have been looking for to learn from! So, around 7:30 am tomorrow I'm taking off. It's not even that far away, less than 90 miles from here to Globe. I would call Globe sort of "mid-mountains". It's in the mountains but not that high elevation. However, where we are going is right there, next to it, a mountain range shooting up, though don't know the elevation. So pretty cool that he found a place that close to go deer and elk hunting. His motion activated cameras have caught quite a number of deer on deer crossings.
Girlfriend is having company over today. Before that occurred, however, the older boys blew up and were fighting each other. The 14 year old started trouble with the 17 year old, who ended up breaking a broomstick over his head. The 14 year old punched a hole through the wall with his fist and made stupid threats at the 17 year old. Then he went upstairs and took the 17 year old's clothing, apparently all of it, threw it into a shower and turned the water on. Supposedly he came down and apologized. Meanwhile, the 12 year old boy was throwing conniptions because he refused to clean up the kitchen so mom took away his new shoes. 5 times this boy came down and had hissy-fits but each time flatly refused to clean the kitchen (that is his assigned daily chore around the house).
I don't know how that ended. What I do know is the 15 year old boy did not get involved with any of it. This is the one that has been contacting me and me him after he started contacting me first. I've been talking to him about his attitude, especially with his mother. Whether I have anything to do with today's deal and him not getting involved in all of that, I have no idea, but I congratulated him anyway on a Facebook message.
That's it. I'm going to Walmart in a couple of hours to see if I can snag a big screen tv for mom. Not a Christmas gift, she asked if I could get it for her. Sure, I said, why not. I can try, anyway. They are open at 6, which isn't really good and I hate supporting this kind of idea that a store should be open on Thanksgiving, but I am going out of town in the morning and I won't be around for any deals. And anyway, if you want that deal, better be there when they open their doors - though - Walmart has a 1 hour guarantee. So even if they don't have it, they guarantee you will have it before Christmas.
Whatever. I"m going to take a short nap before heading over there, turkey made me sleepy, just need a 30 or so minute nap to take the edge off.
G'day.
ben
Just got back from mom's she cooked a full, traditional turkey dinner and it was fabulous.
My oldest brother not there - hasn't shown up to a Thanksgiving get together in at least 4 years if not longer, can't really remember. My middle bro was in good spirits, which was cool even though mom started some trouble with him about the gift he wants for Christmas. I had to show mom what he had previously asked for on Facebook to prove to her what he was saying was true - kinda got ugly there for a while.
She went over and apologized to him after I showed it to her in writing (she asked to see it, not like I was dumping it down her throat). Everything was cool after that, sort of. Calmed down anyway.
I had seen this on the net before and had given it fleeting thought, but my brother brought it up. He wants to sell his house, buy some property and then build a container house on it. If you've never seen a container house, just google it. It's a house made out of those large, metal shipping containers like you see on trains or ships loaded with them. In other words, he doesn't want to owe money to anyone, including debt on a house.
The reason it intrigued me is an 8X20 container is only 160 square feet. It's big enough to build an efficiency out of - meaning a potential rental unit- but small enough I don't need city approval for it. Anything under 200 square feet you don't have to have city permits and codes don't apply. I'm always thinking of how I can earn some extra money. I think you can get those things pretty cheap. Cost me a couple thousand to turn the inside of it into a rather nice living unit - small but nice and then rent it out for $450 per month and have easy income. That person wouldn't even be in the house - you put a very small bathroom and a very small kitchen in it and then the living room is also the bedroom. This is probably the most viable idea yet and may seriously start to think about doing it. Next year, though, lol, have my hands full until after the New Year's right now.
I'm packed ready to go - scouting expedition for an upcoming hunting trip of a son of an old friend of mine. The son is all grown up, mid 20's I'm guess, married and 2 kids. But avid hunter, totally into it, just the kind of person I have been looking for to learn from! So, around 7:30 am tomorrow I'm taking off. It's not even that far away, less than 90 miles from here to Globe. I would call Globe sort of "mid-mountains". It's in the mountains but not that high elevation. However, where we are going is right there, next to it, a mountain range shooting up, though don't know the elevation. So pretty cool that he found a place that close to go deer and elk hunting. His motion activated cameras have caught quite a number of deer on deer crossings.
Girlfriend is having company over today. Before that occurred, however, the older boys blew up and were fighting each other. The 14 year old started trouble with the 17 year old, who ended up breaking a broomstick over his head. The 14 year old punched a hole through the wall with his fist and made stupid threats at the 17 year old. Then he went upstairs and took the 17 year old's clothing, apparently all of it, threw it into a shower and turned the water on. Supposedly he came down and apologized. Meanwhile, the 12 year old boy was throwing conniptions because he refused to clean up the kitchen so mom took away his new shoes. 5 times this boy came down and had hissy-fits but each time flatly refused to clean the kitchen (that is his assigned daily chore around the house).
I don't know how that ended. What I do know is the 15 year old boy did not get involved with any of it. This is the one that has been contacting me and me him after he started contacting me first. I've been talking to him about his attitude, especially with his mother. Whether I have anything to do with today's deal and him not getting involved in all of that, I have no idea, but I congratulated him anyway on a Facebook message.
That's it. I'm going to Walmart in a couple of hours to see if I can snag a big screen tv for mom. Not a Christmas gift, she asked if I could get it for her. Sure, I said, why not. I can try, anyway. They are open at 6, which isn't really good and I hate supporting this kind of idea that a store should be open on Thanksgiving, but I am going out of town in the morning and I won't be around for any deals. And anyway, if you want that deal, better be there when they open their doors - though - Walmart has a 1 hour guarantee. So even if they don't have it, they guarantee you will have it before Christmas.
Whatever. I"m going to take a short nap before heading over there, turkey made me sleepy, just need a 30 or so minute nap to take the edge off.
G'day.
ben
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
The Everlasting Work Day.
There is nothing else to call it.
There was one small delivery today, the rest of the day was filled with - nothing. Just nothing. Boring, unending, almost tormenting. When I'm at work, I want to work! It makes the day go by quickly and it's over before you know it. Not when there's nothing to do. It's just agonizing. Seriously. That's a lot of hours to burn with nothing to do.
Plus I was tired. I didn't sleep well - woke up in the middle of the night which is nothing new but didn't get back to sleep for a long time. So, dragging feet and nothing to do, makes for a very, very long day.
The moods around there are up and down and up and down related to kids, so many of them, how they are talking to and treating her and however she responds to it.
Whatever, I'm just worn out. I think I am going to go to bed early tonight.
ben
There is nothing else to call it.
There was one small delivery today, the rest of the day was filled with - nothing. Just nothing. Boring, unending, almost tormenting. When I'm at work, I want to work! It makes the day go by quickly and it's over before you know it. Not when there's nothing to do. It's just agonizing. Seriously. That's a lot of hours to burn with nothing to do.
Plus I was tired. I didn't sleep well - woke up in the middle of the night which is nothing new but didn't get back to sleep for a long time. So, dragging feet and nothing to do, makes for a very, very long day.
The moods around there are up and down and up and down related to kids, so many of them, how they are talking to and treating her and however she responds to it.
Whatever, I'm just worn out. I think I am going to go to bed early tonight.
ben
Monday, November 25, 2013
Never a dull moment with her family. Older kids with attitudes, one of which she is kicking out - she is so pissy and foul-laced that I know I would eventually do the same thing after listening to that kind of attitude every single time talking "together". The oldest boy still living at home - 17 - won't do anything including going outside and getting wood for the fire. The high there today is going to be 37 degrees, she asked him to do that last night and he refused.
She is just biding her time with him, if his tude' doesn't change, she is going to kick him out come end of school year in May. Hard to kick out your kids as soon as they turn 18, but I wouldn't want to live with that kind of abuse, either.
Then the 15 year old was told to go out and check fence line last night. He got mad - it was like 28 degrees outside, but the fenceline had to be checked to ensure the cows won't get out in the cold (why it waited til' dark I have no clue), so he took the pickup, drove like a madman and rolled it in the pasture.
So I was talking to her on FB and she had gotten a call on the phone unbeknownst to me from ex, the people down on the west pasture had called him telling him what had happened. She blew up, was off line for quite a while, came back and got back on and gave a sketchy description of what happened. Then, this boy started a chat with me and I just let him know all about it. In as good a way as possible, but I was pretty blunt with him, talking to him about the way he and his brothers and oldest sister have been treating their mom and what it is doing to her inside of her.
That conversation with that kid went on for quite a while, took advantage of him contacting me, not the other way around but lightened up near the end since he's only 15 years old and can't really keep a person that age in a heavy conversation for too terribly long.
Funny that kid contacted me before talking to anyone else about it. He didn't even like me at first, told his brothers that over and over. At some point he changed his mind about me, told his brothers that who immediately informed their mother.
It's an interesting situation going on over there, that's all I can say.
Whatever the case, it's Monday morning, started the work day - nothing to do again, gag - and only a 3 day work week. Get to leave for 4 days after clocking out on Wednesday. Ohhhh, that I could drive straight to the airport and fly out there. Oh well, not a rich man, gotta keep the trips limited to every 3 months or more.
Anyway, Happy Monday!
lol
G'day.
ben
She is just biding her time with him, if his tude' doesn't change, she is going to kick him out come end of school year in May. Hard to kick out your kids as soon as they turn 18, but I wouldn't want to live with that kind of abuse, either.
Then the 15 year old was told to go out and check fence line last night. He got mad - it was like 28 degrees outside, but the fenceline had to be checked to ensure the cows won't get out in the cold (why it waited til' dark I have no clue), so he took the pickup, drove like a madman and rolled it in the pasture.
So I was talking to her on FB and she had gotten a call on the phone unbeknownst to me from ex, the people down on the west pasture had called him telling him what had happened. She blew up, was off line for quite a while, came back and got back on and gave a sketchy description of what happened. Then, this boy started a chat with me and I just let him know all about it. In as good a way as possible, but I was pretty blunt with him, talking to him about the way he and his brothers and oldest sister have been treating their mom and what it is doing to her inside of her.
That conversation with that kid went on for quite a while, took advantage of him contacting me, not the other way around but lightened up near the end since he's only 15 years old and can't really keep a person that age in a heavy conversation for too terribly long.
Funny that kid contacted me before talking to anyone else about it. He didn't even like me at first, told his brothers that over and over. At some point he changed his mind about me, told his brothers that who immediately informed their mother.
It's an interesting situation going on over there, that's all I can say.
Whatever the case, it's Monday morning, started the work day - nothing to do again, gag - and only a 3 day work week. Get to leave for 4 days after clocking out on Wednesday. Ohhhh, that I could drive straight to the airport and fly out there. Oh well, not a rich man, gotta keep the trips limited to every 3 months or more.
Anyway, Happy Monday!
lol
G'day.
ben
Saturday, November 23, 2013
I've been trying for 2 days to get another entry in, just hasn't happened.
Whatever the case, it's been raining and raining and raining here. Just the kind of downpour I wanted to see happen to really get the ground wet and give my plants a nice, deep watering the kind that only rain can give. More than 24 hour's worth later, I don't suspect I will have to water my plants for at least a week and a half, maybe longer since the temps have cooled down considerably.
Oh, I know why I haven't written an entry: I get to talking to her and I can't break away from it, even for the 10 or 15 it takes to write a good entry.
Work - abysmal. Sloooooooww. We haven't even hit 100k for the month and it's already what, the 23rd of November? That's crazy!
I have half a thought to hit a casino today. I still play an online game daily. The game I am currently playing is the hardest one I have ever encountered. It regularly deals itself 6 and 7 card 21's. It gives itself naturals all the freaking time. I was playing it to rack up cold coins for a trip to Vegas, but I don't really want to go to Vegas anymore. Now I just play it to irritate another person who is on my player's friend's list who is continually trying to get ahead of me. That last time, she got up 25 levels but I made a total comeback and am a couple levels ahead of her.
Oh, well anyway, I haven't tried in a long time and the time is right. Take a hundred bucks in there and see what happens. I've turned $100 in $2,500 and other varying amounts of winnings. Yes, I have lost too but I get up and leave before it gets too carried away, even if I've only been there 20 minutes. If I start really losing, it's just time to go. That was what happened last time, I got down $200, came back up the $200, got up from that table and left. I hadn't been there for probably 30 minutes at most.
It would be nice, though, to win a couple hundred and make another trip out west. Well, at the dates I am looking at, it is costing about $337 with taxes and fees, round trip. She is having such a hard time with the separation that I am looking at my options. If I could come up with that money by next week I could spend 4 days out there. But, I am not going to a casino in desperation, never go in desperation. This is a "want" thing, not a "I need it to pay bills" thing. There isn't a single time, I don't believe, that I have gone to the casino and haven't encountered a person that is in desperate straits and is looking to win big to get them out of the hole they are in.
I have yet to see a single one of those people win anything, instead, they always lose.
A trip out there before New Year's is definitely not a must, it would just be nice, that's all.
Stayed up far too late last night. Like 11:30. We were getting into heavy stuff again but at the point the clock he 11:30, I was too tired to go on with it. That's 2-1/2 to 3 hours past my normal bedtime and now, today, I am paying for it. It's 9am and I don't feel like doing much of anything, even though I just got done doing all kinds of stuff. I am supposed to meet with the pastor later on today, though a definitive time hasn't been set, we are meeting for lunch. All I can say is if my stomach doesn't start feeling better, that encounter is not going to happen.
That's enough. I have more stuff to get done and would like to have it done before it gets too late in the day.
G'day.
ben
Whatever the case, it's been raining and raining and raining here. Just the kind of downpour I wanted to see happen to really get the ground wet and give my plants a nice, deep watering the kind that only rain can give. More than 24 hour's worth later, I don't suspect I will have to water my plants for at least a week and a half, maybe longer since the temps have cooled down considerably.
Oh, I know why I haven't written an entry: I get to talking to her and I can't break away from it, even for the 10 or 15 it takes to write a good entry.
Work - abysmal. Sloooooooww. We haven't even hit 100k for the month and it's already what, the 23rd of November? That's crazy!
I have half a thought to hit a casino today. I still play an online game daily. The game I am currently playing is the hardest one I have ever encountered. It regularly deals itself 6 and 7 card 21's. It gives itself naturals all the freaking time. I was playing it to rack up cold coins for a trip to Vegas, but I don't really want to go to Vegas anymore. Now I just play it to irritate another person who is on my player's friend's list who is continually trying to get ahead of me. That last time, she got up 25 levels but I made a total comeback and am a couple levels ahead of her.
Oh, well anyway, I haven't tried in a long time and the time is right. Take a hundred bucks in there and see what happens. I've turned $100 in $2,500 and other varying amounts of winnings. Yes, I have lost too but I get up and leave before it gets too carried away, even if I've only been there 20 minutes. If I start really losing, it's just time to go. That was what happened last time, I got down $200, came back up the $200, got up from that table and left. I hadn't been there for probably 30 minutes at most.
It would be nice, though, to win a couple hundred and make another trip out west. Well, at the dates I am looking at, it is costing about $337 with taxes and fees, round trip. She is having such a hard time with the separation that I am looking at my options. If I could come up with that money by next week I could spend 4 days out there. But, I am not going to a casino in desperation, never go in desperation. This is a "want" thing, not a "I need it to pay bills" thing. There isn't a single time, I don't believe, that I have gone to the casino and haven't encountered a person that is in desperate straits and is looking to win big to get them out of the hole they are in.
I have yet to see a single one of those people win anything, instead, they always lose.
A trip out there before New Year's is definitely not a must, it would just be nice, that's all.
Stayed up far too late last night. Like 11:30. We were getting into heavy stuff again but at the point the clock he 11:30, I was too tired to go on with it. That's 2-1/2 to 3 hours past my normal bedtime and now, today, I am paying for it. It's 9am and I don't feel like doing much of anything, even though I just got done doing all kinds of stuff. I am supposed to meet with the pastor later on today, though a definitive time hasn't been set, we are meeting for lunch. All I can say is if my stomach doesn't start feeling better, that encounter is not going to happen.
That's enough. I have more stuff to get done and would like to have it done before it gets too late in the day.
G'day.
ben
Thursday, November 21, 2013
"This is kinda heavy but Andrew told ex that Rachel wants to change her name to Rachel (my last name)!"
You want to talk about a mind blower! Andrew is 10 year old boy, Rachael is an 8 year old girl.
This is Rachael:
This would be Andrew:
They both ask continuously about me now. They posed for these pics for me. These kids have been so neglected by their own father that any kind of attention poured out upon them is something that they really haven't experienced from her ex, at all. But for Rachael to already say something that direct about this situation really shook me up this morning. Not in a bad way, just wow, I didn't know I had had that much of an impact on them when I was there. There was SO much to take in, ponder and absorb. But I spent much more time around the 3 little ones than any of the older kids just because she drags them around all over the place all the time, though she also dropped them off at a baby sitter's house several times so we could have time alone.
That's it for this entry, might write another one in a little while, I just have some serious thinking to do here.
You want to talk about a mind blower! Andrew is 10 year old boy, Rachael is an 8 year old girl.
This is Rachael:
They both ask continuously about me now. They posed for these pics for me. These kids have been so neglected by their own father that any kind of attention poured out upon them is something that they really haven't experienced from her ex, at all. But for Rachael to already say something that direct about this situation really shook me up this morning. Not in a bad way, just wow, I didn't know I had had that much of an impact on them when I was there. There was SO much to take in, ponder and absorb. But I spent much more time around the 3 little ones than any of the older kids just because she drags them around all over the place all the time, though she also dropped them off at a baby sitter's house several times so we could have time alone.
That's it for this entry, might write another one in a little while, I just have some serious thinking to do here.
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Wednesday
Yesterday not very nice at work. Started out with one of the auditors asking me for various credentials, which I didn't mind, but then wanted to get into the truck. I don't care about that either, but stay away from the controls and don't mess with anything. She couldn't find the fuel card so I found it for her and forgot that I had left my pin number for the fuel card in with it. So I got b***** out for that, blah blah blah. A locked truck sitting in a locked, gated, fenced yard, the fuel card sitting inside of a pouch hidden underneath the seat.
Whatever. The worst was yet to come, however, after I called a contractor to tell him I was going to be leaving soon and was there anyone at the jobsite to take the equipment off? The "man" immediately starts cussing me out, letting out several f bombs, calling me stupid and all kinds of stuff that I need not go into here, pretty vulgar though. He was angry because I was about to take a water pumping machine out there and they had no way of taking it off of there and that he had told us to tow it behind a pickup, not haul it on a semi flatbed.
Of course, I knew nothing of this, my manager knew nothing about it, there wasn't anything from the salesman in his email that noted this and it wasn't included in the comments section in the truck routing system. Well, this guy just wouldn't quit. I wanted to tell him off, REALLY wanted to tell him where to stick it, but my company wouldn't have liked that too much, so I really had to bite my tongue and just tell him that we knew nothing about this but we would be happy to tow the thing out there with a pickup.
I was fuming though. There was no good reason for this guy to get so upset. Even if I had shown up out there with it on the truck, the worst that would happen would be to haul it back and do it however they wanted it done. But we hadn't even left the yard yet! I refuse to put up with another episode of this with this contractor. This is not the first run-in I've had with him over the years, albeit this was definitely and by far the worst.
That wasn't the end of it, though. So, while we were waiting for word from the salesman on how he wanted us to deal with this, I went and made another delivery. I had the rest of the materials for that pump still on the truck but had removed the pump from the semi. The other materials weren't exactly heavy, but bulky, no way it would fit in apickup truck, not even close. So the ops manager calls me and tells me that they are okay to deliver the rest of the piping and then come back and get the pump. I get to the jobsite - the WRONG jobsite was listed on the paperwork, I find out at the jobsite with the foreman there calling this idiot that cussed me out that morning who was obviously making remarks about it to the foreman in noting the little snickers and laughs. I just blew that off, headed over to the other jobsite and then finally the salesman calls me.
Ummm, Allen just called and said you were at wrong jobsite and to have you head over to the other one. As if I were stupid. I immediately gave him a serious dose of his own medicine, since it was HIS screwup that he didn't bother to tell us the thing should have been towed over there. He then stated that yes, that was his screwup but the address wasn't, Allen had told him to have it delivered there.
Whatever. Then I get on the phone with my manager who tried to call me and told me to call back - the truck's hands free device is a piece of garbage and doesn't work too well - so when I called back the third time, he was all pissed about that. Fine. Whenever something pressing on the road, the manager is supposed to answer the call immediately and if not, only because he is either on another line or doesn't have the phone with him. I just let that one go too, but noting that in the future? I'll just call once and then I will make my own decision and then reference him to his sourness towards me yesterday.
Then got back and he was further upset by the pin number thing that dinged the store's score. Well, he made his own blunders that the store got dinged for too.
Whatever, putting yesterday behind me but writing about it helps to vent, also worked out hard yesterday afternoon trying to just release the steam.
Whatever the case, time to go to work!
G'day.
ben
Yesterday not very nice at work. Started out with one of the auditors asking me for various credentials, which I didn't mind, but then wanted to get into the truck. I don't care about that either, but stay away from the controls and don't mess with anything. She couldn't find the fuel card so I found it for her and forgot that I had left my pin number for the fuel card in with it. So I got b***** out for that, blah blah blah. A locked truck sitting in a locked, gated, fenced yard, the fuel card sitting inside of a pouch hidden underneath the seat.
Whatever. The worst was yet to come, however, after I called a contractor to tell him I was going to be leaving soon and was there anyone at the jobsite to take the equipment off? The "man" immediately starts cussing me out, letting out several f bombs, calling me stupid and all kinds of stuff that I need not go into here, pretty vulgar though. He was angry because I was about to take a water pumping machine out there and they had no way of taking it off of there and that he had told us to tow it behind a pickup, not haul it on a semi flatbed.
Of course, I knew nothing of this, my manager knew nothing about it, there wasn't anything from the salesman in his email that noted this and it wasn't included in the comments section in the truck routing system. Well, this guy just wouldn't quit. I wanted to tell him off, REALLY wanted to tell him where to stick it, but my company wouldn't have liked that too much, so I really had to bite my tongue and just tell him that we knew nothing about this but we would be happy to tow the thing out there with a pickup.
I was fuming though. There was no good reason for this guy to get so upset. Even if I had shown up out there with it on the truck, the worst that would happen would be to haul it back and do it however they wanted it done. But we hadn't even left the yard yet! I refuse to put up with another episode of this with this contractor. This is not the first run-in I've had with him over the years, albeit this was definitely and by far the worst.
That wasn't the end of it, though. So, while we were waiting for word from the salesman on how he wanted us to deal with this, I went and made another delivery. I had the rest of the materials for that pump still on the truck but had removed the pump from the semi. The other materials weren't exactly heavy, but bulky, no way it would fit in apickup truck, not even close. So the ops manager calls me and tells me that they are okay to deliver the rest of the piping and then come back and get the pump. I get to the jobsite - the WRONG jobsite was listed on the paperwork, I find out at the jobsite with the foreman there calling this idiot that cussed me out that morning who was obviously making remarks about it to the foreman in noting the little snickers and laughs. I just blew that off, headed over to the other jobsite and then finally the salesman calls me.
Ummm, Allen just called and said you were at wrong jobsite and to have you head over to the other one. As if I were stupid. I immediately gave him a serious dose of his own medicine, since it was HIS screwup that he didn't bother to tell us the thing should have been towed over there. He then stated that yes, that was his screwup but the address wasn't, Allen had told him to have it delivered there.
Whatever. Then I get on the phone with my manager who tried to call me and told me to call back - the truck's hands free device is a piece of garbage and doesn't work too well - so when I called back the third time, he was all pissed about that. Fine. Whenever something pressing on the road, the manager is supposed to answer the call immediately and if not, only because he is either on another line or doesn't have the phone with him. I just let that one go too, but noting that in the future? I'll just call once and then I will make my own decision and then reference him to his sourness towards me yesterday.
Then got back and he was further upset by the pin number thing that dinged the store's score. Well, he made his own blunders that the store got dinged for too.
Whatever, putting yesterday behind me but writing about it helps to vent, also worked out hard yesterday afternoon trying to just release the steam.
Whatever the case, time to go to work!
G'day.
ben
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Anyway, Sunday morning, fixing to get ready to go to church. I am listening to the sound of the hummingbird out there chattering away, not sure what his problem is this morning. He was grazing my head out there yesterday and telling me about the feeder, which I refilled just before dark last night, so he should be a happy camper. But he's kind of a moody thing. Anytime other hummingbirds try to come and take a drink off of his feeder, he gets pretty upset and starts fighting with them.
As for the Lady, she's opening up quite a lot now. It has taken her some time to wrap her mind around the fact that there is actually a person out there that wants to hear all of it, let her vent 20 years worth of crap and attempt to help her navigate through all the emotion, fear, and denial. She's just been cramming it in for a long time and letting nothing out to anyone because no-one, not even her own family - wants to hear about it and has condemned her the entire time. When you hear about the father of all of those kids saying "those are your kids, you wanted them so now you deal with them", you know that marriage was not a very good one.
It can get pretty intense and draining at times, but I think worth it to bear with her through all of it and hopefully somewhere down the line, be healed and delivered from that garbage and able to walk in the freedom the Lord wants her to have through and in Him.
I expect that some of these conversations are going to be heavy and intense for sometime to come.
Regardless, time to go get ready for church!
Happy Sunday!
ben
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Saturday
Trip is finalized.
I didn't want to wait until closer to the holiday season to buy airfare, I can only imagine the planes filling up and no seats left and/or the prices going up dramatically.
I ended up putting it all on a credit card and then making a payment to the card account for half of what it cost from my checking account. Just the time of month it is and other expenses I have had leaving me a bit lean on the money side, so didn't want to pay for it fully in cash.
She has finally let on fully the situation between us to her kids. Some of the older boys are pretty messed up in their heads, she didn't want to come out with this too soon, ie: this isn't real and we aren't going there. This second trip should be a little less stressful - I know what's going on over there, I have broken the ice with most of the kids - I know what the house looks like and the condition it's in - but these are not deterrents to me, not if the relationship is right. Her PDA rule around the kids - in the house - is off now. Which is good for me because hugging and holding hands and all that wasn't "allowed" to be done around the kids, which we were around a lot of the time. The kids figured it out anyway, but wanted an official "statement" of boyfriend/girlfriend this morning from her.
Not to mention half of them are telling me they love me now, anyway, lol. Not that I told them that, first, either! We're kinda getting swept along with the current here, at some point, at least for me, there is no turning back. I haven't arrived there yet and I don't know how much longer or at what point that line will be at, but I would have to say it's certainly within seeing distance. Just holding back enough to see this all unfold without any commitment to engagement or marriage. I still want to make sure this is right for both of us and that we are really going to be good for and with each other.
I was talking with the 17 year old today on Facebook - and yes I always let her know about it if there is any contact with them. I'm just trying to break the ice with that kid cause' he's not a talker - at all - and it takes a while for him to get comfortable around people. He was pretty standoffish when I was there last but from all indicators that is much less true now than it was. He's into video games, I am fairly well versed in that having had a son around that was totally into it so I can relate a bit.
As for another scenario unfolding. My old friend's son - he's in his mid 20's I think. He is an avid hunter, the son, and I friended him on Facebook a week ago and threw out the idea of going hunting with him. He wasn't really "all over that" at first, but last night on an exchange with him on his Facebook wall, he WAS all over it. He hunts whatever, wherever, but mostly into Javelina, Deer and Elk hunting. Whatta rush that would be to bag an Elk!! What a chore it would be to try to get it loaded into a pickup, even IF you have it quartered! I am pursuing this with him because I really want to learn how to hunt and more importantly, how to skin and dress the animal after you have it down.
He informed me that some day in the future we would go and we would sit around a campfire and drink some tequila and enjoy God's creation. Well, I can do a shot or two of tequila, beyond that I'm toast. If there is one thing in life I do NOT want to do, it's get drunk. I lose complete control of myself and I feel like s*** the next day, all day and it's just not that great a thing to do. Been there, done that and not doing retakes. But it sounds like a fun time anyway. I don't care if he gets drunk, help yourself. For those that would judge that, sorry folks, but I am not God and I cannot change people's hearts, only God through the Holy Spirit by the preaching of the Word can do that. If a person wants to get drunk, I am not going to even begin to try to stop them, but if they get really stupid while they are drunk, I don't want to be around them. I don't get that he gets stupid and belligerent while drinking, at least not after the interchange last night because he had already been drinking. I would rather do it with someone from my past that I least know somewhat then trying to find a complete stranger to go with. And anyway, from his account and his siblings, their dad forsook them long ago, wants nothing to do with them and has not contact with them at all.
It's utterly amazing how much of that is going on in our society nowadays. This is almost exactly what is going on with the lady's ex. He wants very little to do with his kids and it shows, glaringly. They all know it, too. The 17 year old despises him and wants nothing to do with him. The 18 year old girl plays him for his money, if he didn't have any, I doubt she would have anything to do with him, either. Just guessing on that one though.
Well anyway, hopefully there is a hunting date somewhere on the calendar next year. But I guess I am going to have to get a 30.30 hunting rifle with a high powered scope among other things. I've seen them advertised used online for various prices. Probably start off at the lower end of the pricing range. I wasn't sure about the difference between a 30-30 and a 30.06, but the net has educated me. 30-30 less powerful and good up to around 300 yards the 30.06 more powerful, more recoil but good up to around 500 yards. They'll both take down a deer or elk, just one will do it at a further distance than the other.
The other thing this guy is good at is finding them. I am a totally teachable person when it comes to learning something I want to learn, I don't care how old or young the person doing the teaching is as long as they know what they are talking about. He finds them, downs them, skins/quarters them, eats them! That's enough for me! 3 managers went out hunting a couple of weekends ago for deer and snagged - nothing. Their exclusive manager's club, I like to call it, where they will go on outings with each other but the rest of us dweebs are nothingness. All fine and dandy, I don't know that they know hunting that well anyway. If you are going to learn, might as well learn from someone who is good at it.
Lazy Saturday for me. About to go out and get some yardwork done. Nothing much to do in the house for chores excepting stuff that costs money and nothing that is on the priority list.
G'day.
ben
I didn't want to wait until closer to the holiday season to buy airfare, I can only imagine the planes filling up and no seats left and/or the prices going up dramatically.
I ended up putting it all on a credit card and then making a payment to the card account for half of what it cost from my checking account. Just the time of month it is and other expenses I have had leaving me a bit lean on the money side, so didn't want to pay for it fully in cash.
She has finally let on fully the situation between us to her kids. Some of the older boys are pretty messed up in their heads, she didn't want to come out with this too soon, ie: this isn't real and we aren't going there. This second trip should be a little less stressful - I know what's going on over there, I have broken the ice with most of the kids - I know what the house looks like and the condition it's in - but these are not deterrents to me, not if the relationship is right. Her PDA rule around the kids - in the house - is off now. Which is good for me because hugging and holding hands and all that wasn't "allowed" to be done around the kids, which we were around a lot of the time. The kids figured it out anyway, but wanted an official "statement" of boyfriend/girlfriend this morning from her.
Not to mention half of them are telling me they love me now, anyway, lol. Not that I told them that, first, either! We're kinda getting swept along with the current here, at some point, at least for me, there is no turning back. I haven't arrived there yet and I don't know how much longer or at what point that line will be at, but I would have to say it's certainly within seeing distance. Just holding back enough to see this all unfold without any commitment to engagement or marriage. I still want to make sure this is right for both of us and that we are really going to be good for and with each other.
I was talking with the 17 year old today on Facebook - and yes I always let her know about it if there is any contact with them. I'm just trying to break the ice with that kid cause' he's not a talker - at all - and it takes a while for him to get comfortable around people. He was pretty standoffish when I was there last but from all indicators that is much less true now than it was. He's into video games, I am fairly well versed in that having had a son around that was totally into it so I can relate a bit.
As for another scenario unfolding. My old friend's son - he's in his mid 20's I think. He is an avid hunter, the son, and I friended him on Facebook a week ago and threw out the idea of going hunting with him. He wasn't really "all over that" at first, but last night on an exchange with him on his Facebook wall, he WAS all over it. He hunts whatever, wherever, but mostly into Javelina, Deer and Elk hunting. Whatta rush that would be to bag an Elk!! What a chore it would be to try to get it loaded into a pickup, even IF you have it quartered! I am pursuing this with him because I really want to learn how to hunt and more importantly, how to skin and dress the animal after you have it down.
He informed me that some day in the future we would go and we would sit around a campfire and drink some tequila and enjoy God's creation. Well, I can do a shot or two of tequila, beyond that I'm toast. If there is one thing in life I do NOT want to do, it's get drunk. I lose complete control of myself and I feel like s*** the next day, all day and it's just not that great a thing to do. Been there, done that and not doing retakes. But it sounds like a fun time anyway. I don't care if he gets drunk, help yourself. For those that would judge that, sorry folks, but I am not God and I cannot change people's hearts, only God through the Holy Spirit by the preaching of the Word can do that. If a person wants to get drunk, I am not going to even begin to try to stop them, but if they get really stupid while they are drunk, I don't want to be around them. I don't get that he gets stupid and belligerent while drinking, at least not after the interchange last night because he had already been drinking. I would rather do it with someone from my past that I least know somewhat then trying to find a complete stranger to go with. And anyway, from his account and his siblings, their dad forsook them long ago, wants nothing to do with them and has not contact with them at all.
It's utterly amazing how much of that is going on in our society nowadays. This is almost exactly what is going on with the lady's ex. He wants very little to do with his kids and it shows, glaringly. They all know it, too. The 17 year old despises him and wants nothing to do with him. The 18 year old girl plays him for his money, if he didn't have any, I doubt she would have anything to do with him, either. Just guessing on that one though.
Well anyway, hopefully there is a hunting date somewhere on the calendar next year. But I guess I am going to have to get a 30.30 hunting rifle with a high powered scope among other things. I've seen them advertised used online for various prices. Probably start off at the lower end of the pricing range. I wasn't sure about the difference between a 30-30 and a 30.06, but the net has educated me. 30-30 less powerful and good up to around 300 yards the 30.06 more powerful, more recoil but good up to around 500 yards. They'll both take down a deer or elk, just one will do it at a further distance than the other.
The other thing this guy is good at is finding them. I am a totally teachable person when it comes to learning something I want to learn, I don't care how old or young the person doing the teaching is as long as they know what they are talking about. He finds them, downs them, skins/quarters them, eats them! That's enough for me! 3 managers went out hunting a couple of weekends ago for deer and snagged - nothing. Their exclusive manager's club, I like to call it, where they will go on outings with each other but the rest of us dweebs are nothingness. All fine and dandy, I don't know that they know hunting that well anyway. If you are going to learn, might as well learn from someone who is good at it.
Lazy Saturday for me. About to go out and get some yardwork done. Nothing much to do in the house for chores excepting stuff that costs money and nothing that is on the priority list.
G'day.
ben
Thursday, November 14, 2013
This is the kind of thing I am referring to when talking about the situation at her house.
The oldest boy that is still living at home - there is an even older one who is currently in the Navy - was asked last night to build a fire in the fireplace.
She is attempting to save money on electric and use the fireplace for heat versus turning the electric heating on. The boy complains about how cold it is upstairs. I will say here that I keep my heat on at a very minimum range during the winter at night, at night only. Just enough to keep it from getting too cold in the house, not enough to have my electric use sky rocket. And no, no-one is allowed to use a space heater and if someone were without my knowledge, it would be immediately known to me that someone is doing something by simply looking at the daily electric usage.
The boy - 17 years old - starts complaining that there isn't any firewood. Well, I was just there, there are over 3 cords of wood outside, already cut, ready to be used. Some of it is well seasoned, very easy to start a fire with. He then complains that there is no kindling - again, house surrounded by trees, some of them pines dropping cones and needles, plenty of kindling close to the house. He didn't want to go outside and get the wood or the kindling. She asks him again. He flatly refuses and walks upstairs to his room.
That is actually tame to some of the other stuff, but to give an idea of what kind of atmosphere a man that doesn't care about his own kids creates after years of both neglect and abuse. Abuse in the form of constant yelling and cussing at the kids. He still doesn't care after the divorce and living away from all of it to the tune that he intentionally rented a small apartment so they couldn't come over for extended visits and so that none of them could move in with him. One of them called him the other day declaring he wanted to move in. The lady was telling him he couldn't go with 2 girls alone on a date. He's only 15 years old, this is pretty easy to figure out. He gets mad at her but dad says no, you aren't moving in with me.
Whatever. This kind of thing apparently happens just about every day there. I wouldn't know, I only saw minor outbursts when I was there but I am not sure why they weren't acting out in my presence. I'm not their daddy, I have no parental control over them so I am not sure. She did tell me yesterday that I have "quite the following" in her kids, but that doesn't include all of them.
Well, whatever. It's Thursday, I'm trying to figure out what I am going to do with this coming weekend. The temps are supposed to go back down again. It's pretty crazy to have to be running the AC in the daytime considering it's near the middle of November. That is not normal weather, even for here. It shouldn't be this warm this late in the year.
I had half thoughts of going up north, but I don't really feel like using the fuel money. I am cutting some corners at this point in trying to gather enough money to buy airfare. That has to be done upfront before anything else. It will stifle any plans to do any Black Friday shopping, but I wasn't really planning on doing that this year anyway. Unless there is something I see that is too good a deal to pass up, though. You never know. I don't need another laptop but I wouldn't mind snagging an MP3 player if the price were right for a good one. I have never owned one but always wanted one.
I will, in reality, probably just stay home and get some things done outside. Not a lot left to do, but there is some de-weeding and grass pulling that needs to occur. The hummingbird is cranking on me to refill the container, there should be enough for him to last through today though. That bird chirps at me whenever it is getting low, I'm not imagining it, I have encountered that thing doing it too many times now. It will buzz my head and fly around me and if I am sitting outside it will come up to a tree near me and just sit there. Amazing, really!
Enough.
G'day.
ben
The oldest boy that is still living at home - there is an even older one who is currently in the Navy - was asked last night to build a fire in the fireplace.
She is attempting to save money on electric and use the fireplace for heat versus turning the electric heating on. The boy complains about how cold it is upstairs. I will say here that I keep my heat on at a very minimum range during the winter at night, at night only. Just enough to keep it from getting too cold in the house, not enough to have my electric use sky rocket. And no, no-one is allowed to use a space heater and if someone were without my knowledge, it would be immediately known to me that someone is doing something by simply looking at the daily electric usage.
The boy - 17 years old - starts complaining that there isn't any firewood. Well, I was just there, there are over 3 cords of wood outside, already cut, ready to be used. Some of it is well seasoned, very easy to start a fire with. He then complains that there is no kindling - again, house surrounded by trees, some of them pines dropping cones and needles, plenty of kindling close to the house. He didn't want to go outside and get the wood or the kindling. She asks him again. He flatly refuses and walks upstairs to his room.
That is actually tame to some of the other stuff, but to give an idea of what kind of atmosphere a man that doesn't care about his own kids creates after years of both neglect and abuse. Abuse in the form of constant yelling and cussing at the kids. He still doesn't care after the divorce and living away from all of it to the tune that he intentionally rented a small apartment so they couldn't come over for extended visits and so that none of them could move in with him. One of them called him the other day declaring he wanted to move in. The lady was telling him he couldn't go with 2 girls alone on a date. He's only 15 years old, this is pretty easy to figure out. He gets mad at her but dad says no, you aren't moving in with me.
Whatever. This kind of thing apparently happens just about every day there. I wouldn't know, I only saw minor outbursts when I was there but I am not sure why they weren't acting out in my presence. I'm not their daddy, I have no parental control over them so I am not sure. She did tell me yesterday that I have "quite the following" in her kids, but that doesn't include all of them.
Well, whatever. It's Thursday, I'm trying to figure out what I am going to do with this coming weekend. The temps are supposed to go back down again. It's pretty crazy to have to be running the AC in the daytime considering it's near the middle of November. That is not normal weather, even for here. It shouldn't be this warm this late in the year.
I had half thoughts of going up north, but I don't really feel like using the fuel money. I am cutting some corners at this point in trying to gather enough money to buy airfare. That has to be done upfront before anything else. It will stifle any plans to do any Black Friday shopping, but I wasn't really planning on doing that this year anyway. Unless there is something I see that is too good a deal to pass up, though. You never know. I don't need another laptop but I wouldn't mind snagging an MP3 player if the price were right for a good one. I have never owned one but always wanted one.
I will, in reality, probably just stay home and get some things done outside. Not a lot left to do, but there is some de-weeding and grass pulling that needs to occur. The hummingbird is cranking on me to refill the container, there should be enough for him to last through today though. That bird chirps at me whenever it is getting low, I'm not imagining it, I have encountered that thing doing it too many times now. It will buzz my head and fly around me and if I am sitting outside it will come up to a tree near me and just sit there. Amazing, really!
Enough.
G'day.
ben
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)