My HP desktop just now fires up, gets me on the net in a minute.  My laptop? Yeah, the one I have been complaining about a long time - takes 5 to 15 minutes on average.  Yup, I was going to replace it long ago, other things took precedence.  I was just amazed, walking into my bedroom and turning this thing on, how fast it got going compared to that pile of junk I was using this morning on previous entry before I hit the road. 

The amount of lunacy and stupidity on the road seems to increase at exponential rates.  I am so tired of putting up with other motorists driving like animals in a lab experiment.  

Anyway, I made it home well in time to get a good night's sleep and get out there tomorrow and get the marking done.  It dawned on me that marking the corners is not enough.  I also need to mark the pads - I don't want the pads square in the middle of the lots, I want them offset.  People don't use the driver side of the rig for anything but hookups. All of their outdoor activities are on the passenger side.  20 feet on the passenger side, 10 feet wide pad and 10 feet on the driver's side.  I wouldn't even do 10 feet on the driver's side but - think about it this way.  

The people on the lot next to them on the driver's side will have their 20 feet plus 10 more feet on the next pad over before any involvement with the next door neighbor.  People complain about small lots so much and so often and in such great quantities that that is not something I will be changing my  mind on. Well, I take that back, I was originally at 30 foot wide lots, then 35, then 40.  I'm stopped at 40.  Much more and I won't be getting 60 lots after I eventually get it all done on that land.  

The point is the utilities are on the driver's side and also I want hedges there as well.  Just need enough space for that.  My pads will be 10 feet wide and probably all 70 feet long.  Gravel costs are going to be high on this project, I don't really want to think about that right now, lol.  

I'll try to get the lots marked tomorrow and then find out what the contractor's timeline is.  I'm going to push him to get this done is what I will say right now.  I also want to find someone to come out and just flatten out the front of the property so I can have a bush hog go through and clean it up. Or - get the weeds off completely while they're flattening it and plant grass seed.  Which is a better idea, but I have to be conscious of the amount of cash I am spending  and how much I have in the bank to pay for everything and how much I want in the bank after it's all said and done.  

Tomorrow's list:

Go to property, dog and 5 year old in tow (Taylor is going for a job interview and can't be dragging a child with her) and mark out the lots.

Call the shop with my ATV and lawn mower and find out where we're at.

Haircut - yes, the important things in life.

Call the county and ask why they haven't done anything about the rotten, 75 foot tall tree

Call the gas company and find out when (not if) they are hauling gravel over there to redo the driveway-if they say they aren't going to do it, I may offer to pay half - if they still say no, I'm likely going to take them to court since they've already set the precedent that they would have a driveway made with gravel. I'm not talking about court with them until I have exhausted every other effort to get them to do it. 

Bank run - savings thing I posted about in a previous post

Write a letter to the owner of the properties next door that are along the driveway - he owns all 4 of them plus more behind them - and see if he is interested in selling any of it. In particular, 2 smaller lots, one of which is .75 acres and the other 1 acre.  

..and other more minor things but the day will be filled up and will be gone before I knew it started.  

I have been searching out deals on a small "shed" building, but I'm not pulling the trigger on that just yet. Soon, but not yet.  I haven't decided whether that thing should be at the front of the property or next to the lots.  I'm thinking the front since it's closer to electricity and internet setup.  Just a lot to think about right now, yet, there is no reason to start any of that until I see that they are starting the utility installation.  

Once I see a crew out there digging out a hole for the septic vaults and trenches for water, sewer and power lines, then it's time to start working on a host of other things.  Life will get far more busy than it already is.  

Yeah my mind has been wandering all over the place. There is a lot to consider.

 Another late night drive last night - with heavy rain thrown in.  The last 10 miles of the drive were in a construction zone with a concrete divider which was causing the water to pool up on the roadway, forcing everyone to slow down.

Everyone, that is, except an idiot truck driver who came zooming past me, got about 100 feet past and then started losing control of his truck.  Yes, it's called hydroplaning you dumb - well anyway, I watched this circus on wheels as he's slamming on his brakes and trying to regain control of his truck.

I was thankful my day was over and I was only a few miles from the exit to get to the truck stop that I normally try to make it to on the second day of this particular trip.  It leaves me with around 600 miles to go, which is nice because if I run into problems, I have extra minutes versus stopping at another place 50 miles north of here.  These are the only 2 truck stops in this entire corridor that you will find some place to park at the time of night I'm trying to find a spot.  

Parking is still and issue and I suspect with Elogs, it is a permanent problem that will likely see no relief anytime soon. Supposedly the federal government is looking into building parking lots all over the place - it was an idea that I have had and still would like to follow through with if I could find a couple of acres to use.  I don't even have to own the property, just rent it and see what happens.  If I could find a place big enough for say, 500 trucks - parking only, nothing else - and charge $6 or so per night, I am betting I could make a nice profit even with an attendant on sight.  I'm not really sure how I would handle the payments and enforcement of such without having a human sitting out there in a guard shack taking those payments.  

It's not that I would mind paying someone to do the job, it's finding someone to do the job that is at issue. Right now, in our town and surrounding area, employers are begging for people to come work for them and are raising their hourly rates to try and get people to even come apply, much more work.  

I did have to laugh - inwardly anyway - at the contractor thinking that paying $20 per hour for a driver was a "lot of money".  $160 per day X 5 is only $800 per week and that's before taxes.  I get that he has to be able to make a profit, but in the world of trucking, you are going to have to start thinking differently. People want to make enough money to not only live off of, but also to have a life beyond trucking.  This is why I think to myself, even if all I got was Oklahoma runs, I would be far better off than many of these local drivers that work all day long, yes they get to go home at night, but they are really not much better off than me.  

In reality, that contractor would have to bare minimum pay $25 per hour to attract any talent and more like $30.  Even then, it's only $1,200 per week, but that's a bit more palatable than $800 for working 5 days a week, all day long, sweating and working your butt off - he isn't just going to have that person drive a truck, no construction contractor ever does that.  You are going to be in ditches or operating equipment or whatever.

I had given thought to that job is the only reason I am going this far into it.  At least he IS - right there - in my town.  He goes out of town into surrounding communities, of course, but nothing more than probably 40 or 50 miles.  

The weather today? Well, it may play into whether I make it back to the yard tonight or not.  It looks like the worst of the red cells will disappear (radar) but it's still going to be raining. The upside is that it's Sunday and that usually means much easier traveling.  I'm going to try to make it back today, yes I am and hope that I don't get a run tomorrow so I can get out there and mark off the lots.  At least get the corners of each lot marked off and then contact the contractor and see what he does for the actual pads for the RV's to park on.  I want them offset and I may just go ahead and mark off at least one of the pads to ensure he understands how I want it done.  

I wish I were there right now so I could see if there is any standing water on the cleared off section. I really don't believe there will be because there is a slight grade and all the areas where water could pool before are now flattened out.  I'd also like to see how the water is running over the trails or if there are any spots where I need to install a drainage pipe under the ground. I don't want standing water on anything where I intend on having people staying or walking, including the tent campgrounds.  

Not too concerned about tent campgrounds right now - it's too hot for people to want to camp outdoors like that, at least in my mind.  There is no electricity back there - yet - though some day I would definitely like to get a line run back there.  

I slept great last night - for almost 6 hours than woke up this morning and couldn't get back to sleep, ugh.  It makes for a long day. Oh, my mom is hitching a ride up to the mountain property with my brother who also has a place up there.  They are staying up there 2 weeks. So, mom doesn't have to stay in the valley for the rest of her life, at least.  She is very grateful for my brother doing that for her, she can no longer legitimately drive with her vision problem and that's got to be a very hard psychological blow.  The ability to get ones' self around, mobility, is a freedom that probably most of us take for granted.  She has been driving all the way up until now, I suspect even her short trips to the grocery store are going to go by the wayside, she will either have to Uber or get someone to take her.  

This will motivate me to get my eyes checked as frequently as the eye doctor tells me to for the rest of my life.  Glaucoma can be treated successfully, from everything I have read, if caught early enough.  I still think she should sue the pants off the "eye doctor" that somehow missed the fact that she had glaucoma developing and could have prevented this situation altogether.  But, I understand at her age she doesn't want to fool with it.  

Anyway, departure time almost here, need to get ready to drive.

G'day. 

 The older I get, the less I am liking these late night drives where you're up until the wee hours of the morning attempting to get the trip over with, get the product to the customer and get home.  It was a very long day yesterday and I don't find any enjoyment fighting to stay awake, listening to music, blasting cold air, etc, in the attempts to stay awake.  

I can't even start driving until around 11:30 am today, which means another late day, at least until around 11:00 - 12 midnight.  

My manager was telling me the dispatch manager is as cold as ice after I asked him if that's the way she normally is?  Yup, there is no chit chat and she is all about business and literally nothing else.  I didn't really get that she was that way from the texts and phone calls I've had with her.  Those interactions are short and obviously don't give a real feel of how a person actually is socially.

Whatever the case, he was asking what kind of business I'm starting, of which I told him.  Starting out small, that's what I have the money for. He went right off into SBA loans.  Yes, I replied, I have the mountain of paperwork at home. I just got through - or it feels like I just got through with anyway - doing 2 separate loans and looking at all the info they want for the SBA loan, I decided to take a break from that.  I do believe I will eventually try to get an SBA loan, but I want to get the business going first and see what happens.  I'd also like to see if the property next door - just filled with trees, nothing on it - might be possible to buy. The owner has had it a long time and is doing nothing with it.  

Anyway, it's supposed to rain today and tomorrow - I have my doubts about making this a 3 day trip, but I'm sure going to try.  

Small plots of land next to my property, one is an acre the other is .75 acres and the third is 3.5 acres, all owned by the same person, all undeveloped.

I'm going to write this person - found his address on the tax rolls - and see if he's interested in selling any of them.

Meanwhile? It's time to get ready to drive.

G'day. 

 Every time something is completed, a new set of problems arises that have to be dealt with.  

In this case, maintaining the pathways that cost me short of 2k to complete. I'm not complaining about the amount of money spent, it was actually a bargain deal compared to other quotes and others advertising as high as $3,700 per day. At that rate, it would have cost me $7,400 to complete that job, which in my view, would have been outrageous.  

I'm going to have him out again.  Next time, it will be to try and have a road built to 2 of the campgrounds and a parking area near them for the other 2 campgrounds.  I will probably provide some sort of wagon at the parking area for people to transport their equipment from car/truck to destination.  

Considering at least throwing some grass seed along the trails. It may very well be that the resulting grass will only be able to survive on the sides of the trails, but that would cut down on the amount of vegetation trying to grow back.  Of course, another thought is to put down fabric they sell to restrict vegetation and cover the trails with rock - but that would be very expensive and not in the offing right now.  

Even grass seed is expensive.  Just going to do some research and see what the best cost-benefit solution is.  Interestingly, the Forest service recommends using some sort of gravel - yet I have been on many forest service trails in my youth and adulthood and have seen little in the way of gravel.  Maybe small amounts on some of them but mostly it's dirt with grass or some sort of vegetation on the side of the trail.  

No point in bugging the shop about the ATV, I'm leaving in 3 hours to go to the plant, load and drive clear over to West Virginia and likely won't be back until sometime on Monday.  Just because of the late load time, this really isn't a load they should be setting an appointment time at noon, it means I leave the plant no earlier than 2, meaning I have to drive until 1 am to get anywhere.  I bring up the ATV for at first, until I do something, it's going to have to be the method of keeping vegetation down.  

Yes, I am going to drive through the property today before going to work.  Gives me something to think about while driving.  I figure already that I will need to rent a mini-excavator to dig up the roots and portions of trees that the mulcher couldn't get out.  He tried, I watched him. The machine does what it does, wonderfully, but I knew there were going to be stumps that he just wouldn't be able to get out of the ground.  I mini excavator will dig those up quickly and now that I think of it, will remove all the vegetation and trees as the creek edge that he couldn't get to.  The creek is at least 2-1/2 feet deep, obviously he can't just run his machine over it and I wouldn't have wanted him to.  

Yeah I don't know how much it costs to rent one, but I'm guessing in the $600 - $800 range for a day's use.  Meaning I will need to mark everything out before hand that I need to get done so I can just start the operation without having to search all over the place for the stumps and such.  Meaning - a lot more orange marking paint.  There is a place that rents them locally and I hope will deliver it, it's too heavy for my trailer.  I just need to "beg" for a day off soon - well - I want to mark everything first and then ask for a day off.  Just need to have some time to walk through there and mull over everything.  Yesterday, I was walking at a brisk pace through all of it, just to see what had been accomplished.  

I could use a mini to also level out the campgrounds as well. And there is a hump at one of the trail heads that needs to be leveled out. As I said, I'm going to need time to walk through there and inspect all of it. There's a couple of places that will need a bridge, the creek at the back being the main one but also at the entrance to the trail, about 100 feet in, there is a small creek that will get your shoes nicely muddied if you don't look to step over it.  I personally don't need a bridge there, I just jump over, but for "normal" people who don't want to fool with that, they'll want a bridge.  As I said yesterday, those bridges are pre-built and relatively cheap.  

Now is definitely the time to start developing the trail while the rest of the RV project is slowly working it's way through all the processes/phases to get it done. It will take a while to get the trail to the point where I think it's ready for random people to be walking through it.  Limiting the amount of risks back there is key to keeping liability down.  I imagine an insurance company is going to want to see what kinds of protections I have taken to limit the risks of injury.

One thing for certain is there are several large, dead, rotting trees that I need to cut down back there.  We get lots of thunderstorms coming through this region and lightning strikes have killed off several trees back there.  There is one, giant, beautiful tree in the very back of the property, it is absolutely huge.  You don't see a truck that fat every day.  The limbs growing off that truck are like giant trees themselves.  I'll have to take some pics, tho I did post a video with a view of it.  I want to take a tape measure back there out of sheer curiosity to see how many feet around the trunk is.  Anyway, a few of those rotting trees could fall right over the top of the trail and of course, we can't have that.  

However, the next thing that takes precedence is marking out the RV lots.  They may be out there today digging out that hole, but there is nothing further that can be done until I do the next step.  I could have done it today, but I'm going to be driving almost 11 hours well into the night and I need to reserve my energies and alertness for the drive today.  I don't necessarily trust the contractor to lay it out the way I want it to be laid out.  I'm hoping after I get the first round of lots marked out that there will be room for a third line of them on the west side.  

This property line issue will come back to annoy me down the road. Losing 20 feet of land doesn't sound like much until you get to the point where you - need that land.  However, if I could get enough spaces in, I could simply build lots parallel to the 3rd driveway.  It's nothing I have to address now - but it likely that in the future, a court case will have to take place to determine who is right and who is wrong about the property line. The fence is the property line on one hand, a marker jutting out is the property line on another.  Actually, it's 14 feet in the front widening to 20 feet in the rear.  

I may, at some point, but enough string to run the full length of it and get a straight line from one marker to the other and see what I actually have.  

Now that I have refilled my mind with all of this stuff, I am leaving early for work to spend some time over there. No real physical exertion, I just like to see it and dream/imagine what it could become. And work out problems in my mind and looking up stuff to see what potential answers are on the internet to deal with them.

G'day.  

 Doctor visit over.  I filled out a bunch of paperwork for new patient and they got me in shortly after that.  The doc was cool, I'll give him that.  We were joking about all kinds of things non-medical related.  He stood there in front of a laptop and was inputting all kinds of info as he was asking me questions. I was quite candid about everything. 

He left and then came the part about blood. The doc had informed them I needed to lay down - that was the caveat, I'm either laying down or I'm not giving blood.  So what does the nurse do? Takes me into the "lab" and upon entrance, saw no bed.  The doc was standing right there - "are you going to be able to lay him down for that?".  Oh, the nurse replied, I forgot. 

I wouldn't have let her forget, lol, I simply and flatly would have refused.  We got back into the room I came out of and she informed me her husband passes out giving blood, lol.  I was amused that there is someone worse off than me in giving even just a couple of small tubes full of blood.  Some of us just can't handle it, what can I say.  She poked my arm which I barely felt, "Oh there's the worst of it" No ma'am, that is not the worst of it. She laughed lol I just laid there waiting for the feeling to come over me.

You're looking pretty white.  I didn't feel that bad tho.  I was in there about 25 minutes after the blood draw and then I left.  Lab results will be next week, I think. 

Back to the property, this dude had it going. The entire new trail to the right that didn't exist when i was there this morning was all but done. It was 10:30 am and the contractor doing the dirt work had already left with their dozer and dump truck, but left the excavator.  They are done with the dirt work and are - were - waiting for the underground utility locator to come and mark the underground utilities.

The new pathways were already done for the first run.  This was 10:30 am and I was amazed how much that machine could do in a short period of time. It is a big mulching machine, much bigger than they typical bobcat you might envision.  He earned his money, I'll say that.  It would have cost much more than what he charged me for several other companies I had contacted.  

The day is sort of a blur. I was at the property 5 times today.  One on of the visits, a very large grader was grading the driveway. I instantly guessed this was the gas company's contractor, the rv park contractor wasn't doing it, I was sure of that. I stopped the guy and asked him. Yes, we contract out to Sabine.  Oh, okay, are you going to have gravel dumped? Uhh, nooo, these oil and gas companies are cheapskates they won't be bringing gravel in here.

Uhh, yeah, that's not so clear-cut in my view of it, but I thanked him for the info and he continued on with several passes of it.  It looks good as far as being smooth, but there is hardly any gravel left at all now.  Just kind of plowed it under or to the side, what little was remaining.  It was that visit, which as the third one there, that I noticed that they had come back - the underground utility locator - and flagged where the pipeline is.  Yeah, that was a no brainer, the pipe comes out of the ground into some array of pipes and valves. You can plainly see what direction it is going in in both directions.

Not close to the dirt operation, they can finish that whenever they want to. I suspect they will want to get it done and get paid.  This guy finishes a phase of the operation and he wants paid - rightfully so.  I guess I'll leave a blank check here, if they finish tomorrow and he wants his money, he can either come to the house and get it or wait until Monday, cause' I'm headed to West Virginia tomorrow.  He knows I'm a truck driver and I'm in and out of town frequently.  

They never came back, tho I informed the contractor that the lines are flagged. He can't legally dig into the ground without having that done first, he didn't indicate when they are coming back.  

It is now on me, regardless of that, to mark the sites.  By the time I was in any position to do that, it was after 2 pm and it was brutally hot out there and I had already been hiking around the back of the property for a couple of hours worth.  Just no, it'll have to wait til' my next day off.  

The mulching dude had taken off around noon I guess it was to go do a CDL pre-trip test, which I found out later he had failed. I didn't give him any advice on that, I only was trying to help him with the driving part.  Anyway, I marked more areas I wanted cleared out.  I am up to 4 campgrounds out there now and that's enough.  I mean, the trees and brush and junk are cleared out. Other stuff will need to be done to make them a good tent camping site, but the hard part is over with.  

I'm going to need a bridge of some sort over the creek in the rear.  There's no other way about it.  I can't expect people to climb over a giant, felled tree as I have been doing lol.  I've found a very large number of websites with premade bridges for sale, replete with rails on each side for protection from falling off.  I need to keep the liability for people getting hurt as little as possible. Those bridges aren't that expensive starting at $100 and going up from there, many of them in the $200 range.  I just need to go out and measure the length of bridge I will need to cross the creek, really paid no attention at all to that today. I was in awe of how fast this guy has made all of these trails all over the place.  

I'm going to have him come back and do one more day's worth in a couple of areas that have no trails and have no access because of the thick undergrowth.  I want a maze of trails that can keep people busy walking for a while back in there if they so desire.  I'm going to have to get a drone service out to get some video and pics of it from the air so I can both make a map of it for hikers and have it online on the website when I get that far with this for people to see what kind of activities they can do if they come to my park. 

I've already determined to put in a sitting area - nothing huge, just maybe a large bench or something - with a cover and a curtain to keep mosquitoes out.  Maybe a few wooden benches along the trail in various places for a quiet sitting area.  These are not high dollar items but will enhance the overall allure of all of it.  

Anyway, the trails are finished.  The man is paid and I am quite happy with the results.  

Anyway, I'm really tired, this has been a long day and I'm facing 3 long days of driving ahead of me.  The heat really took it out of me.  I ended up having to go back a final time this evening and checking out the finished work and then paying the dude.  A flurry of work in just a few days time and lot of progress.  I'm pretty happy about that.  

 I woke up early this morning so I just decided to get up, get dressed, get the dog and head over to the property. There were several hours of work the mulching dude did after I had left there yesterday.  His machine and his trailer were parked in the back, out of sight.  I'm going to want electricity on the property pretty soon in order to get some video surveillance going - which I guess means also getting internet out there. 

Maybe not too soon, lol.  I just don't want to have people that don't belong back there - going back there.  

The next door neighbor's house at the front is going to be a problem as well. The garage - which is old, dilapidated and falling apart - also needs a paint job in a big way.  Or plant a hedge row and eventually the view of it will be knocked out. I'll give them credit tho, that truck is no longer parked there without my having to say anything to them and they have cleaned up that property.  I mean, they either moved the junk into the structures out there or got rid of it, either way, it's no longer an eyesore.

Makes me glad I never confronted them about that truck.  

If the gas company doesn't dump rock on that driveway, I'm going to have to.  There is no way I'm going to leave it like that for people driving 100k plus rigs in there over dirt and especially with all the rain we get, it has to have a fresh layer of gravel over it.  That's probably 10k worth of gravel right there.  When  you're talking hundreds of tons, you're talking bigger money.  Well, that should only need a couple of inches of gravel, so maybe not so much money.  

I'm going to press that gas company about doing it before I relent and have to pay for it myself.  

As for the trails......he got started on the trail I marked out yesterday after I left. He went all the way back and curved to the stream.  He's now out there making his second run and then he's going to do the other side. I tried, this morning, to weave my way through the other side - not a happening event.  It's way too thick and there is just too much thorn vines in there to even try.  I just told him to just make his way through there with his machine however he can get through there, I can't mark it for him.  

He's only there until noon today - he has to get a CDL to start pulling the equipment he wants to use for his business. I gave him several tips. He's doing the driving portion of the test today and that is something you have to be prepared for.  They'll ask you to park in front of hydrants, near driveway entrances, go over railroad tracks and try to get you to change gears going over them, make a left hand turn and not come back into the furthest left lane, drive under bridges and ask you what the height sign said and other signs as well.  

They take you on a "trick" course and see if you know what you're doing.  I told him everything I could remember, it became obvious no-one had given him this info before.  He was more stressing on the pre-trip. I just told him the basics - which the manual already tells him to do anyway.  Last time I did the pretrip test, the instructor got mad at me because I found so many things wrong with their truck, he canceled the pre-trip after I had only gotten done with the engine compartment, called me a know-it-all and defended his equipment. I promise you I was just doing a pre-trip inspection, we learn over the years what to look for, not trying to make him or his company look bad lmao.

They took down the beautiful oak tree this morning, right in front of my eyes. The dirt work people.  I thought yesterday - why didn't they just start that mountain further towards the front, then they wouldn't have had to take down my beautiful tree?  It's not like there aren't a thousand other trees on the property - literally if nor more - but that is in the RV section and the trees I selected to stay up were selected for a reason.  I'll just have to plant something else there and other places they have trampled small trees.  I'm not giving them a hard time about it, it is what it is.  I just know that they know that I don't want any trees taken down, at all. Not in the front.  The rear of the property, all kinds of small trees can come down and I won't miss them.  

20 more minutes until the nightmare of the doctor's office. I have been dreading this day for a  month.  I would literally rather be on the road driving than doing this, that's how bad my mind is making this out to be.  If they don't let me lay down for them to take blood, I'm just leaving there. I'm not going through that again with a staff that thinks they know best. I know best how my mind and body works in reaction to such things, not them.  Some people can't handle it, . Call me a wimp, call me other names, I .... don't....care.  But I'm going to face it and then go out to eat after wards and then go back to the property  The mulcher should be getting close to done by then, pay him up and then I'll take another look at what more I might want to have done there.  But, today is it for him, I don't want to pay any more for that stuff, he should have what I wanted done - done.  

I'm facing the dilemma of having to buy some kind of equipment to maintain all of the work I'm about to pay for.  Hence, I will be calling the repair shop later today and see if they've gotten to the ATV yet.  I thought about just putting a chain behind it, hooked to either end of a heavy piece of steel and dragging it over the trails to begin with. That would help smooth the trails out. But then I thought, well, there is wood shavings all over, I wonder if that will keep vegetation from growing? I might wait and see, especially the next rains that are coming.  If I even see the hint of vegetation coming up, tho, it's  a done deal. I'm going to do whatever I have to to maintain them. 

Or, pay someone at the beginning to go through it and brush hog it at the least until I decide what to do.  But I suspect a brush hog doing that much work is going to be pricey and the money may be better spent just getting the equipment right off the bat.  

Whatever the case, my departure time has arrived, off to the doctor.

G'day. 

 The alarm went off this morning and I was not feeling it.  I could have slept a couple more hours at least.  But, they needed the trailer and I wanted to get over to the property so I got hoofing it down the highway.  So, the only stop I made was fuel and that was it.  325 miles later, I was meeting the dispatchers. The dispatch manager was as cold as ice.  Not amenable at all, didn't understand that, but that's on her.  My dispatcher who is under her was very amenable and we talked for quite a while. And then the dispatcher that quit and then came back to work for them - she is no longer dispatching but they keep her busy apparently. 

 I talked with my dispatcher for about half an hour, I didn't want to be rude.  I wanted out of there tho.  2 crews of people on the property, I need to see what's going on!

Got home, got the dog, got my hiking shoes and got out there.  I passed by the dirt work crew - absolutely amazed at how much they had gotten done.  I mean, they basically have the dirt work done they just need to dig the hole to put the junk dirt in.  

But I wanted to get to the back of the property to see what the mulcher dude had gotten done. Amazing - he had done half of it and had widened it all out to be big enough to drive a pickup truck back in there.  I don't want to drive a pickup truck in there, but it is nice to have in case someone got hurt and emergency services needed to get back there or whatever, really, I just really liked the trails being widened out like that.  

There were two trails he hadn't started yet, so I took the dog and got with it on the east side.  Marked it out with paint where I wanted the trail to go - all the way to the back and curve around to the stream. Then I want him to go all the way back around and create a trail on the other side so it's a big loop - I didn't mark that out, leave that to his discretion, just don't take down big trees, please.  And don't take down any pine trees, thank you.  Well, I gave him permission to take down two pine trees that were in the way of building a campground area for tents.  They were small and I wouldn't miss a couple of them gone. 

The east side needed to be marked because it's close to the property line and there is nothing there marking the property line.  I have the property corners marked on my GPS so I just kept it about 30 feet west of the invisible property line.  

Anyway, this dude is saying that tractors are cheap and the brush hog attachment. Lol, I don't think so.  I was asking if he thought I could use a zero-turn on it as the first guy had stated and he said no, not right at first, you'll need to brush hog it for a while before you can use one of those.  

I don't own that equipment so I will just have to have someone do it for me to start with. Plenty of brush-hog people around these parts.  I still think I can keep a lot of brush down just riding my 4 wheeler on it. That's been in the shop 3 days now and have heard nothing. But, the dude may have not gotten to it yet or he may have to order parts for it. I'm not going to bug him about it, but I wouldn't mind getting a second 4 wheeler - used of course - to go along with that one so we can have fun at the property.  

Is it time to get excited? Sort of.  They can't finish the dirt work until the underground utility locator comes out.  I was going to have that done and spaced it out, he waited too long.  I figured he would - so many things to think about it just slipped my mind. No, he didn't ask me to get that done I just thought he probably would forget until the time to come out.  

However, that's just to dig a hole and put that "bad" dirt in and make good dirt available. That is not going to stop them from finishing the dirt work.  It will be done tomorrow and then I can start measuring out lots.  I have that all planned out in my mind, just going to have to go to Lower's and get a bunch more wood marking sticks.  I don't know what the contractor's schedule is, but I'm going to get done what I need to get done and he can come whenever he is available to do it.

However, it is not going to be worded that way to him. I am going to tell him it's all marked out, come take a look if you need, otherwise the rest of what needs to be done is on you, when are you coming? 

That's it for now. Tomorrow is the dreaded doctor appointment. Really, really, really don't want to do it but I made the appointment and it's a done deal.  Get it over with and get on with everything else.  I am hoping they have the dirt work done in time for me to get over there and start marking lots out immediately.  I also want to get grass growing pretty quick in the areas that are not driveways or pads so I don't have a bunch of weeds growing back up.  How many bags of grass seed will I need for that?  Uhh, I dunno, but I'm gonna look around for better pricing than Lowe's. They're expensive for grass seed, but then again, probably everyone is.

With that, I'm ending this one. 

 Got up, checked my phone, no reply from the contractor.  Moved vehicles, hooked up the trailer, tied down the lawn mower and the ATV and limped the trailer to the nearest tire shop, which is not that far away thankfully.  While getting all new tires put on that thing - and never loaning it out to that dude again - I started blowing up his phone.

He's either going to do it or he's not going to do it but I'm not going to sit around being ignored by this fellow.  One text after another after another.  After a while, I got a "read receipt", simply shows that the texts have been read.  That was a start.  He then finally responded: "Yes sir, sorry I was out of town".  

In his thinking, yes sir means he's coming this week.  He's kind of a redneck - not stupid or ignorant by any stretch, but redneckism has it's own unique characteristics.  Especially how they talk.  So, I am "assuming" equipment will either show up tomorrow or Wednesday morning and they will get this dirt work finally done and we can move on to the next phases which don't need it to be wet or dry as far as I know to do the work.  

Well I take that back, you wouldn't want it muddy out there while pouring the gravel for the driveway or the pads.  But it doesn't have to be perfectly dry.  Neither do you need it perfectly dry to dig trenches for the water, sewer and electrical lines.  Or to dig a pit for the septic tank.  Etc. Etc. Etc.  

I "assume" that you would want to do all the trenching and laying the underground stuff first before putting down any rock.  I will be asking him how they go about doing that, the only real thing that needs to be done is to mark the driveway and the lots and the pads on the lots.  The pads on the lots get the gravel, the rest of the lots are going to be grass.  Yes, it means cutting grass a couple times a month, oh well. It's what people want, it's what they're going to get.  Most people don't want a giant gravel parking lot unless they are just staying overnight on their way to somewhere else.  

I'm not counting my chickens before they hatch, I'm simply hoping and praying that this dude actually gets this stuff done before it starts raining again. Cause' yes, it's going to start raining again, but if he gets out there Wednesday he should be able to get it done before the rain arrives. 

I've got another guy coming to look at the trail situation. The first guy was high in his quote and he never got back to me. I at least want to know if I'm getting 10 hours out of him per day for that much money. The other guy is $150 per hour.  

_______________

Done deal.  The man showed up at the property, I took him around, showed him what I want done, "I can have this done in a day".  Well, I thought, if it spills into 2 days I'm fine with that. $350 per day cheaper than the other guy.  I expected 2 days so I'm good with getting more work done if it's possible.  I'd like to have the bottom of the rear of the property cleared out so I can get a better idea of the possibility of a pond or small lake back there.  I added more trails as well and as the first guy I was going to have it done with, a couple of campground spots for tents.  

Tent camping isn't a priority, it really isn't the right time of year for doing that if I did, indeed get this thing done before summer is over.  It's just too hot out there, I can't imagine anyone wanting to tent camp in that kind of weather.  I guess maybe if they brought a generator and a window unit air conditioner. I'd have to allow generators back there at night time during the summer.  It's a long way from the RV park portion and it is down in a recessed area, I'd like to hope it wouldn't make so much noise as to interfere with rv campers.  

If/when they get the ATV fixed, I'm getting a cheapo trailer from Harbor Freight and I can haul a generator back there, turn it on and then go up to the front and see what kind of noise there is.  I can also haul chainsaw and leaf blower back there.  I have actual use for the ATV beyond just fun.  I could get a tow-behind brush mower for it - but they want thousands of dollars for one and that being the case, a zero turn mower would be a better investment - I think.

Once the trails are cut, I will just make sure to ride the ATV over them frequently enough to destroy any vegetation trying to grow.  I'm trying to get by with not spending too much money on any one portion of this project.  I can't afford to go all out buying this and that and everything all at once, it's just not in the budget.  The walking trails were and original part of the theme and I'm not deterring from that.  And much of what needs plowed down is simply too big for a mower of any kind to start out with, I must have the services of a mulcher machine to get the initial stuff done first.  IF it were only a day, it would cost $1,350.  This includes "backdragging it" as he called it - in other words, smoothing out the trail as he goes along.  YES, please.  I don't want people tripping, getting hurt and suing me. 

Probably going to have to have a disclaimer that needs to be signed off on. You know, all that fine legal print that most nobody reads but details how you walk on the trails at your own risk, etc etc etc? They can still sue you but it helps keep liability down.  There is always risk in such ventures, insurance is available and I will be getting it.  This includes liability for dog park, walking trails, people doing stupid stuff, etc.  The more risk activities you have, the higher the insurance. We'll keep it to a dog park and walking trails to start with

There will be so much to do after they finally get the actual parking portion of the park built.  It will still take quite a bit of time to get all of it done, but at least I won't be at the mercy of that contractor.  My soft opening will only have a small shed for putting the wifi equipment in.  I might have a couple cords of firewood brought and people can buy bundles by simply indicating how many bundles they took and have it added to charges on the credit card.  That will have to have a video surveillance camera on it. There will be video surveillance at various points in the park.  While not compromising people's desire to not be bothered by such on the lots themselves, any "public" areas will likely have surveillance on it, including the driveway, the gas operation - I don't want anyone going on there at all - any sales I might have - which would be limited to firewood and possibly ice to start with, shed for wifi equipment and on the entrance to see who's coming and going.  

It's a foregone conclusion that not everyone that takes firewood will actually pay for it, or will say they took 2 bundles when they took 5.  It can make money, of course, with regular staff and overseeing it, which may be possible to some extent if I can find a good workamper to help out. 

There will be a page on my internet site that will direct people to all of the things that are available in the nearby town - convenience stores, gas stations, propane refill, walmart, tractor supply, Lowe's, all the local restaurants and I might see if I can get some kind of perk from any restaurants for directing people their way.  A small discount or maybe a free dessert or possibly free chips or something?  I've seen a mix of RV;ers that like to eat out all the time, like to cook at their campsite all the time and a mix of both.  Nearest laundromat, can't forget that.  

AS I said, there will be plenty to do after they get the sites done.  Even with a soft opening.  The website designer contacted me the other day asking how it's going. Nowhere, I replied, stalled.  But perhaps there is a sliver of light at the end of the tunnel? 

I have what was originally a 9 am appointment time to load tomorrow now a 6 am appointment time. I really hate the 6 am appointment.  Get up at 3:45 am? And when I get to work, what can I expect to find in my truck?  Another driver was driving it.  And that guy isn't exactly the cleanest dude on the planet. 

Regardless, it's early but it's bedtime. 

 As much as I don't want to talk about this subject, I can't get it off of my mind. 

There has been no rain and very little chance of it in the forecast.  I have, of course, heard nothing back from the contractor after several text messages spread out over several days. 

I want confirmation he is coming on Wednesday.  Cause if he isn't coming, I want to see if I can find someone else to come this week.  The ground is dry, it's time to get this over with and move on already.  

I just sent him another text. If I don't hear back from him, I'm going to basically blow up his phone tomorrow.  He can try to ignore me, but if I have to I'll go to his office and ask him in person about when they plan on coming.  

I just feel like I'm being put on the backburner for larger projects.  Whatever the case, I'm ready to move on to another contractor if he isn't coming this week.  Mind you, the last thing he told me was that he had to check his schedule after first telling me that he was coming next week - midweek.  That puts him there on Wednesday.  This dirt work only takes 2 days, 3 at the most and then it's done, move on to marking out the pads and driveways.  

Meanwhile, nothing has been done to the driveway as far as maintaining it. I mean, if I have to pay for gravel on that driveway, that company is not going to be in for a good time with me.  I dunno yet, I'm just sayinjg there hasn't been anything done about it.  I'm going to wait on that one for a little bit and see what happens.  Give it another week or two and then contact him again.

So I was put off for tomorrow's run, which is yet another Oklahoma.  She should have given me a Brownsville run, not a low paying Oklahoma after having had 3 in a row.  This is getting ridiculous.  The reason the run isn't going tomorrow is there won't be any trailers available. All well and fine, but almost guaranteed there ARE Brownsville trailers in the yard and at least 2 runs going down there.  I've had these 3 days off and then 3 days on and then that dreaded doctor's appointment.

I'm really not looking forward to that, I'm not into having blood drawn, it makes me feel funny and then I have to lay down for a while.  The nurses almost never believe me and try to make me sit up and then - I start to fade.  Then they get upset that I am laying down on the floor or whatever is nearby. Then, a manager will come and ask what's going on and I will tell that manager that I specifically told these people that I must be laying down to give blood.  They didn't believe me and this is the aftermath.  That's happened more than once.  

The rest of it I don't care, it's the bloodwork that makes me nauseous.  Well I don't like the "prostrate exam", either. I'm not having prostrate problems and I don't want that checked, either.  And they are not going to be setting me up for an appointment for that damn camera nonsense to shove it up your behind and examine the inside of your guts.  Gross.  They pump air in there so they can see and then when you wake up, you are farting for a long time letting all that air back out.  

I'm going, I just don't want to lol

Tomorrow's agenda, since its' forced off, is to take the 4 wheeler and the lawn mower to a local place that repairs both.  Found them on google, went over there, yes we do that! and so now the 4 wheeler is on the trailer the only problem? It has a flat tire and we don't have an air chuck, apparently, to fill tires up.  I'm going to drag the thing to the nearest tire place and they'll just have to put a new tire on it. The tire is almost bald anyway. 

In fact....

See, I loaned that trailer to a friend of the family's here.  This dude had the thing for going on 4 months.  When he left here with it, I had just replaced 2 tires. They were used tires but they had good tread on them. While he had the thing, he called and said one of the tires had blown and needed replaced.  He being alledgedly broke, I gave him the money to replace it. But after inspecting the tires yesterday, I can say with assuredness that he didn't replace any tires or if he did, he bought the $25 special.   He lied to me about putting a new tire on it and he wore down the other tires.  He had originally said that he was only using it to haul junk to the landfill.

This is why it is hard to trust people.  You try to be nice and help people out and then in the end, they just screw you over and don't think twice about doing it. Whatever the case, I may just replace all the tires on it tomorrow and just not loan it out to anyone ever again.

I want to get the 4 wheeler fixed if possible and then take it over to the property and just keep it there.  It will serve as a method to keep brush from growing on the trails.  It has huge knobby tires that tear up vegetation, perfect for trampling down all of that junk that is currently growing back up because of all the rain we have been getting.  It has a trailer hitch on it, the thing could prove to be quite useful on the property.  Anyway, if they can fix it, I can just keep it in the woods well out of view of anything, keep it covered when not in use and not really have to worry about it.

LOTS of fresh deer tracks on the property the other day, btw.  I don't know what the state laws are here in Texas about hunting on private property, gonna have to look that up.  

Well I guess I could take the tire off the trailer and get it replaced, thinking back to earlier comment.  But the rest of the tires are so low on tread it seems only fitting to just replace all of them and not have to worry about it.

We have been working on the property for 3 days now. James and I.  It is finally starting to look decent again.  There is still lots of work to be done but the jungle effect and the leaves all over the place are mostly gone. The entire back yard now needs to be raked up and burn the rest of the junk that that comes up with.  We're pretty happy with the progress tho.  I mean, at some point it starts to get embarrassing.  It was that bad.  The back, not the front. We did the front a while back.  

The next door neighbor was looking at it the other day and just said, well are y'all going to deal with all of that?  Me?  I just got to the point I was fed up with the other neighbor's constant amount of leaves, bark, twigs, dirt and whatever other junk flowing into our back yard every single time it rains.  But, I don't mind cleaning it up if everyone is going to help clean it up and keep it that way.  

To end this, I'm hoping it's 3 days away from them coming out to do the dirt work. 

 The vehicle is done.  The gas gauge works.  I put in almost 25 gallons maybe 50 miles before I took it to the shop so a bit surprising to see the gas gauge showing a quarter tank.

Either the new setup is a bit skewed or I lost some fuel in their shop, lol.  As I had thought, the sensor is a part of the fuel pump.  As I also figured, the price tag was a bit excessive.  Whatever the case, I'll fill it up tomorrow and see what happens with the gauge.  

Anyway, there is a slight chance of rain tonight and tomorrow. After that, there really shouldn't be any rain coming up until this contractor gets over there and gets this stuff done.  Daytime temps are in the 90's even if it does rain a bit, it will be dried out before they come out there.  IF they come out there.  This is basically my last straw with this dude, if he comes and gets it done, good, if he doesn't, it's time to cut ties and move on. 

That's where I'm leaving that unless it rains and then I'll be back at square one.  

As for the reunion, I don't really think I'm missing much.  I am planning a 5 to 7 day trip over there, probably in October.  Before the holidays and the madness of flying in crowded airports.  Probably 5 days, actually, that's about as much as I want to be away from home.  I have no idea where this RV park business will be by then - if anywhere - but that is a potential consideration to take into account as well.  

My manager calls me today.  Goes into this spiel about how they are shorthanded right now - drivers off for various reasons - he made it sound like he was asking me to come back to work.  I said nothing and listened to all of it. He then got to the part about another driver's truck broken down, no trucks to replace this driver's truck that also broke down, loads that need to go out, can he use your truck?

Obviously, I don't own the truck and furthermore, in other companies, even tho it may not be slip-seating, they will just take it without your input and you can deal with it. Well, those are the old days. Now, you screw over a driver bad enough and they will pack their bag and leave.  There are always greener pastures if your work conditions are so bad that it warrants moving on.  

I was impressed he actually asked me.  I said fine, but he's going to have to deal with my stuff.  Oh, he's just going to get in and drive, I will put him up at a hotel for sleeping arrangements.  I have a great manager, if nothing else at that company beyond the pay.  It's unfortunate he's planning on leaving, tho I totally understand his reasoning as to why he would want to leave.  

The company is foolish to let him go.  That's the way this company operates.  Cut off the nose to spite the face.

Anyway, I'm going to ask for time off in October - but I'm contacting mom first to make sure there are no scheduling conflicts.  It sounds as though she isn't going to be driving up to her beloved property anymore.  This is not something I wanted to hear, because that spot of hers up in the mountains is her special place.  She's been spending summers up there for going on 3 decades now.  I'm afraid of what it may do to her psychologically, or the freedom to be able to drive around anywhere, really.  She knows how to use Uber at least, but being confined to home?  I don't think that's going to go over too well. 

I really don't know where all of this is going just yet.  She has another eye appointment soon, but can they do anything?  I don't know.  

I'm going over to the property tomorrow, to finish this one off, and survey the property.  I want to see if everything has dried up.

 I took the vehicle in to get the gas gauge issue fixed.  I mentioned replacing the brakes as an afterthought.

So what do they do? Replace the brakes and not even begin to look at the fuel gauge.  This was yesterday afternoon when I called them to find out if they had been able to fix the fuel gauge.  

I need my vehicle back, I have several things I want/need to do while on these days off.  I'll be calling them again around noon and see where we're at. 

The tragedy that we call a back yard apparently is a project we are going to start on.  I stopped working on it a while back for reasons I'll just keep to myself.  It is awesomely horrific back there now and no one has touched it in quite a long time.  I don't mind going to the trouble of cleaning it up - if - everyone else is going to be involved with that project as well - and - commit to keeping it clean after the project is done and over with. 

I'm very glad to have some days off. I'll be even happier if the contractor would finally text me back and let me know his intentions. Because if he's going to blow it off again, I'm moving on and I'd like to get someone else lined up quickly to be able to get over there and get it done before any more rain hits.  

I need to at least go to the fire department now that I think about it to get a burn permit so we can start burning all this junk in the back yard.  If I don't get the permit, someone will call the fire department, they will come over here, threaten to issue a ticket and force me to put the fire out. 

No thanks.  It's a pretty good scheme to charge $25 for a permit to burn something that the government has absolutely no involvement in.  They won't be starting the fire and they won't be putting it out.  

My 401k is down about 10k. It should be approaching the mid 70's range, it was up as high as 69k I think, now its' sitting at 57k.  Pretty disheartening to throw a bunch of money at savings like that and watch it just disappear like magic.  

So, I just changed it from 12% to 5%.  I'll figure out the 7% every paycheck and stuff it into a savings account.  Yup, I will follow through with it, just like I've been taking out cash most every paycheck and putting it aside for vacation and now going to start saving for that zero turn.  The 401k money will go towards buying a rental property.  That's approximately $700 per month. In 12 months I will have near 10k and I should be able to buy a small house providing my credit score stays in the range it is in now - or goes up even higher.  Back to 750 would be nice, I'm 12 points away from it. 

To think I had it in the 770 range......for a long time....and now battling to get it back up there.  I wouldn't really care about credit but so many things it affects nowadays. Even your car insurance is affected by your credit score.  Houses, bank loans, SBA loans, car loans, all kinds of stuff.  I've heard some employers even check it.  

Anyway, the goal will be in the next year to save up 10k with what used to be that 401k money, get a rental house and - either rent the house to a family or do the room rental thing again.  I'm not sure which. Room rentals brings in more revenue - but it's a lot more hassle. You really have to either live there or have someone living there that you can trust to take care of everything. And if you have someone else living there doing it, then you have to give them discounts or free rent altogether in exchange. Which means you really need at least a 4 bedroom house to make it worth the hassle.

Renting out the whole house is much less hassle, but also less income.  I have plenty of time to think about that, in fact, if I save up this money and get the park going, it may just get dumped back into the park, which should make a lot more money than rental houses.  Who knows, I just know that I"m going to start this plan now and get it rolling.  If the stock market comes back out of it's woes, I probably won't change the rate I'm putting into the 401k account. I'll make more money off of rentals than off of a 401k, certainly at this late stage in life.  

I'm probably spending more time than I should be reading how the rich - got rich. I don't want to be rich, I just don't want to work for anyone else anymore.  I want to work for myself, have a decent income, be able to help others, give back to God and live my life peaceably, if that's at all possible in this life.  Leave something for my heirs to have that can sustain them in life without having to spend your entire life toiling for someone else and not have much of anything to show for it.  

 So.  I get to the Oklahoma plant and after dropping the loaded trailer and getting scaled out, the dude approaches me.  "The driver in here yesterday tried to take that trailer - pointing one of our very old trailers, 45 years old to be precise - and he couldn't get the brakes to release".  He couldn't figure out what was wrong with it.

I had a 99% of being correct guess what it was, but I hooked up to it anyway and tried to release the brakes. Nothing. Air would go into the trailer for about 2 seconds and then stop.  I got out, opened the doors that give access to the pipes and valves to offload the trailer and walaah.  A broken plunger.  These trailers are equipped with a safety device that locks the brakes when the doors are opened.  A plunger releases and the brakes lock up.

The plunger was gone and the threaded portion of it was destroyed.  Right about then, my dispatcher was calling about when I will make it back tomorrow (which is now today) and I went right into this problem.  "This trailer isn't going anywhere" after describing what was wrong with it.  "Are you going to call Road Squad?".  No, lol, they won't have the part to fix this thing, we are going to have to contact our shop mechanic to figure out how to get the part up here and get it fixed.  So, I took a pic and texted both dispatch and the mechanic.  Allegedly he is having a mechanic get up there and fix it today.  You're welcome.  

Then we got into the discussion about when I'm getting back.  Not only is that trailer down, but there is another trailer down at our yard, leaving us short-handed on trailers.  And loads that need to go out.  I get that, but I don't have any control, whatsoever, on the appointment times. "Well, I got a late appointment, it's going to be late when I get back".  I gave her the amount of hours it would be before I got back - I was busy unhooking from one trailer and hooking up to the other empty that was there - and she calculated I wouldn't be back in time for the latest loading time the plant will give which is 2:30 pm.  

I knew she was wrong but I was too busy trying to get hooked up and get out of there.  It took all of my 30 minute break up to figure out what was wrong with that trailer and get pics and send them to the mechanic.  It' s "not a part of my job description" to figure out mechanical issues, but I'm not that way.  If I can figure it out, the trailer is diagnosed so they can get the right part/s and mechanic up there, versus having to send a mechanic up there to figure out what's wrong and then have to go track down the part, which I suspect isn't easy to find because most trailers do not have that safety device on them and is probably a special order.

I also assume our mechanics have those plungers in stock in their shop.  

I only made it back to the Casino truck stop.  I was going to try and get closer so they could send a tractor up to get the trailer and get it loaded, but I was battling to stay awake and I determined it was getting unsafe for me to continue driving, so I stopped.  It was 1:30 am before I went to bed to give a bit of context.  Sometimes I'm fine at that hour, many times I am not and really struggle to stay awake, even with music blaring and doing whatever I can do to keep myself concentrating on the road. At some point, it's time to say no more, safety takes precedence over a scheduling problem. Especially considering what I'm hauling, tho the trailer is empty.

Even our empty trailers pose a threat, they still have flammable vapors in it and it can still wreak havoc on the general, motoring public.  I do take safety seriously with this job just because of what we are hauling. 

Whatever the case, I returned a call to dispatch - they had called while I was sleeping but I have my ringer off at night, I don't see any reason to be awakened for a phone call that can be dealt with after I get up - and informed her that I would be able to get back in time for the driver to make it to the plant to get the 2:30 appointment slot.

Of course, I am wide awake and could have left an hour ago.  But, the FMCSA knows best about everyone's sleep habits and lumps all of us drivers together into one big pot and dictates to us when we can and cannot drive.  

2 days ago, on the way to work, my SUV ran out of gas.  Mind you, I keep track of my mileage on the odometer so I know how much fuel is in the tank.  I was at 293 miles, the tank is good until around 400.  It ran out of gas the first time at 396 miles.  So, it was perplexing why I had run out of fuel early.  I wasn't idling it anywhere - sometimes I do that when I'm sitting waiting on people or something - and I have a locking gas cap on it.  I reset the trip mileage counter every time I fill up.  

Calling Taylor to come rescue me wasn't so wonderful - she has her own schedule and deals with her family in the mornings - but I had little choice. I could have called road service but it would have taken hours for them to get out there.  I can only say that I repaid her nicely for coming out and saving me. That was a trip to Baytown hauling an empty trailer to get it inspected.

Yesterday, before going to Waffle House, I took the vehicle to a local shop that was recommended and they said they could fix it.  I borrowed her truck to go to work - I didn't ask she offered, I was going to rent a car but they didn't have anything available, not even an expensive vehicle - and so I took her up on it because I am tired of this gas gauge giving me this trouble.  I am not going to replace the vehicle until all of this supply shortage and inflation is done and over with - excuses to jack up prices of everything.  

I don't know when they are going to have it finished, but I'm hoping by this afternoon. In reality, who knows if they can get the part/s expeditiously or not.  I asked them to check the front brakes as well. They have occasionally been making a noise and tho I could easily fix them myself, I find that after driving all over creation, I really don't want to do much of anything else.  "If they are bad, do you want us to do the rotors as well?".  Yup, replace them or having them turned, whichever is cheaper.  You'd be surprised, but in many cases it's now either cheaper or the same price to get brand new rotors as it is to have the old ones turned (milled). 

I did do a last minute check on flights, it's up to almost a grand now.  Not shocking, but in the "good ole days" you might have been able to find a flight cheap if you waited. Now, they overbook flights intentionally so they guarantee the airplane is going to be 100% full, so there is no discounts for attempting to book at the last minute.  I started looking a few months ago, even then it was $833 round trip.  This is a trip I have done several times for less than $400.  

Amazingly, even looking at November to get out there the prices are still high  at $600. But that's not near as bad as what I would pay now and I can take a week off. I texted my manager to find out how much vacation hours I have left, tho in November, I get my hours renewed and I will go up from 112 hours given per year to 150.  I can swallow $600, but I will be looking at other sites for fares as well and then try to get the dates secured through work.  In fact, perhaps I should just go at Thanksgiving and "see" everyone - extended family that is. It seems like we are all getting along a bit better now - my middle brother's view of everyone and life in general has completely changed and has stayed that way after his near-death experience with Covid. 

I do believe I can get a decent price with Southwest if I'm willing to drive to Dallas.  

I texted the contractor several times - first asking if he was coming next week and then just putting dots on a text to get his attention.  10 or so hours later he finally responded. "I'm coming out tomorrow to check the dirt and see if it's ready".  Tomorrow is now today.  There is a 24% chance of rain on Saturday, but after that it's a very low chance. I want this thing done.

Alas, it's time to get ready to leave here and drive out the miles back to the yard and get this trip over with.

G'day

Why is it not surprising to me that the contractor is now ignoring my text messages again?  That last time we talked, he said he had to check his calendar - he had initially committed to coming out next week but had to confirm that he could come. After all of this time, he should be coming regardless.  There is a chance of rain on Saturday which may screw things up, but if it doesn't, he either needs to come or just say he can't do it and I will find someone else to do this job.

I don't have time to go over there and check, the ground may still be wet. It was 2 days ago but it's been very warm and I suspect it's drying up nicely.  I get that he wants the dirt to be dry, but once it IS dry, it needs to be done. If I'm no priority on his list, he needs to tell me  that.  Regardless, I have determined that if it doesn't rain and the ground is dry AND he doesn't come next week, it's time to move on.  We'll see.

I was going to take my vehicle in to have the gas gauge fixed - the dealer told me 7-10 days just to get to it. Okay, this is a gas gauge, the vehicle is not broken down.  I am not going to have it sitting there for a dozen days - what it will take to actually get it fixed if they can even find the parts.  I can only imagine a $1,200 fee to rent a car that long.  

There are plenty of shops in town, I hope to find on that can do the job in a reasonable amount of time.  

Well that was easy and I will be dropping it off over at a local shop with a man who knows all about it and said it's likely the sending unit. Thanks.

Late load today - 1:30, hence I'm online doing stuff including writing posts lol.  The man that runs the rack is out of commission and the man that took it over has instantly changed everything.  The man that usually runs the rack is going to be back sooner or later, so I heard this morning anyway.  I hate late loads, tho.  I'll make it up to Oklahoma plant around 10:30 tonight if I'm lucky and then if I can stand it, drive back to the casino truck stop and get there around 2:00 am.  Yup, I probably won't do that.  Find somewhere closer to stop for the night and finish it off tomorrow.  

The strange thing is that now, instead of waiting in our trucks to load, we have to go back to sitting in the shack with the operators.  I don't really much care for that, I have gotten used to being able to lay down in the sleeper and nap if I didn't sleep well the night before, or get a bite to eat, or whatever.  Plus I have to put on all of that safety garb which I don't have to do when I'm just sitting in the truck.  Oh well, social hour has come back to the rack lol.

$933 to get to Phoenix and back lol.  I'm afraid I'm going to bow out of this class reunion.  The prices of airfare are completely out of control and I'm not paying that much money for 2-1/2 days of travel.  It just isn't worth it to me.  I'm still taking the days off, but there isn't going to be a trip to Arizona included in that time off.  I can't hardly swallow the idea of paying that much for a week over there, but at least it would have some time to visit people.  I will likely use my credit card points and go to a local hotel and use their pool. In fact, we will all likely go to that pool and have some fun.  

Anyway, we are going to Waffle House for breakfast before I have to leave.

G'day. 

Oklahoma run, done in one day. Yesterday off.  Dispatcher calls me and demands to know "how the hell did you do that in one day?!!!"  

Didn't feel much inclined to answer her question with that tone of voice.  I don't even remember exactly what I said, her instant raised voice on the phone caught me off guard.  She usually isn't like that.  I didn't respond in kind, instead I said something to the effect that I made it within 7 miles......which is when she calmed right down and said, oh, I guess I don't really need to know!

I made it within 7 miles of the yard before running out of hours which is when I switched to something else, finished it off, got back to the yard - late and drove home.  

I guess she wanted to know if this could be duplicated.  On Sundays, with all construction sites shut down and workers sent home, no heavy traffic anywhere and getting through certain towns without hitting all the lights red.  There are other days of the week where I can hit it as well, but not very often. I don't do a one day trip often as it stands.  It's a 16 hour day, usually, trying to do it in one day and I am often good enough to simply stop at the casino truck-stop and go to bed there.

Today, I went to Baytown, Texas and dropped off an empty trailer at a repair shop. Annual inspection due, we have to take them down there or other places even further away (Amarillo, for one, which is 500 miles each way) to repair shops that specialize in cryogenic trailers.  You don't exactly find those on every corner.  

Tomorrow - off to Oklahoma again. She was going to give me a Brownsville, but we decided against that since my vacation starts 2 days after tomorrow and it is highly likely that I would get stuck in Brownsville.  With tomorrow's run, I'll have over 2k gross paycheck next week anyway, nothing to worry about.  

Yesterday, a lot of phone calls.  I got over to the property with Addler and saw the driveway had been torn up by a tanker truck that had gone in there in the last few days.  The ground had been wet - muddy actually - and it did a number on it.  The gravel has turned into fine powder what with their pickups driving in and out of there on a daily basis.  I called the manager of the gas company and informed him of the situation and that they needed to come out and fix it.  Namely, grade the damaged portions and then dump fresh rock over it. 

He actually agreed to send someone out there and do whatever they determine is "necessary" to fix the problem.  I said find, I thought differently of course, but I figured I'll let them do what they're going to do and then I'll decide whether it was good enough.  I then called Midcoast energy.  Whatever company comes out there to bush hog the easement skipped the trees.  The man went into a very lengthy discussion about the other 2 energy companies, how they were once just one company but split for tax purposes, then merged again, then split again.  Okay, but this was done on the easement maintained by your company, your company's name is on the warning signs. 

He then informed me that it couldn't have been his company, they haven't come out yet this year to do anything and that they only come out once every 2 years.

TWO years?!! I'd like to see what the contract says. He informed me that it isn't in any contract.  Well, you should be coming out at least every year. We have thousands of miles of pipeline, we can't be doing it that often. I was polite but had zero sympathy. We all know the energy sector in this nation makes a lot of money and right now, it's making a lot, lot, lot more money.  I obviously can't force them to clean it up any more often than they do, which puts the onus on me to keep a pathway clear through there. In 2 years, the trees start growing and will grow up to 10 feet in that amount of time.

Ditto with weeds, bushes, shrubs, whatever is growing out there. There is a LOT growing out there.  

Anyway, I also called the county yet again - after waiting 4 weeks for a reply I knew I'd never get and this time actually got to speak with someone. They claimed they would send someone out to look at it and deal with it if it's actually on portion that is their responsibility.

Oh and today.  I was driving to work, my gas gauge quit working like 6 months ago. I keep track of the miles, once it gets to about 300 after having had filled it up, I get more fuel.  It was at 293 today when - it ran out of fuel. The last time it ran out of fuel at 396 miles.  I was not happy, I "knew" I had enough to make it to work, it was quite surprising the thing ran out a hundred miles early.

Taylor saved me, brought some gas and I did the 416 mile round trip drive today.  But, if I can get Enterprise to get me a car (it's the only rental car company in town, I have little choice but to use them), I am taking it in and getting this thing fixed.  I don't plan on buying another vehicle any time soon - not in this inflated market. The price of pickups in this region is nothing short of outrageous. Just as an example, I saw a 2001 dodge dually going for almost 40k the other day.  New trucks are ridiculous, used trucks are ridiculous, I'm just not buying anything right now, so might as well spend the money on this SUV and keep it maintained.  

Load appointment time isn't until 1:30.  

Anyway, it's starting to get late, gonna watch some reruns of western shows and hit the hay.

 Another run done and in the books. Brownsville to be precise, the second driver going down got the detention pay, I had to take the only empty available.  Doesn't matter, I have an Oklahoma tomorrow and that will make me more money - if she also dumps something else on me immediately after Oklahoma.  

Unfortunately, it looks like the way it's going to work out for the days off is that I am going to run out of hours on the 11th and will have the 12th off as well (I have the 13th - 15th off, the 12th wasn't a wanted day off).   I don't want too much time off, it always takes too long to catch back up - plus - I have the 19th off for the doctor's appointment.  I'll have to use some vacation hours to make up for all of that.  

And sadly, my mom's glaucoma condition is worsening and she says she isn't driving anywhere excepting to the grocery store.  I feel like the eye doctors that somehow missed the fact that she had glaucoma - and could have been treated - should be held accountable.  Her deteriorating condition is what motivated me to go see the eye doctor and make sure there isn't any signs of it - tho they say it doesn't happen until later on in life. 

All well and fine, but my vision has been deteriorating for a couple of years now, I at least had to make sure it wasn't anything beyond old age stuff.  I'm waiting on a pair of prescription reading glasses, that's as far as they said it needs to be taken. 

I definitely dread going to the medical family doctor on the 19th.  I haven't had a full check up in many, many moons.  Just the DOT Medical card for driving.  They're not taking blood tests and doing full checkups.  

Low chances of rain all the way through next week.  I remain hopeful it will stay that way and they will come and get this dirt work done and over with.  I'll be pressing the dude this time, if the weather holds anyway.  You coming? What day?  Wherever I am on his priority list, I'm going to ratchet it up by continuing to contact him and get updates.  \

I did drive by the property on the way home. A lot of fresh tire tracks going down that driveway.  I wrote the gas company about their pitiful maintenance of the easement, with no reply. I found an old email from a representative of that company and emailed him directly. Being the weekend, I doubt I'll hear back before Monday.  I asked to see the contract - specifically about maintenance of the easement  and also informed him of the pathetic job that whatever company they are using to bush hog it did the last time they were here. 

This coming week I'm going to call the man that is senior management over the well head on my property and discuss with him what they are going to do to fix the driveway.  It's not going to be "will you fix it", it's going to be "when are you going to fix it?".  

I feel like I need to wait until it's almost time to open the park before taking out another loan.  I don't want to pay cash for a zero turn mower, I'd rather get that on payments and might as well tack that onto any personal loan I might want to get to cover the rest of expenses in getting the park opened up.  

_______________________

Sunday - morning

What things in life make me happy? Well, going to work isn't really one of them, not anymore anyway.  I like taking the dog for a walk on the property.  I like thinking about the Lord - a lot.  I like the idea of getting out of this ridiculous grind and getting into something that will make money and make me a much happier person in the process.  The idea of being home on a daily basis is quite appealing.  This seems like a pipe dream atm but I do hope it comes to pass - maybe not this year but at least get the thing up and running?

They do I say this today? Cause' it's Sunday and in my mind, it's a day of rest, a day to stay home or go to church and then hang out at home. Not a day to spend 14 hours screwing around at a chemical plant, driving up to a wax plant and then driving back either all the way or stopping somewhere and finishing it off in the morning.  

I'm going to start a much more aggressive savings program.  I've been paying off credit card debt, that's a good thing but I want to buy another house and rent it out.  That's apart and aside from the RV park, so I want funds from my work to pay for it, not the funds I have set aside to build the park.  I've got the vacation almost paid for well in advance, now it's time to start dumping X amount per week into a savings account until it's got at least 10k in it and get another form of income going (haven't determined the amount yet, but when I do it's going to be the same every week unless it is a small paycheck).    

Whether the predictions of another housing bubble are true or not (meaning a buyer's market for greatly reduced house-buying prices), people always need a place to live. The people with a good work ethic and some kind of financial understanding will pay for their place to live first before paying anything else.  Or it will definitely be in the top tier of priorities.  I get that sometimes, your hand is forced and you put off the mortgage payment for a month or even two, getting behind, screwing up your credit, but you had "something" come up and you were living paycheck to paycheck.  

That was me for a long, long time.  I get that, I don't really throw people out for getting behind a month - as long as they aren't doing stuff that obviously isn't needed, wasting money on "priorities" that aren't priorities at all. You know, eating out, entertainment, etc.  Or starting trouble with other tenants. Or stealing stuff from other tenants.  Or trashing the place.  There are limits to my patience lol.  I'd really love to approach the bank and ask for a construction loan and build on one of the properties - but they're going to want a substantial down payment and I can't afford that right now.  A brand new house, around 1,500 square feet. Well, one property isn't big enough for a house that size, it would be more in the 800-900 square footage realm.  I'd just sell that tho, not rent it out. 

Oh, the other thing - this 401k stuff is starting to look bad to me.  I want to switch that up, 5% goes to 401k because of the "free" money my employer matches it with, but the rest going into a life insurance account of which you can borrow money against.  I've been watching these money gurus for quite a while now, the best thing to do with money you are saving is dump it into a savings account.  The kind you can borrow against.  I don't understand yet how that all works, but I'm looking into it.

My life isn't about money, per se, ie: greed or wanting to become rich. It IS about wanting to get out of the corporate scheme and just be self-sufficient.  I really want to go discuss with the bank the prospect of business loans and see what they have. My current bank offers SBA loans, but who knows the qualifications needed to get into such a thing.  

Anyway, I've become much better about spending everything on a credit card and then paying it right back off asap.  That way, I show I pay my bills, am not racking up a bunch of debt and most importantly, racking up the points.  These points are wonderful, one of my cards currently has almost a grand worth - we are going to go to a local hotel soon enough and pay for it with points. We like swimming pools lol, nothing nefarious.  The dude that says don't ever use a debit card really has it right.  My whole thinking about credit and how to use it is changing the more reading I do.  Certain kinds of credit are not bad.  Racking up credit card debt isn't good, of course not, but using credit to buy houses and also cashing out is good. Especially the cashout - it's a loan so it's non-taxable.  This is a secret a lot of the rich people use that you won't know about unless you spend endless hours reading stuff.  If the income from the house is the same or more than your monthly mortgage payment, there is no reason to not buy an "extra" one, rent it out and eventually see the value of the house go up and - take that money out.  All you are doing is refinancing the house and taking the equity out of it while you are doing it.  The only drawback to it is the lender's fees associated with it, which can be substantial. 

Anyway, it's time to change gears and get my mind into work, cause' it's going to be an all day thing.

G'day

 Not so shockingly with all things pertaining to this proposed business, new information came out concerning the original/1st contractor.

That's because I texted him, informing him of the other contractor and his statement that he knows you and that you are backed up "months out".  

Miraculously, he texted back very quickly. Because I also stated my intentions of using him since he said the dirt was dry enough and also that you aren't really able to get to my project any time soon.

I said all of that to elicit a response, yes, intentionally, to find out if there is any truth to the 2cd contractor's statements.  I don't get a lot of input from number 1 and therefore, it was time to speak a bit more directly to the situation.  

Number 1 wrote back and asked who this other guy is?  I responded with his full name and the name of his company.  

He wrote back and said I don't know this guy, :I have never heard of him and I am not "several months out".  Well that's news to me, I thought, since I've repeatedly asked him when he was going to come out and continue on with the project.  

He stood his ground on the dry dirt.  "We know dirt, if it's wet, it makes a mess".  Number 2 may or may not know dirt, he does mulching but apparently also does dirt work.  Number 1 is pretty much all about dirt, so I would have to give his assessment some credence.  He is also highly respected in this area.  

He then stated he -number 1 - could come out the week after next.  This is what I'm talking about. I need dates, intended arrival and work times.  The 10 day forecast shows a small chance of rain on virtually every day between now and then with the notable exception of today. We are under a tornado watch and there is 100% chance of rain. Actually, it's already rained here today, as it was on the way into the yard.

I just got back from Oklahoma. After 4 days off - the first 2 were due to needing a 34 hour reset, Monday was the eye doctor and Tuesday the mechanics were still working on my truck - I got another Oklahoma run instead of something that actually pays anything.  If I say anything to her about it, she gets extremely offended.

But I had an Oklahoma the last run before the 4 days off.  So in 8 days, I've made a grand, lol.  What will she give me for tomorrow? If I even get a run tomorrow? I have no idea.  But it needs to be something better than another Oklahoma run.  I'm going to have to buy a zero-turn riding mower and I don't want to have to spend too much savings on that.  It's a necessity, yes, after whoever gets done with the walking trails.  They will have to be maintained regularly.  Letting them grow would mean having to have someone come out with a bush hog setup and paying them to do so.  

Anyway, Number 1 is allegedly coming out 2 Mondays from now. IF he shows up and IF they get the dirt work done, I'm going to push hard to get the rest of this done post haste.  They don't need perfectly dry ground to dig out trenches and holes and such for all the utilities. 

There are a couple of phone calls I need to make that I don't really want to, I've had enough of confrontation.  The first is to the gas company drawing the gas out of the ground - they need to fix the driveway. The second is to the other easement - to find out what the terms are for having them come out and bush hog all of it.  They didn't even take down the trees last time, they left a bunch of junk up that they should have plowed over. 

Well, Midcoast was easy, I just sent them an email concerning their lack of keeping the easement cut down and also the last time they had whoever out there, that did not mow down all of the trees.  
They are 6 to 8 feet tall and they are on the easement.  

The other phone call I'm going to have to write down my thoughts and collect myself in my demeanor - -keep it professional regardless of how off this man comes across, for I haven't had a phone call with him yet where he didn't start going off the rails.  

 Okay then.

I just met with a contractor out at the property in order to get him to quote me finishing the walking trails.  I made him walk all the way around the property, lol, so he could see what he's getting into.  He quoted me $2,500 - of which I thought quite reasonable considering the amount of work I was asking for, for I not only want walking trails but also a couple of campground sites cleared out.

Near the end of it, he asked me who was doing the dirt work up front?  Randy - and he finished off the last name and informed me he is months out right now.  Yes, I thought, I'm already months into this.  "well he said the dirt has to dry out quite a lot before they can do it".

By that point, we were over there at the intended RV portion of the land.  I kicked the dirt which was dry a couple inches down.  Uhh, no I could do that right now, this dirt is plenty dry enough.

That was disconcerting news.  "Randy is backed up for months, we are trying to see if we can take some of his work to get him caught up."  So I've been waiting all this time for nothing? I thought in my head.  

This guy's pricing is right in line with the contractor I am supposedly using to do the install.  It makes me wonder, if this other contractor does all the dirt work and install the driveways, how long am I going to have to wait for my current contractor to put in the septic system, the electrical system and the water lines?  

Well, he's going to call me back after he talks to my contractor - but in my mind it's a foregone conclusion I'm giving the work to this guy and Randy - who could have told me right off the bat that he is booked up  - can have the utility installation, IF he can get to it.  I've already got the quote and for the dirt work? It's actually cheaper than Randy quoted me.  

I'm going to get a bit more - assertive about this - now that I understand that the ground dries up within a couple of days, enough for them to do the work.  As in, when it comes time for the utilities, I want dates, the day you are coming.  As I said, and have said before, if he is was too busy, he could have just told me. It's not like I haven't asked this guy.  But now? I'm not waiting any longer. This project will move forward with or without this contractor.  

Ugh.  Facepalm.  Thank you Jesus, I'll just eat this and move on .  Not worth getting upset over. I'm just glad I moved on with the walking trails.  This guy said his trails are smooth enough at the end that you can ride a zero turn mower over it, you don't need a bush hog (a tractor that pulls a device that cuts down the brush behind it).  I can't afford a tractor right now, I don't really want to buy a zero turn, they are a lot cheaper but still up there in price, but it's going to have to be done. I'll need one for the RV lots anyway to mow the grass.  

Yes, I intend on doing some of the monthly work that needs to be done to save money.  I'm home often enough to cut the grass, it's only 14 sites. Of course, I'd rather pay someone to do it to start with and not have a lot of extra work beyond trucking, but if I'm going to have to buy one anyway, I will likely do the work myself or, if James wants some extra work, perhaps I could pay him.  I dunno, I'll figure all of that out as it comes to me to have to make the decisions to do it. I have already found a guy that does very good work at reasonable prices, having him come out twice a month probably wouldn't cost that much. 

I'm getting a bit fired back up now that I have some hope that something is actually going to get done.  I've been in limbo for quite a while and just put everything on hold.  I have no control over these people, but still, the idea that he couldn't just have been up front and told me he's too busy.....