Tuesday - Night

I have been following the news today, so I was rather shocked after having turned it off and maybe half an hour later, seeing the news of Charlie Kirk being shot at a rally he was holding at a university in Utah.  The first video I saw was from afar, looked like someone taking video on a balcony somewhere. The second video, however, was up close and hard to watch.

The video showed Charlie in the middle of sentence when you hear a shot ring out.  A flash of a second later, Charlie is hit by the bullet in his neck, he starts falling backward and a LOT of blood starts gushing out of his neck.  I immediately thought, this isn't survivable but I put out a plea for prayers for him anyway.

It wasn't much later that they declared that Charlie had passed away. I can tell you that I have watched probably hundreds of his videos on both YouTube and Facebook debating mostly college students who vehemently disagree with him, many of which immediately go into name-calling and denigration. But Charlie took it all in stride, would hear them out but then he would fire back facts at them.  

Charlie was at least in part part of the reason Trump was elected. He took the battle to the colleges, where there are plenty of potential voters whose minds are being subverted with leftist propaganda.  He spoke out against deviant sexuality being taught in schools, confronted people about their beliefs on abortion, trans and a host of other issues both political and personal.  He had a lasting impression on so many youth, he was a godly man, loved the Lord Jesus Christ and had no problem speaking His Name - Jesus! - to everyone whether they wanted to hear it or not.  

I don't know if they can replace him in the organization that he put together - Turning Point USA - that had millions of people following and subscribing to it.  

I think the name of his organization is fitting for this event.  Enough!  It is time for all patriotic Americans to take a stand against the far leftist ideology that is attempting to destroy this nation.  I am not calling for violence, I am calling for a definitive stand to push back on this at every turn, whether you see it online, in person, on the phone, friends, relatives, whoever.  Remember, the left called the rioting going on in Seattle, Portland, Minneapolis, LA etc "peaceful protests" While entire blocks were being burned down, police were being assaulted and people were being assaulted. 

I have a long memory for the violence the left has not only condoned but have asked for.  Maxine Watters infamous speech telling everyone to turn against cabinet members, saying just short of violence against them.  

It is a sad day in America.  For me it is anyway and a lot of people like-minded.  

And the left reaction was expected even if shocking in nature.  Pritzker declaring that Trump and his supporters are complicit in the violence that is occurring in the US.  NUMEROUS MSNBC commentators making outrageous statements, one of them staying that Charlie created the conditions for his own demise and basically saying he got what he deserved! What SICK people these are! What would really be great is to find ways to put these mouthpieces of evil out of business. MSNBC and CNN especially, but a LOT more as well.  

These people are evil, godless and hate America. Period. 

I have been watching the footage off and on and I can tell you, until they announced his death, I was really hoping that he would pull through this.  I was hoping the Lord would intervene, but alas, God had different plans.  Charlie is with Him in heaven now. His death is horrific but there is also peace that he is in eternity with Christ.  

I can't imagine the grief his wife is going through or thinking about his young daughters growing up without a father. How do you explain such a thing to kids that young?  Where is daddy? When is he coming home?  How do you explain to them that daddy is NEVER coming home?!

I am disgusted and repulsed by this event not just for the shooter but for the leftist reaction already being exhibited just HOURS after the man's death.  They are heartless, cruel, uncaring and hateful people, the entirety of the left. Sorry, NOT sorry to say that.  I have had enough conversations with them, I have watched their politicians, I have heard their actors speeches, I know how they think.

Only God can change all of this.  To be honest, the only thing that will work is prayer.  This nation is filled with evil.  Look at all the unborn babies being killed every year.  I don't want to go into a whole list here, I am really put off by all of this.  A movement has to rise up, if possible and if it's in God's will.  Something has to happen that changes the focus of citizens.  I point to Jesus, my Lord and Savior!  HE is the hope of this world!  

Wednesday - early

This fast is kicking my @$$.  Headache, feeling of ...ugh...just a bit nasty.  I've got another 12 hours and then I can break it.  

Trump. Well, he has lost a few of the court battles, but the one that is irritating democrats the most or certainly high on the list he just won.  

That's the immigration raids in LA.  A lower court had halted them but now the SCOTUS has weighed in.  Democrats are predicting a "parade of racial terror".  These people are so disingenuous and just plain liars.  These leaders know that what they are saying is patently false, but they go around proclaiming their fictitiousness from the rooftops in order to try and do what? Sway voter opinion, of course.

They've lost power, at least temporarily, and they can't stand it.  Republicans have been sidelined for 4 years with the communist Biden administration, it's no wonder they can't deal with the nation being reverted back to patriotism and a sense of self determination, ie: that the entire world can't just march across our borders and start taking up positions of power.  Or just taking our jobs.  Filling up our health care system to the brink of bankruptcy, at least in rural communities.  

BTW, I'm all for RFK Jr's direction to make America healthy again. I have been doing a great deal of research on fasting and it ultimately led me to the types of foods that we are being offered at the grocery stores, the fast food places, everywhere we eat, basically.  We eat too much food and a lot of the food we eat is basically poison to our bodies.  We are fat and sick.  

It doesn't help that the chemical laden garbage we are eating is the cheap stuff, if you want to eat healthy? You better have the bucks to back it up, because healthy eating isn't what corporate America wants.  It keeps people dependent on endless visits to doctor's offices and taking all kinds of pills.  This is as much about the pharmaceutical industry as it is about the food industry. I'd say they work hand in hand.

Doctors treat symptoms, they don't find the root causes.  It's as if they want you to stay sick and dependent, the whole lot of them. Politicians don't care, as long as they are in positions of power and filling up their coffers, they are perfectly happy with the status quo. 

Anyway, Dems are having yet another meltdown over ICE raids and maybe in a future setting, 50 years from now, it might be humorous to look at what "those people were doing" back then, actually supporting the overtaking of our nation by foreign actors through the means over simply walking across our borders and engaging in anti-American activities designed to change the American way of life.  

Now I'm not trying to say that a lot of them aren't "just" coming here to find better opportunities or even have food to eat. I'm all for feeding the hungry, I have been doing that for many years starting in the mid 80's.  But I have to pay for my food and my health care.  I don't get freebies and I don't expect them.  I can't go to THEIR nations and ask their government to basically give me a free ride, they won't even let you through their borders and if you're caught, some countries impose very stiff penalties.  You will certainly be deported if nothing else.  So why is it that democrats think the entire billions of people in this world should just be let in here?

It's unsustainable.  It's not realistic.  

I'll get off of my soapbox, my time is running out.  I woke up early. Not 3 am early but earlier than the alarm.  I tried to go back to sleep but that was a non-happening event and I just ended up getting my day started.  I will try to get through this day without too much brain chatter telling me it's time to eat, dinner is only 11 hours a way.  Salmon patties and rice.  Probably a little salad and maybe some bone broth soup just before dinner to kick start the internal digestive system? I dunno.  Maybe.  

G'day

 

 Tuesday - night

Today was a bit rough.  Fasting that is.  I almost didn't make it through it.  I was weak, tired and hungry.  Last time I did this I don't remember feeling this bad on the second day.  I got up eeeeaaarrrrlllyyyy again, 3 am to be precise, got up there early but the product wasn't coming out particularly fast.  It took an hour and 42 minutes to offload, significantly longer than any previous loads and I had thought some of those loads were taking forever to drain out.  

By the time I got home, I just went to my bed and passed out.  Not for too long, maybe half an hour. After that? It was someone cooking chili, permeating the entire house with that wonderful smell. Endless ads for food this and fast food that.  It's amazing how food you would normally turn your nose up at? You'll eat in a heart beat if you could.  The finished chili was the real tough one.  I just wanted a bowl of it. Just ... one...bowl.

But, I thought, I have made it this far, I just want to go through until tomorrow dinner and then end the fast.  That will put me a few hours short of 3, 24-hour periods which is fine.  

Safe to say I've made it through today, no way would I just blow it off now that it's almost bed time. Tomorrow morning? I dunno, I'll face that when it comes.  Lord willing that tomorrow comes, you just never know in this life.  

I did nothing on the property today, I had no energy even tho it was so beautiful outside.  I'm looking towards the future, if I am to live any length of time and preferably without Alzheimer's which runs in my family lines, I'm going to take measures now to reduce the risk of it and cancers and other things.  Yes, if you do your research, you'll find that prolonger water fasting can help reduce the risk of all of that and more.  

Oh, and that dog.  He decided this morning to pee on the end of my bed while I was taking a shower. I know this because I walked up to the bed end after taking a shower to lay out my clothing and my feet were in wet carpet.  I looked down and sure enough, that dog had peed on the bed and it dribbled down to the floor.  He was immediately ejected to the great outdoors and he spend the entire day out there, only bringing him in a little while ago. 

What would possess that dog to do something like that I have no idea.  I do know in the mornings, when I go into the bathroom to shower, he wanders around the room. That will be no more, he will be going straight outside and I guess I'll have to get a giant kennel to put him in whenever he needs to be left in the house.  Last thing I wanted was to take up more of this room with more stuff.

Oh and the other thing.  I was feeling a bit euphoric today. That is a possible side effect of ample amounts of dopamine being released while doing a water only fast.  That felt good - while it lasted lol.

I didn't feel like rummaging through trash today tho I was tempted to.  The dumpster is completely full and I know my guests don't ever fill it up that high during a normal week excepting in some cases when people leave and apparently decide to dump everything in their trailer.  Once I start putting in new lots, I will have to get a larger dumpster and then, I will have to figure out a place to put it that is somewhat away from trailers but close enough to walk to it - AND - not even possible for people who live on the street to commit theft of services and dump their trash into my dumpster.  I've pretty much decided to put it next to the shed, there aren't really many other places to put it.  

If I ever get to Phase III, I will be out of land after that.  The gas lease is back there and stops anything from going further back unless I want to start something new behind the least - of which there is around 700,000 square feet of woods, trails and whatever else.  I would love to build a house back there.  Out of the question for now.  

The only other option for land is next door, totally undeveloped land but the owner apparently isn't interested in selling. Lots of people have tried to contact the man, he doesn't even respond to them.  

Anyway, it's time to go to bed. At least I don't have to get up at 3. 

Monday - early afternoon

Up at 3:30 am, out at 4:30 am. I woke up early for no good reason, I just woke up before the alarm went off.  After the washout, I got to the plant at 7:35 am - just before 3 other trucks showed up.  I would have had to wait for all 3 of those trucks to load.  One of them had to wait to back into the parking area he needed to be, which is just in front of where I load my truck and a little to the left.  Yeah, he can't block me in.  

Back to the yard at 10:42 am, I got on the tractor, switched out the bush hogger to the box blade and started to blade the area that was bulldozed.  I did tht for almost 2 hours, but the tractor was wanting to over heat and I was tired so I parked it.  It'll need another half a day of blading or more before I start thinking about putting lots in there.  I need that done before I start putting in stakes and such for where I am going to put the lots and run the ditches for the sewer, water and electrical.  

I want to get this done soon,  I will probably do some more tomorrow.  The headache of where to put the lots is almost done with me, I have a plan, I just need to solidify it by spending and afternoon out there marking out the first 3 lots and determining where to run the line for the sewer.  

I have this uber-early delivery tomorrow morning and then on Wednesday it's going to be the first load - normal time not "get up at 3:30 am" time.  I'm not going to complain too much, tho, I'd rather get that super early time than have the 2 load and getting home at 4-5 pm.  

I am - attempting - to fast today.  It's only 1:00 pm and I'm struggling right now lol.  I want to make it 3 days but right now? I'm just trying to make it through today.  I mean, there are refrigerators and freezers and a pantry full of food here. Just makes it hard, the first day is always a struggle.  Makes it even better, tho, that I am home early and can just relax.

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The problem right now in writing entries is that I'm getting up super early for work, so I am just trying to find the time to write an entry and get other stuff done.  If the kid doesn't take the tractor somewhere, I will very likely get on the tractor again tomorrow and run that blade back and forth over everything. I'm trying to give it that finish smoothing out.  The soil was moist today which made it much easier to get the dozer tracks out of the soil.  It's gonna have to be good enough when I get it as good as it's going to get with that blade, I've spent enough money on that portion of the dirt work.

Anyway, tomorrow is an ultra early rise day and then the next 2 days will be regular early run.  

And with that, I need to get offa here. It's only 8 pm, but I am getting up at 4 am......

 Friday - evening

Getting up this morning wasn't an issue, but by the time I got home? I was ready to go back to bed.  5 hours of sleep didn't set well with me tho getting home at 10:30 am wasn't bad.  Same thing tomorrow, be there by 8, out of there by 9:30, home by probably around noon.  Second part of this run takes longer for there are more miles to cover.  

The dentist today.  They sent me 4 text messages and 2 phone calls reminding me of this appointment today.  All well and fine, I'd like the same respect paid back to me for being there not only on time, but 15 minutes early.  Did they? Of course not.  It was 45 minutes before they got me in a room and another 15 minutes before they even started doing anything. They didn't bother to tell me I needed 2 fillings, I just found that out today.  

So, I got 2 fillings which took 2 hours.  I then asked the dentist if he could get them to give me a printout of the total cost of all of this. They still haven't received a decision from my insurance about how much they will pay.  I was rather shocked, however, to see the total without insurance: $9,409.60.  That is insane.  I will wait for insurance to see how much they'll cover, but I doubt it's enough to make me want to spend that much money without getting a second opinion somewhere else.  Maybe it will be the same price but I need to find out for peace of mind. I don't want to go through the rest of my life looking like this, but almost 10k?  

The deal here is that it's not just crowns. They want to do a bridge and they want to remove 3 teeth.  I've had teeth removed, I do not like the sound of that at all. Once that pain killer wears off, it's pretty much agony.  

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Well. Just noticed the dentist got the inside of my check with his grinders.  Big black spot in there. My mouth is still numb many hours later, perhaps that's a good thing.  

I'm getting up at 4:30 am tomorrow.  That will afford me enough time to lay in bed for 5 minutes trying to awaken, take a shower, get my coffee and get on down the road to the park, get in the truck and get that junk over with.  I have another 8 am load and delivery on Monday, at least I'm getting Sunday off - that's 6 days working a row so yea, please.   

BTW, I was watching a senate hearing where democrats were attempting to give RFK JR hell over his policies.  LOL!  He's a democrat!  One of them was blasting him for introducing policies that will allegedly harm seniors and children by taking away or reducing benefits.  I know this is total hogwash.  After a bunch of it, RFJ interjected, paraphrasing: "You've been here what, 20, 25 years and you've watched all of this going on ?  76.6 % of Americans have some form of chronic disease under your watch". 

Yup. Career politicians on both sides don't give a hoot about citizens. They get rich and they have power. Look at AOC, worth many millions now. She was basically a broke bartender when she started out.  No corruption to see here! LMAO.  

 Thursday - evening

Well, I made it up there before the other driver - didn't know what was going to happen since my manager didn't respond to 2 texts and probably on purpose. I don't treat him disrespectfully but I do stand my ground and I am quite firm on my views of things regarding work, schedules and other things trucking related.  Mostly it's related to schedules and if/when other drivers encroach on my loading or unloading times. 

The other driver showed up 3 minutes before I was leaving.  I really don't know if that was planned or he was just showing up at the appointment time, I think it's the driver that doesn't care about schedules and shows up whenever - usually late.  

All I know is, I have to get up at 4 am and be at the property at 4:45 am to leave by 5, get to the washout by 6:30.  I'm glad I was writing this, I just texted the washout to let them know I'll be there around 6:30 am. They don't officially open until 8 am, but anyone can call them at any hours of the day to wash out, it's obviously going to be an extra charge. 

It was that or end up having a second late load in a row, even tho it worked out that today was first load, yesterday definitely was not.  I'm just not interested in late loads, I'll do them but not 2 in a row, at least not without some sort of explanation as to why they would do that to me in advance of dumping it into my tablet.  Communication isn't very good, I have stated that over and over, I'm saying it again.  

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Many hours later.  Apparently a certain person that is over a certain company is not going to be around for awhile. That my make it hard for us to do our jobs, not sure yet.  I won't say who, what or where, it's a very unfortunate situation.  

But, as for tomorrow, it should go normally besides the fact that it's early.  I texted the man and he said he'd meet me there at 6:30 am, so the clock is on.  Well, not really, lol, just have to get up at the appropriate hour, check my alarm tonight to make sure it's actually working - there have been times when it's going off but no sound is coming out of it.  

Oh, I did "find" a job that is based locally, but, they want you to run, run, run forever.  Sorry, ain't doing that anymore.  Like, out on the road literally all the time.  Crazy.  I just can't fathom the amount of time I have wasted sitting in trucks on the road.  It is such a waste of life spending that much time out there, I'd rather take a lower paying job and be home at this point.  I could probably learn gas/diesel trucks pretty easily now and do those if it came down to it. 

The caveat with that is that they always start you on the night shift.  You are at the bottom of the totem pole and you have to work your way up - years.  I don't want to work years and I don't want that kind of grueling schedule.  It's the only good thing about this current job: the schedule. Even tho they dink me around a lot? I still get good enough hours that I can make it all work.

Anyway, it's approaching my early bedtime and I'm not staying up late.  

 Wednesday - mid afternoon

I had second load today, so when my manager called at around 8:00 am and I was already on my way to the truck at the yard, I wondered what he was wanting?  "Are you on your way to the truck yet?"  I'm assuming he knows I am, I have the tablet with me and it is GPS activated and traceable.  But I played along, yes I'm almost to my yard.  Well so and so called in sick today, someone else is at such and such a place but he's not even ready to leave yet, I am switching you to first load.  

Why can't these stupid drivers call in the night before and proclaim their sickness? If I had known about it last night, I would have just done the first load run at the first load run hours.  I would have been pulling into the washout station instead of just starting.  I don't believe this driver tho, he has been calling in sick a lot lately.  

I didn't get to the washout until almost 11:30 am, tho that was by design.  The actual appointment time is 2 pm, I don't want to get there too early but I also want to get the day over with. 11:30 is ample time for first load to load and I can get in and out of there - if I"m lucky.  

As it stands, it's 3:22 pm and I've been home since 3 so I won't call it an extremely long day.  I texted the manager a while ago, since you switched me to 1st load, I'm guessing I have that tomorrow as well? No reply. I texted him again: I am assuming that I am 1st load and will deal with it appropriately.  Meaning, I'm getting up at 5:00 am and getting the day started and over with early - if it works out that way. 

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Many hours later.  Kids came home from school, one did his homework, the other didn't have any (or so he said). Tonight was kids church night, just kicked off again for the school year season.  The caveat for them if they wanted to go is that they were to eat all of their dinner.  We're talking some soup with meat in it, some sort of Olive Garden replica - very delicious actually. They had it last night and asked for it again tonight, just enough leftovers for them to have a delicious meal.  

So, the one that asked for it? Wouldn't eat.  It turned into a full meltdown ordeal with him being sent to his room and - all of that kind of bs.  He was attempting to negotiate his way out of it.  He'd "eat some now and save the rest for later" - which literally means he will eat none of it. He knows there is going to be junk food at church. But, we know that he knows and we know what's going through his head, he is completely predictable.  "You can either eat your dinner or you aren't going to church".  

This was 30 minutes of this nonsense. When he finally came back to the table? He wolfed down the soup as if it were his last meal.  Unbelievable. This is really good!  I looked at him in awe. Why didn't you just do that in the first place instead of engaging in all of this ridiculous drama? I was having none of the bs after that.  I told them after they get home from church, you are going straight to bed.  I don't want to hear NOTHING except yes sir and go get into your pajamas, brush your teeth, go pee and get into bed.   

Amazingly, that is exactly what they did.  

So, tho it started off on the wrong foot, it ended up ok.  

I'll have to be honest with you here: I am pretty much waiting for cooler temps, which are really just right around the corner, to do the majority of the rest of this expansion project.  When the high's are in the mid 80's, that is going to be much better working conditions than what we had today, which was ridiculous.  I sat in the truck sweating and baking while getting loaded at the plant.  I'm just tired of this heat and I want it over with.  

I'm not saying I won't do anything before then, I'm just saying I'm tired of this humid heat and I don't mind waiting a few weeks to start really digging into this situation and trying to get some lots up and going.  I dunno. I won't do anything again before cooler temps until I get a weekday off.  Can I work on Saturday? Sure, but I am guessing this weekend is going to be all work.  Who knows with this company?  This is the nature of the trucking industry: drivers get to know what's coming up next when it's given to them.  

I am motivated to get this done, yes, just because of this trucking crap.  But I don't feel like baking in the sun.  There is a lot of work to do so I will have to do some of it before then, not just the expansion project.  

One other thing.  I have no idea why a lot more people suddenly showed up at this blog.  I mean, I don't mind it or anything, it's just a curiosity.  Maybe politics.  I didn't write anything about Trump in this blog but there's plenty going on.  For another entry, maybe tomorrow. 

Anyway, it's time to go to bed.  

 Tuesday - mid afternoon

So my manager put 2 second loads in my tablet today and when i saw them? I immediately texted him.  You put 2cd loads in there.  I didn't say I don't want to do them, he knows I don't want to do them.  AT ALL. 

"Call me" was the text I got back and so I did.  I have no qualms speaking my mind, especially to a trucking employer. It's invariably true in the trucking industry, if you give them an inch, they'll take a mile.  Or 20 miles.  He went off on to how I had 6 early loads and 2 late loads in the last 8 days. 

It took me zero seconds to come back with: " Yes, and I worked 9 days in a row and have had to work 4 weekends, 3 of which were the entire weekend.  Further, you called me on a day off and asked me to come to work that day, so I did. I don't see the issue here, all of what I have done equalizes and early load nonsense".  

He backed wayyyy off after that.  I will not be abused by this or any other company, even if it means having to quit. I have allowed myself to be used endlessly to the expense of my own well-being and having a life outside of trucking forever, I will not allow it to happen anymore.  IF he needs me to work 2 second load shifts in a row, the company can pay me a fee for the second run of at least $100 extra to do it.

You think I'm kidding.....I didn't have to go there, however.  He always has some backup plan. Well, I can't trust him - whoever him is, he didn't name the individual - to show up on time.  I don't really know how that equated to him getting the first load twice in a row, but I didn't interject with such thoughts, for the next part was acceptable.

You can come in early if you like.  Early means getting up at 4 am to get out of the house no later than 4:40 am.  That gets me to the washout at 6:30 am, half an hour for that and 30 minutes to the loading plant.  That also gives an extra half an hour for wiggle time.  Especially necessary if that particular washout dude shows up who takes twice as long as everyone else. 

So, tomorrow I'm doing regular second load. I'll do one, I just don't want to do 2 in a row.  Friday I'll get up early to load and up early to deliver.  My manager can count on me to confront anything like that, every..single...time.

Not only that, but this guy that was allegedly supposed to be there early today - which I knew nothing about but sort of guessed since he was there early yesterday - was still there when I arrived. I contacted the manager about that.  I don't care what anyone thinks, I have never seen such ridiculous nonsense with schedules in all of my trucking career until I got to this place. No one plays these games. If the manager approved this, why wasn't I notified? 

After I texted him, he called. He said it's a temporary OTR driver - another driver quit last Monday - and he is going to load today after delivering. All well and fine, I have asked numerous times in the past to be notified of such changes so I can plan accordingly.  But I abruptly changed the subject - that driver, I said, is on top of the trailer.  Not on the ladder, he's on top of the trailer. This plant doesn't allow anyone up that high without fall protection and he will get into trouble if either safety or a manager sees him up there.  "Well what is he doing up there?' I have no idea, messing with the hatch it appears.  

Then the manager went off on how that plant doesn't allow anyone up above 4 feet without fall protection.  This is a giant lumber company with plants all over the United States, you don't want to piss them off.  Is he still up there? Yes, he's been up there several minutes.  They have giant signs that say flatbed drivers can't even get up on their trailers to tarp their loads much less a tanker driver climbing up 10 feet to open a hatch.  Well can you go over there and tell him to get down? I would have done it, but at that point the man got down off the trailer.  

That's been my day.  It's over and I didn't feel like working at the park, I was late returning. I have second load tomorrow so I don't have to leave out of here until around 7:45 am.  I won't try to get there too early for there have been too many hangups lately with the loading plant taking it's sweet ole' time getting to us, especially second load.  

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No longer mid afternoon, lol.  10 pm.  I don't have to get up until 7 so that's not a big deal.  I got work over with and just went straight to - not thinking about work. I'm very good at that.  I can completely eliminate it out of my mind when I want to.  I have hardly watched any news today so I have no idea what the latest drama is excepting Democrats telling the right to F*** off about "thoughts and prayers".  I just can't believe they are back on that one again!  Their party is in a crisis, I'm quite glad they have no direction or any substantive leadership, they will continue to  lose more seats in areas that they were once strong in. 

The only thing is, and I've heard this for many decades now, voters don't want one party in power, they want power to be held by both sides in order for there to be checks/balances.  Well, I'm not sorry to say that I see absolutely nothing redeeming or good about the Democrat party at this point in time.  I could go into a very long list from memory about that subject, but why? I'm going to bed! 

 Sunday - mid morning

Church starts in a little over an hour and yes, I intend on going even if the kids are gone.  I tend to try and make it tho admittedly I was struggling long ago when it was just me.  The kids wanted to start going and that helped motivate me to get my but up, in the shower, dressed and out the door.

But, since they are gone I probably won't do the Applebee's thing today.  If I'm going out, it will be somewhere else but I suspect I'll just go home, make something and lounge around doing much of nothing today. 

I work the next 4 days I'm hoping to get Friday off, I need a weekday off to get certain things done.  I dunno, but I needed these 2 days off.  It's unfortunate that when I finally do get a few days off and if it's the weekend? I pretty much don't get anything done on the property.  There is no time frame for it, I don't have a loan tied to the project so I guess I'm not really pushed to get anything done, I just get to it when I can - or sometimes - feel like it.  If there was a loan attached to it I would probably be spending all my free time over there getting this project pushed forward. 

Saturday - morning

I have no idea what's going on with the guy and the truck driver training.  He left this morning with the kids, the lady of the house stayed home and I just don't really know lol.  What I do know is that he's giving the truck away to a cousin up in Arkansas and that the kids are going to where he's going to be staying while he's up there training at the grandparent's home.  

I'm pretty sure at this point that the grandma would love to see me leave here permanently.  She is a hateful, judgmental and abysmal person of the details I won't go into here, but I've heard enough coming out of her mouth over the years concerning her family members to know that when she turns on a person, they are going to be on her s***list.

I don't really care one way or the other, I just ignore her when she comes down here.  I tried for years to keep it an amenable situation but that's comet to an end.  I've had the thought of simply leaving when she visits - she or they usually stay for at least a day but sometimes it goes on for many days or even a week.  

Whatever the case, it is a lovely Saturday morning, around 8 am, I got to sleep in.  I finally decided to get up and decide what, if anything, I'm going to do today.  I am likely going to the property and determine what size wire needed, I still haven't done that, too much other stuff getting in the way.  It rained nicely yesterday and all that dust on the driveway after getting it plowed with the dozer washed away and is - ok I'll label it. It needs the finish touch of the box blade, another project that will get done sooner or later.  

Too much to do.  Working 9 days straight has taken it out of me to be honest and I just want to do nothing today. A waste of a good day, hopefully I can motivate myself to get out of here and get some stuff done. 

_________________

Couple hours later.  I'm finally getting to the point where I think I can go do something over there. Find a shovel if they haven't all been stolen and dig out the line to find out what size it is, measure the distance, add several feet to it and there you have it, the wire I need to get the power going to the meter stand.  Sounds simple, right? Lol

Well, the Ford is done. Like, completely done. It should be good for daily use now with new tires, front brakes, the rear ac/heat fan working and some other issues.  I hope it has quite a bit more life left in it, it runs great and it's going to be used by the fam here whenever it's needed now that the pickup is going to be gone. 

Anyway, I'm outta here to go get it and then go look at that wiring situation. 

G'day

 Thursday - night

ONE more day of work and after what will be 9 straight days of work, I will finally get the weekend off.  

I found out today one of the other drivers quit on Monday.  I dunno how they are going to keep this contract with people quitting and just saying enough! of this job.  I'm sticking with it for now or until it goes away, I will NOT do OTR with this company and yes, they have a large OTR division.  They originally asked me to start driving in Canada when I first started with this company because they found out I have a passport.

NO, was the definitive answer and yes, they asked several times over.  So I don't know what's going to happen, but if they don't find more drivers, they are going to keep the existing ones extremely busy - too busy.  I have other stuff to do and I need days off.  Like normal people have weekends off? I don't need every weekend off - tho I would like that - but I do need some weekdays off, actually.  I get more done on a weekday off than on a weekend day off.  

My window AC finally kicked the dust.  Besides the fact it is extremely loud - it is no longer white noise, it's just noise - the compressor stopped kicking in. Just no.  It isn't boiling hot in here but for me to get a good night's sleep, I need it around 69 degrees.  68 even better.  So, I ordered one.  Yup, just like that. I figure this will help me with my sleep issues.  The noise is bad enough that last night, I shut it off and ran a YouTube video all night long that has no ad interruptions and just plays box fan noise.  I had been using green noise, but the other night? The stupid thing was interrupted by an ad that woke me up out of a dead sleep. 

The box fan channel I've used several times without any ad popups and suddenly the voice of some dude or dudette selling their wares.  

Anyway, I really wish I could just quit the trucking job and focus on getting some of these lots created and completed.  I just get too drained to start working after work to work some more...work.....working....to work....for work................

I don't hate work, I just hate too much of it. Like, a full time job and an RV park? That's getting to be a bit much for me.  I'm not in my 20's or 30's anymore and the older I get, the harder it's going to be to get anything done if I do, indeed, intend on doing the work myself.  Right now? That's just the necessity of it.  

Major room cleaning.  This time, it was emptying out the closet and throwing a bunch of stuff in the good ole' trash can.  Going through tons of papers and throwing most of it in the - good ole' trash can.  I still have a huge pile on my desk to go, I am saving that for last.  Much of that is business related and will have to be input into quickbooks.  I got a corner cleaned out entirely and put the dog bed over there.  It has been on the side of my bed - and directly in the path of getting to my bathroom.  I just really had no other good place to put it.  Now? He seems to be happy in the corner. He will have to be, that is where i had intended on putting him from the beginning, I just never had the room there.  

Hung lots of pictures and other stuff and just trying to get this room into shape.  I kind of let it go - too much clutter. I have a hard time throwing stuff out, I had to get it into my mind that I don't need all of this stuff. Anything good? I will give away if I don't use or want it.  Well, if I don't use it, I don't want it lol.

3 old laptop computers. I knew they were in there, but I had forgotten how old one of them was. It has Windows 7 (SEVEN) installed on it lmao.  I'm going to go through the files on it and make sure there is nothing I need off of it, but considering I have lived this long without use of it, I doubt it. There might, however, be pics on it I want and I can upload to a pic storage app.  Then destroy it, I don't want any hard drives floating around in the trash system.  Well, I don't want any intact hard drives floating around in the trash system anyway.  The other 2 laptops?

Well, one of them I spilled liquid on it and it ruined the keyboard. It is an expensive laptop but it's about 5 years old now.  Dunno if it's worth fixing. The other one I don't really remember and I have no idea if I can even get it to work. I don't think I have a charging cord for it, so it will end up getting destroyed as well.

Have you seen the Dems reaction to thoughts and prayers concerning this Catholic school shooting?  We need to do something about this! What good is praying when these kids were literally praying when it happened?!!  These people don't seem to remember themselves encouraging rioting and calling it "peaceful protests".  Or "defund the police" after George Floyd.  Or their failed attempt at this thoughts and prayers hatred several years ago, they were saying the same thing. 

They will never learn and to me, it further exposes the evil the democrat party stands for.  It goes far beyond defunding police, gun registries, gun confiscations and all of that kind of thing.  It's the stripping of property rights, taxation to the point of poverty.  I saw a tv segment where one person was calling for a 65% federal tax on rich people.  The person they were saying it to went through some calculations and said ok, if a person makes a million dollars a year, you are saying that after all the taxes, he/she should get 150k to keep?

YES.  Oh, it was a Charlie Kirk thing.  These people are insane.  They hate America, but when offered free airfare and all expenses paid to get there to go anywhere else in the world they want to?  WE AREN'T LEAVING! Then SHUT YOUR MOUTHS.  NO ONE WANTS TO LISTEN TO YOUR ENDLESS WHINING.  Thank you.

BTW, did Whoopie Goldberg ever leave for Canada?  You listen to these people and if that's all you heard and you actually believed them, you would think that Trump is a dictator and we are living in Germany under the rule of the Nazis.  Deranged, delusional, perverted thinking fueled by endless propaganda fed to them through media outlets that have no qualms in the dissemination of propaganda the likes of which people should really be able to see through and understand these are giant lies.

Ask them to do any research on communism.  Most of them don't even have a real clue how Marx was, much less anything about the Communist Manifesto.  Or Stalin's killings of millions and millions of people.  Castro's Cuba.  The ongoing Chinese communist dictatorship.  Etc ad-infinitum. 

This stuff used to be taboo, now these people are proud of their Communist leanings!

I'm getting off of that subject, it will keep me awake, it's almost time to go to bed.  

I always have to remind myself: God is the Creator, HIS will be done and will be done!  

 Wednesday - night

I'm sitting here watching some movie with Gerald Butler I think his name is, always doing wild action movies saving presidents and things.  

This job grows weary on me.  I have worked 6 days in a row and still have 2 more to go before I get a couple of days off. And it's not like I don't have a plethora of work to do at the Park. I mean, at this point, I could keep busy for a long time.  The thing that is helping me change my mood on that is the temps are coming down.  I mean, enough that it doesn't feel like you are walking into a sauna turned up to 115 degrees and feeling like you're cooking to death.  No, the last several days have been much nicer.  

Well, tomorrow will hopefully go like the last 2 loads getting the tanker loaded down in lufkin.  I have gotten in and out of there quickly, unlike the 3  previous loads where I was there for 2-1/2 to almost 4 hours depending on which day it is.

Things are fixing to change drastically around here for quite a while. The guy is going to truck driver training school in Arkansas which will leave the parenting duties to the mom, but I will be helping out of course.  It isn't that big of a deal - until it turns into a big deal. Namely, the youngest kid who likes to not listen when he doesn't feel like it.  

I'm going to have to pick it up in certain areas of dealing with household chores as well.  I take turns cleaning the kitchen, I'll probably just start cleaning it every day until he returns.  But even when he gets done with that school, he'll then have to go out on the road. I don't know what his plans are, but to make any money and especially just starting out, you're going to have to drive the miles.  3,000 of them a week minimum for a decent paycheck.  I drive a little under 500 miles per trip which only means 1,500 miles per week if I do 3 loads to put it into perspective.

In the trucking world, I don't drive that much. I have mixed feelings about the current job.  I hate the equipment, it is all junk. One driver texted me 2 days ago saying "MY TRUCK BROKE DOWN AGAIN!!".  He is trying to go to college while doing this job and every time the truck breaks down, he ends up missing classes.  He said he can only have 2 more absences and after that, they will disqualify him for the school year, lose the money and have to start all over again.  I feel for him, this isn't the job he needs. He needs some sort of job in-town with a dependable schedule even if less money.

He is learning to do IT work, which can be very profitable.  

I've gotten lucky in the last little while with no major break downs.  They don't have extra trucks right now, the "extras" are all in the shop, some of them I think may be put out of commission altogether. In my view, ALL of them should be trash heaped and buy newer equipment.  With all the money they spend on towing and repairs, I think perhaps they might come out ahead just making payments.  

The list of things I need to start doing at the park on the expansion haven't dwindled at all. I have done nothing since the dozer work.  It'll get done when it gets done?  Yup.  I could go into the list, but I've already done that several times.  I'm just glad that the temps are coming down.  

I was watching the footage of the Catholic school shooting.  An 8 and a 10 year old - dead. 17 people injured, several are in critical condition.  This person was transgender.  Anti-Trump, anti-semite, DEI, woke, left whatever. These are things I have seen commentators saying, whether they are true or conjecture I can't say.  Excepting the transgender part, he/she was definitely trans.  The evil in a person's heart and mind to kill innocent children is beyond me.  I don't understand such things, these are unthinkable acts of nonsensical violence. Since the "thing" - man - took his own life, who knows what motivated ... it?  I'm sure they'll dig stuff up about him/her/it.  

As usual, certain politicians blame guns and use such things to call for gun control.  

Well anyway, it's getting close to time to go to bed.  I haven't been sleeping well and I think I know at least one of the reasons why.  The window AC unit is getting noisier and noisier.  It helps keep this room cool. Yes, this house has a massive central AC system but this room is an add on and there just isn't enough of the air getting in here.  I have been needing to replace that thing for a while now, I just haven't gotten around to it.  I may try just turning on a fan tonight, turn that thing off and use a phone app white noise maker. Or green noise, actually. I have found that green noise is actually a much better sound than the fan noises.  

I have to have some kind of sound to drown out noises that occur in the night, such as the neighbor coming home at 2 am and making all kinds of noise in his truck.  

Well, I'm getting offa here.  

 Monday - night

I dunno, this company.....

I get a text from another driver whose truck is always breaking down: "This truck broke again!".  I'm stuck on the side of the highway, been sitting here for hours!  I feel for him. He's trying to go to college while doing this stinking job and if he keeps missing classes, he'll forfeit the school year and have to do it over again.  This company and it's junk trucks is not exactly a place I would recommend to someone who needs something dependable in terms of a schedule.  He was only 23 miles away from me, but what was I going to do?  

He didn't make it to class, in fact, I think he's still stuck on the side of the highway some 6 hours later.  It's exactly why I refuse to drive one of those other brand trucks this company has a plethora of - they are always breaking down. My truck is pile of junk, but the break downs it typically has doesn't shut the thing down on the side of the highway.  

I got done relatively quickly - tho it took an hour and a half just to unload not including everything else you have to do at the plant, I still got home before 2.  That's not bad for the Gurdon portion of this run with more mileage to drive.  

I've gotten nothing done on the property since the dozer work was completed but it was recommended and I had already thought about spraying weed spray all over the entire portion of the area that has been done. We're talking hundreds of dollars worth of liquid to mix in a broad cast spreader.  I saw one at Harbor freight, it holds 15 gallons.  I'm going to go look tomorrow, I think.  I have first load. Yes, I am working yet another 2 days, I figured that would happen after hearing they were going to have 3 trucks loading today.  That means all of us are working plus they would have had to drag someone in from somewhere else to cover all of it. 

Yesterday was my dad's birthday - he passed many years ago due to complications of Alzheimer's.  It's something I want to avoid and will be doing a 3 day fast here pretty quick. I did 5 day fast some 3-4 weeks ago, it's time to keep up that pace. Not a 5 day fast, 3 days is enough.  I'm shooting for 7 days on the next really long fast, but I suspect 5 will be enough. I just don't want to try one too soon after already having had done one. A 3 day fast serves a good purpose in getting the cells to get rid of dead stuff and all of that entails with autophagy.  I don't claim to be an expert, I just watch the real experts - all of them are doctors - giving scientific explanations on the beneficial side effects of prolonged, water-only fasting.  

Trust me, I have done a lot of reading and watched a lot of video content about this subject over the years and the information they have now is far greater than what they had 20 years ago. They have been doing studies on human test subjects of fasting and the results are too good to not at least take a look at. Especially people my age and older. Heart disease is a major killer in this nation and fasting helps greatly with eliminating that threat along with cancer.  I'm not saying you can't get either if you are fasting, but it reduces the possibility of it greatly.  

This nation's diet is what's killing us.  It's hard to pass up some junk food, fatty filled food, food with ultra processed ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup - that stuff is really bad for you and it's in a lot of foods we eat.  This is why people start in on organic foods and many end up with the Mediterranean diet.  

I got in and out of dieting.  You just get surrounded by people eating whatever and it's hard to resist sometimes. Other times, I go for weeks or even months eating healthy with few variants.  

Anyway, I have to determine my priorities with this expansion and get started on them.  I need that electrical set up energized so I have a bit of work to do there.  I need to figure out my lots and how I am going to position them.  This has proved to be the most difficult thing for me. That situation continues to evolve as I have to decide if I want larger spaces or just have smaller spaces and get more people in. At the rates I am charging, I think closer together isn't such a bad thing. It isn't great but we're not talking packing them in like sardines, just not as much space as my other lots.  I'd really like to get 18 spots or even more up there.  

I'll be spending a day out there walking it, looking at it, measuring and finally, hopefully anyway, staking it.  Once I can get the lots staked, I can stake out the trench for the utilities.

After that? It's getting everything ready for the use of a mini-ex.  This will include trenching a line from the septic to the starting point of the line through the lots, the lots themselves, the side of the main driveway and finally get some drainage going in there including trenching for a culvert pipe and also another drainage pipe from the RV driveway where water backs up and spills over the top of the driveway. 

That will eventually ruin that area and I want to deal with it.  I also may dig up clay after all of that is done if there is any time left.  It's 24 hour possession of the machine but they only allow 8 actual hours on the timer.  That will be a long day - a day off at some point not too far in the future, I need to make this all happen as quickly as I can.  It's just that when I don't sleep well, I don't have much energy after a day driving. If I can't get this sleep thing under control soon, I'm probably going to go find a sleep expert somewhere and start looking into why, exactly, I wake up several times a night and often times getting back to sleep is next to impossible.  But, there are habits I am changing such as eating too late, drinking anything but water after say, 6 pm - haven't started that yet, I keep forgetting about it - limiting caffeine intake and whatever else I can find for suggestions on the internet.  

For example, I didn't know that looking at a phone screen inhibits the release of melatonin right before going to bed. But that doesn't really matter, I fall asleep quickly, it's staying asleep I have issue with. It's become almost habitual that I wake up 3 hours after going to sleep.  I have no idea why that happens.  

Anyway, it's getting near bed time, time to get offa here.  

 

 Saturday - afternoon

Some nights I sleep well, some nights I don't. Last night was definitively in the "some nights I don't" category.  Which makes for a long, long work day. 

When I arrived up there, the first load hadn't arrived yet.  I was beyond the time they should have been there and either gone or certainly close to being done, not "gee, let's show up at 10:30 am and take our sweet ole' time doing whatever we want to".

Sure enough, the goober showed up at 11:00 am, I was already hooked up and offloading and frankly, I didn't care.  I was in no mood for gruff from anyone including that driver or my manager about it.  The driver was late, end of story and he is mostly always late.  I grow weary of working weekends, missing church and not having the opportunity to spend the day doing what my friends are doing - basically nothing.  

Not that I would have done nothing today, plenty to do now at the park now that the dozer work is done.  I got done, neither the manager nor the driver called/approached me and as I said, I was in no mood for having people giving me hell over things that they create.

Such as a manager continually giving this person first loads and this person not showing up even remotely close to the time even the plant says they should get there - around 8:30 to 9:00 am.  10:00 is the appointment time but it's the unwritten rule that everyone knows including this driver that you should up at least an hour earlier than that. 

Regardless, their system was perilously close to being empty.  Maybe 2-1/2 truckloads in the entire system. That isn't much for a plant operating 24 hours a day.  The 2 truckloads we put in there today will be gone tomorrow.  I know the plant manager knows all about this, he orders the product.  I just mentioned that "the system is almost empty".  Yeah, I'm going to order a third load for Monday.  I'm overly glad I am not loading Monday, I'll be delivering instead. 3 loads in a single day at the loading plant? That is not going to go well, at least not if recent, ridiculous amounts of time to get loaded are any indicator.  

The thing is, until recently, the Gurdon plant was keeping their system as full as possible. It makes sense to do that in case there is an issue at the glue plant or issues getting the product there or whatever, they aren't going to run out and have to shut down the production line (making plywood). You can't make plywood without resin (glue). 

Anyway, I get home and the first thing the 10 year old wants is to wash the dog.  The dog has been smelling badly and the kid wants to earn extra money.  So, I offered him money to help wash the dog (motivate me to get it done, especially on a day when I get home and just want to go lay down in bed and watch tv or sit in my computer chair and play on the computer - games, blogging, reading the news, surfing the internet.  Well, that big old smelly dog is now officially washed.  

And I started back in on papers. Lots and lots of papers.  He wants to just keep dragging stuff out of the closet, I put a stop to it. Too much in here now! I have to have time to go through all of this! The disconcerting part? There is more rat poop on the floor!  I had completely cleaned out the closet, thrown a bunch of stuff out and fixed the wall where the rats had dug through it. They must have dug through it again? I didn't even know we have rats in here again!  I haven't heard or seen them but the poop is an obvious sign.. 

__________

Night time.  5:30 comes early trying to go to bed late, so I'm going to bed at a reasonable hour.  Everyone else is in bed anyway.  

 Friday - night

A quick update, it's getting late tho I do have 2cd load tomorrow so I don't have to get up super early. Still, I need to get to bed soon.

Anyway, the dozer was delivered around 7:45 am this morning.  I called the operator and told him they are out there with the dozer and need a signature.  I was just about to leave to head over there anyway but I didn't want to hold them up.  By the time I got over there, the dozer had been removed from the trailer and the operator had just gotten on the thing and started on his first run.

We discussed what needed to be taken down and what needed to be done overall and I left.  

The loading today was ridiculous, again.  I wasn't informed until after I was at the washout that they had run out of product and it would be 12:30 before they could load me. At the time, that was 3 hours.  They didn't actually start loading me until 1:36 pm.  The maddening part out this is, they know how much product they have and how many trucks it will fill, they know we are coming, why don't they make enough to cover it?  

Because they don't care, that's why.  

Anyway, I didn't get back until after 4. By that time, the operator had done both the entire area for the lots and the entire driveway, all 1,400 feet of it. He was doing some touchup work on the lot area. We discussed what was next and clearly, the rear of the property needed to be cleared again before those fresh growing trees got too big.   

I left him there doing the rear of the property, he wanted to earn some money and I was glad to get that done as well, keep a new forest from popping up and ending up costing me far more money to remove than the extra half day charge I'll get for the usage of the machine and more to pay him.  Thousands of dollars worth of savings, to put it into perspective. That area is proposed Phase 3, well down the road.  

I mean, there's more to today but that's the nuts and bolts of it.  I will have to run the tractor with the box blade on it to give the lot area a better finish, no big deal there.  The ball is rolling again.  I'm going to try and get the electrical portion done soon enough so I can get the power company out there to turn on the power to the meter.  It's just that it could take them a minute to get someone out there once I get a line run, need to prioritize that now versus later.

Anyway, I am constantly yawning, I'm off to bed. 

 Thursday - late morning

I dunno folks. I woke up at 5:00 am and said nope. Then I woke up to the sound of the pickup taking the kids to the bus stop and I said nope again.  Then at 8:00 am, I woke up again. Nope.  9:30? OH MY GOODNESS! IT'S LATE!

Then I realized I have nothing pressing today. Things I want to get done and probably will? Yes.  But, there is no dozer over there right now, otherwise I would have shown up at least a half hour before it arrives.  Unless, they are going to deliver it the night before which is what the operator says they typically do.  Well that's great as long as they don't charge for a full or half second day, like the in-town rental company does.  

So, it's 10:00 and I am enjoying the day off, sipping hot coffee, browsing reels and writing a blog.  I haven't even turned the tv on yet and no games.  It's amazing when kids are in school, you aren't awakened early and getting up for no particularly good reason when you have a day off.  I am facing at.......

....................

Phone call interruption.  The operator - who is also a tenant at my park, I know I have said that before but just for clarification - says they are ready to bring that machine at noon. 2 hours from now.  So, in about an hour, I'm going to get my water ready, get a bite to eat and get over there. I'll get on the tractor and help out however I can.  I don't care how long I have to sit out there, the operator is used to operating machines for up to 12 hours a day.  He's expecting $250 for the work, I thought that pretty fair, actually.  The whole thing will cost me $1,250 unless we go over 8 hours. Then I asked him to ask them how much they'll charge if we have to go, say, 10 hours?  

So, not a day off at all. But irrelevant, I got to sleep in and I'm stoked that we can get this project moving along.  In fact, I am going to dig out a portion of the line running from the power pole to the meter stand, take a pic of the type and rating of the line so I can get more of it to run to the stand again.  I haven't done that because - just haven't been motivated to do so. It's not going to take forever and I was hoping to just rent a mini-ex once the dozer work is done, trench that out and also trench out 3 or 4 lots worth plus trench across the existing driveway in an area where water pools up when it rains, put stick of pipe in there and make sure that water doesn't destroy my driveway.

And also, to dig out a trench along the main driveway and then run a large pipe underneath where water goes haywire during rain storms and get that water draining properly.  It does a number on the driveway every single time it rains, pretty soon I hope to be able to fix that problem with storm drainage pipe, I also happen to have SCH40 12" , tho I don't know if it's enough. I think 20 feet is enough tho.  

Basically, every time an advance in the project is made, I'm immediately working on the next part.  What I just described is the next part.  

Oops, just remembered I need to take the Ford into the upholstery shop this morning. But that won't take long and my friends said they would take me from there to the park where the pickup is parked.  

I'm so glad I didn't find out that this is happening today until now.  If I had had that call earlier, I wouldn't have been able to sleep, my mind instantly fills with thoughts. What do I do today to help? Or just get stuff done while he's doing it? I intend on being out there until he quits for the day no matter how long that is.  So, I got to sleep in and that was very important to me, sleeping in well beyond what I expected and feeling pretty good right now.  

Which is also a good thing, I need to feel good to make it through all of this lol.  

And I am oh so glad I wasn't loading yesterday.  My driver friend yesterday from the company I work for was giving up me updates. He was the second load, the first load didn't even start loading until like 2:30 PM!  At that late hour of the day? Both trucks should have been loaded and long gone!  

__________

Many hours later. I get another call after doing a bunch of stuff to prepare for today......and.........find out the dozer isn't being delivered until tomorrow, the machine hadn't been picked up from the jobsite it's already sitting at.  Beyond that, the company wouldn't take a credit card over the phone, I had to go clear over there 30 miles away - to pay for it in person.  If that wasn't enough, I was given directions to the wrong rental company.  When I figured it out, I realized I was 15-20 minutes away from where I was supposed to go and had already passed the place earlier. 

If that isn't enough and ironically? It's pouring rain right now.  You can't do that kind of dirt work in the rain, period.  So, it was a good thing it wasn't happening today even tho that really throws it off for tomorrow, when the delivery is going to be made.  

 Wednesday - evening

Forced myself to man up today, get whatever energy I could muster and get stuff done.  Work, obviously, but that is a granted.  After work, it was the dude cleaning out the Ford. It was a mess and I'm getting it all readied up to either sell it or start using it again.  Either way, it's not going to just sit there. That's how vehicles go bad and start falling apart.  Then the dozer operator - who lives in the park - came up and we spent a couple hours discussing the project, walking the entire area where I want the work done, explaining what I want out and what I don't want out.  

Do NOT, under any circumstances, take down ANY pine trees!  We added oak trees to that mix and anything, really, besides those sweetgum trees. Yes, some of them can stay, but some of them have to go to make room for pads.  

Well, since the Ford was cleaned out, I decided to drive it home. I looked at the year and month registration sticker on the windshield, it expired 2 months ago!  Ugh.  Went home, got the insurance papers and then went to the county courthouse to get it registered.  Over to the upholstery shop, a bit pricey on getting it done but I didn't expect it was going to be cheap.  After that, harbor freight for yet another, 2 gallon chemical sprayer for the weed/grass spray.  Trey stole the last one, it's gone.  

That was "it" for the day, I went to Chili's after that to visit with an employee that I hadn't seen in a while.  Also saw some friends that I have hung out with there and we chatted for an  hour or longer. A lady I used to see there often when i was going out to eat all the time passed away a few weeks ago.  Bummer, she had a heart of for stray dogs and was always picking them up. 

After that?  Home, dinner and now finally sitting down in my bedroom.  

Tomorrow is a day off, but.......it's not really.  I am going to fill that chemical sprayer up with grass killer and spray all the lots.  I need to dig out a portion of the cable at the power pole so I can take a pic of it and get that done. I need to run the line between the meter and the power company's pedestal.  I need the right size. I hope to be able to at least get the cable and get a start on digging out the trench. 

Oh! The plant today.  Well, I got up there, pulled up, got my stuff going and then? Some truck pulls up behind me. Who is this guy? He gets out of the truck, walks around then approaches me.  Do you know where to check in here?  Uhh, sure. I explained where to go and then asked him what he's hauling? Caustic.  I was wondering if we were already being replaced, lol, but another company hauls the caustic stuff.  Then the glue man came out of the side door and I pointed at him- that is exactly who you need to speak to.

I got lucky on that one.  If I had arrived up there 5 minutes later, I would have had to wait for him to unload.  As per the spill, the glue man said he went out to look after I left last week and just thought it was funny. It was like there's nothing there, lol.  Yes, I know, but we are required to report it regardless.  If 2 drips go on the floor, I don't care, but a gallon of water tainted with glue spreads out all over the place.  

Tomorrow's agenda is to simply__________________

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Well, tomorrow is to try and get stuff done. Apparently there is a strong possibility of rain so i guess it's a good thing there is no dozer tomorrow?  I just found a set of 4 security cameras that have their own, built-in solar panels. No charging them, wireless, I have plenty of internet access where I need it and want the cameras.  I want to put one in a tree facing the outside of the shed so I can see what people are doing = there are things going on that I don't know exactly what it is but odd stuff.  

I can do some tractor work as well, some dirt needs to be sifted through. Just want to dump as much dirt out there as possible, the operator says he can get it a bit more level.  Tho, tbh, as far as level goes, it's  not that bad.  Smooth - not at all, lol, hence the reason for the dozer.  

Anyway, it's possible we'll get it out there Friday.  

  Tuesday - afternoon

Made quick work of the pickup today.  I was done at 1:00 pm, which is good.  Tomorrow, I have a dentist appointment at 2, so I'm going to have to get up early to get my trip to Arkansas and delivery done and back by - well shooting for 1.  

I'm also trying to get it set up for Thursday to have the dozer delivered for the day.  They say the rental comes with 10 hours of use, which should be plenty.  I want to be there for the dozer work and I have Thursday off. Of course I do, for they want me to work yet another weekend.  And I suspect these types of schedules will continue on until they get at least 1 more driver.  

I'm just eat it for a while until they either find someone or I get sick of it and then...start looking yet again.  I haven't started yet, I figure to give it a chance. They said we are in jeopardy of losing the contract, but I wonder if the manager isn't blowing it way out of proportion just like he did with the water spill situation? Maybe, maybe not.  I wouldn't think my manager would have that kind of contact with the higher ups of a large corporation with plants all over the US.  I would suspect that kind of communication is with corporate.  

Anyway, I haven't heard back from the dozer rental place so i contacted another one. Neither are particularly close to my place, I have no choice. It's do that or pay even more for someone to bring their equipment and operator.  

 Monday - semi early

I had no plans to get up early today and I didn't, beyond waking up to the sound of the pickup taking the kids up to the bus stop.  

Yes, I still plan on going over to the property and seeing if I can knock out the bush hogging. It's hot out, I don't really feel like doing anything, goals are never met sitting in bedrooms watching tv.  

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    Went over, filled the radiator up, fired it up, went over to start bush hogging anddddd.........nothing.  Something is still wrong with the attachment. The blades move around but they are secured in place. So when they hit something, it just gives instead of whacking it down. I think I did this last year after hitting something, the boy thinks the blades are just dull.

They may be, but even dull blades will do some amount of hacking, just not as efficient. This is just running the stuff over with the tractor and nothing at all happening beyond the grass being smashed down from the tires.  

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Many hours later.  I was reading that my brand of riding mower can hack down even tall weeds. I mean, I read a lot of different sites about it and videos before I thought, hmmm, maybe this bad boy can actually do it?  So I went back to the property, got on the zero turn mower and headed over to the offending area.  And sure enough, that thing was plowing down 5-6 foot tall weeds like no one's business.  It was amazing.  2 hours of that and I was done with most if not all of it.  

I took the mower back to it's parking space and then drove the pickup back over to the area and just sat there. And then moved around, all over the place, aligning myself where the intended driveway would go.  That went on for a couple hours. I was trying to figure out how I could stuff 14 lots in there spaciously.  Not crammed together.  It started to fall together after quite some time and I thought, I can actually get 18 lots in this area and they will be nice lots, some of them will be very nice lots!  

The property narrows at the front.  There is a swatch of trees there, some of them mature pines, I am not cutting those trees down this time such as the contractor thought I should last time. That won't ever happen again, actually, I don't care what the contractor thinks, I am the one that has to live with AND pay for the results, not him.  I want my damn trees and that's that.  So I figured it out. At the front on the east side, I can put 2 lots in paralleling the driveway.  These lots will be right next to beautiful trees. I will command a higher price for such luxuries.  

It's the west side, amazingly enough (at least to me) that will accommodate many more lots. As I started looking and counting out in my head, I got up to 18.  I'm going to want the sprinklers for the septic systems moved to the edge of the property.  I really wish the septic around here could be the leach field instead of aeration.  Aeration works well enough, but there is a slight odor to it.  Hence wanting that stuff move further to the west.  Actually, what would be really nice is if the city could add to their water line going through the neighborhood and install sewer lines. 

Actually, I just want all the sprinklers in a small area.  I don't care about the swampish effect, that area will not affect the rest of the operation and well away from lots and people.  It may be a do-it-yourself thing, their hands may be tied, I'm not sure.  I've seen systems with a bunch of sprinklers all in a small area and they just put a fence around it and that was that.  The northwest corner will work.  

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2 days off is over. Time to go to bed.  The incident at the plant? The driver who I'm pretty much friends with said the managers that were up there today hadn't even heard that something happened. Exactly, it was a giant nothing-burger blown out of proportion by my manager.  I only reported it because they want you to report it at that plant, they don't do anything if it's a small spill but they want to know, naturally.  

Speaking of friends, this guy I have been chatting with at church for some time told me yesterday at church that for "some reason, I was thinking about you". No, he isn't gay lol, that's not what I mean, he's actually engaged to be married. I've sort of been wanting church type friends.  I have plenty of non church friends and I have lots and lots of Christian friends - but none of them live anywhere near here where I live.  

So, we are going to go have lunch at some point in time that hasn't been determined.  

But, my mind is full of this expansion now that I have all that weed stuff mowed down.  I'm going to try to get the dozer operator out of his abode tomorrow to come take a look and get his mind filled with precisely what i want done and if he is sure he can do it and if there are any obstacles or things that need to happen first.  I'm not going to pay a thousand dollars for a dozer for one day and whatever his pay, a couple hundred anyway, and not get everything done the way I want it.  In fact, I want to have it be a day off so I can hang out on the tractor in case I need to help him at all.  So, maybe we can do this next week I'm thinking.

Once that dozer work is done, it's going to get the ball rolling a lot faster.  But if it won't be until next week, I can go back over all that I have in  my mind about the layout again.  There's some trees that need to come down, but I'm hoping he'll say he can push them down instead of cutting them. Cutting them would therefore entail stump grinding, an apparatus I don't have and don't want to have to need.  

Actually, it also makes sense to go get 40 feet of 12 inch culvert pipe and get that in place and have him push dirt over that.  Or however that's supposed to work. Now that I think of it, I need to do some research on that.  Do they just cover it with dirt or do they put pea gravel around it and then dirt on top? or what?  And then gravel on top of the dirt.  I wouldn't mind getting the second entrance/exit installed now.  

Do you know that 40 feet of that pipe is probably around a thousand dollars?  Hmmm, $618 plus tax for 40 feet at Lowe's.  Not bad.  

5:20 comes early, time to get offa here. 

 Sunday

A beautiful day off, much needed and frankly, well deserved. Tomorrow as well, but the way things have been going lately, who knows if that will actually materialize?  I've got bush hogging to do over at the park and if I can get that done, I'm going to go visit with the dozer operator, have him come take a look and then plan on when to have the dozer delivered.  The bush hogging shouldn't take more than a couple of hours at most.  

But, who knows, lol.  I really need to get pushing with this project and get as much done as I can do before the funds dry up.  Meaning, before the funds are gone to the limit I want to take it with cash on hand.  I must have X amount of cash to meet contractual obligations and monthly expenditures.  

But not just enough to meet those, I like to keep quite a bit on hand in case something happens, such as my current trucking job disappearing because the customer isn't happy with our performance.  Still, I should have enough to do the dozer work, get the electrical in between the pole and the stand and then put in hopefully 3 lots to start with.  That includes pedestals with meters, enough sewer pipe to reach those 3 lots from the septic system, water line, the electrical line between the stand and the pedestals, renting a trenching machine or mini ex (probably the latter) and have enough gravel brought in for the pads on each of the 3 lots. 

However, if I can only do 2? Then 2 it is.  Get those lots rented out and start using the money to reinvest right back into more lots. This is why it will take a year or who knows how long to get 14 more in there, finances.  It's a desire to get them done without going into debt.  I mean like, any additional debt.  Just cash, if I can't afford it, it waits.  I can see at least half of it done in the next 4-5 months anyway.  

It's the goal I'm currently working on and I really wish I were on the other side of it right now.  This would open up the doors of opportunity for a large loan to put up a building and 25 more spots.  If I had my druthers, the building would be an event center that has a full kitchen, bar area, a couple hotel rooms and a gathering center.  Along with a game room and C store.  We're talking some serious money and I'd have to have professional analysis done to see if it's viable in that area.  

We're talking a few years down the road - or - when interest rates are finally brought back down.  Sooner or later that Fed chair is going to have to do it.  If he doesn't there's already talk of governors on the board over-riding him and lowering the interest rate regardless of the chair's feelings about it.  The strange thing is, he's a Trump appointee from his first term. I guess give the guy credit for standing his ground, but is he standing on solid ground? 

Church in less than an hour, out to eat somewhere, home and just spend the day at home after eating.  

That's it for now, G'day.