I did end up going to Globe yesterday, both to the customer and then the customer's customer.  He buys stuff from us and the sells it.

I ended up going into a mine I haven't been into before.  I think it's the 5th one I've been into up there.  I had to watch yet another, 20-minute safety video.  I have never encountered any other industry that has as much safety regulations as mining operations.  They are REQUIRED by law to educate anyone that isn't a recognized miner, regardless of who you are or what you do.

So, I got done with that and was instructed to go back to my truck and wait.  I couldn't just walk straight back to my truck, either.  I had to walk west to a parking lot, then through a designated (and extremely visibly marked) walkway between rows of cars, up to another walk way, head back east and out of the parking lot and back to my truck.  I guessing I wouldn't have got run over if I would have just been able to walk - straight back to my truck.  Lol.  But, I am used to this kind of thing, you do whatever they tell you, if you don't, they simply won't let you in.

Well, I waited there for 20 minutes before a pickup from the entrance highway - yes, they have their own, private highway - came up and told me he would be back in a few minutes.  Yup, I've heard that before, I was already on my laptop reading news stories on the internet.  3G connection, but that didn't bother me.  Another 20 minutes later he came back and we - did not even go into the actual mining operation.

Instead, I was taken down a winding, curvy dirt road laden with signs about a place called "Haunted Canyon".  It rang a bell, but didn't quite remember it.  Well, this guy was in a big hurry and pulled way ahead of me.  Sorry, dude, I am driving a tractor-trailer rig on a winding, narrow, dirt road, not going that fast.  Gotta have time to react to the unknown - the thing that probably isn't there but you have to be ready for just around another blind, tight curve.

I saw half a dozen of these Haunted Canyon signs which REALLY piqued my curiosity.   It must be a popular place to go, as this was actually a forest service road, as designated by the signs, not a total mining road. There were MANY small signs advising the traveler that yes, this is a public road, anyone can use it.  How do you even hear about a place like this, much less find it?

Well, got the pipe off the truck and then started heading back.  The inevitable call came - go somewhere else instead of back to the yard, something else has come up and we need you to do this, that and the other thing.

But a nice drive.  I don't get very many of those in the semi anymore, I relish each little tidbit that's thrown at me.  It's MUCH different driving on open highways than driving in the city.

Well, I just checked on the internet for Haunted Canyon.  Lots of pics and lots of info, apparently a popular hiker's destination and the pics looked very nice.  I wouldn't mind making a trip up there and taking a half day hike. Maybe take a dog with me for the fun of it.  NO, not all 3 of them, JUST one.  Those Great Danes are not good for long hikes, they simply won't last.  Sophie? I think she could go forever.

So, fast forwarding to the end of the work day today.  No sense in going into all of that, just another day driving in heavy, city traffic with a high percentage of extremely stupid drivers.  I get very tired of it.

I am slowing down to turn into the driveway into the yard and see .......... a Chandler police SUV parked in front of our store.  Okay, that isn't what got me, what got me going was the "Commercial Vehicle Enforcement" words on the side of it.  What was this person here for? Although I can't say I didn't have any close calls today - that happens every day - nothing out of the ordinary.  Well, whatever.  I know I didn't do anything wrong and I did my normal thing and then entered the shop.

Turns out the guy is a customer, wanting to buy some gas fittings (natural gas line) from us.  Though, we immediately went into a conversation about enforcement - he was eager to go there so I went there with him.  He was extremely interested in the new regulation (I have read on numerous sites over several year's span that the trucking industry is the most highly regulated industry in the U.S.) about DOT certification.  Otherwise known as the medical card.  If you are pulled over and you can't show one, you, the driver, are put out of service, the same as they do with a truck that isn't fit to be on a highway.  Lol.  I already knew this rule, but thought it funny he was alllllll over that.

I was more interested in the new texting regulation.  Had he caught anyone doing that?  Nope, he said, but he is ALWAYS looking, spoken quite adamantly.  Yup, already knew that.  Don't take that wrong, I don't think ANYONE should be texting and driving, period.  I have seen enough of it.

Well, the day is over, it's my bedtime and.....yes.........I am going to bed.

G'nite.

ben

I was looking online yesterday for some ideas of how I could build a much larger pond without having to dig up all of that rocky, dense soil.  Why of course, an above ground pond.  But - a nice one.  Can be built with bricks; blocks or even wood.  Most of the ones I saw they had inset it into the ground about a foot and a half, though.  Still would be somewhat costly since it would involved buying and underlayment and a liner.  Not to mention the pump and filter assembly.

Just floating things around in my head.  What's next, really.  Stay here or move.  Never have quite answered that question to myself, it's just something I haven't figured out whether I really want to go through with all of that or not.

Well, anyway, back to work today.  3 days off is nice.  I would like to do that more often and considering the amount of hours I have saved up at work for vacation, not improbable.  I haven't heard back about my 2 day vacation request for the 4th of July, the 2 days after it to be precise.

Caleb returns from the mountains on - the 30th I believe of July and starts school the 3rd week in August, so if we were going to go on a fishing trip, it would have to be in that 3 week period in between.  I'm not sure I can come up with even half the money for such a trip by then, but we'll see.

No tenants moving out on the horizon, though that can, of course, change quickly.  The young dude considers this "home" if only temporarily.  He went home to California this weekend but when he got back here he simply stated it "is nice to be home again".

Interesting mix I have now.  No major issues, either.  Nothing I can't tolerate or deal with anyway.

Might get a run up into the mountains in the semi today, not sure yet but there was talk about it last week and I put in my bid to the salesman to hold off on it until Tuesday if he can, which is today.  I would really like that, but not going to be terribly disappointed if it doesn't happen.  Just would be nice : )

G'day.

ben

Close to 300 miles round trip.  That was my drive up to Heber and back today.  A little over 5 hours.  I could have done it in 4, but I stopped in Payson for cheap fuel and a salad and stopped again on the way back down to refill the tank with fuel since it's about 18 cents per gallon cheaper up there, plus about a half an hour at the camp.

Funny.  That fuel they have up there? Is shipped from a yard in west Phoenix.  It's farther away, so more mileage for shipping expenses, yet the fuel is cheaper.  

We got up there and there was - no-one there.  A bit of a knot formed in my stomach: I had asked Caleb several times to confirm that today was the day to show up.  Apparently he confirmed today was the day to show up but did not confirm what time.  Between 6:00 and 8:00 pm.  6:00 pm is still a bit over 2 hours from now.  Then, after sitting under the awning at a picnic table, some grounds keepers showed up.  I asked them if it was going to be okay to leave him there since no staff was present.  Caleb didn't want to do anything else, he was good with staying.

Well, one of the dudes piped up and said: "Yes, but he will have to go sit out in behind the gate", pointing to the entrance gate 100 feet away.  Well, whatever, that's their decision.  But, this man got a big smile on his face, looked at me and informed me that he remembered Caleb from last year and he was welcomed to sit there until these people show up.  A few minutes later he came back and said: "Or he can come work with us!"

If it were me?  I would have either cruised around with those dudes all day long or - more probable - I would have taken off to the woods and gone hiking.  Regardless, he hadn't eaten, even though I offered to buy him lunch in Payson.  I then insisted he get SOMETHING to eat and I would take him to the Circle K about a mile and a quarter away.  We went, he got a half gallon of water and a very small thing with a piece of jerky and some cheese and crackers in it.  I offered to buy him whatever. Nope, that's all he wanted.

Okay.  Back to the camp, bid our ado's and away I went.  Always love the drive up on the Rim.  At the highest point there is an elevation sign: 7,700 feet.  I think Phoenix is around 1,200 feet.

I did not have the emotion this time of leaving him there that I did last year.  He's a man now, 19 years old, lots to learn, yes, but he's an adult.  He can take care of himself.  It's just kind of a phase there where you, the parent, are figuring out whether he's really ready for the world and being dumped off for 2 months up in the mountains and just the idea that he's all grown up now and going off on his own.

I was thrown out of my house at the age of 19 and I can tell you I was definitely not ready for what was to come and survival and life in general was not very pleasant during that time.

I had thought about stopping at mom's property on the way back, but I decided against it.  It would have taken too long and I wanted to come home.  Not anything grand going on here besides normal stuff, but tomorrow is work and I don't much care for being away too terribly long during the work week.   I did not take any dogs with me on today's trip, I didn't want the hassle and frankly, I was glad I didn't.  

The above is a Google image of the camp.  It's huge.  If you look at it, there are quite a large number of structures on the property.  

Well anyway.  My Butterfly Koi.  I was at that pond looking in there.  He came right up to me and starting opening and closing his mouth.  "I'm hungry, feed me".   None of the other fish in any of the ponds is even remotely close to that fearless of me.  I'll assume some of that has to do with a Heron showing up and wanting to eat them for breakfast, but even before that nasty little situation, it was pretty much the same.  That particular Koi will let me touch it.  Yup, a fish allowing a human to touch it without fear.  Amazing.  Absolutely amazing, IMO.

Caleb brought up the subject of San Diego and fishing again.  So, I proposed a half and half scenario.  I'll come up with the money for these expenses if you want to come up with the money for those expenses.  Yup, he's all down for that.  We'll see what happens in 2 months, of course.  

One of my tenants just brought me a Post Office money order and told me that a company in California is paying for him to go to Walmart as a secret shopper.  I was quite skeptical.  They had sent him a money order for $975.  No way.  Don't believe it.  I am guessing a real company would probably issue you a Walmart gift card only usable at Walmart, but I really don't know how the secret shopper financial part plays out.

I flatly asked him if the letter he received with the money order had issued instructions to send money to someone else.  Yup. FLAT OUT SCAM. That's it.  I am 99.999999999% sure that even though that money order looks like a real one?  It will prove to be useless in the end. I gave him my tidbit of advice: Deposit the money order into your account but do NOT spend any of the money until it clears the bank. If it does NOT clear the bank, you ARE going to be held responsible and that bank IS going to take YOUR money of our YOUR account and there won't be a damned thing you can do about it.  

I tried, that's all I can say.  If he is intent on going through with it, fine.  I didn't have to learn the lesson the hard way, I read all about this stuff for a long time before playing a guy that contacted me via email. He sent me a real money order that would have passed - at first - at the bank.  You send your money to whoever they say to and then a week, 2 weeks later?  You are screwed, thanks for playing, you lost.

G'day.

ben

I have been doing a GREAT deal of reading about Heron and how to deal with it at this point.  Amazing, these creatures.  They can actually learn your routine and work around it.

My opening the side door the other day - 2 hours earlier than I normally would have - and seeing this giant bird flying off lends some credence to this prospect.

There are many prospects to getting rid of them, however, the theme of having dogs around is a recurring prospect.  I will be luring my dogs to that pond through use of food.  Oh, there is nothing like food to a Great Dane - or any dog for that matter.  Put a bowl of food out there every day and what do we have? Dogs coming to the immediate side of the pond to see if there is more in it.

Mark is going to work on building a stand for the mannequin head - including arms.  I have several old T-shirst I can put on it.

But the interesting factor was the trip wire.  I don't know that that Heron or those Herons have found the other pond some 15 feet away, but I have to assume they have or will.  The information I have found is that Heron don't land in the pond, they have to land on the ground and then wade into the pond.  I read this many times over for the last couple of years, which really has me scratching my head on the above ground pond that I found the bird flying out of.  That bird could not have waded into that pond, impossible.

But the other pond? So, I am going to put some trip wire on the posts that are all around that pond. Easy enough.  I think the dogs are the best probability of keeping them away if I can get them over there when I am not here.

It was, however, interesting to read what I had already figured out: the fish disappear and you don't see them after a Heron has been around, taking even only one fish on one occasion.  Yes, I figured that, but ---- a smart fish in that above ground pond can easily outsmart the Heron by hiding under that giant Yerba Mensa plant.  I closely inspected that plant today, there is no way for any bird or anything else for that matter to peck through that plant.  A fish - or lots of fish - hiding under it - will not fall victim to a Heron.

So I have my work cut out for me.  I figured that sooner or later, I would be confronted by this situation.

This may be an on-going situation, as from what I have read, these creatures are very persistent birds that actually have a routine and your pond - if they find it - becomes a part of that daily routine.

I can say that I am more motivated for that bird to eliminate this property as a part of it's daily fly-over than it is of coming to dine on  my pond food, ie: Koi and Goldfish.

We'll see.

I'm guessing that this coming Friday?  I will be heading up to the mountains for a 2 night stay, leaving Sunday morning to be back in time for church at 10:00am.  The area where my mother's property is at is not in danger of any current, active fires.  It is, however, nicely dried up there.  In fact, Arizona is currently in it's 20th year of being in a drought.  Some years get ample rain - far and few between - which is not enough to reverse the situation.  I'll give SRP - Salt River Project - big time kudos for their foresight to have prepared for this LONG ago and still be able to provide the metro Phoenix area with enough water that as of yet, there are no water restrictions.

The other thing that has greatly helped is "Reclaimed water".  It is non-potable (you can't drink it).  It is water that is recovered from waste treatment plants.  Yup, that's right: the piss and dung places where waste water goes.  They have been building more and more of them for years and years now.  There are lines run all over the place.  They water golf courses and landscaping along and in the middle of freeways and city streets.  They put water into large lakes and without them, well, a lot of that would have to disappear.  Businesses tap into them off of city streets to water all the vegetation they have planted around their properties.  I know this because my company deals in selling the piping, fittings and valves that supply this industry.  It also cools the Palo Verde Nuclear power plant, the largest nuclear generating station in the nation.

I got the mannequin head today.  I put it on a table that is right next to the pond in question that is being terrorized by a Great Blue Heron.  I have now eyeballed that creature twice and have let it be known it is not welcome here.  I will find a pole that will fit into that hole underneath the head and plant it in plain, open view.

I will be ordering a motion activated sprinkler as well.  I have further plans but money is tight so on hold for now.  I am taking whatever steps I can.  Sophie - the new doggy - is obviously taking advantage of the open gate when I am away at work as there is fresh dog droppings over there.  I am pretty sure a bird isn't going to want to be around any dogs.  I have too much invested into all of this to have some bird coming and taking it all away for dinner.

Tomorrow morning, Caleb and I leave on a road trip to Heber.  I think this trip, I will spend the time praying with him.  I haven't done that much of that with him, but I think it's time to start.  He's totally into the Lord and that's the reason he is going up there.  Not to please anyone on earth, but to please the Lord and to continue on the path of fulfilling his destiny in God's plan for his life.

It is nice, frankly, to be taking a day off here and there. I have put in for a 5 day off time next month during the 4th of July.  I have no confirmation of that, but no other drivers have put in for it, so I expect to get it.  I decided to take the 2 days off after 4th of July which is on a Wednesday, figuring that at least some contractors will take the entire 3 days off  as well - which makes it easier for the company to fill my position with someone from the main branch instead of having to bring in a temp driver.

I expect to spend at least 3 days and 2 nights at the property.  Maybe 4 days and 3 nights. Possibly go up on Tuesday after work and come back on Saturday morning.

The leaf-eating wasps - which are decimating my giant Yerba Mensa plant - are becoming extremely agitated.  I am spraying the same swath of already destroyed leaves every day with poison.  Those leaves aren't exactly taking the poison well, but they are doomed anyway.  The wasps have no clue and are flying around in "violent" circles attempting to land but not..........quite...........getting there.  I am not just going to sit idly by while wasps and birds take away what I have worked so hard to create.

I'm still quite amused by Obama stating one day that the economy is doing just fine and then stating the next day that it obviously isn't doing fine.  Are people so blindly faithful to a party to not even perceive what they are reading or hearing with their own eyes and ears?  Apparently so.  Which is hardly surprising.

Whatever.  If we have to live with 4 more years of this BS, so be-it.  I can only go to the voting booth and make my voice heard.

Enough for one entry, just got done with a bunch of stuff outside and now?  Cooking dinner.

Later.

ben

Friday 6/8/2012

I've been stressing over this Heron on or in - on I guess, the side - somehow - I didn't get to see exactly how it was perched, I just know it wasn't in the water because the way that thing took off? There would have been good sized ripples in the water from that and that water was calm.

How many fish did it eat?  It SEEMED like my pond was almost empty of fish - but in that particular pond, they have a GREAT hiding place under that extremely dense and wide Yerba Mensa plant.  It is huge and it's roots are so dense and thick, no bird is going to stuff it's head through that entanglement.

So after more than a week of not seeing hardly any fish in there - but totally Jonesing about losing any more - I went out there a few minutes ago, threw some Koi pellets in there and lo and behold, a whole slew of fish appeared out of nowhere!  That is what I had hoped had happened, but I had lost hope after seeing the Blue Heron there yesterday and not seeing any normal amounts of fish in a long time.  I am assuming they were all hiding under there when that bird shows up - however much it has shown up there - and fearing for their lives.

From what I just saw, if I have lost any fish, it isn't that many.  I don't have a count of fish in there, I just know what it looks like when they all come out of hiding.  So that was very cool to find that many of them there and even cooler to know that that huge Yerba Mensa is doing one of it's jobs.

Umm, but I have to address the problem with the Yerba Mensa and I have the answer.  Those leaf eating wasps or whatever they are are slowly decimating that plant.  I can just throw some of my nursery grade screening over it during the day. It will still get sunlight but those wasps will not have access to eating up the leaves.

I don't have such bright ideas with my Taro, however, of the likes those wasps are also eating up in there.  Well, I sort of do.  I already have 4 posts around that pond with nursery grade sun screen on the top.  I could surround the entire thing with the screen and those wasps would have no way in there.

That is going to cost money, however, and this month?  Money is tight.

Well, anyway, wrapping this one up.

ben

Herons!

I've been scratching my head for a couple of weeks now as to what, exactly, is going on with one of my ponds.  The fish used to come right out when I would come to feed them.  Now?  Either I have a lot fewer fish in that pond or there is something going on with it.

I couldn't figure it out.

Until today.  I came home, put my stuff in my room and then immediately went to the side door where the pond is located - right on the patio slab.  It's a horse trough turned into a pond.  No-one goes on that side of the house, hence, I was comfortable in putting that pond right on the cement slab.

I opened the door and was as startled as the giant bird that - took off.  It was a Heron.  I don't think it was IN the pond because the water wasn't muddled, in fact, if the "facts" about Heron are true, they can't really fish unless they can wade into the pond.  Which is why I never gave it any consideration.  I've heard this information from a dozen different sources, so I gave it some credibility.

I don't actually know if that thing has caught any fish or not.  The fish are such good hiders when they want to, you can't really tell there are that many in there.

I have a few options.  First, the gate I installed to keep the dogs out can be left open now.  They do not fight with the dogs next door because - I don't even know if they still HAVE dogs next door anymore.  I haven't heard any barking coming from over there in a long time.  Regardless, their dogs do not have access to my side of the house, which was the issue.  They would "fence fight" each other. My dogs were destroying my plants because of it.

Since it's a non-issue, I can leave the fence open and Sophie LOVES to go over there.  I have serious doubts that Heron are going to want to be in that close proximity to dogs, especially Sophie, who will, undoubtedly, take off after it if she sees it. \

The second thing I can do is try to find a mannequin head.  I have been told by a few people that had Heron problems that mounting one on a pole near your pond will keep them away, they are afraid of humans and don't want to be anywhere near them.  I did see one on Craigslist some time ago advertised for just such a purpose, not sure if I can find one now or not.  Kinda creepy, I would think, having such a thing out there, but maybe just drape a cloth over it when I am home.

Third is to put a fence around the top of it.  Mesh or something. That wouldn't be so great, though, since it's an above ground pond I wouldn't really be able to see anything plus working on the pond would be a big hassle.

The bird may already be a bit deterred by my opening that door, but Herons are very persistent birds, they are hungry and I have their food swimming around in my ponds.

Wow.  A lady is selling Mannequin heads for $10 a piece! Just my price!

Long interlude. Time for bed. Hopefully acquiring a mannequin head tomorrow.

G'nite.

ben

Irritated People

A recent situation brought a situation from the past to mind, something I will never forget.

I was driving a belly-dump up north, in Flagstaff.  A bridge was being built over the railroad - which was much more of an ordeal than I figured it should have been, but whatever.  The company was paying for a hotel room and some amount of per-diem.

Well, being up there all the time meant doing my laundry at the hotel's laundromat.  When I use a hotel laundromat, I keep track of the time it is going to take to both wash and dry the clothing so I will be there when it's done and get it out of the washer and into the dryer or out of the dryer and back into my possession.

Well, it happened. One night, I had a load in the dryer. I had the time down on to when it was going to be done, but I had gone in there 5 minutes previous to check.  Yup, it was about 5 more minutes until it was done.  I had noted that a load of clothes was running in the washing machine and it was about done, not my laundry.

I left and came back about 8 minutes later.  I found my dried, clean clothing strewn on the floor and the person who had their clothes in the washer now in the dryer.  I became infuriated.  There was absolutely no reason for this person to throw my clothes on the floor.  If it had been me, well I would have waited longer for one thing and if that person that owned the clothes didn't resurface, I would have put them on top of the machine, not thrown them on a dirty floor.

I actually do not regret, even to this day, what I did next.  I took my cleaned/now floor-soiled clothing to my hotel room and then I came back to that laundry room, took that dude's still very wet clothing out of that machine and threw it all OVER the place.

I went back to my room but later went to the office to ask for something I didn't have that they could give me.  I don't remember what it was at this point, otherwise I would be more specific.  They mentioned the man whose clothing was strewn all over the floor come storming into that office, yelling about someone who had thrown their clothing out of the dryer onto the floor.

Was there a video surveillance camera I didn't know about? I politely responded that that person probably should have come into the office and asked for a plastic trash bag, at the very least, before throwing someone else's clean and almost dried clothing on the floor himself after removing clothing that didn't belong to him from the dryer.  I was unapologetic and still am.

I am not going to ask what you would do if you found your clean clothes found strewn on the floor in a laundromat.  Some that read will condemn me, even if in thought only.  I "should have" done this or that.  Who cares.  You don't know what you will do in any given situation until you are presently and physically exposed to it and experience the emotion that comes with it.

So, I was asking the lady on the telephone, am I supposed to come into your store at some certain time of day to buy meat?
lol
I was talking to Fry's corporate yesterday about the situation with the general manager of the store I frequent.  That woman  - the general manager that is - is NOT customer friendly.  I have watched her for some time now dealing with people and it's pretty ugly.  She has the personality of a rock.

Anyway, I told them the entire store and then demanded a gift card be sent to my home.  Thank you.

I haven't gotten to Verizon yet.  That company is much like Direct TV in that you have to navigate through a bunch of computer junk to get to a real, live person.  It takes a while for me to get the motivation up to want to actually go through all of that - but once I do, I'm good for the rest of the game, however many calls has to be made, it gets done.

This month is looking pretty ugly on the financial front.  I've paid almost all the bills owing - a couple left to go - and it isn't leaving me much.  This is a 3 paycheck month, though, that will help.  Fortunately for me, tenants are paying up and that is extremely helpful.  No, that is the sink or float maker.  I don't really care that much if I'm broke, but if I AM broke, I do care that it's because I already paid all the bills and don't have to worry about it, not that I am broke and am facing a mountain of things I cannot pay.  Fortunately, that is not the case.  Next month will be better since I got completely caught up on the water bill this month and am very much watching water consumption. Plants and trees are getting watered, yes, but only as much as they need. I used to go out there and turn it all on and then forget about it.

Not anymore.

The truck.  Yesterday morning, I was faced with several deliveries.  The idea that the truck was not going to be taken into the shop was a non-happening event.  I called Penske, confirmed they had a truck available and then discussed with my manager when we are taking our truck in.  Yup, took it in yesterday, got a rental truck sitting in our yard.  And that thing pumps out ice cold air and that's EXACTLY what our truck better be doing when we get it back this time.  I had an "interesting" conversation with management at the International dealership. They have a 3 to 4 day lead time on fixing vehicles, they are that backed up.

They are ALWAYS that backed up.  I informed them that since we ALREADY had the truck in there for 3 days and paid almost 3 grand to have the AC fixed, that truck would NOT be sitting there for 3 days before you get to it.  Further, I continued, this time it better work correctly.  The guy disappears into the back to have a conversation with someone else about when the truck was going to be looked at.  The earliest they said they could do it was today, this morning.  Fine, I said, make that happen.

I was going to call them this morning, but I think I will wait until about afternoon and then call them and find out what's going on with it.

It's just the way it is with large corporations anymore.  They will stick it to you - all of them - if you let them.  The treatment of customers with many places is pretty abhorrent.  Most people will not go to the extent that I am willing to go when I am treated badly by some idiot who is in love with the sound of their own voice and worse, knows everything there is to know about everything on the planet.

So, San Diego trip. Lol.  Certainly nothing getting put aside for that THIS month. I probably have a hundred bucks worth of change in my tin can.  $250 for the tickets;  plus gas; hotel; food.  Yikes!  Well, when August gets here it either happens or it doesn't.  If I can come up with $350 or more, my son can pay the rest, we'll go.  If not, oh well.

My son informed me that when he gets back from the mountains, he "figures" that I don't really want him living here forever, so he's going to go get a job and see about moving out.  I replied, well, nothing wrong with that. If you want your own place I bid you well.  But, I am not forcing you out: as long you are either working or going to school or preferably both, you are welcome to stay as long as you need to.

Let's just put it this way: this kid working at minimum wage plus in an attempt to live on his own? In this economy?  It's up to him.  I just told him he is welcome here and he got a huge look of relief come flashing over his face.  Okay, I guess he's been hyping about that one for a while, but there is nothing I have said to him that even remotely qualifies as me getting tired of having him around.  I have 3 rooms full of tenants, lol, having a room with one of my own family members in it isn't any further aggravation to me.  But, if he does get a job, he can start paying rent.  Albeit a minimum amount, my $100, $150 per month, I think it's only fair that if he is going to stay here as an adult and if he does get a job that he at least pays something.

However, his mother has borrowed pretty much ALL of his money from him.  She apparently owes him quite a lot of money at this point.  Although I figured he was helping her, I had no idea that it had gone that far.

Well, this entry waxeth long and I need to leave for work.

G'day.

ben