Wednesday -  night

Took the kids to church at 5:30 - as is customary during the school year and on Wednesday nights.  They were both in good spirits, thought cool, this will be fine.  

Came back 2 hours later. The youngest was sitting on a bench outside of the children's church with a "look" on his face.  It's sort of a cross between a frown, anger and sadness - well, let's put this more clearly: defiance.  I knew instantly without anyone saying anything that he had started his shit with someone, don't know who, but someone and he had gotten into trouble for it. 

Then the ministry leader - she's actually a salaried employee but has a big heart for kids and is over all of it - motioned me over. We had a discussion.  He had not started it with another kid, as I had thought, he was disrespecting the ministry person that was trying to work with him. When I say that, I'm talking about a many with a great  amount of patience and love, a hearing ear, someone that isn't easily put off.

But tonight?  He brought the child to her, the ministry leader and said I can't deal with him, enough of this.  I was not happy, of course and I'm not even the parent.  I then got into a discussion about asking for forgiveness? No, he didn't do that. Do you want to go apologize to him now? No.  Are you sure?  No.  The leader said well, we want him to stay home for a week. Even the church doesn't want him in there! 

I don't blame them either and I also don't blame the parents. I have watched them try every method under the sun from belts to treats, to timeouts to everything you can imagine and none of it, literally nothing works.  He .... doesn't....care.  When we got outside of the church I addressed him directly: Don't even try that on me.  

++++++++++++++++++++++\\

Total distraction and many hours later, it's time to go to bed.

I've been given work through Sunday, unfortunately.  I think it's because I asked for 2 weekdays off in a row either next week or the week after - no specific days excepting not on Mondays.  I need the time to get stuff done for the project.  I can't work this job and get that stuff done at the same time, just not working for me.

Anyway, time for bed. 

 Tuesday - night

I know, I haven't been writing much. Just too much going on what with work and all the bs that has been going on with that, the park tho that hasn't been as bad and then helping out with the kids now that the guy is out again.  He's still trying to get his CDL and then? He's going to be on the road.  He failed the driving test by one thing: he dragged the trailer tandems over a curb and that is an automatic fail.

The reason is simple and valid: If you pull your tandems over a curb in certain places? The tires/wheels will fall into a ditch and the entire trailer will flip over on it's side and pull the tractor over with it, destroying both and potentially doing harm to people and also if there are spills. IN other words, it's something you avoid at all costs. However, I see drivers doing it all the time and they are lucky it isn't in a place where that would happen.  

There has been a lot going on and I don't even remember what I have posted about.  Wow! Just took a look, I haven't posted since I had the truck in the shop and was in a hotel room in Arkansas! Dang!

Well, here's one thing that happened last weekend.  The kids came home from grandma's, also in Arkansas and we left for Tyler.  We went to the hotel, went to the pool, went swimming, then to the gym - they wanted to - then got some food and spent the evening playing games.  Next morning, we got up, played some more video games and then headed to the zoo.

That is where there was going to be a birthday party we had been invited to.  Spent 3 hours there, had a great time both looking at all the animals and also in a private party room there doing the party.  

Yesterday?  Yeah.  I was at the loading plant.  I was 8:00 am load. But, they didn't have me down for 8:00 am, they had me down for the 1:00 pm load.  This is a rather long, involved story I don't feel like going into all of it.  Basically, there is a person there, low level management, that decided I should wait. I figured and found this out after being there 4 hours waiting to get loaded and then, after going to the control room, having this dude tell me that I would have to wait at least another 2 hours. 

Now, these people know that we had 3 trucks loading there yesterday and yes, even after 4 hours, the other 2 hadn't shown up.  That's because they had been running a different run trying to play emergency catch up and they were then yanked from that and put on this detail.  The point here is, all 3 loads going to the same plant and delivering the same product.  This "manager" apparently wanted to teach me a lesson about showing up early arbitrarily. Not, it was on my tablet, I looked again to make sure.  

The problem was, after contacting my manager the first time and telling him he needed to make some phone calls RIGHT NOW, is my manager had forgotten to ask the plant rep to get us the 8:00 am time slot.  To really get a grasp on this, this low level manager who decided that I was going to end  up waiting a total of 7 hours to load, is a known a-hole. This coming from another driver who is normally quite level-headed and doesn't even speak like that.  

Anyway, after having long talks with my manager including me, getting extremely annoyed with the waiting,  well I figured they must be getting stuck on my load number, so please give me the first load number, the 10:00 am one, and I will give THAT to them and see what they say.  So i went back in there, they were cranking on me as if I were lying about my load time.  "I don't get up at 3:45 am unless they WANT me to".  I said fine, switch me to the 10:00 am and yes, this a-hole manager was there and he said, well, that's all well and fine, but since we didn't have "that" truck here, we have made other plans, you'll just have to wait.  

NO.  I knew this guy was trying to get my goat, I just walked out on him, outside the doors but plainly visible to this dude standing there staring at me, likely taking great joy in making people unhappy for from what I ended up hearing, this person is a miserable man with no life.  I got out my phone, called my manager and said you need to call our rep and tell that guy to pressure them into getting us loaded and getting me the hell out of here. This is ridiculous!  

After making sure he saw me on the phone, I walked back to my truck,  I wasn't going to entertain another word from that dude.  10 minutes later? The loader comes out, you can back in now!  HAH!!   I figured someone higher than him would be reasonable and see that there is absolutely no reason to make us wait, it's already 2 plus HOURS past the 10:00 am loading time, much more the 8:00 am slot!  

I probably had a smug look on my face and quite intentional later on when I walked in to get my paperwork and he was just standing there staring - glaring? - at me.  He lost his power trip and I was more than happy to see him eat it.  

I will not be taking another 8:00 am load without calling the manager and verifying that he has CONFIRMED that it's ok to show up that early. I don't even ask for that slot, they just dump it on me.  But that was the second time in a row that this has happened. The only difference is, the first time was with a different loader and he didn't ask management for permission, he loaded me after he got the truck he was already working on completely.  

Anyway, I was supposed to have tomorrow off - didn't ask for that either, they just had it in there.  The manager called me and texted me and left messages for me this afternoon.  I didn't answer because I came home tired from getting up so early and needed a nap. It was more like deep sleep,  I slept an hour and a half and had to force myself to get up.  I knew what he wanted before I ever called him back, there is no other reason he blows my phone up like that: to ask me to take a load tomorrow. 

His concession without my asking for one is that I will have Sunday off. Ok!  I didn't need tomorrow off, I do need 2 days in a row off, during the week and I asked him for that today as well as a couple days off next month for the lady of the house has to go to Dallas for a work convention and assuming the man of the house won't be home.  You can't really know what he's going to be doing, likely he'll be in a truck with a trainer driving somewhere with some mega trucking carrier learning the ropes.  

I feel kind of sorry for him, what I have seen? They don't know how to train people to be drivers, they train them to be "steering wheel holders", that's a rather derogatory term given to drivers who really don't know what they are doing.

I have to go to bed in a few minutes so cutting this one short. Have been following the government shut down. Democrats have really dug themselves a hole. They are hypocrites for shutting the government down in the first place.  They are trying to use healthcare as a tool. They desperately want - and need frankly - a win. I have seen the GOP cave on these things before, I hope they do not this time. Republicans have done a good job in conveying the message that they are offering a clean CR and also that Schumer has voted for the same thing 13 times previously.  

Democrats need points, if republicans hold their ground, however, democrats are going to have to cave in sooner or later. Constituents will be none to happy as more and more government services get shut down and the fault laid squarely at their feet, they are the side that is refusing to sign off on the CR, something they have condemned Republicans for many times over in the past. 

Nothing new under the sun or to see here.

Nothing else I can go into, either, not without it eating into my sleep time. 

Monday - evening

Sitting in my hotel room, Hampton Inn, somewhere in Arkansas. Today was a long day.  It wasn't going to be but I was asked to do something once I got the truck up here, got into the shop and was about to go sit in the driver's lounge for most of the day and play games and get on the laptop.  

I popped my head into the office, said hello and then I was thrown the question that obviously they don't expect anyone to say no to:  Will you do me a huge favor?  My thoughts went directly towards them dumping me into some other truck and heading down to Lufkin to load, a long drive and something I definitely didn't want to do.  It turned out to be something like that, excepting it was to take a truck from the yard, cruise over to Crossett, load and bring it back to the yard.  Some other driver would take to somewhere in New Jersey.  

The truck I was put in was infinitely nicer than the pile of junk I have been driving.  It was explained that it was a lease purchase truck, the OO turned it in and moved on.  In other words, no you can't have it, we'll keep you and the other drivers on our detail in junky equipment that breaks down often.  Whatever.  All I knew was?  My truck would be completely fixed today, no ifs and or buts and if it goes into tomorrow, so beit, ya'll can get me a hotel.

I'm at the plant, pull up to the loading bay and sit there and wait before entering it so that one of the workers can guide me in.  They're supposed to be spotters and watch for things.  Things like smoke stacks being too tall to fit under the canopy.  Yup.  I was pulling in, slowly, and bam, kaplaaaam! BANG and I knew instantly that the stacks had hit the canopy.  It didn't damage their canopy at all, the stacks his I- beams, solid, heavy metal.  I spent hours there today, is how I'll just end that.  I eventually got out of there after one of our mechanics came and hit the things with a sledgehammer lmao. 

I got contacted later that yes the truck is done, but we are putting you up in a hotel tonight.  I wouldn't have made it home with the hours I had available.  And, they had more favors. Can you stay tomorrow and go load again at Crossett?  Gag me with a spoon, I reluctantly agreed.  The lady of the house was none to happy to hear I wasn't coming home, she doesn't feel particularly safe there alone at night. But, there is a giant dog that is very protective and there are plenty of firearms that she knows how to use.  

Anyway, I get into the hotel room after going to Brookshire's for deli dinner and find that the thermostat isn't working, the battery is low.  I was not happy, getting grumpy in fact, I'm very tired.  I want to go to sleep early tonight and try to get a decent night's sleep.  `I went back down, they wanted to call maintenance in. Ok, fine. The problem? Maintenance is on call, not at the property.  I was getting a little unhappy but I bit my tongue.  At the end of all of that nonsense, I was given another room. "Did you want to relax a little or are you ok waiting?".  I want to relax, I have literally been going all day long.

Sunday, the kids with dad left for Arkansas and I decided to skip church.  Just didn't feel like going after 10 straight days of working.  I'll do this load tomorrow, which hopefully won't take more than 5 hours, go home and then I have Wednesday off, working Thursday and  Friday, have the weekend off.

I'd go into more and I will edit this post if I feel like it later, but for now? This is enough.  

Nintendo Switch 2 - screen size v original Switch OLAD

 I'm putting this out there for I have seen nothing about this in any review I've read.  The reason I didn't immediately buy the new Nintendo Switch 2 is because they aren't coming out with the OLAD  version until 2027. I wanted the larger screen size and saw no reason to pay that much money for the "normal" version. 

There have been glowing reviews about the Switch 2 everywhere, but nowhere, and I mean nowhere, did I see any reference to it's screen size.  It's important to me for I am getting older and I need as much screen as I can get to be able to play effectively. 

Well, we bought Switch 2's today at Walmart.  I already have the  old version.  I pull the Switch 2 out of the box and was absolutely amazed: The screen size is FAR bigger than even the OLAD!  Why isn't anyone talking about this, this is news!  I have them both sitting side by side right now, transferring the info and there is no comparison, the Switch 2 is a LOT bigger than the OLAD, by far!  

That's it.  I don't even have the system set up yet, I'm working on that now, but to a lot of people, I think this is information they have been looking for.  

 Sunday - afternoon

The federal government shutdown continues on.  Otherwise known as the Schumer Shutdown, he is being consistently blamed by all members of the right that I have seen thus far for creating this shutdown and continuing on with it.

It's the same thing Pelosi did to Trump when Trump refused to sign off on a CR way back when he was President the first time around.  She framed him as a lunatic and stupid, basically without actually saying that and he ended up losing that war.  I doubt he'll lose this one, at all.  This shut down will likely continue on until the communist left realize that they are hurting their political future by continuing on with this charade.  This is a CR, which I despise but that's the way the government has been being operated for a long, long time now.  

To defy it is to defy logic and the popular opinion of citizens.  The left has to somehow "save face" on this one even as some of their own rank is beginning to question the validity of this move on their leadership' part.  I think they only need 5 more democrats to defect and I suspect that will happen sooner or later.  However, I also suspect the left is concocting some plan to end this checkmate while at the same time blaming Republicans and coming up with some "new" tactic to do so. It will be so absurd that even democrat moderates will reject it at it's face even if they don't openly say that.

Then we have the chaos in Portland and the state's top officials attempting to state that they somehow have control of the situation while ICE agents are blocked in by rioters - or whatever you want to call them, perhaps terrorists.  A federal judge blocking Trump's attempt to send in national guard to help defend these agents and a basic deprivation of human rights, as far as I see it, for the general citizenry that lives there and are exposed to this violence and mayhem. Calling democrats  that party of violence is really quite fitting looking back at their history starting when Trump came down the golden escalator. Earlier than that, yes, but the lunacy of their actions cannot be overstated.  

I don't need anyone to tell me how to think about these situations, btw, I often draw my own conclusions long before I read or hear anything in the news about this stuff that ends up having the news and it's media faces concur with my thoughts.  This is about facts, not emotion.  Democrats engage in emotional outbursts all the time, the right more often engages in factual reasoning and rebuttal.  I've seen some democrats trying to claim that they are using facts, but when you dig into their version of it, is a distorted truth at best. 

_______________

Onto my personal stuff. I woke up at 2:15 am this morning, 5 hours after i went to bed, tried to get abck to sleep for 30 minutes and ended up giving up on it. I got up, did my thing, went to the truck, turned it on and drove it to Arkansas in the night and was emptying it out at daybreak.  I made it back in time to take the kids to church. I sat down in the main auditorium to hear the sermon, but I was so tired I decided that I would have to leave. I would have just fallen asleep during the sermon and that probably wouldn't have gone over too well.

I went out to my vehicle, turned it and the ac on, set  my alarm and fell asleep.  I felt much better after that and ended up at Applebee's, our weekly tradition before coming home aaaaand....falling asleep again. Today was the last of the 4-day-in-a-row wake up call so early that my sleep has been completely disrupted to the point I feel like I'm in a fog half the time.

Tomorrow is normal 5:20 am wake up call.  It is almost 3:00 pm right now and highly likely I will take another half hour nap just to try and get to feeling normal again.  1 of these runs with 2 days of early wake up calls is ok, 2 runs with 4 consecutive days of getting up super early? No thank you.  I fully expect after this next run to have at least a day off.  That would put be on a run Thursday and Friday and then what?  Work another entire weekend?  I've got the next weekend after that off for the Tyler event. 

That is up in the air however as well, as i have now found out the kids are going to grandma's for the week off. I made these plans long before they came to this decision and I made it known that I already paid for everything. They'll be back, said the mom which I fully believe, however, the grandma and I don't get along too well - fully on her side I don't start trouble with her, I am an imposition to her plans with "family" of which she doesn't consider me any part of.  She made this glaringly clear a while back when the oldest kid called me and asked if i were going to the restaurant with them?

Well sure! Then I heard the grandma, snooping in the background as the child had it on speakerphone, say NO, I want this to be FAMILY only!  I laughed at her out loud but I bit my tongue and I haven't spoken to her since. Whatever is up her crawl is her problem, not mine.  I've been listening to her talking disparagingly about family members where she lives for many years, I'm sure she now feels that way about me for whatever reason of which I am completely ignorant of. 

She also mentioned another time that "despite our differences" she would "allow" the kid to call me regardless.  What differences, I thought? but didn't feel like getting into. I knew it wouldn't end well and she is the mother of that dad in this house and I will respect him enough to not start a war with her even tho her tongue has mouthed off enough to me to warrant me to say something back to her.  I don't know that I'm taking any high roads, I just don't want to engage with her. I now ignore her completely when she comes here and she does the same to me.  

Oh, yes, I remember now: she's jealous of my relationship with the kids. Tough shit, I live here, she doesn't and she lives 4 hours away.  Even if she DID live her or near here, she wouldn't and couldn't have the same relationship, she smothers those kids to death. That will end up backfiring on her when they become teenagers and completely independent - or as much as a teenager can become that way.  They don't like being smothered and they will openly show that to anyone that tries to do so.  I just chill with them, if they want to hang out, cool, if they don't, I definitely relish peace and quiet.  

They will be gone a week and I will love it.  I love those kids, yes, they are like my own children, but I also love just not having people fighting with each other and screaming, kicking, crying, rambunctiousness, all the things that come with kids.  You get a week off and you're like, yes!~!!

Thursday - middle of the night

I was watching Schumer complaining about how Republicans completely bypassed democrats when coming up with the current version of a bill - the CR bill- there was no consultation, they did it behind closed doors, cry me a river.  Ring any bells?  Pelosi ramming through bills without ANY republican input AT ALL? And then Republicans complained about it and democrats completely ignored them.

Do these people really think we are going to forget so easily? Maybe citizens that don't pay attention to this stuff, but people like me?  I am dismissive of both sides in these kinds of issues, they both do it and they both act like little babies when it happens to them.  Remember Reid and his nuclear option?  Lowered the threshold for votes for federal judges from 60 to a simple majority of 51.  Years later, Republicans followed suit and did the same with SCOTUS judges.  The left had a major meltdown over that and then they were reminded of what they did.  

But, neither side is apologetic in such things and are all hypocrites.  I'm not in love with politicians from any bent, tbh.  I think they all get greedy and fall in love with their positions of power and become corrupted.  There are a few exceptions, of course, but not many.  It's a worldly system and therefore exposed to demonic influences.  Satan is the prince of the power of the air, the father of liars and goes around seeking whom he may devour.  These people become innately exposed to such endeavors of the evil side of things, they are the people that can push public policy and therefore, the people that can push propaganda and attempts to slowly take over the entire society with authoritarian principles. 

Yes, it was in the 3:00 am time range when i started this blog entry, I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. When facing a 4:00 am rise time, who cares, might as well just get up, I will end up sleeping a couple hours later on today after I get done with my work.  I would get some stuff done at the property, but I will be too tired to do so.  These super-early loads have their pro's and con's.  I like getting done by 11:00 am, I don't like getting up so early and especially if I had trouble sleeping that night.  

 I will make it through the day, Lord willing and that will be that.  It is likely, however, that after my late morning nap, I will head back over to the Park for I have an empty lot where the man left a bunch of stuff behind that needs either chucked or stacked elsewhere. I hate to throw blocks in the trash, they can be used for another camper coming in at some other point in time.  

I'm just sitting here amused by this government shut down.  Watching the news, both sides blaming each other but the Republicans have coined it the "Schumer Shutdown" and that has a certain ring to it.  Hard core democrats will become incensed at such a statement, others that don't ascribe to either party might actually give it some thought.  

The tree service is allegedly arriving this morning to take down that dead tree. Not the giant one up front, it poses no threat to anyone currently or even power lines.  It's a sight to behold but there is no one living there and I can see the only way to bring it down is to bring down the giant tree that's holding it up. To do that, one must stand underneath that giant thing to cut it down.  I am not risking my life to cut down a dead tree and I will let it sit there like that for a while and see if it somehow "works itself out", for it would cost thousands of dollars to have a company come remove that thing.  If it were a danger to anyone, then yes, I would have to consider paying a service.  

As for this tree? It's $400 to cut it down. My deductible on my insurance policy is a grand.  It would make no sense to take a risk of either having it fall down and hit that trailer and possibly injure people inside of it or cut it down myself and have the same result, tho I would have everyone moved out of it.  Pay now so i don't have to pay later.  I'm glad those guests saw it. It blends in with other trees and still has bark on the bottom. So, glancing in that direction or even taking a half serious look? You don't see it unless you look up.  Even then, it's nestled inside other trees and it's hard to make it out.  

But once you do, you realize it's an imminent threat, if it comes down, it's coming down towards that trailer.  

Once you know about a thing like that, especially trees and the dangers it poses, you become liable if something happens and people are injured/killed and/or property is damaged.  If you have to go to the point of legality to get you to do something about it, let's have a discussion about your views of things.  I didn't have to take it there, I don't want people injured is my underlying reason. Otherwise, I would watch YouTube videos of how to fell a tree in a direction against the angle it's leaning to and do it myself.  But that would be irresponsible and extremely risky.  

All I can say is, I am going to keep a much closer eye on trees now, especially in the area where I intend on putting new lots and make sure that any bad trees are cut down before anything or anyone is put in harm's way.  

Now then, there is this sprinkler system for the aerobic septic system. I can do that work myself if I so intend.  It's trenching, pipe and pipe primer/glue.  I may consider it, this isn't rocket science and a ditch witch is cheaper to rent than paying a crew of people to come out and do it.  Yes, I'll have to buy pipe but I'd have to pay for that anyway with the contractor. 

As for now? I need to get offa here and face another day of driving.  

G'day

 Wednesday - afternoon

I make no bones about the fact that I do not enjoy having to do all the work by myself at the park.  Today was trim everything along the driveway, pick up trash and do some weed eating along with have a tree company owner come over and quote me on felling the rotted tree along the driveway.  He said $400.  I knew it would be expensive even if they are only cutting it down and not even removing it.  I have no choice, it's that or get the man to move his trailer and give him a month's credit to do so? Might as well just have them come take the tree down.  

That stuff wore me out, I'm not in the greatest shape anymore tho I've been slowly building myself back up to doing the workouts I used to do.  I think I really need to add cardio stuff to that list.  

I was watching this fiasco in Washington earlier where GOP is blaming Dems for the government shutdown and saying it's a "clean CR bill" while Dems are saying it's partisan garbage and blah blah blah.  I'm am totally biased in my views, just saying that right here, but there is one thing that sticks out to me and I didn't have to have a TV anchor telling me this: Dems have stated endlessly in the past how evil and horrible a government shutdown is and should be avoided at all costs.

MOST of the people on the left that said that are STILL in power today and now taking a totally different stance? Please spare me the total bs. They would go on about how Medicare, SS payments, food stamps, and endless list of services would be shut down and how our seniors would suffer. I've heard this multiple occasions, btw, not just one incident, this has been going on forever now.  I'm sure the right outlets will be playing  clips of what I said above and how are they going to defend it?  

Is it true they want to continue funding health care for illegal aliens?  WHY?  Look, these people are here, I'm not heartless.  Feed them, clothe them and send them back to where they came from.  That's that.  I'm sorry your country is a hell hole, I TRULY am, but there are legal methods to become a US citizen and illegally crossing the border isn't one of them.  You are taking advantage of our generosity and good natured citizenry.  We understand that much of the world is a 3rd world dump.  

I know there are billions of people that have to forage for food every day and walk for miles to get clean water.  I feel for all of them, but we aren't God and we aren't the Provider. We can be used of God to help feed them and bring them relief AND the Gospel, btw, but in the end? The US can't take care of the entire world. ONLY God can do that.  

But the free health care stuff? I went for years at a younger age without health care coverage because  I COULDN'T AFFORD IT. It would cost me around $1,200 per month right now if I weren't working and getting it through my employer. It still costs me almost $500 per month - JUST FOR ME. IT ISN'T FREE FOR US, WHY SHOULD IT BE FREE FOR PEOPLE THAT DON'T EVEN BELONG HERE?

Sorry, not sorry, healthcare is not a right even for US citizens but it sure as hell costs the working man/woman a large percentage of their paychecks to even have the coverage and peace of mind.  Its why I am not retiring at 62, coming up soon.  I'm either waiting til' I'm 65 - Lord willing I even live that long - or the business grows to the point I can afford good healthcare on my own without any other input - Lord will the business actually grows to that size.  

I firmly believe in feeding the hungry.  Giving them water. Trying to arrange for shelter if possible.  Finding ways to get them in to a better situation - but they have to have the motivation and drive to want to change their lives.  Jesus said, however, that the poor will always be with us and we have specific instructions on how to treat the poor.  We should help them.  Any of them, regardless of race, religion, gender or even what nation they came from.  But, I have not problem with the government putting them on airplanes and sending them back to wherever they came from.

I'll get off the high horse now.  I'm going to have to have the sprinklers for the septic system moved.  Where they placed them is not going to work.  They said as such and gave reason why they placed them where they did and I'm not going to go into that here.  There is no legitimate reason, however, that I cant have them placed another 20 feet towards the west and in one case, about 100 feet.  

________

Many, many hours later lol.  I got stuff done at the park, got stuff done at home, talked to some people about moving in - but - I never heard back from them.  So, I just blow people off when they do that.  Like, they were sending money today and moving in today.  Yeah, that didn't happen.  Don't really care,, it happens a lot but if they call again? I'm going to be a bit blunt with them. Are you moving in or not? I don't have time for games....but I always wait to hear the "story".  I never know what to believe.  

Time for bed, 4:00 am wake up call.  G'nite. 

 Monday - evening

I didn't watch any news but I did read some of it online. Trump is considering allowing Ukraine to use Tomahawk missiles that can obviously go further into Russia and inflict significant damage.  This would be a huge provocation of Putin and his ilk and I wonder what his response will be.  The idea of giving a dose of Putin's medicine back by firing missiles potentially into Moscow itself?  Well, I don't doubt Putin's ability to "resolve" the situation with nukes.

Would he actually do that? I have no idea, would like to hope he would think that one through, it would affect him and his country since they are literally right there.  Fallout would surely spread into their region.  And other, uninvolved regions as well.  

These church and school shootings have been ramping up, very concerning.  The schools around here at least have cops at every school. We even have them at church on Sundays.  They don't come inside, tho, so an attacker could potentially kill lots of people before a cop could get in there.  I read Texas laws, there is no prohibition against concealed carry in a church.  The law suggests the church can, of course, put up signs saying they don't want guns inside.  I doubt I'd ever see that at our church and I'd guess there are definitely people concealed carrying

I'll be one of them soon enough.  I need to find a gun sized for the occasion. I take kids to church and I would regret the rest of my life if something happened to them that I could have done something about if I had been prepared.  I just got my renewed concealed carry license in the mail, I think it's good for 5 years.  Likely will carry one for the rest of my days.  An armed society is a polite society.....

I was wasted tired this morning.  I didn't sleep well and I got up at 3:45 am.  I couldn't sleep, there was no point in just laying in bed.  I was out of the house by 4:30 am and I had the day finished at 10:30.  I had to come home and sleep for 2 hours to get to feeling good again. 

 Sunday - night

Preparing to go to bed early.  I have a 4:00 am wake up call from a noisy phone telling me it's time to get up.  My payment for having the entire weekend off was to have to do a super-early load. Which reminds me, need to text the washout and let them know, they want advance notice now that a particular person that was helping run that operation is in jail.  No sense into going into all of that, not judging him either, I just know they are suffering at the washout without him. That dude has all the knowledge and the only other person that has that much knowledge about that operation is the owner, who doesn't want to do anything but have others run it for him.

I get that as well, but at some point, he may have to get involved with it again.  There is no date as to when the guy is getting out of jail, something he did long ago. He is still on probation and got caught DUI, which they put off for a whole year, but he knew the day was coming and he knew when he had to go before the judge, he would most likely be incarcerated again until they could do a hearing for release. That hasn't happened yet.  I feel for the guy, he isn't like that anymore - the person that was doing the things that got him busted (bank robbery).  

I have paid very little attention to politics this weekend.  I just take breaks from it for I know what's going on from a historical standpoint.  Lefties are blaming Trump for something, or, taking credit for something they didn't do - or - denouncing something that they once love or vice-versa.  

That's the news in a nutshell lmao.  

I haven't done a whole lot this weekend either.  Yesterday we went and got haircuts and that was about it besides chores and things around the house. I did nothing at the Park.  Today, church, Applebee's, home.  I've been doing much of nothing beyond games and TV after we got home and I don't regret a single minute of it.  It's probably good I still work for I would be tempted to do nothing at all.  I'm tired of working, I'm tired of dealing with certain types of people, I could travel around the world and see the sites of everywhere and be content doing so.

That's it in a nutshell and I don't have time to do any writing about any particular subject.  

Wednesday - evening

Just got back from taking the kids to Wednesday night kids church stuff.  They get 2 hours of worship, teaching, fun and then eating.  They are not forced to go at all. I don't believe in forcing people, even kids, to go to church. It doesn't work and it can actually turn people against God, which is something I certainly do not want to do.  It's  a 2 hour reprieve from endless questions, noise, screaming, fighting, horseplay, etc. on a weeknight.  And the lady of the house isn't feeling well so that makes it even more of a plus to have them somewhere else.  

No, they enjoy going tho for separate reasons. The oldest is into the Lord as well as the play and eating, the youngest? Not so much about God, but the playtime and the eating at this church are pretty good. They have an amazing youth program.  I do not much care for that church for it is too big and you get swallowed up in a mass of people who I don't know. Didn't care for the version of meetings they had, I would have to try another one.  

Anyway, it was raining when I left for Arkansas this morning and it rained almost all the way up there, then it stopped maybe 5 miles out from the plant.  I hoped it would stay, my hopes were dashed.  It was all wrong. There was a train blocking access to the building, number one.  That happens frequently enough, but this train didn't move.  It was just sitting there for who knows what reason. You would have to walk about 400 feet down and then that far back to get to where I needed to get: the air pressure control valve and a manager to sign off on it.  

But it was odd to begin with. There was a trailer dropped right there next to the delivery shack..  It wasn't one of our trailers and I had to do some serious maneuvering to get my truck into position. Not a big deal and then I found out the plant was trying a new grade of glue out.  A faster process, allegedly, they can make the plywood faster with this glue. That is, if it works out. So, they had hooked a line up to it and were running off of that trailer for little spurts here and there and then today was the day they were going to check the finished product. It's from the same plant we load at now, it wouldn't change anything for us if they switched over.  

I managed to hitch a ride all the way around.  In fact, the gentleman took me all the way into the plant on a golf cart and very close to the manager's office - who wasn't in there and took a while to find him.  The golf cart driver has been working at that place for 43 years!  He said he has less than a year til he can retire at 62. I said I had less than 6 months but don't plan to retire until 65.  I don't know if that's really going to be the case, it's just a loose guesstimate and knowing I can get on medicare. 

But the part that really was not pleasant? It started pouring rain.  I mean, a heavy downpour  The valve to hook the line up to to offload the liquid from the trailer to the plant is directly underneath the trailer. You have to get on your knees to open that valve, which takes 62 turns and to hook up the line.  Yea, well water was pouring down my back while I was doing that.  My upper body was drenched and butt was wet and eventually, my entire body. I think the worst part of getting that wet is having wet socks and shoes.  

The rain continued until I was done offloading, tho it did subside a little when I was unhooking the line but I was just getting even more wet doing that.  I was not a happy camper and I had forgotten about replenishing my shirt, underwear and sock supply from the last time this happened.  When I finally got home, I just went straight to the shower, kicking the dog out in the process. The lady of the house had let him in because it was pouring rain, but he was on my bed.  I do not allow dogs on my bed and I can smell the pee in here.  I'm going to have to use the carpet cleaning machine on everything and wash everything, I don't know where, exactly, the deed was done. This is why he is not allowed in my room anymore when I'm not here. 

A grown adult dog, never had this problem until they got the puppy. She comes in here and he marks where she's been.   I'll have to get a giant crate for him for winter time I guess.  Those are cheap - not.  Great Dane size is $300 and up.  

Because of the rain going up AND coming back plus horrid driving conditions, ie: people who have no clue how to drive in wet weather, I really didn't watch any news today.  I guess I'll turn that on now and see what's up.  I have no energy left right now to be using a carpet cleaning machine for probably 40 minutes to do everything plus putting everything in the washing machine, just gonna have to wait until tomorrow. If it was late enough, I'd just go to bed right now, but alas, it's only 6:00 pm, far too early for bedtime.

I take that back, someone mentioned a shooter in Dallas, I'm not very far from there, 157 miles, so I did look at that briefly. A person in an apartment had opened fire on illegal immigrants at an ICE facility, no ICE agents were harmed, I think they said 2 people were killed but I haven't followed up on that, one moment....

Ok, they are surmising ICE agents were targeted and considering the left' hatred for ICE right now, that seems quite plausible.  The left is fomenting this violence whether they want to admit that or not.  They wonder why ICE agents wear masks and this is exactly the reason why: they are being targeted at their homes and now even at their facilities.  Ahh, they are showing what appear to be sniper rounds with one of them that says "ANTI_ICE" on it.  

Oh here's a goody! The Justice department has until sometime next week to bring charges against Comey - former FBI director, total @$$ and a complete jerkoff - for lying to Congress while under oath giving testimony.  Remember, this is the dude that thought 8647 was a joke.  This was a Trump hater and instrumental in this Russian collusion hoax and yes, people, it is a PROVEN hoax now, there is no doubting it.  

__________

Many hours later and after watching Kimmel giving a non-apologetic apology,  it's time for bed.  Democrats - inciting people to do things they might not otherwise do.  I'm getting tired of hearing it.  As for tomorrow, my day off is no longer a day off and I have to get up at 5 am.

Goodnight.  

     Monday - afternoon

I got a text from an individual last week from a gas company indicating they want to purchase a lease on 2 of my properties to engage in horizontal drilling under my land. There will be no surface operations, they claim yet state the potential otherwise elsewhere in their literature.  

The gas company is the same company that owned the gas well on my property when I first bought it. It's also the company with that jerkoff senior manager who was treating me quite poorly - putting it mildly.  We were having disputes over use of  the land - my land not their lease - and use of "their driveway", so they claimed and I summarily dismissed and other things such as this dude telling me "You can't drive over our lease".

The hell you say.  If that were actually true, I would be losing a significant portion of my land due to no access, for their lease blocks entrance to the rear of the property, so to speak.  I also dismissed that and the tones became hostile as I was not about to let some dude at a company with lots of money and interests dictate to me what I can and cannot do on my own land.  

It's not true and I've had quite a few conversations with people about this situation over the last 3 years.  Mineral rights owners can sell their interest independently of the land owner if the 2 are not of the same ownership, but that doesn't give the gas company right and license to tell the landowner what he can and cannot do. In all the condescending emails and conversations I had with that individual, I never once said I was trying to restrict their access to their lease at all.  The same didn't hold true coming from them, they had had full use of that land for 60 years and couldn't stand the idea of someone coming in and setting up came alongside them. 

Once you start getting disrespectful with me and I haven't been that way with you, you are barking down the wrong trail.  I have a long memory for things such as this and I almost puked when the man texting me said he was with that particular gas company.  I told him directly that I would not voluntarily be doing business with them.  The matter continued until today, the man kept pushing it so I started doing some digging for I had forgotten the man's name.

I found it and all the memories came flooding in, I wrote about that stuff extensively on this journal, I will revisit if this situation deteriorates.  I told the man texting me the name of the person - who is a senior manager in the company - and that I would not be doing business with them.  I'm sure this isn't the end of it, they want the use of the underground and they have to have permission granted them from the landowner, even if their intended usage is not on the surface area of the proposed project at all.  I've done my homework.  

I texted him the name of that dude and I have heard nothing back. Not surprising since the man I'm referring to has been working there forever and has a lot of weight and pull in that company.  I won't budge.  They are only offering me a little over $200 for rights to both properties, that doesn't even phase me at all.  I can spend that much in a single outing at a finer restaurant in town or nearby. 

As for today's day off, my alarm went off at 6:30 am, I don't know why for I didn't set it last night. I dunno if I accidently pushed something or not.  I laid in bed a couple of hours - awake - after that, I wanted to sleep in.  I eventually got up, got coffee and then went over to the property and finished ALL of the mower over there.  Hours worth of work, I now need to go pull grass around the water, sewer and power lines on the ground and then spray it with grass killer. 

I am not doing that today.      

 Sunday - morning

I would say it is a nice, quiet, peaceful morning - which it was until the kids got up.  I got my sleep at least, I am off work today and tomorrow/Monday, which is quite nice.  Tomorrow, I will be able to laze around in bed until I decide to get up with no interruptions. However, I had to get up early anyway and get the riblets dressed out with the sugar mix and then the nice rub, burn them in the broiler for 25 minutes, then dump them in the crock pot. 

It says 7 hours on low so that should work out pretty well, I think anyway.  Maybe not, but I promised to make them today so there it is.

I finally had the kid move the trash dumpster to next to the shed. That is fully 800 feet back from the roadway and should stop these people from trespassing onto my land and illegally dumping their trash in my dumpster.  I take it a step further and call it theft of services for I end up pay an extra up to $240 per month because the dumpster gets "snow coned" - where the trash is dumped so high it is piled up in a cone shape at the top - which is grossly overfilled and yes, they charge you for overfilling.

I don't have an issue with being charged for that, the options are to sit out there 24 hours a day, lie in wait and catch them in the act and have them arrested, or, get cameras out there with same-said ending, or move the damn thing and there ya go.  If those people have the nerve to drive all the way up into the RV park, they are going to be in for a rude awakening as some of the people living there feel like they own the place and stick their noses into everyone's business.  Meaning, "who are you and why are you dumping trash in here?".  I'm actually going to ask the closest people - who sit out frequently in their yard and enjoy the views (they have arguably the best lot in the park) - and have a clear view of the dumpster now.

I figure if I could enlist them to write down license plate numbers of vehicles that obviously don't belong in the park, I can get the Sheriff involved.  I can give them a deduction on their rent.  

I have no idea ;what I'm going to do Monday, but it should entail getting some stuff over there done, such as finishing mowing, what I started last week actually.  It's still hot out during the day and I'm just rejecting all of that.  I need to get busy with the project, I dug out around the power company pedestal attempting to find the wires but so far, I haven't found them. Dig deeper I guess, that's hard work. The soil isn't exactly loose, I called the engineer and asked if he could tell me the size and type of wire going into it, but he never returned my call.

The other option is to have them come out and remove the padlock on it so I can see what wire is going in there.  That's probably the only option I really have unless the electrical supply company knows.  I tried going into the panel on my side but the wire showing was at a part where there is no identifying words on it.  

I can at least say I tried, really hard at that.  I'll have to try harder tomorrow I guess.  

As for today? Church, Applebee's, home to do nothing (laundry tho) and then dinner.  Kids go to bed early, I don't, lol.  I didn't ask for tomorrow off and I would have like 2 weekday days off consecutively.  But, I want to go to church as well and getting up at 3 am to accomplish that isn't particularly high on my list of things I want to do in order to be able to complete work assignment and also get to church on time. 

Wednesday - my current version of late

Jimmy Kimmel has been fired.  He made the comment on his show that republicans are trying to frame the Kirk assassination as a leftist originated killing when we all know it was the right that did this (paraphrasing). This is an obvious lie as the killer's own parents have stated he was a leftist, far left leftist.  The FCC chairman Carr basically forced Disney to deal with it voluntarily or he was going to involve the FCC.

It's the endless propaganda from the left that annoys me more than anything.  They make a lie into the truth - in their minds anyway - and attempt to sway public opinion. They are desperate as it stands for the mid terms are coming up and they want that power back.  I don't know what the FCC could have done, but it's under the Trump administration now so whatever it is, it probably would have been enough to make Disney squirm.  

The other thing that is still going on is lefties celebrating Kirk's death and even more reported firing from large corporations giving their employees the signal that that taking glee in the assassination of a person isn't anything to have a party about.  

That was one thing that I was looking at today, the other thing was these endless reels showing up on my Facebook feed with Patel taking on leftists at a Senate Oversight hearing.  He called Schiff a buffoon and a coward among other things and was firing right back at Schiff.  But he was also taking other leftist senators to task after they made outrageous statements about him.  It was actually quite entertaining to watch Patel giving a huge dose of their own medicine right back at them while being broadcast live for the entire world to see.  

_______________

I have to go to bed soon hence I'm cutting the politics short on this entry.  I had the truck loaded today and somewhere well into loading it, they cut it off, came up to the driver's window, said they had pumped the wrong product into the truck and that I would have to pull out and then head in instead of backing in in order for them to take it off.  I was horrified.  Okay, maybe a bad choice of words, but it was rather petrifying to think that they had 1, loaded the wrong product and 2, just how long was this going to take? And would I have to have the trailer washed out again?

At some point in the unloading process I asked one of the guys.  He said no, you won't have to washout, this wrong product is almost the same as what we normally put in your truck, it just has one ingredient in it that we add a lot more of.  I didn't ask for him to go into detail, that was enough for me.  I just went back to playing video games on my Switch.  

I wasn't feeling it today so I didn't continue with the mowing. It was hot, I was tired from getting up so early and I have to get up super early not only tomorrow, but for the next 3 days and then Sunday off. 

The other guy in the house acquired his  CDL. He came back this week but is heading back up there tomorrow for 4 weeks of hands on training versus the book/paper/paper testing training he just got done with.  I can't imagine the test being that hard. I CAN imagine the hazmat test I will have to take in the next few months to renew my CDL is going to be hard, it is never easy. I'm hoping this will be the last time I need to renew it.  5 years from now, I am definitely not going to be trucking.  

Never say never, I guess, but I don't want to do this for the rest of my life, thanks.  

Well, I have to go to bed or I'm going to be super tired tomorrow.  

 Tuesday - late afternoon

I'm going to make a few more statements about Charlie Kirk since everyone is going there, literally everyone.  

Charlie Kirk, first off, undoubtedly knew the risks of being the firebrand he was for truth and reality.  He had his own security team, he knew he could be targeted.  It's the last what, 10 years that Communism has been embraced by the left? We're not just talking Socialism here, we're talking full Stallin, Mao, Marxist style communism. 

They say it will be "different", we all know the history of communism but if you don't, just do a quick search. Look up Stalin, Castro or Mao.  Or a myriad of others. It always leads to suffering, misery and death.  ALWAYS.  Kirk knew he was standing in the face of this type of teaching coming from the Universities he was always speaking at and that people hated him for it. 

His words flew in the face of ultra-liberal professors who believe their knowledge is akin to the god of the universe.  These people elevate themselves in their own minds and don't even understand how far off they are or how arrogant and ridiculous they are coming off the way that they do. They indoctrinate college-aged kids minds with worldly flatulence, a kettle full of lies, half truths and embellishments.  

In the place that Kirk is in now, I doubt he is surprised that he was assassinated.  I seriously doubt he wants any of us to enact violence for violence, that's not the type of man he was.  No, he was a godly man following after the heart of Jesus.  He never replied in kind to college students defaming him, calling him names and even cussing him out.  I saw it over and over at his rallies being broadcast on YouTube.  

Second off, just stop.  Think about those next words you are going to say to some flippant detractor who is likely and atheist and where the real root of this problem was derived. It wasn't because he could outsmart people and fly off statistics as if he were some type of human computer. No, it's because he was Christian that people hated him.  Not only was he Christian, but he held a platform that affected millions of people nationwide.  He could speak the Gospel to so many people at one setting whether those people wanted to hear it or not.

I just find it so unbelievable the amount of lefties that are prominent figures that are roasting Kirk and saying he deserved it.  Let them have their opinion, it is useless to argue with these people, I have tried many times over in the past on various hot-topic subjects.  There is no reasoning with them, they think they are right and in their minds, that gives them permission to act out any way they please. 

"An armed society is a polite society".  Not sorry to say that.  People saying things without any fear of consequences is the major problem here.  -   

Charlie Kirk

Monday - mid afternoon

The maligning of Charlie Kirk continues on, with major corporations announcing firing people for engaging in such vileness even if the employees were doing it on their own, personal social media.  

Sick, disgusting people and I see it all over my Facebook feed coming from democrats who hated Charlie because they had been fed copious amounts of propaganda from left/communist run media outlets and commentators, politicians and Hollywood elites. 

However, what would Charlie say about this if he were here right now? He'd just shrug it off. I've watched hundreds if not into the thousands of his videos over the years.  People would come up to the mic at one of his rallies, insult him, call him names, whatever - denigrate him - and he would not respond in kind.  He would instead address whatever their dissent was directly.  

You see, Charlie was a Christian and if you are Christian, you are more interested in the person's soul and heart and seeing them come to the Lord Jesus Christ, receive the free gift of salvation simply by believing in Him and get their names written in the Lamb's Book of Life.  As a Christian who has endured the same kind of treatment from same-minded people in previous engagements, I can attest to the fact that you simply have to have thick skin and understand what the Lord wants to do. 

If you want the honest truth, if Biden or Harris were to have heart attacks today, keel over and die, I would take no pleasure in it at all.  I detest their politics but I do not detest the fact that they have also been created in the image and likeness of our God.  Their policies are from the pit of hell but their lives have been created by, who else? The Creator.  He said that he would have all come to know him, that all would come unto salvation.  That doesn't mean everyone will, of course, but that was and is His desire. 

When these people start maliciously destroying Kirk's name, pray for them.  Speak the Truth of the gospel to them. Talk about Jesus and point people to Christ.  That's what Charlie would want us to do and more importantly, that's what Christ wants us to do.  

I've even heard Christians talking trash about Charlie Kirk. I just don't receive it, I am not going to get into an elongated argument with them.  I will speak my mind about it, Kirk was always pointing to Jesus and quoting scripture that fit the conversation.. If you don't believe he's with the Lord, that is your right and choice. That doesn't therefore make it true, but getting into heated back and forth about it is simply not what I'm into anymore, not the things about Christ anyway.  

_________________

Back to my normal stuff, if you came here looking for content about Charlie Kirk, that was it. This is actually my personal blog and I just go into stuff about current events in my life and yes, current events in politics as well.   Today's offload took 1 and a half hours, still a lot more than it should take but I guess there's nothing clogging the tube under the trailer.  

I don't know why it's taking longer, other drivers are reporting normal offload times for them. My manager texted me this morning asking if I would do an 8 am load on Wednesday?  That means getting up at 4 am and getting moving.  I said yes.  I didn't ask anything, I just said yes - otherwise I'd probably get stuck with the 2cd load and I don't want that.  

 Friday - morning

Well, they caught the assassin in the Charlie Kirk killing.  College aged kid, I'm hearing the family basically had him turn himself in.  I don't see, at least for right now, any "good" reason to have killed him beyond probably a hatred for Kirk's views on things.

Kirk took a traditional, Christian stand on all issues, which in the eyes of the left means he's a Nazi, white supremacist, racist, etc, you know all the adjectives they use, no sense in going into all of that.  The left have become so indoctrinated that they believe anyone that disagrees with them should be what, put to death?  Definitely silenced if the Biden administration and their quelling of any voices on social media which were on the conservative side is an indication.  

I don't know where this is headed.  Unless we can all find a way to have civil discourse, which is what Charlie Kirk always wanted even with people that were insulting him and lobbing profanities at him, the violence is going to grow.  It will get very dark and very ugly, a thing I hope doesn't happen.  The bullet was labeled with: "Hey Facist, catch!" from what I am seeing.  They can take this guy off the streets, they can try him, find him guilty and attach the death penalty to him but how is that going to stop this senseless violence and killing?

It's not. In fact, I suspect it will motivate other lone actors to do the same thing.  We are turning into a moral less society, a society devoid of God, a place where you think: I need to start carrying a firearm with me everywhere to be able to defend myself.  Maybe it's been that way regardless, but it seems to be getting worse.  I carry in my vehicles, I haven't been concealed carry too much.  I am not an aggressor, let's be clear. I want to be able to defend myself in any situation where some "person" wants to start trouble for no more reason than they think I am an enemy.

That's it. They think Christians/Conservatives/Republicans are enemies. I don't think that way about Democrats.  I despise their politics, that doesn't therefore make me want to beat them to a pulp or kill them.  In fact, from a Christian standpoint, the Bible says we aren't fighting against flesh and blood, we are fighting against spiritual principalities - paraphrasing.  In other words, we are fighting against the devil and his minions.  Satan is the father of liars and his is very, very good at lying and putting little thoughts into people's brains and getting people to think something is that it isn't.  

I have what is happening to this nation, but I also realize that evil is present everywhere and it's not going away until Christ returns.  When satan is thrown into hell for 1,000 years, there you go.  God sees the end from the beginning, He knows all of this stuff was going to happen, the reason he doesn't intervene in a global basis is because of free will.  You can choose God or you can choose the world and it's ways.  It won't be like this forever.  

Again, nothing will bring back Charlie Kirk. He was a beloved man of God that the Lord used to change people's lives for the good. For HIS good, the Lord's good and His glory.  Kirk is with Christ, that is consoling, but it doesn't change the fact that a major voice to the youth of this nation has been permanently silenced.  

What's more disturbing is the parade of the left taking glee and joy in the fact that Kirk was killed. Now, they are calling for Matt whoever, apparently another conservative commentator, to be killed and of course they are beating the drum for Trump to be assassinated.  Mind you, this is just disagreement with political viewpoints.  We aren't talking about the North against the South.  We aren't talking the Japanese wanting to take over the entire world.  How did we get to the point where disagreements on views turned into the desire to kill your opponents?

Social media, the internet and 24 hour news media pumping out propaganda, plain and simple.  We used to read newspapers for our news or the nightly news.  We weren't fed instant news 24 hours a day and certainly we didn't have these commentators in our living rooms whenever we wanted to watch them at any time of the day.  I just have a hard time wrapping my head about the left wanting to have a communist society.  You can't discuss the history of communism with them, they go off in wild tangents and tell us that this will be a "new" version of it, those "old" people didn't do it right.  

No. No. And NO.  It's an evil ideology that has no place in modern society. But it has place because people are easily swayed by public opinion. Mob rule.  Majority manipulation.  

And when we can't be at peace with ourselves, in our own nation? We become vulnerable to those malicious government actors that want to rule the world.  China, I suppose, the biggest threat. Russia.  Iran.  I think the Chinese communist government is the biggest threat not only to the US but the entire world.  

___________________

I'm getting off of that subject for now. But, Kirk's assassination has greatly impacted me.  It is obvious that until something major happens that somehow pulls us together, if that is even possible, we are going to see more of this.  And then we'll see vigilante justice. And all kinds of violence will erupt and we will end up in a civil war. God knows I hope that doesn't happen, I really don't.  I want peace. 

Anyway, the kitchen sink keeps backing up and no amount of drain clogging stuff or even putting small snakes down the drain pipe seems to be working, so I'm awaiting a plumber to show up.  They didn't give a time, they just said "we'll be there as soon as we can get to it". I'm on their list, I know they'll show up today but when? No idea.  It takes precedence.  The dishwasher pumps down into that drain and we are facing a real mess if we don't get it fixed.  

I would have been over at the property digging out that line right now, in fact, I would have had that done and over to the electric store for the correct sized line. Then back and dig out a trench by hand if the ground isn't too bad and try to get that done.  I need that all set up.  I just hope this plumber doesn't take all day to get here.  

Oh well, they'll get here when they get here, fix the problem, charge an arm, leg and a half and then I can either go get busy or not depending on what time it is.  It's almost 11 am and I grow less and less motivated as the day passes.  A day off is very nice.   Half tempted to buy a commercial grade drain snake, it's $400. I bet the plumber is going to charge at least $200.  

 Thursday - late night

Work was relatively easy besides it taking an hour and 40 minutes to offload the tanker, that's just too long, but whatever. I don't know why, the product wasn't that cold and the PSI was good.  The only thing I can think of is the drain outlet is clogged in there.  Next washout I'm going to make sure they clear that thing out. I should be done offloading closer to an hour.  

I didn't do anything at the park, it was hot outside and I wasn't feeling it.  So said, too bad.  It's not that "it can wait", it's just that I don't sleep well some nights or many and last night I went to bed way too late for having to get up at 5:20 am. That alarm went off this morning and I was in the middle of a very deep sleep.  I really didn't feel that good considering. 

I got home and did some laundry, cleaned out the dishwasher, made sandwiches and cooked spaghetti before I got to sit down and relax for a while.  

I've been watching the Kirk footage literally all day long.  I'm fairly well burned out on it.  I want to see them find the killer and I thought perhaps they would have already done so, but they have a lot of pics and videos of who they obviously believe is the perpetrator and considering the videos, yeah, he's probably the dude that killed Kirk.  

I don't know what to think now. He's obviously pretty young.  A college student?  Disgruntled?  Hates the truth?  

Today was also the remembrance of 9/11 but more importantly to me, it was my mom's birthday : )

I sent her a pretty fancy flower arrangement considering it's her 90th.  How many people make it that far? I apologized for not making it there, she said no matter, she wasn't really feeling too good for company anyway.   I added a box of chocolates with the flowers, I had no idea she absolutely loves chocolate.  I don't remember that about her, but she was all over that stuff.  

I didn't do too much thinking about 9/11 today tho, besides the video montage Fox News had put together.  It was a bunch of different videos, probably most from cell phones, they had collected and strung out together along the time line of the event.  Some of that footage I had never seen before. There's a lot of footage of 9/11 and I have spent countless hours over the years watching that stuff.  

The Charlie Kirk assassination and the FBI manhunt for the killer kind of took over all of that.  

I'm going to bed quick here. It's 11:00 pm and I want to be able to sleep in a little but I also want to get over to the park tomorrow and get some stuff done. If I feel motivated enough, I will dig out some of the line going to the meter stand to find out what size it is, measure it and finally get the line.  I was going to get the mini ex tomorrow, but I'm not ready for it. I was using the box blade the other day, just looks like I need several more hours of that out there.  

It's looking pretty good tho. Anyway, I need to get that done and then start marking out lots and then figure out where I want the trenches to go. I doubt I will get all of that done tomorrow.  I have Saturday off too, not sure if I want to spend all of Saturday out there as well?  

I've got 7:00 am load on Sunday. I asked for it and after 2 days, they finally got it approved.  It means getting up at 3:00 am, being at the washout by around 5:30 and hopefully at the plant by 7.  I want to make it to church on Sunday and I'm tired of this job making that not happen on several Sundays.  It will be a long day I suppose, but after I get done with work there is no real pressure. Just go home, get the kids, go to church, go out to eat, go home and do ....nothing lol.

With that? I'm going to bed.  

 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.