Interesting day.  Got up early, got to work early, got to Pineville, LA - early enough.  Contractor knew I was coming and would be calling for directions.  The only thing I had was LA 28 in Pineville.  Well, 7 phone calls and no answer, so I got off of Pinesville Expressway, got off at LA 28, found a supermarket parking lot and - made more phone calls, lol.  This is one case where driving down the road and looking around? I would have never found it.  It was 2 miles away, in the back of an already existent subdivsion that they decided to add to.  It's always fun to see contractors trying to remove huge bundles of pipe with the wrong equipment.  Drop and break, oops!

Back to the yard - 2 hour drive, but stopped at a Relay station, got 100 gallons of fuel and free lunch.  Yup, they give free lunch for over 50 gallons.  This is one of many gas stations/small truck stops that has a restaurant and they serve some fine food.  It was, with free drink and sides, a $10 meal for free.  I take advantage of that as often as possible.

Back to the yard, find a certain type of pipe I had moved around yesterday? Had been completely changed around. I asked the warehouse manager what was up with that? He saw the other driver moving it but didn't know what he was doing with it. I said well you know you have to rotate the stock. That pipe stacked in the rear of the rows has been sitting there for well over a year.  If we don't get rid of it, the pipe is going to get brittle and the gaskets are going to dry out and start to fall apart.  So, this driver decided to undo everything I had done.  Retarded.  I didn't bother to ask him why.  I instead went over there and pulled ALL of that pipe out, put the new stuff in the back and the old stuff in the front and that takes care of that.  That driver will not go to that much hassle to get at the new pipe.  If he does, I will - not talk to the manager cause' he's down for the count.  Whatever he has, it's kicking his butt and they are saying he's gone for at least 2 weeks.

New driver?  Waste.  Likes to sit on the forklift and talk on the phone. We have ENOUGH of those kinds of people, we don't need anymore! When the manager gets back I'm going to make a strong suggestion: GET RID OF HIM. They guy is still a temp driver working for a temp agency, it's ony a matter of calling up the agency and saying his services are no longer needed, thanks.  He takes TWICE as long to make a delivery and has admitted that he is taking his sweet time on purpose.

Well, finally, an inside salesman told the other driver if he would get rid of the mud in front of the building, he would buy him lunch for a week.  I have been wanting to clean that place up for a while, it looks like a dump, literally. It's filithy, dirty and yucky.  Very unappealing for customers to come in and see a place looking like that.  Well I GREATLY expanded that idea from the git go.  Hey, let's deal with ALL of this.  Not enough hours to do that today, but we got the front of that building looking spiffy - a condition it hasn't looked since I started working there.  I then told them that I was going to do the entire cement surface when I have time.  Take an entire day - at least - to do that but that places looks so ratty.

The idea actually got some traction.  I am a clean type person.  Let's clean! If there ain't nothing to do, I can think up lots of "other" things that really should be done. Lately, I haven't been asking to do things that need to be done that - I don't know, they don't want it done or just too lazy to do it?  And since I started doing that stuff, 2 others have come in line with it.

News  flash: We are interrupting this program to bring an urgent message:  Sheriff just showed up at the door and had the divorce papers in hand.  I do not believe in divorce and would have not filed for it.  But she has and I am not going to contest it.  Let's get this over with.  I am more than done with this relationship, it is over and it is history.

Well whatever.  I don't even know what day it is.  Losing track of time.  Seems meaningless.  I've got my mind on too many things.  Distracted.  Disconnected.  But, not confused or going crazy.  Focused on some things, though. The Lord for one.  Going to now go on the quest to find out what needs to happen next with a reply.  I have 20 days and I'm going to get this done right.  I know from first-hand experience and have seen it all too many times about people that go off the deep end during divorce proceedings and start making demands for money, property and everything else.  I have no clue whether  she will do that, but if enough people speak enough junk into her brain? Very well could happen.  Texas law pretty specific though.  Whatever you had that was yours before you entered the marriage is yours afterwards. She has masive amounts of credit card debt that I had absolutely NOTHING to do with and that's what I want to protect myself from.

I'm trying to remember everything I did over there.  Fix fencing. Feeding cows in winter/freezing rain conditions.  Fix tractor, riding mower, van.  Replace a water heater including tearing out dryway and replacing wood that had rotted and covered with black mold. Installing flooring. Painting - at my expense, all over the place.  Install refrigerator with new water line/connection.  Fix plumbing in well house.  Buying kids clothing and food.  Lots of food.  Splitting firewood.

I'll think of it all by the time any court date arrives. I don't even want to have to go there, but if she forces the issue, I will.

Winter's coming and besides freezing cold temps, the other bad part is darkness.  I am not a fan.  I like daylight and I like to be out in it. Well work definitely gets me out in it, but leaving for work in the dark and coming home in the dark - a bit much.

I guess what I have my thoughts on is the future, what's left of it anyway.  I have some kind of fantasy of finding the perfect soul mate, get a property up in the mountains and have some acreage, and just - live life together.  It's a pipe dream.  I know this now.  It's nothing that I can ever achieve in my lifetime.  I would be very hard pressed to ever consider marrying a third time.  That's just - too many for me.  I was her third, third time's a charm right?  Guess not.  I wonder if she'll go off immediately and try to find another man, just as she did with previous ex.  She'll have tales to tell of all 3 of her exes and the "mistakes" she made.

I, on the other hand, will mostly put her completely out of my mind and attempt to shelf all of this as part of history and just try to move on.  I have my past, I bring it up occasionally, but I don't live in it daily.

Whatever.  A reason I'm wanting another dog.  No demands, no fault lists, no this that and the other thing.  The numbers of Danes in this area that are advertised on various forums has exploded in the last 24 hours.  Adults and pups.  Really, if they can get rid of that dog they want to get rid of I would likely get another dog - quickly.

Enough.

I'm back on this blog.  The other blog was "isolated", or seemed that way anyway.  I have no further reason to stay over there - probably a few posts here and there but this will now be my main blogging account again.

The only thing now on the divorce front is that I called the sheriff's office today and they are going to arrange to have the divorce papers served to me tomorrow evening where I am living.  Their hours and mine don't work as far as going and getting them.  I'm at work before their office opens and quitting time is the same as theirs.  Contemplating when to tell her I am getting my stuff back.

But, my manager is in the hospital, half his face is paralyzed.  It was allegedly some contagious illness, but we are starting to have our doubts. It got worse today and he went to emergency room.  I'm definitely not wishing this on him, but this happens to some people that have strokes as well.  Who knows, hopefully the docs come up with a much - easier to fix - diagnosis than a stroke.

Of course, when the manager's away, the mice will play.  Evidenced today.  I had only one delivery and it was short-lived.  I spent the day working around the yard, cleaning up other people's messes.  Especially in the pipe yard.  In fact, our alleged "yard man" makes more messes in there than anyone and doesn't clean up after himself.  I fixed the yard this morning only to find he had moved a bunch of pipe to get at some other pipe - but then didn't put any of it back.  He also unloaded a truck and just dumped it in the other yard instead of putting it away.  It was the inside salesman, though, that were doing much of nothing.  There is plenty for them to do and they are - not doing it.  Our manager ... has trouble putting his foot down.  I dunno, but we are going to lose customers if something doesn't change. I heard it yet again yesterday from a customer that named names and went off about them.

Slowly talking myself into another dog.  Been looking at Danes - lots of pups. A few free adult Danes on there as well, but likely problem dogs that will need a lot of work.  Not sure this place is a good fit for such an animal.  And a rescue agency - but their Danes are older.  6, 7 years old.  That 3/4's of their life done and gone.  I understand life offering up problems to keep a large dog, but some of the things I have been reading? Lame excuses.  All of the pups are costly.  $300 to $1000.  I will not spend a thousand dollars on a dog.  No thanks.  I might spend up to $200, I would possibly consider $300 if the dog just took my heart away, but a thousand dollars?  Not.  They haven't been able to get rid of their problem dog yet, can't get my own until they find a new home for it.

I have had numerous run-ins with that problem dog and it is now obeying me.  I won't tolerate an out-of-control dog.  I am no Milan but that thing was ridiculous.  It still is. It's mainly because it's an outside only dog and it gets very little attention.  So, I give it some.  But, I am not going to train it, well just enough to obey me to sit down, shut up and chill. It now puts it's tail between it's legs, sit down with it's ears back and gives this pathetic look at me, lol.   Proper training would take a lot of time and they are getting rid of it. Not my dog, not my problem.  Unless they give up on trying to find a home for it.

Well, have to be at work early. New account. Contractor wants material there by 8 am at the latest.  yes, well it's an hour and forty-five minute drive to get there.  So, offa here!