Maurepas, LA..final cleaning

11:00 PM Rained today

We have needed rain and today it rained but not very heavy. In South Louisiana rain storms can be very intense. But not today. The humidity has started, even with the misty rain I was hot. If this continues I will stop the heavy work.

Since the lot is now vacate I started cleaning. We supplied a 8 X 12 storage building for our tenant. Every tenant has jammed packed this building and this guy was no different. Of course, he left trash and junk. By 6:15 this morning I started cleaning and finished about 9:00. Then I pressured washed the deck. Mike will repair it next week and I wanted the grime gone.

This picture is taken standing by the canal, looking back to the road.

Maurepas, LA--Stick House slowing down

pril 27, 2010

10:00 PM Slowing down

Moved Mr. Van to my back yard, I plan on rearranging and packing. Having the van near the back steps is closer to the part of the house I use, my bedroom, sun room and the bath with our washer and dryer. If it starts raining I have to move. Over the years I found that if any tire starts to spin, well the van is stuck.

I will leave Louisiana when the rental guy pulls out and I can clean the lot. Need to bring in a load of dirt and straighten the connections for water, electric and sewer. Mike is working the next 4 or 5 days, so that will give me time to regroup my thinking. I expect the lot to be vacate Friday and the lawn service guy to cut the grass, weed eat, etc on Saturday.

I have errands to run and will start Sunday. Finally things a slowing down.

Maurepas, LA...yard work

April 27, 2010

10:00 pm Busy Busy

All is well. Working long days in the yard. With the help of the neighbor, Mike, I am letting go of some of this stuff. We have had some huge trash burning fires. That is what I call ‘a cleansing fire’. Here is Mike and Grayson. Do you think these two are related? Grayson turned 4 this week and had a birthday celebration at Trickfaw State Park in Springfield, Louisiana. Differently a place that has the 'it' factor. More on that later.

After Friday I will switch gears. My rental guy should be off the premises and all his stuff. He is so sad. He does not want to move now, but I will not accept his disrespect.

He doesn’t stay here much, he seems to just use this as a place for his stuff and leaves his dogs. Max is the outside dog and he has made every step I make. Nice dog, very smart. I have given up trying to keep him out of my house.

When the rental guy is gone, I will probably move the sewer and electric hook ups. Moving them will make hook ups look neater. I will have the next people locate their RV in a different area. They will still have a deck and still have a water view. A very private location.

After this week I want my life back. I miss posting daily and will make sure I have time, from now on.

Maurepas, LA..Stump Grinders

11:00 PM Verizon says we have out dated phones and air cards

Hey, where does the 'we' come into this profile. It is Verizon that furnished poor equipment. Well, I don't believe that at all. Verizon will have to provide me with a new air card, since they say I need an up grade. We will see. They say they came within 1000 feet of this resident and had reception. My question..so close why didn't they come to the drive way. Duh. Then they could say they did something.

I have purchased a Wilson Antenna, the kind the Truckers' use. I have the antenna in the window and using the computer in the house that did not work yesterday, but I seem to have Internet like this. Will keep playing with this.

Anyway, it is time to get DH out of this fight. He has enough on the job right now. Seems we may retire before our Dec. date. Or we may move in June and then retire in Dec. Boy this is making my head hurt, so I'm Craig is too. We work for a huge construction outfit, so picking up and moving is part of the job. But we signed on to this job to work thru December 2010.

Need to stop and post. Not sure if the Internet connection is working.

11:30 Forgot about Stump Grinder

We lost several hugh trees from Katrina, Rita and Ike. I have been digging, burning and chopping on the stumps for years. Well, I had run out of endurance and called dear husband in KY and ask him to get me a stump grinder and a lawn mower service. Within 2 hours the stump guys arrived up with the machine. They charged $150.00 (double what it should be) to grind the two stumps and left me a huge pile of chips. Told me the chips would rot away in time. Wrong, not in my yard.

Lawn guy will start May 1st and is charging $60 each time he cuts the yard.

Things are coming along with the south side yard. Hope to follow with pictures Friday. Tomorrow is suppose to be thunderstorms and I will stay inside.

Wow, this Wilson antenna is working.

Tell next time and Thank You so much for staying with me.

Stick house--louisiana Rental asked to move

April 17, 2010

4:00 pm Verizon still doesn’t have it right

Their ‘fix’ just made things worst. Did you know that every time you try to call and list a problem, you never are allowed to speak to the same person, and you have to start all over again. I think this is a tacit, like the government, to get you to just give up.

Enough of that. I am still in the stick house in Louisiana. I have put to many demands (or is that expectations) on this man who stays on our property. So he gave notice that he would move on the 30th. He has a place at his buddy’s house to go, no problem he says. Great with me. But guess what, he has had a change of heart. Could it be that he will not find a private place like this for $100 a month and all he has to do is cut grass, keep the drains clear, and weed eat, his lot and my house on the property. So now he is asking to stay. Noooooot. This is the kind of person that if you listen to him run his month, well, he could save the world. Great right. But he would never get around to doing it
.
He wants to use this gate. Eight foot wooden drive thru doors. Hugh and heavy. This property has 5 other gates, 2 are 10 foot drive thru gates. I paid the help to brace the doors securely closed until I can figure a fix. My rental thru a fit. I think he should have put more thought into his actions. Didn’t go well with me.

To make a long story less boring. He called the cops, on me, twice. So when the Officer was here I served him with a written eviction notice. Now he has to be out by the 27th.

Nothing criminal has happen, so the officers can do nothing. Nice enough guys, we talked about people we know in common and how Baton Rouge and all this area has changed. Changed a lot because of Katrina. We are still not over Katrina (Rita and Ike didn’t help).

Electronicallly tune a cell tower..whaaaat

9:00 AM Without leaving his chair

Verizon says they have electronically tuned the tower that is 1.8 miles from me and they feel that should benefit my signal. That means that man did not move off his duff!!! Do you think this has made a difference? Right, it has, now one of my computers will not lodge on AT ALL. And this computer is the same as before. Iffy iffy iffy. Will not try pictures, just will not work. They have said a lot of bull but say they tower was not set up to put out a 360 degree signal. Whaaaaat??

Busy here on the farm. I lost several huge trees to Katrina, Rita and Ike. Alone with taking the trees away they did a lot of damage to my house, boat house and the power lines that feed my house. The part of the power lines that I am responsible for.

Insurance is not any help and I refuse to deal with them. I will get it all taking care of, somehow, and in my own way. The Young man next door is waiting to enter the Navy in July, so he is bored and available to be my slave. He also has a small tractor. What a cool thing, it will go anywhere.

Along with clean up and catch up, I have decided that the guy who is renting the RV spot on my property and is the one being paid to do this upkeep, should move nearer his family. Maybe his family can help him. He has gotten older and has cancer (man kind) and has no money. All his words and excuses. Soooooo, I am advertising for a new tenant. This guy is going to give me trouble about moving. He has a great setup here. Please don't be concerned about my saftely as my neighbors are all swamp rats and are watching and would make sure this man doesn't get stupid. My neighbors may complain and talk about me, but when it comes right down to it. They love a good fight and will be standing right behind me.

Louisiana-Verizon Cell Towers

10:00 pm Internet is impossible

Please stay with me and forgive me. I am 1.8 miles from a cell tower that verizon uses. I should be lite-like a christmas tree. But nooooooooo that is not the case. Now Verizon is suppose to do something to the tower in 3 to 5 days.

I have a young man working every day in and around the house, so I can't leave to look for better service. By the time he goes, it is late, and I am going nite nite.

Will post this now without spell check and before I loose this connection.

Bye the way, never, never let Verizon have you computer and air card to upgrade, whatever. Big mistake, now some of my settings are different. Nothing to do with adding a Verizon Access Program.

Miss you all Marie and Chief. Chief is doing great.

Maurepas, LA..Termites and water leak

Date April 7, 2010
10:00 pm Termites die Verizon too
As you know my Verizon Internet card is iffy, so I hope this post goes well.

Chief (Chief was born here) and I are in our stick house in the swamps of Louisiana. This house was built by myself and a past DH, about 30 years ago. I have not lived here very much but can’t seem to let the place go.

The second morning I was home, I went down stairs and found a lot of water under the house. I have two water wells, switched the breaker off, to the well, that feeds the house and started digging.

How dare a 30 year old pipe to break. I discovered that with no water to house means, no HOT water to house, which means when you get dirty digging up a water line, well you can’t get a bath. Thought about taking a cold bath from a water hose hooked to the well, but I’m not that tuff.

Three days later and $175 (labor only) I have temporary water line feeding the house, Yea, hot water.

This is the water hose hooked from the pump house to a place under the house that feeds the house. The plumbers suggested using a plastic piping called Pex to run permanent water lines. I will worry with that later.

While finding this water leak I was lucky enough to also find termites. Alive and happy. Apparently they like that spongy pipe insulation.

Four different pest control people came out for a look. Prices ranged from $500 to $1500, with yearly contracts around $200 year.

The last guy was hilarious. He looked and asked a million questions about the original construction. I have concrete pillars on concert slabs. But part was built in 1981 and part was built in 1996. In any case he said ’I don’t see any damage to your house. I can do a lot of stuff and charge you a bunch. I will let you know. But I won’t leave you with the termites in that one spot‘. He din’t tell me a price he just pulled his truck up and ran a hose and sprayed. Then said I would not have any more in that spot and he din’t see any other problems to worry with right now.

Asked what I owed him and he said $50. I gave him $80 and he would not take it. So we settled on $60. He said that if I wanted him to spray more he would do it for $500, just let him know. Maybe in January, when Craig is here, we will add more protection.

By the way. These are local termites. The kind that go up and back to the earth every day. Not the kind that can survive in you house once they get in.

Time to rest. Tom you where so right. All is well. I can breath.

This poor connection will not let me post pictures. Called Verizon and they say to come in with the air card. And go find the nearest tower and dial 228 on my phone, of course that can not be done on the aircard.

Remember when you called with phone problems, Ma Bell came to your house and fixed it, no charge, without asking they put in a work order and they came. We pay more and get less, as far a service goes. Got to love the 21st century.

Maurepas, LA--Stick House

11:00 PM In my house Maurepas, LA

Not much Verizon phone service here, although the map shows digital service. It's a lie. This post may or may not happen.

All is well but life is now complicated. Famous Chief is doing so much better, it was the right decision to stop my trip. At least he has stopped trying to cough up a lung. Maybe the high attitude and dry, dry air was hard on him.

But the stick house is another story. My RV renter has been here over two years and he just doesn't cut it. On top of that, a main under ground water line from my well broke. I now have water under my house. Think of a garage. Ofcourse, no shut off valves that would allow me to re-route a temporary line where installed.

I'm using a shovel--not good. Tomorrow's schedule--trip to town, 25 miles away (Gonzales,LA). Need to get tax papers copied and mailed, buy pvc pipe and all the fittings (this is a get it right the first time thing) and to the DMV to transfer a boat title.

Hoping to pay a neighbor to help with the manual labor. I just can not do it. My DH really got a ear full from me today. He was nice and just listen and said he was sorry. We knew that I would have problems if I came here alone but it needed doing. Last time I came here alone I ended up being handcuffed and taken to jail. I did what I needed to do.

I have lots to tell about Big Bend, Fort Davis, Longhorn Caverns, Johnson City, Austin and LakeHenderson, La. I deeply miss telling about all these places. I will get to it. Please, hang with me.

Well, TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT.

Fort Davis, TX--Heading out

Heading for interstate 10. I am revisiting my long range plans.

The Famous Chief is having problems. Makes me sooooo nervous. Hoping to stop for a couple of days and catch my posts up to date, including pictures. Blogging has become an important part of my day. I miss not posting everyday.

This is April. Taxes are do. I must stop and take the time to finalize my taxes. This year is kind of different (income wise) so I need to put thought into it. My DH is in Ky, I am in TX and the lady that usually does our taxes is in NC. What a crazy life. Some RV'ers leave where they are and drive hundreds of miles (home) to do taxes. I just copy and fax or e-mail, then mail the the necessary originals to tax lady.

I have only meet (face to face) with this tax lady, once. Insane, isn't it.