Today I start a new job. I'm returning to my roots in the fire sprinkler trade by going back to the company that started me off. Last Thursday was the last straw with my latest company. I left here at 6am, stopped at the gas station and the brake pedal went to the floor. I turned around, drove home reeeeeeeaaaalllllly slow, and parked it. I tried to call our mechanic, who unsurprisingly didn't answer his phone. I tried again at 7:15, and he told me he would send a tow truck and bring me another van around 8:30-9:00.....uh huh. 11:50 my phone rings and he is "on the way", 12:55 he arrives, only to tell me he had to deliver some parts to 2 of the plumbers on a jobsite. (this job is 15 minutes from the shop) The first thing I hear is that I supposedly broke the brake line myself since "you didn't want to work today"....that was it. He drove my van to the shop with barely any front brakes, and I followed in the flatbed that he had driven to my house. At the shop, I transferred everything of mine from the old van to this other one, drove it home, and loaded it all in my trailer. One phone call and I had another job ready to start on Monday (today). That place has been nothing but trouble for a year, getting worse with each passing day. Job material orders being lost or forgotten, lying about job hours, prints so awful that we have to re-design in the field, and grief over taking time off when my dad was in the hospital. I had Lisa follow me Saturday to the shop, and I left the van there, keys, gas card and all. It wasn't even worth trying to talk to them about, they don't listen. There are 2 of us doing all the sprinkler work there, and at least a dozen plumbers. We do jobs that bring in checks of $40,000 a month, the plumbers change out $300 hot water tanks or snake someones drain. Who gets the glory and attention? They do. My partner drove his van all last winter with no heat, bald tires, and bad brakes, with no real excuse for anything not being fixed. He's in a different van now since that transmission went out, but as soon as a plumber needed a van, that one was rebuilt from the ground up. New brakes, tires, transmission, heat AND a/c fixed (we were told they don't fix a/c), new paint job, interior shelves....the works. Screw em. I'm going back home where I belong. With the guys I knew for 8 years, where we all got along, and where it always seemed like a family. My first jobsite today is an old hotel 10 minutes away, and plastic pipe. I feel spoiled already, lol.
Our Saturday was enjoyable after I left that van there. We went to a pagan festival not 15 minutes from the house. It was small, but a great atmosphere. Lots of friendly people, vendors, and several different things on a stage built in a field. We watched a local band I had never heard of, only to find out that the bass player was a neighbor from when I started dating Lisa 10 years ago. We bought a few small things, several good used books, watched a belly dance group, ate a small lunch, and left. We stopped on the way home at a big sale at a local church/bible college since I'm such a sale/flea market junkie lol. All we managed to find was a nice mirror-backed wall sconce for candles, and headed for home. We talked as we drove home about the festival, and both reaized how much we liked it. So we went home, let the dogs out to go, put 'em back, and returned to the festival. We watched a good guest speaker, another dance group, a folk band, found another good used book, and stuck around for the raffle. We didn't win anything, but I didn't mind since the items were all donated and the proceeds went to cover rental of the park. We went home after another few hours, talking all the way, and continued that talk till it was time for bed. We got nothing accomplished at home, but we had a great day together, so neither of us minded at all.
Yesterday I got up early and spent the day outside, mainly finishing storm cleanup. I got the canopy shed put back together and put everything back in it. Luckily any tears in the fabric were on the sides, and not a one in the roof area, YAY. I made some extra stakes from rebar I had in the garage and staked that thing at every possible point, it won't move again! I took all the limbs off the huge apple branch that fell near my rabbit hutches, and stacked the logs to be cut. I'm gonna have to talk to the owner about taking down the other half of that tree too. It's totally hollow inside, and leans right over the hutches and shed. If it falls this winter, it will destroy everything. I got the big tractor and drug home a big oak branch that fell in the field as well, giving it the same treatment, and stacking the logs for cutting. I'm gonna cheat and use the chainsaw this time to cut the logs. My elbow still hurts like mad from hitting it a while back and using the crosscut saw just plain hurts. I can cheat once in a while! Looks like we're going to have to have a fire this weekend with all the brush cut off all these branches and what I picked up out of the front yard. My 4x8 trailer is stacked at least 6 feet high, and it has to go somewhere! What an excuse to sit around a nice fire on a Friday night, lol. Now just to make sure we have marshmallows..........
