E is down at the neighbors now fixing her porch.
We're going down tomorrow and I'm going to visit with her with my foot propped up while E and the kids pick the peaches for her. E said they need picked asap as they are rotting on the tree.
Kind of keeping in with the same conversation I started here - I've another example of what frustrates me.
We have a neighbor (well, she's a mile down the road) who always had an excuse for why she didn't have a job (had to watch grandkids, taking care of her elderly mom, no car, no license, etc. etc. This went on for years). But. She could really give E and me a hard time about E not having a job. We're talking just a few weeks out of his back surgery, he was still in a brace, and she said no matter how much pain he was in he should go get a job. I had to bite my tongue because I so badly wanted to tell her she had no excuse, then, for not having a job, either.
We try to chat with this woman (and her grown children) and keep it friendly because E has known them for 24 years (or so). Her Son in law is the one who goofed off until he lost his job that was a weekly pay. It's hard to talk to these people sometimes, because there is always so much drama wrapped around their lives, and when we do have conversations with them, most of the conversation is their drama. It's exhuasting. She now does have a job, though, and gets paid weekly.
Anyway, I think most of ya'll know we're down to just the truck for transportation now. Transmission went out on the van, and it was going to be $3200 to fix it. Didn't have it. E's truck has a few things wrong with it, mostly minor stuff, but we can only fix it a little at a time as money allows. When this "friend" down the road learned I was auctioning off baked goods, she says to me, "make some money for me, too, because I need $45 more to buy a new hot water tank for my house and I won't get paid until Friday." Um, sorry, I'm not above helping people, but I had a bill of my own that needed paid, hence the baking of pies!
A week or so later, they call us again. Her car has broke down. Can E go down with his truck and tow it home for her? Um, no. 1) it's illegal here to tow a car with a chain. 2) we've told everyone the truck isn't running that great, and yes we are selfishly only using it for our own personal uses.
Then she's complaining that she doesn't have the money to pay for a tow right then. I didn't know what to tell her, other than I'm sorry.
This same woman complains about being broke each pay after she pays her bills. Again, I'm sorry, and I don't think she appreciated it when I said, "At least you know you have a paycheck coming each week so you can pay your bills."
It's my biggest irritation when someone who's employed and can pay their bills complains about having no money. In my mind, being able to pay your bills, even if you're flat broke after, doesn't equate with having no money. You had money to pay those bills, right? Then you DID have SOME money. I'm really the wrong person to complain about finances to. There was money available to you to pay your bills, but you can't afford to eat out or go shopping. Or get a manicure. You're talking to the gal who doesn't have a check coming each week, who's husband has been denied SSDI, even though he's been told he DOES qualify for it, and we're struggling to make sure our bills are paid each month.
Do not complain to me that you're broke - not when you had the money to pay your bills. It's people like her that make me think they don't REALLY know what having no money means.
Ok rant over. sorta.
I just get irritated that we can be worse off than they are, but yet we're always the ones they call for help (usually because they've worn themselves out on their family and other friends).
They didn't have money, but they just went to Cedar Point over the weekend and even stayed in a hotel. What is wrong with this picture?? They all own where they live, so no house payment. They could grow a garden to help offset their food costs, but they don't. I guess I'm hard hearted, because my sympathies are just not with them.
This same woman thought I was crazy to spend money that I had earned driving Amish on Blue Laced Red Wyandottes from Foleys. She thought it was stupid for me to spend the $ on chickens (that I wanted to improve my breeding stock for income this year) when I could have spent the money on my kids and give them "a great Christmas". I told her the kids don't need much for Christmas, and she totally lost it on me. These same people skip paying bills in November and December so they can spend all their money on Christmas. Sorry, I'm not willing to do that!
On another note, a few days ago E and I were talking about after the ground is taken care of (long story, quit claims WERE NOT signed when we thought they would be), of putting this place up for sale and moving out of this county - that we really feel is CROOKED. We talked about how most of our neighbors are elderly, and there's not really any families with children around for our kids to play with. And then we talked about our neighbors are mostly elderly, and they all love us, and we're the ones who mostly help them because a lot of them aren't getting attention/help/care from their own kids. And we know all of the elderly in our neighborhood, and we know what most of them like or how it's best to help them...and sometimes they know we need help and they return the favor.
Like last year I think it was, an elderly man in his 80's came up and brush hogged for us. He refused payment, but I got him to accept a glass of water and some farm fresh eggs. He kept coming back for eggs
E has told him anything he needed help with, let us know. He never has asked for help, just comes back for eggs - and we refuse to let him pay for his eggs.
Another elderly gentleman neighbor needed some trees cut down. E did it for him, and a few weeks later the guy brought E and old riding lawn mower. It lasted for a little while before it wasn't usable anymore
Earlier this year, this same neighbor had 9 of my ducks in his yard while we weren't home. (don't remember where we were) He came down and left a note that 9 of our ducks were in his yard and if I was missing them to let him know LOL When we got home and got the note, we were heading down to get the ducks. He came up our drive as we were leaving. He said they had them down there still and would help us catch them. So we go down (he's 2 houses down from us) and I asked if there was any yard clean up to do or repair, and he said no that he and his wife had enjoyed their "visit" all day, had fed and watered them, and was happy to see them returned safely to us. And they took a gazillion pics LOL
Which brings me to the elderly lady who was here yesterday. She walked - walked! 1/4 a mile to our house because my chocolate Muscovy drake was down at HER house in the road! So instead of driving down, she WALKED down, herding our boy home. E drove her home, and that's how he found out she has things that need fixed/done at her place.
Again I rambled on and I don't know how much of it made sense.
And I guess we're going to be building a hog pen in the middle of the pasture. I know I mentioned it before, but I'm just thinking back to my first experience with the pigs and I said, "I'm not feeding them" which made E mad - I'm sorry, he wants the pigs, he feeds them. He doesn't feed my chickens and his reasoning is "you're the one who wanted chickens" so my reasoning is, he's the one who wants the hogs. *shudders*
So when we get the hog pen going, I'll have pics to share I spose....I'm supposed to call the local laminate place that gives away their big oak pallets FREE today so E can go pick them up for the hog pen.
) They have had to call the police twice this week at his location because they are blocking the entrance when they come to work and when they leave. They arrested a woman yesterday because she sat in front of a supervisor's truck and refused to move. It is just ridiculous. There are lots of people that understand why he is working but I can't understand how they expect everyone to go without pay to prove a point. Verizon wants the employees to pay for a portion of their benefits. Big whoop. I will pay for part of our insurance benefits if it means that my husband keeps his job. But no one understands that. 
