May 29, 2010

March 2010

I'm not really sure what we are doing here.  I mean we came here with the intention of helping out here for a few months until I could get my SSD.  It can't come soon enough as far as I'm concerned.  I'm in a piss poor mood lately.  We have zip for money left and last week Carrie asked us for a hundred bucks for electric.  Which I find to be BULLSHIT on several levels. First let me say that John was saying that the electric went from 28 dollars this time last year to 128  this year.  Excuse me??? We in no way used that much electricity.  When we were in G'Town we lived in an RV twice this size and ran either the a/c or the heat or a fan 24 hours a day.  Two tv's going, cablebox,dvd player, hot water heater, washer and dryer, deep freezer,microwave, outside lights and both computers.  At 10 cents per kwh we only ran over 100 bucks on probably 3 occasions.  So you tell me how we used that much in this half sized trailer with nothing but the computer (1) fridge and the deep freezer?   I mean if you need money why don't you just say so?  Why try blowing smoke up our ass like that?  Lying does not impress anyone.


Another thing that pisses me off is that Joe works a minimum of 5-6 hours a day 6 days a week doing things around here.  Right now he is building a vegetable stand so John can sell his produce out by the road.  16x16 building and Joe is now the only one working on it.  A few weeks ago he took off on Sunday and John didn't.  John acted all pissy for the next 2 days.


I feed and water 22 rabbits 2x's a day 7 days a week.  And that means I have to pull enough grass and weeds to fill 2 5gallon buckets twice a day as well.They aren't buying rabbit feed. Don't know how good that is for the rabbits...but they aren't mine to worry about I suppose.


  Oh, and I have been watering the gardens.  Apparently I don't do it well enough. Here's just one example.  Yesterday I watered the front garden for 3 1/2 hours.  Carrie comes out after I had been out there for 3 hours and went to the place I had started watering and says "I don't think you are giving them enough water".  The place is all sand.... of course its going to dry out at the top.  So I went up to the RV to grab a bite to eat before headed out to water the corn.... what does she do?  Unhooks our water so she can continue to water.  Fine then, do it.  Then at 8pm I went to ask if I could hook back up the water so I could cook dinner and maybe wash dishes.  Oh-  yeah- I guess we are done watering.  GAWDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!!!  So now I guess I am supposed to water every day all day long???  Seems that way to me anyway.  And for what??? I mean really???  We are parked on their land and do use their wi-fi connection (which I AM grateful for) and apparently we are paying electric as well. We get nothing more out of all this.  Oh and the router that they are using is ours.  Theirs burned out so Joe let them use ours.  Oh and as far as watering goes... without the 300 ft of hose WE brought with us .... how the hell were they going to water anyway?


 The neighbor gave John prolly 40-50 lbs of beef from his freezer for Mars & him helping out with their pasture and loading their cow to head to the butchers.  (See Blog)  They put it in our freezer as they had no place to keep it.  Well the first time Carrie comes to get meat...she takes all the steaks cause they had a friend come in and wanted to cook.  Then she shows up a couple of days ago and takes all the rest of it except for 2 roasts.  WTF is that all about?  (see blog & comment left)  All that fucking meat and we get 2 steaks , 2 roasts, and 2 lbs of hamb?  AND she left that nasty gd comment on MY blog???? That shit just pisses me off. 

May 15,2010

Saturday, May 15, 2010


Well yesterday was a day that will not soon be forgotten on the Pioneer Living Homestead.  A storm came through here with some serious wind and rain and some even more serious hail.  Silver dollar in size and buckets and buckets of it.  All the gardens are torn up pretty badly.  Much was lost and none of us know what will actually come back from this.  To say John and Carrie are heartbroken would be quite an understatement.  They had such hope for this years crop.  It looks like most of their plans were dashed yesterday.  They were counting on being able to sell enough produce this year so that Carrie could give up her job and work here on the homestead full time.  Now they are worried about paying the bills.  And the tractor they were going to buy will have to be returned to the man who was letting them use it until they could pay for it.  To be honest though, I don't see how they thought they were going to make enough money to do all that and continue to pay the bills for an entire year. 


   Our position here has become compromised as well. Nothing has been said yet but I fear it is only a matter of time before we will be told that we will have to start paying the electric.  Not that that is a new thing as they came to us three weeks ago and asked for money for the electric.  What really upset me about that is that they wanted $100.00.  That's an awful lot of money for having nothing running except the refrigerator, the freezer(which has their meat in it), a computer and some DC lighting we use only about 5 hours a day. 
When we were in the other trailer we had those things running in addition to a hot water heater, microwave, washer and dryer, two tvs, DVD player, cable box, outdoor lighting &air conditioner and fans running 24/7.  Our bill there at .10 kwh ran around $65.00 a month.  The highest it ever ran was $135.00 during the heat wave last August. 


Oh and that meat that we thought was to be shared?  The beef the neighbors gave John?  Well Carrie came a couple of days ago and got it all and took it to her house.  Mars said don't worry about it ... It was theirs anyway.  So if you look at it that way we did pretty good.  We ate 2 T-bones, a couple of pounds of hamburger, and she left us 2 roasts.  Not bad for babysitting meat! But part of the deal here was that they would share that meat.  So you tell me.....

Face Book Messge

Well, here we go... Looks like the whip is being cracked now.  This is the Face Book message received today from John.
John Milandred
John MilandredMay 29, 2010 at 12:06pm
Subject: Crops
Just to give you the heads up!

Carrie quit her job today! This is the time that hell begins.....lol

Remember when you said your day is coming? well this is it.....LOL

Everyone will need to do there part so when not watering, picking, building and stuff there is weed eating all over and clean up.

The only day of rest is Sunday! so if you guy's plan to stay the summer then everyone needs to step up to the plate or she will get someone who will.

Also this would be the time to start getting to know her!

Just letting you know.....:)
We came here with the intention to help them out this summer... I just didn't know it was supposed to be from sunup to sundown.  And all we receive for this?  Lot rent basically.  Can we say slave labor? Because that's what it is starting to sound like.  We receive NO other compensation. Not even a thank you. 
As for trying to get to know Carrie.... that's almost impossible as she is not a very social person in the first place.  I've tried and tried to talk to her.  She isn't all that friendly and things seem to revolve solely around her and her needs.  And as for her getting someone who "will" do the work?  Good Luck!


I spoke with SS this week and they have finally figured out what the hell I have been trying to tell them.  They found my blood tests and I should know something pretty soon.... Can't possibly be soon enough for me though.  We are going to have to come up with some way to get some cash soon.  We are so broke its not even funny.  I might have to see if my grandmother will loan us some money until the settlement is made.  I sure hope she can help us out.

May 27, 2010

Yeah I'm Bitching Again

This was posted on Johns Face book  On Monday , May 24th....


John Milandred    Well soon our guest will be off to Arkansas and we will need some help here on the homestead. Anyone interested?
John Milandred
Ok the rules: No drunks and you must be fit! lol


Also willing to work more then 4 hours a day. Must be able to have place to stay (Trailer and or Camper) and pay for your own power. We take care of (Water, Internet, septic, land) also meat, and lot's of veg's and fruit when in season. LOL
Monday at 9:05pm5




This post has bothered me on several levels all week long.  So as to keep the peace I have not said one word about it.  As a matter of fact I haven't spoken with him since the posting. Let me just break it down for ya.
"Well soon our guest...."  That's been an irritation to me from the first time I heard him call us that on his show one time like we are under some sort of apprenticeship program or something.  When we came up here it was to lend a hand for the summer.  As for being a "guest"  If I had guests staying on my land I would most certainly treat them as such.  I find it a little weird that in the 3 months we have been here-we have not been invited ONCE for a cookout or even a get together in the evenings.  Maybe it's just the way I was raised but we don't treat guests like that where we come from.


"No Drunks and you must be fit!"  I find that offensive as well as John drinks on a daily basis.  I wouldn't call him a drunk . Mars and I drink some but neither of us are drunks either. As to the "you must be fit" comment I am sure that was directed towards me.  I have issues with my back and legs that prevent me from doing some things.  I can get them done, I just have to take it at my own pace.


"Also willing to work more than 4 hours a day..."
  Ummm, excuse me? I'm thinking that 5-6 hours a day most days is what Mars does around here at least 6 days a week most of the time. I spent an hour and a half a day dealing with the rabbits.  Since they don't buy rabbit food I have to go pick grass and such twice a day.  That is 4 five gallon buckets a day.   7 days a week.  I haven't had to water the gardens the last couple of weeks due to the weather.  I'm back at it again today.  That takes at least 3 1/2hours  a day when watering is needed.  Now lets just stop and break down the hours vs payment for those hours.  Lets let him have his "4 hours" a day for all the work Mars has done for him.  AND lets just say he was working at minimum wage.  That would be 4 hours a day x six days a week at $7.25 an hour. That is $174.00 a week x 4 weeks a month.  That ends up being $696.00 a month.
$696.00 a month and that does not include anything that I do around here.
$326.25 a month for time spent with the rabbits alone - this does NOT include anything else I do around here.  Now for this we get water, internet, and a place to park the trailer.  All for only $1022.00 worth of work a month.  Not a bad deal huh??
Onto the next part shall we?  
"We take care of (Water, Internet, septic, land) also meat, and lot's of veg's and fruit when in season. LOL"
Let's be completely honest here.  He has a well, The internet is shared by wi-fi.  The router by the way is Ours as his burned out and he didn't have another one.  The septic was dug and installed by Mars. His land is paid for.  So actually it costs him nothing for the labor he receives.


"Also meat, and lot's of veg's and fruit when  in season."  I found it interesting that when the neighbor gave John the beef it was understood that we would be able to have some as Mars had helped with them as well.  There was probably 50 pounds of beef that John had no room for so it was stored in our deep freeze (along with about 50 pounds of freezer burned pork John's as well )  Out of all that beef ars and I had a steak dinner, 3 lbs of hamburger, and 2 roasts. We have a few packages of venison that Mars help butcher and about 4 packages of hog that were given to us which he also helped butcher. As for vegetables we haven't seen any yet.  I am hoping they will be kind enough to share some of the turnips and melons and yellow squash that we provided the seeds for. I suppose we will see about that one.


If it weren't for John's meat we would not be needing to run the deep freezer at all.But we sure are being charged electricity here.
Ok, onto the issues I have about the electricity."And pay for your own power"  In the 3 months we have been here we have been asked to pay a total of $140.00.  I know that doesn't sound like much but hang on... lol.  That works out to $46.00 a month.  Want to know what we run on electric here?  The refrigerator, the deep freeze (that we don't need to run) one fan, one computer, and DC lights about 4 hours a night. No way this comes out to that much electric. Quite impossible actually.
Some might say I'm making more out of all this than I should.  Possibly.  I just don't see the fairness of it all though.  I feel like we are being taken advantage of and the bitch of it all is...we can't move just yet.  Soon I hope.