What Comes Around

 

Remember a few weeks ago when I announced that I had seen the slowest week in a few years at work? And then Memorial day hit? Well this week would be officially slower if it hadn't been for the left overs from last week.

I got one un-announced drop shipment down from Dearborn yesterday, which was an undocumented mess but that's it so far. Six new vehicles. All F-150's that someone slapped "Tremor" on the side of. I am unsure how people keep falling for a 30 buck sticker but customers sure seem to love the stickers on vehicles. I guess it's for the looks since pretty much nothing else is changed. Any rate took me a while to make up a shipping sheet and make sure everything jived with our own stock numbers and such so hours-wise I can't really claim this as the slowest week. Had some idiot from a transport company out of Ohio that brought the load in and had no clue how to use the trailer he was poulling. It was a new car carrier model that had adjustable sliding ramps on it and he forgot to adjust em to the proper wheel base and damn near dropped more than one new F-150 either onto the payment or through the center of the carrier. I finally just gave up on getting my own work done while he was there and stayed with him to ground guide him off safely. 

I then did a Dealership-wide walk around to see if I had any more hidden stowaways around. I did not find any but I did find some poor guy with  a single deck carrier full of three used vehicles stuck behind some waste oil tanks and unable to make the turn. He was Eastern European of some flavor I am betting Ukrainian but Slavic of some kind. Did not speak English but was able to follow my rusty broken German enough. I had to move some emergency cones for him but got him out of his tight situation without damaging anything and even managed to get him into the right parking lot for used vehicles. 

One big advantage of my job is I have been there so long I can always find something else to do and no one ever feels I am poking my nose where it doesn't belong when I do or pissing in their pool domain as it were. I have always attempted to be non-competitive with others at work and always avoid the turf wars I often see around such a cut-throat industry for just such reason as what I am seeing forming now. I have seen the good times turn sour fast and even salesmen stabbing their co-workers in the back to make numbers. If things go sour, as many claim is coming, we may be shedding employees soon and I would kinda like to avoid that so I make myself friendly and always find a way to be useful. And never involve myself in someone else's money. Period.

I have been planning for the great financial collapse for decades. I do not know if this is it for sure yet I prolly won't know for a while yet. Despite all I read about it though it sure does seem to be follow the course I have imagine for years. 

I was approached today asking about my out dated hay equipment and land for the first time in almost 20 years. I cannot hay the way I used to but I always suspected we would be going back before this thing is over and I kept everything stored and lubed. Five years ago I couldn't even give hay away there was so much, now locals beg me to use my old equipment and ask to hay my fields. One guy who I know wants me to go into business with him claiming he unloaded 20K bales last year alone. So rather than selling out like I been contemplating I might just partner up some. MY original plan years ago was I would go back to it but I never planned on being this old when I did either lol.  I kept everything in working order and have even spent years prepping new pasture for eventual use. My neighbor has already fertilized two of my fields so has claims on them but that still leaves me two to share with someone else. I might be too old to hay all by myself like I envisioned years ago but I can certainly partner with someone I guess. This new claims he already has more orders than he can fill for this Winter and is desperate so I might give it go as there is really nothing for me to lose since so many around have been willing to turn all the good pasture into houses lately.

Along those lines I also heard another rumor today that the guys who bought the properties on two sides of me and were forced to sell themselves. The so called industrial building has set mostly completed now for almost three weeks with no one around and no windows or doors yet which was odd. They just stopped construction a few weeks ago... Just stopped mid-build and the other field they also just stopped cutting the access roads into and loaded up their equipment and left. I can't say what actually happened but I can hope I guess.

Keep Prepping Everyone!!!