Tough day, green bug broken

Dear Family and Friends,

Last night proved to be very interesting.  I woke at 12:30 and was wide awake.  At 1 I just got up and came down to the office.  First I set up five orders and then I decided to do an appraisal.  I completed it about 3:45 and shipped it out,  I then slept for a few hours before surfacing again at about 8.  I've worked in and then at 9:30 we took the bug to the mechanic.

Late this afternoon they called to say one of two fuel pumps had failed, of course its the one in the fuel tank so I need a new one, a new filter, a new serpentine belt, other one is nearly broken due to age and a few other new things.  It comes to mere $970 dollars.  I could not believe it, my new bug was costing me money.

Later the rep called from the loan company for the motorhome reminding me they needed a payment.  We talked and she said she would just skip this months payment and the next one would be due on the 19th of October.  Well that helped a lot and nearly a thousand dollars came in the mail today for which I'm most grateful.

So I'm turning in early tonight in hope of sleeping  ALL night.

Sending love to all,

Tim

A Great Sunday, hope your's was too

Dear Family and Friends,

Just can't tell you how nice this day was.  Up at 6:30, on the treadmill for a few minutes of enjoyable exercise, then the shower and finally down to start the day.  Had a whole wheat bagel from Safeway with butter and a banana, some strawberries and I was set for the day.

I knew I had to complete a ranchette, that is a property with a small acreage site, usually 1 to 10 acres versus a ranch which might have 40 acres.  So I set to work and by 11:45 I was emailing it to the lender, on time for a change.

Then I set to work on the very challenging property located over in Redwood Shores.  That one has been haunting me for days.  Well I'm proud to say it is done and I learned a lot in the process.  Then I set to work on a local one that had to be completed by tomorrow, someone needed a report to submit to the IRS and I enjoyed putting all my knowledge about Discovery Bay into that report.  I just emailed it to the client a few minutes ago.

Marilyn came home today but it was a very sad trip.  Her sister Vicki passed away yesterday afternoon after a very short illness.  It was a shock to the entire family including Marilyn.  Marilyn was with her when she passed away and of course is reflecting on her life and her loss.

In the morning at 9:30 I'll have the green bug at the door of East European Auto Works in Brentwood hoping for a miracle.  This evening when I had to start it to move it over so we could put the Civic away it would hardly run.  I hope I can get it to town in the morning.

I certainly am praying and hoping for money in the mail tomorrow, can't remember a time when I needed cash flow so badly, that is one of the reasons I'm working so hard right now, to catch up with putting product into people's hands so they can pay me!!

Sending love to all,

Tim

A very long week comes to its end, the girls are here for a sleepover!

Good evening,

Another incredible day with drama thrown in.

I started off the day seeing a local property at 8 am, it was for the IRS and cash was the incentive.  It worked.

Then Steve and I drove up to Oakley to see a house that turned out to be one of the nicest homes I've seen in a long while.  On the day the owner moved into a brand new home from JR Horton she had contractors ready to totally redo the interior with high quality tile, granite, new kitchen appliances, new floor coverings, new baths, Travertine everywhere, a huge waterfall in the back yard, a chimnea and lots of extras everywhere.  The home is perfect and we both enjoyed meeting the attractive owner, a lady probably in her 40s who was full of energy and along with her friend regaled us with stories.  It was a great experience.

Then we drove back to my house where I immediately loaded up the bug and left for Oakland.  On the way I deposited the money to make the accounts whole.  The trip went well and the Oakland duplex was very nice.  But a phone call from one of the clients lifted the stress level, she said she had to have an appraisal that lay on my desk only partially completed.  I told her by 3 but traffic began to slow me down, then I had to fill with diesel, not easy to find and then as I was nearing Brentwood the engine died and the car would not start.  I jumped out and pushed the bug off the lane so traffic could pass.  I got back into the car panting and scared, my new bug had failed.  After a few minutes I cranked and cranked and it started.  God was good to me.

Soon I was at home and I set to work on the needed appraisal and at about 4:30 it was shipped out.  Then I turned to yet another one that was promised today and got it out about 4:30.  The only reason I could do them so quickly is that Steve had done write-ups on both of them, I was so glad for his help.

The mail today turned out to be a faith building experience.  This is the 3rd day without any money and I need money for the IRS, the motorhome payment, the house second and lots of other end of the month expenses.  And I need to buy my ticket to Portland but I'm wondering how right now, one needs money to buy an airline ticket.

At 5 Nikki brought the girls to do a sleep over and then we go to church tomorrow.  Its great to have them and early evening we went to the park where they played and I met Vinney, a black pug that was so sweet and gentle.

Once we were back from the park, a perfect evening really with gentle breezes and the temperature just right, we ventured out in the bug to McDonalds where we picked up Keanna's dinner, then we walked over to Subway where Kallie had a pizza, very good and I had a vegeburger on whole wheat.

The bug started pretty well, not perfectly and we made it back home.  I've made pasta for Keanna and green beans to supplement her McDonalds dinner and Kallie has gone down for the night.  We read a story, precious times really.  She is surrounded by little people she brought with her and each has its own story.  Keanna will go down later as she is the Big sister and has a later bed time.

I'm thankful I made it home but wondering what to expect next from the bug, its been getting harder and harder to start lately and I'm thinking perhaps it may need a fuel filter or it could be something more expensive.  I really don't need problems right now with the "new" bug.

This has been a very busy week, both Steve and I have been busy for which I'm very thankful.

Sending love to all,

Tim

Very very tired.

Good evening,

I'm really getting too old for these long days.

6:30 up and shower

6:55 start research for the day

Write up reports and email out, fix conditions

Check mailbox, find NOOOOOO money, bummer

Noon see ranchette in Brentwood

2 pm see large home in Brentwood

Leave for San Jose

Fight traffic but see first house at 4:45, cute little condo

Fight traffic and see second house at 6:05, nice older home

Finish shooting comps just before dark.

Drive across town to shoot an additional bedroom photo for a recent appraisal

Starving, find Olive Garden, relax and have huge salad and soup and BREAD

Leave San Jose at 8:30

Arrive home at 10 pm.

What a day,

Find new orders from new clients, yea.

Find two write-ups from Steve, what a relief that is and what a huge help.

See house at 8 here in Discovery Bay in the morning, paying cash!

See house with Steve in Oakley at 9:30

See Duplex in Oakland at noon

Girls coming for sleep over tomorrow evening.

Good night

Tim

Back bug goes to bug doctor in Turlock

I'm just back from towing the black VW to Turlock to a mechanic that both Ron and Art has used for their engines.  It was interesting in that I was getting as many reports out as I could, about 6 when one went sailing away on the email I just decided today was the day.  I checked with Mr Dizney and he said it was fine, bring it over. 

I had to change the ball as the tow dolly takes a larger one than normal to hook up to behind the motorhome.  I was really sweating backing up to the tow dolly with the motorhome and Gary my long time neighbor was out, I asked if he would help and he expertly guided me right in, that helped a lot.  Then with the trusty GPS and a bottle of water I made the trip.  It was about 62 miles and when I got there everything was dark as I was told it would be.  I pulled up next to the building, set the brakes on the bug, unhooked the tie downs, pulled forward in the motorhome and the bug slipped right off the trailer.

Next I pushed the bug back from the street, locked it up and hit the key, leaving one of my cards in the drivers seat.

I secured the tow dolly, found a Sonic nearby for a quick dinner, fun to sit in the motorhome at the table to eat.  Then I headed home, kept it at 60 and made it home just after 10 pm.  It needed to be done as I'm sure I would start getting tickets on it parked in the street like it was, plus I need to put the motorhome away where it belongs.

Tomorrow I see a couple in Brentwood and then a couple in San Jose, it will be a late night tomorrow night for sure.  Then on Friday there are couple more to see.  Steve is giving excellent help, Jessy is on vacation to Austin Texas and life is good.

My friend sent me an email today and included some photos, that was very nice of her.

Good night or morning friends and family,


Love


Tim

Another long one

Good evening,

Up at 6:30 this morning, in Fairfield at noon, back in Antioch at 2:15, then home to work getting things out that Jessy had produced, then Steve shipped in the one he saw this morning, talk about fast.  Its gone to the lenders now as well. 12 hour turnaround!  Now that's a rush.

Now I'm working to get more out this evening but I'm about to fade to gray and head to bed.

I do enjoy the little green bug, it drives so nicely, cools great and the automatic is enjoyable, very quick and the car is comfortable.

As I got home this afternoon Jessy was leaving and while I was out front I just decided on the moment that I would mow the lawn.  I found the old work shoes in the old bug which still sits out front waiting to be pulled to Turlock to the mechanic.  I pulled the shoes on, started up the mower that STeve sold me, its so great, works perfectly and in 5 minutes I had the lawn mowed.  Then I took the time to try to set the sprinklers to a short watering time, the front lawn was a muddy mess, too much water.

Then it was back to work.  This evening I ran into town to inspect the house that Steve had inspected this morning.  I needed to be there since its my name on the report.  What a lovely home with pool, perfect landscaping and in perfect condition.  People are actually leaving the furniture in place and moving without it.

Now I'm back working again trying to get more done.  In the morning I travel to Tracy at 9 am to see a house and then come back for the day to work things up.  Back out on Thursday to see something in Brentwood at noon, then something at 2 pm locally and then off to San Jose to see two properties.  That will be a late night.

I am so thankful for all the orders and with Steve's help and Jessy's help I think we'll get them all done.

So I wish each of you a good night,

Love

Tim

A sad day here in Discovery Bay

As I write this evening my heart is sad for a family who lost their little boy today.

I don't know details, it will be on the news tonight.  What I do know is a young boy who was riding his bike to the middle school was hit and killed in an accident today near the school.  To think that there is a family out there who has lost their son is really hard to accept.  What a huge tragedy and the lady that was responsible will never be the same again.  No matter what the details are about how it happened it is a very sad day for Discovery Bay.

I woke early and seeing an order floating on my phone rushed downstairs but alas it was already gone, some other eager beaver had grabbed it.  Oh well, perhaps they needed it worse than I do.

I prepared for the Modesto appointment and left using the levee road and going through Tracy so I was unaware of the accident until later.  I arrived a few minutes late and found a huge, I mean store sized home on a bluff above the river.  It took nearly an hour to measure the home and it was all of 5,400 sf to be sure.  It was so nicely appointed and well built with multiple decks, a stone pathway that led to a lower lawn area near the river.  The rooms were large and most of the floors on the main level were large tiles that looked like stones, of course there were multiple fireplaces, high ceilings, special lighting fixtures, beautiful wood cabinets and a huge kitchen.  Outside there were two boxers who were not sure I really belonged there but they were in their dog run.

Eventually I finished my work there and drove the comps, nothing is as nice as this home so writing the report will be a challenge to be sure.

I had worked up an appetite so asked the GPS to find lunch.  It found a Fuddruckers and lunch was really great, a vegeburger and a salad, excellent taste.  I'll go back when in Modesto, it was that good.

Then I found a Walmart and returned a sea sick medicine I had purchased before the found the right stuff at CVS.  Then I drove to Stockton to the Harbor Freight and returned a tail light set I had purchased for the boat that I didn't need.  So I have $44 in my pocket now.

Then home to set up orders and to write conditions and this even write appraisals.  Now I'm out of eye sight, worn out and I'm turning in.  I'm still a bit tired from yesterday's big adventure out to sea.

Tomorrow morning I write things again and then head to a noon appointment in Fairfield and back to a 2 pm appointment in Antioch, then back home to write more and get things emailed out.  I'm suddenly busy again and I'm thankful but stressed.

Sending love to all,

Lets treasure our loved one even more,

Tim