Author Topic: So now I have a full-time, largely volunteer caretaker, apparently.  (Read 1970 times)

Lilburner

I mentioned the neighbor who abandoned his house.

He moved in to an RV owned by the neighbor across the private cul-de-sac. So he's part of the core end of the road apocalypse gang, now (A distinction that exists only in my own head)

I'd see him out working on the road (more on that in a bit), and I'd offer him random grocery items to help him out - chicken parts, chicken patties, stuff to make sandwiches... He'd be so thrilled and grateful it made me want to do more.

Apparently, though he's got to be every bit of 80, he's some sort of workaholic. He's like the energizer grandpa.

I was torn on offering him tasks, but I didn't want to get him too attached to something like $10/hr.

I guess he's starting to run out of stuff to do on the road. So he just started doing stuff to my property. Hauled some deadfall out of my treestand to the fire pile, Got rid of a nasty old tarp in my polebarn I was quite frankly scared to lift. Just that kind of thing. Things started piling up I figured I'd give him some cash. I gave him $40 the last time I was up there. Things really started taking off after that - burned my burn pile - got all the old lumber (after asking) out of the pole barn and burned it, now he's grading the path to the pole barn because it gets muddy.

He "borrows" my chainsaw to cut my dead trees... and then sharpens it.

As long as it doesn't turn into some sort of fatal attraction thing, I have to say - "Life is good" . that would be an actual worry in town, but things are just different in the country, so I feel pretty good about it.

Wish me continued luck!
« Last Edit: November 18, 2018, 03:47:23 PM by Lilburner »
A strong conviction that something must be done is the parent of many bad measures.
~ Daniel Webster

John Galt 1

Re: So I now I have a full-time, largely volunteer caretaker, apparently.
« Reply #1 on: November 17, 2018, 10:09:06 PM »
I can see the potential problems but it sounds like you've got a good neighbor.     

Maintaining a rural property like you have is a lot of work and a bored energetic neighbor may be a blessing assuming he's the good natured sort of neighbor who's unlikely to become spiteful if he ever feels slighted.

I'd suggest making him a caretaker to watch your place,     Offer him $80-$100 cash a month for him to put about 10 hours a month cleaning up the property.     It sounds like you'll get more than your monies worth and a guardian for your property when you're away.     If you know enough about him, a few towns he's lived in, maybe a few family members names (info that will help you pick him out of a list of other people with similar names) you can pay about $35 and do a basic background check online on him.

Just keep him off a ladder for liabilities sake or make him sign a disclaimer if he ever gets hurt on your property.

"If I ever get hurt for any reason on XXX property I will hold the property owner harmless."
Talk is cheap, Actions count.

Rockhopper

Re: So I now I have a full-time, largely volunteer caretaker, apparently.
« Reply #2 on: November 18, 2018, 10:25:22 AM »
Sounds like the beginnings of a symbiotic relationship.

Lilburner

Re: So now I have a full-time, largely volunteer caretaker, apparently.
« Reply #3 on: November 23, 2018, 09:16:55 PM »
Things are going along swimmingly.

I got up there and he had burned my burn pile including cutting up the trees in it, made and burned another one probably equal to it out of old scrap lumber from the pole barn and cleared out my tree stand between the house and field. He completely excavated the pole barn from the elements with a good 6 foot swath around it, and graded the road to it.

Neither one of us have any family , so I took him to Golden Corral on Thanksgiving and slipped him some cash. He wants to put a drain pipe under the drive to the pole barn, so I took him to Home Depot today and let him pick out supplies. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens every time I go up there now!
A strong conviction that something must be done is the parent of many bad measures.
~ Daniel Webster

Starlady

Re: So now I have a full-time, largely volunteer caretaker, apparently.
« Reply #4 on: November 24, 2018, 11:20:21 AM »
You both are awesome and I'm glad you found each other!
"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." Albert Einstein

Lilburner

Re: So now I have a full-time, largely volunteer caretaker, apparently.
« Reply #5 on: December 17, 2018, 09:03:33 PM »
This whole thing is crazypants. I can't get my mind around it.

I was up there one day last week, and this is stuff that just happened out of the blue in the course of a few days unannounced.

My shed door had been broken and wouldn't close since I bought the place. I couldn't figure it out. A couple handy-minded friends couldn't figure it out. My countractor couldn't figure it out. The neighbor pops the siding off and got it solved he said in about two hours.

He's on about his tenth massive burn pile from dragging out dead trees and underbrush.

Much of it from here - my tree stand between my house and field area. Some of you may remember my "wood chip authorization" mishap, which resulted in about 734 billion cubic feet of wood chips being dumped on my building site, and I spent the bulk of the summer getting rid of it with a front end loader - putting it in piles in the tree stand. He's got most of it spread out. the ultimate goal is to suppress any undergrowth and just have trees and clean ground for a nice little transitional area.



My concrete subcontractor stiffed me on a couple things with my slab. He didn't grade the ground right, leaving one end of my "drive in barn" about 18" up in the air with no access. And he didn't put a drain field on the uphill slope side.

Both well under way when I got up there yesterday.





This one is funny. When I got the place, nature had reclaimed my pole barn. There were literally trees going INSIDE of it. They eventually made their way outside, of course. I had scraped down a little tractor/truck/equipment access area with the front end loader and box blade. It was OK about 50% of the time, but a quagmire if it so much as got damp.

He went out to the county road and STOLE gravel off it and put it on the approach to the pole barn. One little lawn mower dump cart at a time. all hand-shoveled.



This morning, he came up and asked if I'd take him in to town. I said I should have time because all I really HAD to do was put the trailer jack on the trailer. "I already did that. All you have to do is tighten it down with a wrench"

I keep thinking "I hope I can do that much at 76". Then I realize I don't do a quarter of that at 53!

« Last Edit: December 17, 2018, 09:53:59 PM by Lilburner »
A strong conviction that something must be done is the parent of many bad measures.
~ Daniel Webster

John Galt 1

Re: So now I have a full-time, largely volunteer caretaker, apparently.
« Reply #6 on: December 18, 2018, 08:41:00 AM »
Maybe you should start renting your neighbor out, he sounds fantastic.

You want the concrete slab a bit above grade (except for gravel which drains well)     It helps keep water from washing into the shop during heavy rains.

Your neighbors may not be so happy about the missing gravel next heavy rain.
« Last Edit: December 19, 2018, 10:50:27 AM by John Galt 1 »
Talk is cheap, Actions count.

Starlady

Re: So now I have a full-time, largely volunteer caretaker, apparently.
« Reply #7 on: December 18, 2018, 09:07:37 AM »
Dang, I wish the 40yo I PAY to help me was half as energetic!
"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." Albert Einstein

 

SimplePortal 2.3.7 © 2008-2024, SimplePortal