Barriers to Property Sale Collapse

Last year in May, God gave me this phrase: “Extremely effective.” I took it to mean he was going to change me so I got things done faster. It sure looks like that was correct. I have been getting things done right and left since my dad died.

Today I got my cattle lease signed. I drew it up a few days ago. A local man is going to put about 18 cows on my property. They will keep the weeds down, produce lots of useful manure, and kill my property tax bill. They will also make the place look less like Edward Scissorhands’ dad’s winter home. When a man lives alone on a big property, the atmosphere can get creepy.

Today my tenant Homer showed up and worked on the fences. He says the cattle will be here next week. Probably. I put new locks on all the gates he will be using, and when he shows up next week, I will hand him a key.

Yesterday and today, I solved some problems with the title on a property I’m selling. The person my dad bought it from had some little problems, and they popped up when the title insurance people did a search. The first three issues were unpaid fines relating to very stupid and untrained dogs that didn’t behave. That was no problem. A phone call fixed it. The fourth problem was bigger, and it involved a law firm that deals with debt.

At first, I was told I couldn’t resolve anything without consent from the person who was named in the documents, but I knew better than that, being a lawyer and all. I pointed out that I could make an offer to pay without poking my nose into the particulars of the matter, and of course, the attorney was fine with that. He didn’t go into his unsavory line of work because he hates money. Payment is payment, regardless of the source. We worked it out, which really means I agreed to pay him whatever he wants. There is no way to get a reduction in the time I have available. I will be paying on Monday. As it turns out, I am in a situation that will allow me to get reimbursement without making demands or suing anyone (or getting permission), so I won’t be out any money. It will cost the dog owner some cash. Nothing I can do about that, and the truth is, I don’t care.

I am getting the property I live on under control, fast. I fixed all the hedges in front of the house this week, and I will be doing the rest of the house shortly. I put a peach tree in the hole where my lightning-blasted maple used to stand. I ordered some Tupi blackberry plants. These are great warm-climate plants with thorns. Maybe they’ll discourage squirrels. If you buy blackberries in a grocery store, chances are they’re Tupis. They’re big, and the flavor is good. I’m thinking I should sow some in my pasture, to crowd out and kill the disappointing native berries.

I got some info on mulch. It appears that the best possible mulch comes from obnoxious melaleuca trees. These things were brought to Florida from Australia. They’re like eucalyptus trees, sort of. They’re the trees we get tea tree oil from; there is no such thing as a tea tree. They have overrun a lot of South Florida and destroyed much of the awful Everglades (as if I care). The mulch repels bugs and lasts a long time, and killing melaleucas is a mitzvah, so it’s a win-win kind of thing. Melaleuca mulch isn’t available everywhere, which is amazing because it’s such a great idea, but my local Lowe’s happens to have it, so I plan to load up. Much of my mulch is worn out, and I think melaleuca is just the ticket to cover my weeds.

I got a new blade for my lithium Sawzall. This is important because I have a big stump in front of my house, and it has long roots. You should never use a chainsaw on roots, because dirt dulls a chainsaw instantly. A Sawzall is a great tool for cutting roots and branches, especially if it’s cordless. I picked a 9″ wood blade. I can’t wait to get rid of the roots around the stump. The core should come out with the tractor after that.

I found out which extension agent I need to talk to, concerning yard maintenance. I have given up on getting advice from other sources. Forums are useless. I need someone with deep local knowledge because the climate here is so weird. It’s not tropical, and it’s not temperate. We have monstrous weeds, plus gophers, armadillos, and horrible oak trees with destructive leaves. We also have thick algae here that grows on driveways and houses. I have to have information in order to deal with this mess. On Monday, I will hook up and dominate.

My car had a problem. I inherited my dad’s Ford Explorer. It has a moonroof, which is one of the dumbest features a car can have. It gives you all the maintenance problems of a convertible, with none of the style or fun. It amazes me that people like these things. Moonroofs have drain tubes that get plugged, and when they get plugged, water rises in your roof and kills your moonroof motor. In order to unclog the tubes, you have to open the moonroof, so basically, you have to replace the motor before you can clear the drains.

This week I spent a very hard day lowering the headliner in the car. I found the motor, and I have a new one on the way. It’s actually easier to replace the motor than the moonroof fuse. Ford used to put fuses in a convenient panel near the door, but now they hide the indoor fuse box under the dashboard. To get to it, you have to remove a trim panel, lie on your back in the foot well, and twist to your right. It took me over an hour just to find it, and I had directions. Actually changing a fuse would be so hard, it would be physically dangerous. I could tear a muscle. Unbelievably bad engineering.

In any case, the damage to the car was limited to a motor and some dampness on the carpet by the passenger seat, so I’m happy. I would have had to pay hundreds to get a mechanic to fix it.

It’s annoying that car makers don’t warn people about moonroof problems. When you buy a car, you know you have to change the fluids, buy tires, fix the brakes periodically, and get things lubed. You know you have to get front end alignments. No normally aware person will just assume there is an easily blocked tube in the moonroof, which has to be blown out periodically with compressed air. People find out about it after their cars start to smell and their moonroofs stop working.

Some owners have problems much worse than mine. The gaskets around the rear moonroofs go bad, and then water pours into the well where the spare tire sits, filling it to the brim and taking out a stereo speaker in the process. The tire well doesn’t have a drain in it. Nice work, Ford. Good thinking.

I wish I could have my moonroof welded shut. It’s an idiotic product. People who like moonroofs must not know what real convertibles are like.

I’m pretty sure I disposed of some other lingering problems this week, but I can’t think of them offhand.

I hate to say it, but life without my dad is a thousand times better than life with him. Things are going better for me because he’s gone.

I have two dads to consider: the old one, and the new one who appeared 7 weeks before he died. I am still recovering from the damage the old one did, even as I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the new one. He was full of love and generosity. He blessed me every time I saw him. Unfortunately, he was just too ill to continue living.

I love my dad very much, and I can’t wait to be with him again, but that’s the new dad. The old dad was a radioactive weight that held me down.

It’s very odd, being glad to be rid of one version of my dad while missing and loving another version.

Every day, I pray for God to keep killing my old self and giving life and dominance to my new self. I learned that from watching God work on my dad.

I think I’ll get the Sawzall out before it gets completely dark.

Get the unequal yokings out of your life, give yourself completely to God, beg God for correction every day, and worship him physically when you talk to him. Don’t just sit there. Lift your hands and tell him you’re worshiping him. He expects you to make physical gestures of worship, it and pays off.

God will give you peace and victory, but you have to do things his way. Until you give in–as long as you insist on making God work within your own unfortunate version of Christianity–you won’t know how beautiful life can be.