Cooking Goddess
Chef Extraordinaire
True dat, K-Girl. Your DH is a smart guy. (Of course he is, he married you!)
Himself's back has been cranky for a couple of months. My knees and ankles have been problems for years. Add in my paranoia of ticks...well, the yard looks very neglected. This is the year it is getting fixed. Except that it has been near impossible getting a response from a business! I've sent emails, or contacted a business through their contact form on their site. One business responded immediately the day after I sent my inquiry, in the wee hours of the night, of course. A second business responded two days later, with an apology from the wife for missing the email when it first came in. Too bad her husband isn't as professional, since he promised an estimate when he left after he had been here, then promised it again when I called and emailed his business. Still no bid.
Long story short: about a dozen emails sent, two people out to assess our mess, and one bid received. Thankfully, he was my second choice when we had regrading done in our yard to alleviate water leaking into the basement. The guy I hired for the regrade had more experience with that type of work, along with building stone walls (had that done, too), and laying patios (ditto). For pure landscaping, though, I think Jim will do a great job.
Honestly, though, if a business doesn't want to respond to contacts through their website, they should just shut the danged things down.
Here is the upside to Mexican immigration here in Texas -- some of it legal, some of it not. I can go to a gas station/convenience store parking lot a couple miles from my house, and get laborers willing to work very hard, for 15-bucks an hour. If they work all day, I usually buy them lunch, too.
These guys are demonized by a small minority of Americans who always turn out to vote, but here in Texas, they are always ready -- and eager -- to work.
CD
Here is the upside to Mexican immigration here in Texas -- some of it legal, some of it not. I can go to a gas station/convenience store parking lot a couple miles from my house, and get laborers willing to work very hard, for 15-bucks an hour. If they work all day, I usually buy them lunch, too.
These guys are demonized by a small minority of Americans who always turn out to vote, but here in Texas, they are always ready -- and eager -- to work.
CD
The big downside to that is if they aren't licensed by the state and screw up and and bust through a water or gas line or do other damage, the homeowner eats it. I don't hire anyone who isn't licensed.
Um, I'm talking about yard work, not building something. As far as I know, there isn't any license for yard work.
If I need something substantial done, such as when I had my water heater replacedI get a licensed contractor and a building permit. That way, my homeowner's insurance covers it if something happens down the road.
I had my house painted by Mexican immigrants. It's paint, not construction. They did a great job, for a reasonable price. And, they did it on my timetable. Around here, you hire some "white guys," it could take six months before the job is done, and if it isn't done right, too bad. Plus, you will pay more for the inferior work. It is an attitude thing. I pick up some day laborers, tell them what to do, and they go to work.
I bought a new garage door opener from Home Depot, and had it installed by a "licensed contractor." By the time he was done, I wanted to punch him in the face. Any request I had was answered with "NO." It was his way, or the highway. My garage is separate from my house. I wanted the button in the house. It was already wired!!! He said "NO." He put the button inside the garage. What good is that?!
In his mind, I was privileged to pay him 120 bucks to do the install. To a Mexican immigrant laborer, it is a privilege to work for you.
CG wants her yard cleaned up. No license needed for that job.
CD
CD, I am curious. Do they have their own equipment when you hire these workers? Such as ladders for painting a building. Mowers for doing the yard work, etc.
Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. It depends on the job. The guys who painted my house are guys I have known and worked with for years. They had their own gear, including a power-washer and ladders. The guy I hired to dig fence post holes for me was somebody I never met. I supplied the shovel and post hole digger. I just needed a young, strong body to do that job. I'm too old for it. It only took him a couple of hours, at 15 bucks an hour, but I gave him 50 bucks.
CD
Kgirl, my son has a child with Downs but that doesn't mean he isn't corrected when he does something wrong.
Bless DH for his patience but that trait should be corrected. To me a call that early in the morning (for non working people) usually means an emergency.
I don't know how "challanged" this child is but I'm sure they wouldn't let him go out the front door, into the street and stand in front of on coming cars just to say "good morning".
If he can learn that then he can learn rules to govern when he can and cannot use the phone. If he can't learn that step then perhaps he should be taught to ask if he can use the phone.
I also understand your frustration in not being able to teach his teachers! LOL
My laptop no longer wants to talk to the internet via WiFi.
My vent is certainly petty when it comes to all of you that have family dealing with special needs kids. God love you all.
My laptop no longer wants to talk to the internet via WiFi. Instead, I have to pack up everything I need/want when I'm going to be using it, then head down the basement to connect "George" to the internet with a cable - all old-school like. Thankfully, it is summer and the basement is nice and cool, I have what Himself refers to as my Mom Cave set up with a desk, TV, nice little table lamp all set up to hide from the world. Still will be nice when he gets around to replacing my laptop, though. Or gets me a mini-fridge for snacks and beverages in the basement.