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hullabelew

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Everything posted by hullabelew

  1. Story I don't think I've told. In the early 90s, my dad's dad died and left his farm/ranch land to my grandmother within an estate. Then my grandmother died a few years later. My dad's brother wanted to sell it off but my dad didn't, so the old man bought out his brother and bought the land from the estate. A lot more complicated than that, but essentially what happened. About 200 acres on two different parcels in Wilbarger Co, within 1.5 miles from the Red River. At the time, it was irrigated alfalfa and pasture land on one piece and cotton on the other. My dad had an arrangement with the son of a family friend where he would farm the land for free and they would split the cost/income. Well, they dude flaked out and after 3 years, the land had gone to shit. Equipment just left on the place, a harvest of baled alfalfa left on the ground, the irrigation system broken down and virtually useless. The guy had asked another young, local farmer to pick the cotton one year, so he did. And then the next year, he planted the cotton again, on his own. Then called my dad. Old man says, "Treat it and the hay piece as it was your own. Send me the bills." Over the next 3 years, that guy completely transformed the property. Rebuilt it...all on a handshake deal. My dad had never even officially met him. So, about year 4 the new farmer calls and says, "We need to talk. I haven't paid you a dime for the lease and you are paying all of the bills" They meet and the guy shows my old man a market rate for a lease. My dad said it wasn't good enough....take the number...divides it in half and gives it back. He said, "Treat it as your own...send me the bills". They have had that arrangement for years. Since then, he has converted the pasture to additional farm production and converted that entire parcel to irrigated corn. The other piece had an old house, a large milk barn and two other structures that he burned down to get rid of the tax piece on the buildings. (He meant to burn one at a time, but it got away from him and they all burned down at the same time. Said it was a complete and utter shit-show. The local school turned out to see the fire...as did a couple of volunteer fire departments) He said he called my dad to let him know if he got a phone call about a devastating fire at his place, to just ignore it....all under control.. I went to meet the guy 2 years ago to introduce myself as my old man was having health issues and I wanted to reassure him that whatever arrangement they had would continue and that if and when we sold it, he would have first option. He then told me, "When I bought my first acreage a few years ago, I was sitting in the parking lot of the bank. The first person I called was your dad to thank him. Not my parents or my grandparents. It was because of his generosity with this arrangement that I was able to buy my first land."
  2. From what the old man says, fire ants and wild hogs are primarily the reason for the decline in horny toads. Same with the quail population. Really sad.
  3. @NorthLoop Who is your family in Jack Co? My mother's family was from there originally though not on the farming/ranching side of things. But I grew up in Young Co. I think I've asked you this before (maybe on the other site/different ID?
  4. Cheese Chronicles: The True Story of A Rock N Roll Band You've Never Heard Of: By Tommy Womack Girl To City: A Memoir by Amy Rigby Petty: by Warren Zanes
  5. hullabelew

    Kayaking

    Early morning on the Chattahoochee. Cool early fog then a beautiful, clear day.
  6. Pics didn't show on my work computer so I looked at it on my home laptop. I wish I had not.
  7. April Wine had one single in the US that sold a ton of that album, "Nature of the Beast" in 81.. Slow song, 'power ballad: Just Between You and Me. I always like the 'outro' of this one where Day Tripper and Satisfaction are combined. Cool "Head East" harmony and three lead guitars.
  8. Toto had booked a small tour of small college towns, then that debut album took off on the strength of "Hold The Line". They were doing these huge summer stadium shows in 79 but still had to fulfill those small college dates. I saw them on that tour in Wichita Falls, spring of '80. Check out this lineup from April, 1979: California World Music Festival. AC/DC / Aerosmith / Journey / Van Halen / Toto / Cheap Trick / REO Speedwagon / Ted Nugent / Eddie Money / U.F.O. / The Boomtown Rats / The Outlaws / April Wine / Cheech & Chong / Head East / Steve Lukather / Brownsville Station / Mother's Finest / Mahogany Rush / The Fabulous Poodles
  9. @TKthunder2 bringing it. That tape measure is killing me. Out-fucking-standing.
  10. This bit right here is the very basis of everything for me right now. I was trying to explain it to someone recently and you nailed it right here. Thanks.
  11. hullabelew

    Kayaking

    Baboso and I loaded up our bitches and boats for some yurt life in NW GA and a 12 mile paddle on the TN River thru Chattanooga.-
  12. Good Lord. Wanna hear what it would sound like if Jason and Amanda put out a rock album? Silvia Rose Novak's new one, "Bad Luck". LOVE "Flowers For The Fortunate" https://sylviarosenovak.bandcamp.com/album/bad-luck
  13. Another dude from my rehab stint passed away. That is 7: 5 ODs, 1 gun shot and now this one. Those are just the ones I know of...I'm sure there are more. What makes this one more bizarre is he worked there, in the financial aid office. Just about the jolliest, nicest dude I've met. ALWAYS had a smile on his face. Just another sign that this shit is more powerful than just about anything. Dude sees people on their worst days as they crawl or are dragged in the door. And he saw us as we left...with a glint of hope in our eyes. Yet still, he succumbed.
  14. So…after in-patient, I enrolled in an IOP run by a different company. It was perfect for me and I met several people who I talk to on a daily basis. Dan is one guy in particular. We got along great, right off the bat. He has helped me immensely and I like to think I haven’t hampered him. Our families get along great…he and his wife are younger than us and they have a 5 yr old boy. We kayak and play guitars together…hang out, go out to eat….good clean fun. I helped his wife find a new job when she decided to go back to work after taking time off when they had the baby. Dan had really helped me get into meditation. He even runs several meditation groups for the IOP now…just on his own, and has started a podcast that he and another patient hope to develop into something much more. Little background. He did 6 years on a fed drug charge (about 12-15 years ago) when he got caught up in a sting that resulted in stupid mandatory minimum jail term. The judge apologized to him. He did his time…..then did well for a while, then relapsed once….back on local probation in metro about 3-4 years ago. Did well, relapse…car wreck that should have killed him, new drug charge in a different (remote) part of the state. This is what caused him to be at the IOP when I met him a year ago. This case apparently had its own legal issue (drugs at the scene of the crash/in his system) but would also likely trigger a probation violation of the metro case from 3-4 years ago. He has been hoping that the new case would end up in something less than a year…said he would be happy with that…and whatever happened with the outstanding probation, he was good with that. He was completely at ease with whatever was coming his way. Fucking mandatory terms are bullshit. He supports his mother who lives next door to him, pays for both houses that he completely remodeled. After the new charge, he stepped down from his position on the board of the company he works for and has been installing tile and on work jobs. He has some other income from a residential rental. Just got off the phone with him. New case, prosecutor isn’t budging….10 years, 3 to serve. I am completely devastated, and I can’t imagine what he and his wife and mother are going through. He is about the nicest, most laid back, thoughtful person I know, and a lot of my recovery is due to his presence in my life. Incredible song writer and singer, talented and creative construction guy…EVERYONE he meets is instantly drawn to him. Thanks for letting me babble and ramble.
  15. Daughter wanted a dog. I got her a set of these and told her once she would operate it, we would get a dog. https://www.chewy.com/four-paws-spade-set/dp/50262?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=hg&utm_content=Four Paws&utm_term=&gclid=CjwKCAjw5vz2BRAtEiwAbcVIL32VYsXTvII0IeCZANDLsAqkgVmKi_2r1bWKw4VhcAVtkA-j-aOS1BoCt1wQAvD_BwE
  16. They brought in these 4 prints to hang in the bathroom. The Bosnian handyman didn't want to hang them so they brought in some 'professional picture hanger' to do the job. I purposely stayed the fuck out of everything associated with the entire project in the bathroom. So when shit went wrong and more money was spent, I could plead plausible deniability. Oh....only thing I did do was have my drinking buddy, who works for a large plumbing supply company price out all of the fixtures. I got them all at cost...pissed off the designer since she wasn't getting her cut from her guy. Bosnian got confused by the depth of the counter and threw up his hands....designer into a tizzy.....wife crying. I had the adapter delivered to the house (actually the bar) withing an hour. I grinned, gleefully.
  17. This one happens at our house. We had a dude remodel a kitchen and build a portico on the front (I call it a shed roof) and another one on the basement door. He had done work on 3-4 other houses in our hood, and has done a ton of work since, on our recommendations. He was under budget, ahead of schedule, not ONE problem. Few years roll around. Time to remodel master bath. "Let's use Matt", Hulla says. "I want to try someone new" replies the spouse. Her inane justifications go on and on, so I fold. In comes a crazy ass 'designer' and her Bosnian handyman. I was keeping a list of all of the fucking trouble we had but I got disgusted and burned the book in a ceremonial pyre in the backyard once the nightmare was over. I casually bring this up when we start looking at adding a screened in porch on the back of the house...as she wants to 'try someone new' for that project. Hulla's foot came down, my shit-fit worked and the kitchen dude (Matt) was hired. Again, under-budget, ahead of schedule, and even added about half a dozen things, at no charge, that he thought of during the process. Now, she is wanting some more work done upstairs and I see her perusing a local contractor book and that cesspool, Nextdoor. "What da fuck ya doin', I axe her? Just looking at contractors. Fuckity, fuck, fuck. Another tick on the wall of "Women just aren't meant to be happy or content unless they are stressing the fuck out about something. Carry on.
  18. We have been rolling as of late here at Casa de Hulla. Wife is painting the bedroom. I BEGGED her to just pay someone to it. FUCK HGTV. She asked me for help calculating much paint will be needed. Her numbers weren't coming out in the online calculator. Her: I have these measurements. This stupid thing isn't working. I input the numbers. The room is 12'5" by 18'31". Me: 18 feet, 31 inches? Her: Yes. Me: Why 31 inches? Was the tape measure only 18 ft long? Her: Yep. How did you know?
  19. Outstanding @Bash Riprock
  20. In pondering life this morning...then opening up my normal threads on here....this thread, the guitar and the dog threads are about the only places where people are civil to each other. It makes me feel content and proud to be a guitar playing, dog owning, alcoholic.
  21. Stop harshing his mellow, man. We are in this together!
  22. Damn @Foggy Notion That is a stunner.
  23. If it doesn't fit, I'll buy it from you.
  24. My compost pile has to be one of the most expensive things I own. Right now, a jicama is on the counter...day 13. No idea what it was purchased for, but I imagine it will end up in the compost pile shortly.
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