Beekissed

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Hope you're able to get the bobcat to help spread your gravel Bee. Sure would make it easier on you.
Even better....I had Mom asked the neighbor if we could hire him to come spread it with the blade on his tractor and he will be here tomorrow, but isn't going to charge us anything! Oldster to oldster favor! :yesss:

That Bobcat was going to cost $410 per day, plus fuel!!
 

farmerjan

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That is fabulous @Beekissed . You can do what little smoothing out with the rake and stuff without hurting your back or making yourself so sore you wouldn't be able to move. Maybe a chicken or a cooked meal or something as a thank you since he isn't going to charge you. I am sure you have some sort of a "trade" for a thank you in mind. That is wonderful.....Yeah, the bobcats are not cheap... sometimes if there is a lot you want to do it is worth it...but still a chunk out of the budget. Really really glad for you.
 

Beekissed

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That is fabulous @Beekissed . You can do what little smoothing out with the rake and stuff without hurting your back or making yourself so sore you wouldn't be able to move. Maybe a chicken or a cooked meal or something as a thank you since he isn't going to charge you. I am sure you have some sort of a "trade" for a thank you in mind. That is wonderful.....Yeah, the bobcats are not cheap... sometimes if there is a lot you want to do it is worth it...but still a chunk out of the budget. Really really glad for you.
We took him over some eggs(we do that every now and again through out the year) and offered to hire him to do the job....but our biggest favor we do for him is pay for all the gravel that's ever been applied to our joint 1/4 mile driveway over all these many long years as neighbors. Yep, he hasn't paid a dime one on all the thousands of dollars worth of gravel we apply to this road and the road just absorbs like it's water in a paper towel(clay based soils). He gets to enjoy the benefit of all that money every time he has to get out of the holler each winter. ;)

There is no raking that doesn't hurt my back....it was injured repeatedly throughout my career as a nurse, so everything I do hurts. That's just my life, nothing new, but even raking leaves makes it hurt.
 

Baymule

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A back injury is forever. People don’t realize that until they are hurt. Sorry that you have that as part of your daily life.
 

Beekissed

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A back injury is forever. People don’t realize that until they are hurt. Sorry that you have that as part of your daily life.
This is true. I was a strong, 'can lift anything' person all my life until one day I lifted on a 400 lb guy and the other nurse didn't...she just didn't even try and it was an emergency that we do so. I felt something give in my back that day, it took me down to my knees.... and it's never been the same since. Now every day is pain, some days worse than others, but I haven't lived a day without pain since that day in 2005.

Also both shoulders are pretty much toast...same thing...from lifting patients all my career.
 

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IMO he should be thrilled to do the spread part, since he has equipment and uses the drive. Of course, we know some don't feel that way!

I need a trailer load of crush and run before winter...patch work to do on a driveway to back of farm and DD house. Hmmmm $ again.
 

Beekissed

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IMO he should be thrilled to do the spread part, since he has equipment and uses the drive. Of course, we know some don't feel that way!

I need a trailer load of crush and run before winter...patch work to do on a driveway to back of farm and DD house. Hmmmm $ again.
That's my thinking too, as it should only take him about 10 min. and the man is so bored he's been mowing his grass when it gets 3 in. tall. I don't think he begrudges us the time or the use of his equipment at all as he's offered to help us many times in a sort of "if there's anything I can do to help you guys" kind of way. We do the same thing and we both work on cutting trees out of the road and such. He'll also go and smooth out the gravel we get hauled to put on the whole driveway, without being asked.

But, you know me....I hate to ask for help with anything. Don't know why, but it just doesn't come natural to me. It's the last solution that comes to my mind most of the time.

I've been trying to get Mom to use crusher run on this road for years now but each time she contracts the gravel, she would always choose a regular gravel instead. This past winter we got a small load that didn't quite get delivered(long story) and was dumped on the side of the driveway instead. The neighbor took his tractor and bucket and distributed it into potholes and such....since seeing how well the crusher run did, Mom finally agreed it was the best choice for back here. Cheaper, molds easily to the landscape, doesn't bounce out of the ruts and potholes like regular gravel, packs well into these clay soils without being consumed as easily.
 

farmerjan

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Yes, the crusher run fills in and then gets almost like concrete once it gets wet.... we use it for most all the places we need to fill and smooth. The vehicle tires don't catch it and like you said, bounce it out of the holes and such.
Glad that he is willing to help out that way. I hate to ask for help most of the time, but have learned that not only with these knees I really can use the help, but that people also feel better when they are able to help you if they offer. So now I do accept and am very thankful for the help.
 

Baymule

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We all want to help others, but feel reluctant to ask for help ourselves. A man at church had a heart attack and surgery. It laid him out, helpless. He and his wife depended upon their church family for practically everything for awhile. It was a hard lesson for him.

He put it like this; he always helped others, receiving his blessings from the Lord. Suddenly he was on the receiving end of “help” and struggled with it. Pride. He realized that for others to receive their blessings, he had to accept help. Who was he to deny others their blessings and the good feeling of helping someone else.
 
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