Jimmy Harmon

It finally gave out yesterday! It had a good run and it was worth what I paid. OK, so it’s not like the machine won’t run again. It has a part that needs to be replaced and it should run like new again. I still love the saw and would definitely get another one if I had the chance.

Once I get to Virginia, I’ll order the piece we need and get it up and running again. For anyone out there looking to purchase the Husqvarna K960 Cut N Break, it’s a good machine and you won’t be sorry. Just keep in mind that you might want to order an extra belt or two just in case.

First of all, this has got to be one of the worst motels I’ve stayed at in my entire life!

Now that I’ve got that out of the way, I’ll tell you the reasoning behind the madness…

The toilet doesn’t seem to want to flush, the breakfast isn’t what is indicated on the brochure and the manager has literally yelled at both my worker and me on more than one occasion.

When we first got to the motel, we told the manager that we might be able to convince our co-workers working at the Walmart distribution center to stay there. As soon as I left the motel from checking in, I got a phone call from the manager wondering when we were going to start sending people his way. I could hardly believe he called me… it had been less than 10 minutes since I told him. When I got to the Walmart Distribution center, I told the guys what a decent deal I thought we were getting and asked if they might want to stay there as well. The answer was simply, “no”. Since they had a condo on Smith Lake, I understood. They pay more, but they have way more amenities than we do.

When I got to the room that evening, the phone rang and it was the manager wanting to know if we had any other guests for him. I explained to him that we had another group coming in within a few days and I would ask them. Within 5 minutes, the phone rang again. It was the manager wanting to know the same thing. I pretty much hung up the phone.

Since then, our room has been less than adequately cleaned. They forget to leave coffee and toilet paper which makes us have to go to the front desk to ask for the necessities that were supposed to be left in the room in the first place.

On one particular evening, or I should say morning since it was 2 am, my worker Lee got up after hearing some noise outside. When he opened the door, he says there were a bunch of underage girls and a couple of underage guys out there drinking and fighting.  They seemed to be with a much older man staying in a room a couple of doors down.

Lee called the manager who indicated that he was going to call the cops. An hour later he called the manager again who then started yelling at him and told him to go back to bed. After hearing all the noise, I went to my truck and started blaring my siren. I’m a firefighter, so that’s why I have the siren. After that, they all scattered and we never heard from them again that night.

A few days later, he started complaining about my truck leaking oil in the parking lot. I explained to him that it was in fact not my truck. He basically started arguing with me in the parking lot. I let it go because I had to get back to work.  I have a 2009 Chevy Silverado that’s been well taken care of. I started backing into the parking space to prove that it wasn’t my truck.

The bottom line is this. If you don’t mind the toilet not flushing, circuits blowing if you run a griddle and a microwave at the same time, underage drinking and a manager who doesn’t mind yelling at his customers, then this is the place for you! Otherwise, I’d probably suggest staying at the Motel located on Exit 308. It’s 4 miles down the road, but you might get a little more respect as a customer.

We started saw cutting yesterday and were on a roll when we noticed the blades start slipping again. I looked at the belt, which I had not changed yet, and noticed that it was getting pretty worn down. Since we had another one, I thought it was a good idea to go ahead and change it out.

When I took the blades off, a tiny pin dropped out. One of the pins had already broke off. The pins are designed to help hold the blades together in unison. Work had to come to a halt while I looked around for the piece to replace it. I found it from RSC in Decatur, Alabama. I should be able to get it this morning between 9 and 10 am.

I still hold to my belief that the Cut N Break saw is great. It’s done more than its fair share of work and it’s saved me more money than I paid for the saw. That makes it a good purchase.

My wife and I have been married 13 years as of today! We have 2 very beautiful daughters and I can honestly say it’s been the best 13 years of my life! I couldn’t imagine life without here. Not only is she my rock and foundation, she’s literally the one that keeps me on the straight and narrow. She’s such a good woman, I wish I could share her with the world… but I’m too greedy for that. I want her all to myself!

We’re currently sitting in a hotel room in Memphis, Tennessee. She and the kids came more than halfway to meet with me for 2 days. I think she said it took her 6 hours to get here. It took me around 4 at the most. Like I said, she’s a good woman!

She doesn’t read jimmyharmon.com, but I’ll say Happy Anniversary anyway! We didn’t really get each other anything this year. I guess we’d rather just spend time together than worry about presents and such. Not that we don’t ever get one another something on anniversaries, we just didn’t this year because we’ve been away from each other and hadn’t really thought about it. We’ll make it up next year I’m sure!

We went to McDonalds for breakfast and then went straight to the Children’s Museum of Memphis. I think we all not only learned something there, but I’m quite sure we all had a great time! Amber even got to eat a chocolate covered cricket!

From there we went to the Memphis Fireman’s Museum. It was actually pretty cool! I saw some things there that were from the early 1900’s and some of the hero’s who helped bring things to where they are today.

We ended the day by going to one of my favorite restaurants, Joe’s Crab Shack! I swear, I could eat there every other day if I could! It’s just a little too expensive for that. The kids love the crab too, so it makes for an expensive meal.

We ended the day at the pool where we relaxed and watched the kids swim. Denise and I usually get into the hot tub, but you can’t really stay in too long. It starts to make you a little dizzy… we’re dizzy enough already! It was a great family day!

I’m finally here in Memphis with my family! So far we’ve gone out to eat at Logans Roadhouse, which was really, really good, and then we let the kids go swimming for a couple of hours.

I’m not sure what we’re doing today, but whatever we do, I’ll be happy as long as I get to be with my family while we do it! It was great getting hugs from everyone… makes you feel like a real person again.

I’d like to visit Sun Studios while we’re here. That’s where the million dollar quartet sang together. Johnny Cash, Elvis, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis. Lots of history in this town. We may go to the Memphis zoo, but I’ll be happy doing whatever the kids want.

When I first got to the room yesterday, they had my birthday presents sitting on the bed. I’d actually got so excited about seeing my family, I forgot about them bringing me anything for my birthday. It was pretty cool. I got a new rain suit which I very much needed, a back brace for saw cutting and a good pair of boots to do my saw cutting in.

The last thing they got me was something I mentioned I wanted sometime back. It’s one of those little robots you use to clean out your gutters with. I can hardly wait to get home so I can use it. It’s from iRobot. It should be fun to say the least.

Although we’ve completed 2 of 3 phases at the distribution center and we’re starting on the final phase today fully caught up and ahead of schedule, I feel as if I shouldn’t be going to see my family this weekend. I’m meeting them in Memphis, Tennessee this afternoon.

At any rate, the reason I feel as if I shouldn’t go, even though everything is well taken care of, is simply the general contractors ability to make me feel like crap through other individuals! I know, it actually sounds insane. Well, it is!

Never having done or seen an actual dock leveler before this job started, I didn’t know what to do or what to expect. Come to find out it’s actually a pretty simple process. Cut out the concrete, install the frame and pour concrete around it. Sounds simple, right? It really is.

Even though it’s a simple process for me, it seems like we just haven’t done it right. Why? Glad you asked. The first time we poured, we poured extremely dry. While not a mistake, it caused us to have to work harder after the fact by having to fill in little (and sometimes big) holes when we removed our forms. Looking back on it, I don’t think the General Contractor really saw what the concrete looked like when we took the forms off the first time. When everything was all said and done, it actually looked very good. There were just a couple of things we needed to do to make it perfect. After everything was done, the contractor said it looked good.

On our second pour, we did everything the same way with the exception of pouring the concrete a little more wet. We thought it turned out better than the first time. Lee (My guy) was told they looked worse than the first ones. In my opinion, they turned out GREAT!

The last time I went home for a couple of days, I got a call from the contractor telling me we weren’t on schedule and things weren’t getting done. I called Lee and he told me he had no idea what the guy was talking about. He even put someone else (Rick) on the phone and he told me the same thing. Nonetheless, I went home, packed up, gave everyone a kiss and drove all night just to get to the job and find out that everything was just fine! It’s an 8 hour drive!

So you can see why I have issues with leaving for the weekend. I miss my family like crazy, but I’m only going to be 4 hours away. If anything happens, I can be back pretty quick. I have confidence in Lee, so I’m not really that worried. I just hope Cybill can do without me for 48 hours while things ARE getting accomplished!

Today I turn 41 years old. It seems like a milestone to me. Why? Because when I was younger, I half expected to see my next birthday. I can remember when I tuned 20. I couldn’t believe I actually made it!

Things sure are alot different now. Not only do I expect to make it to my next birthday, I’m enjoying the challenges life brings at me. It seems the devil has tried everything he can to get me to fail, but God had and has another plan for me and my family.

I’d also like to thank my wife. Not only has she stood by me when times were tough, she continues to encourage me everyday when it comes to pursuing what I want most out of life… a happy family and a successful business. We’ve been self employed since 2002 and we’ve seen some very tough times. We’ve been through alot, but we’re alive, healthy and happy! As long as we keep God first in our lives, which we sometimes forget, we’ll continue to pursue the life we desire with one another.

One of the highlights from today? It snowed… One my birthday in the deep south it snowed! It came down very gently just about all day. Since snow is one of my favorite things in the world, it was something I’ll remember for a long time.

My wife ordered me a cake from Walmart (She’s so thoughtful). She’s in Northwest Arkansas and ordered it from the Walmart here in Alabama. I’ll try and remember to get a picture of it before we dig in!

I hope everyone has a great day and thanks for listening!

The guy who’s helping me in Cullman talked me into having his younger, 17 year old son, help us get this project done. So far he seems like a really nice kid. Hope it remains that way.

Today, we’ll pour concrete on the floor of the docks. Tomorrow we’ll set the metal plates in and hopefully have concrete poured either tomorrow or Wednesday. Then we’ll be done with phase 2 of 3. Yippee!

I still love the saw, but I do have a complaint.

It’s almost like a chainsaw when it comes to tightening the tension on the belt that drives the blades. As I was cutting, I noticed the blades coming to a screeching halt. I thought I had it fixed and tight, but every once in awhile, the blades seem to slow down. I just hope it doesn’t turn into a major problem, but I also think it might just be me pushing down a little too hard. It could also be me being paranoid.