• Posted 12/19/2024.
    =====================

    I am still waiting on my developer to finish up on the Classifieds Control Panel so I can use it to encourage members into becoming paying members. Google Adsense has become a real burden on the viewing of this site, but honestly it is the ONLY source of income now that keeps it afloat. I tried offering disabling the ads being viewed by paying members, but apparently that is not enough incentive. Quite frankly, Google Adsense has dropped down to where it barely brings in enough daily to match even a single paid member per day. But it still gets the bills paid. But at what cost?

    So even without the classifieds control panel being complete, I believe I am going to have to disable those Google ads completely and likely disable some options here that have been free since going to the new platform. Like classified ad bumping, member name changes, and anything else I can use to encourage this site to be supported by the members instead of the Google Adsense ads.

    But there is risk involved. I will not pay out of pocket for very long during this last ditch experimental effort. If I find that the membership does not want to support this site with memberships, then I cannot support your being able to post your classified ads here for free. No, I am not intending to start charging for your posting ads here. I will just shut the site down and that will be it. I will be done with FaunaClassifieds. I certainly don't need this, and can live the rest of my life just fine without it. If I see that no one else really wants it to survive neither, then so be it. It goes away and you all can just go elsewhere to advertise your animals and merchandise.

    Not sure when this will take place, and I don't intend to give any further warning concerning the disabling of the Google Adsense. Just as there probably won't be any warning if I decide to close down this site. You will just come here and there will be some sort of message that the site is gone, and you have a nice day.

    I have been trying to make a go of this site for a very long time. And quite frankly, I am just tired of trying. I had hoped that enough people would be willing to help me help you all have a free outlet to offer your stuff for sale. But every year I see less and less people coming to this site, much less supporting it financially. That is fine. I tried. I retired the SerpenCo business about 14 years ago, so retiring out of this business completely is not that big if a step for me, nor will it be especially painful to do. When I was in Thailand, I did not check in here for three weeks. I didn't miss it even a little bit. So if you all want it to remain, it will be in your hands. I really don't care either way.

    =====================
    Some people have indicated that finding the method to contribute is rather difficult. And I have to admit, that it is not all that obvious. So to help, here is a thread to help as a quide. How to become a contributing member of FaunaClassifieds.

    And for the record, I will be shutting down the Google Adsense ads on January 1, 2025.
  • Responding to email notices you receive.
    **************************************************
    In short, DON'T! Email notices are to ONLY alert you of a reply to your private message or your ad on this site. Replying to the email just wastes your time as it goes NOWHERE, and probably pisses off the person you thought you replied to when they think you just ignored them. So instead of complaining to me about your messages not being replied to from this site via email, please READ that email notice that plainly states what you need to do in order to reply to who you are trying to converse with.

Well, I guess I have caught redneckitis....

Been adding some mods to the tractor as I can find time between running to the emergency room with Connie. Fortunately her sister is staying with us for a while and helping out. It is just helpful to me to have someone with her while I am working outside to keep an eye on her in case she has a problem. Would really hate to be outside and not be there when she needed help.

Anyway, first thing is a hydraulic top link for the 3- point hitch in the back of the tractor. This seemed like a handy thing to have.

Next mod was a robust grill guard to protect the actual grill (and the radiator and battery behind it) from getting punctured by some wayward branches or who knows what else I would be picking up when I get the grapple. I had people telling me that this is essential.

And lastly is a Notch tree/post puller. This thing just intrigued me. Those jaws spread via hydraulic power, and then can be clamped on the bast of small trees and saplings and pull them out of the ground. Most of the time, anyway. If the tree fights with you, you can then close the jaws and shove that pointed edge down into the ground around the tree to help cut the roots to pry it out of the ground. I used it to pull out two dead satsuma tangerine trees that gave up the ghost during that awful freeze we had Summer of 2022 that killed a lot of our citrus. I also pulled a dead palm tree out of the ground with it. I do know I need to put some extra weight ballast on the back of the tractor because several times I could feel the rear wheels come off of the groung and the tractor start to tilt to the left. Sure wouldn't want to roll the tractor onto it's side!!

Oh yeah, had Home Depot deliver something and the darn truck driver squeezed between Connie's truck (I had it out in the driveway after I had unloaded the Notch tree puller off of it that I picked up the day before) and the dead palm tree. Idiot wasn't watching where he was going well enough, and obviously didn't think to use his helper in the passenger seat as a spotter. So by the time I got out there, he had just started pushing over the pole where my weather station was mounted. So I am screaming at him to stop the damned truck! He did stop, so I guess he did hear me. Man I was hot. Anyway, after the bozos left, I got the tractor and pushed the pole back into place using a level. The guys tried to move it themselves, but it wouldn't budge with just people power. Small wonder. When I put it in the ground, I went deep and poured a substantial amount of concrete around the base of that pole. But the tractor sure moved it easily enough.

Well, that's all folks!
 

Attachments

  • hydraulic top link 01.jpg
    hydraulic top link 01.jpg
    113.7 KB · Views: 57
  • grill guard 01.jpg
    grill guard 01.jpg
    142.5 KB · Views: 55
  • notch tree puller 01.jpg
    notch tree puller 01.jpg
    183.9 KB · Views: 60
Back
Top