Help Me Keep A Promise.

Hello, my name is Patrick Stringfield, and I thank you for at the very least taking the time out your day to read my request for any assistance.
I'm rather wordy, so please bear with me.

For about 11 years I was the sole caregiver for my elderly mother, and it was just and her and me, and couple cats she adored, and they adored her back, but then anyone that met her did, too, she was everybody's Mama...she was funny and kind and just cute as a bug.
Like most in their advancing years she had her health problems, but the most insidious of all was vascular dementia.
I came back to Cincinnati, when as independent as she was, it became obvious she could no longer be by herself.
I set about making a life for us til the day she was no longer with us, nursing homes were not an option, she was terrified of them, and she wanted to be at home with her animals and all the the things she loved, when her time did come.
I thought she deserved that, she worked hard cooking (where I learned everything) and cleaning for a living all her life, did right by people, never said no to anyone, not that I ever heard.
I found a place in Kentucky that was just one floor, she was walking three levels of steep steps, and a big level gravel front for a 'yard' that would make it easy for her to walk around on, to the mailbox, to the vehicle, and pick her flowers from the beds in summer.
I saw this big lot as an opportunity, averaging several thousands of cars a day.
Taking care of one's parents when they grow old isn't exactly a payed position, and it was only me, no one else helped, or even seemed to be interested, just a little respite care, even in the beginning would have been greatly appreciated, but there wasn't anything like that around at that time.
So it stayed just me and her, and I used that front lot to sell all manner of things, eventually that included most of everything I owned worth anything, ...getting old isn't exactly cheap as it turns out.
Now the back had a big yard, mostly all hill, and much of it very steep.
I'd put in a set of pre-made iron steps in back,sturdier than the place originaly came with, so she could do her backyard thing ,feed her birds mostly, oh my she loved her birds, but I didn't much like her back there.
Mama was out of my sight for long periods in the back sometimes, made me more nervous the frailer she became, and so I wanted her more up front near me where I did my thing.
So of course she wanted a nice porch built in back, I promised her I would..more than once, it became a semi regular conversation.
The years went by and she defied all the odds, she lived to be 91, and though I like to think I had something to do with it, mostly it was because she wasn't a quitter, not an ounce of it in her, none.
Til the moment she died in my arms she never quit fighting, her little diseased heart that everyone thought would be the bucket kicker would just up and stop, well of course it did, but it was the last thing that did, talk about all heart, and she sure was.
But now those years got costly, not to mention the great recession smacking practically everybody around, and I pretty much ran out of things to sell.
And some of things I did outside of home, mostly cooking jobs and catering, became more impossible to do, as I couldn't just take her around with me any longer like I had, though she loved to go, she just wasn't up to it.
And through those years I also spent quite a considerable amount time trying to put some kind of moble food concession on that big empty lot, talk about frustrating.
Kentucky isn't the hardest place to do mobile food, but it sure ain't the easiest, a lot depends on your county, and our's was to put it simply, difficult.
But between the medical emergencies, weather and the seasons, and Kentucky relaxing some of it's ordinances, in 2014 I finally figured out what I had to do to pull off close to what I originally wanted, in order to create the cash flow we by now were desperatly needing, and doing it from home.
Orginally I wanted my old Chevy step van for a food truck, one that never moved, selling carnival midway type fare, with a shave ice machine I already had, and offer free mini-golf, with this goofy portable course I have, and with a little landscaping we would have had a swell little roadside attraction started.
Nothing that was going to make us rich, but would have pulled in a positive cash flow.
Well that never happened, Kentucky kept whittleing me down, but then I then saw the light, when after years of homework, and phone calls, and online research, I finally thought, hot dog cart.
Took everything I had left, and some that I didn't, and I bought one, now it was crunch time, but I wasn't too awfully worried, I know concessions, and I knew that road and it's potential.
It was the end of March when it was delivered, Mama by that time wasn't in great health, she had a couple falls with a couple small strokes, but she was still gang busters to do do do, go go go, even though she really couldn't with out aid,
She hated her walker, barely tolerated her cane, her short term memory, maybe in 15 minute increments, but she was still pretty sharp, a real pistol as they say, she knew what you were saying, knew what she was saying when she talked back, just forgot, *poof*, pretty much like that.
And she thought that cart Cracker Jack, all shiny stainless steel and with a giant bright red & yellow umbrella, but what tickled her most was what I told her I was going to do with that ol' step van, and I got to do that everyday, like it was a new day, everyday...just a silver lining about dementia, with some luck, happy can often be the same happy, day after day.
I told her on the back of the truck I was finally going to build her that porch she wanted, that I had so many times promised, and when we were open for business she was going to sit there and just be her cute little self, and she'd get to boss me around in front of customers, because the name of this newly registered roadside attraction and concession stand was, "Mama's BackPorch Concessions".
Now just before this all finally came about, and while Mama was healing and getting home therapies from a fall, I was having my own problems with my eyes. Couldn't do much about it until she could travel some, but as it  turned out I didn't need new glasses, I had cataracts, yeah didn't that just beat the band, but I just had to keep deaing with it for the time being.
Now by the time the cart arrived I really had no business driving, so we had to depend on people, people that really didn't much want to be depended on, to get or do pretty much anything, and we often enough didn't get or do anything, but again, you just make do and deal with it.
So it was taking a little more time to get things finished than I hoped, but then doesn't it usually when your in a hurry, but I was getting there, just a few more things to get and do, and we were "OPEN" for business.
That's when Mama took ill for the last time, had to ambulance her to the hospital, a week later she died on me.
I held her and kept telling her it was okay, that she was coming home with me, as she went.
See I had been promising her that, that she was coming home, and I don't know how many times that whole week.
It'll be just another day sweety, I'd say, because that's pretty much all she talked about, going home, and she raised me to keep my promises, but I didn't keep that promise.
And I can't keep that promise, but maybe that will somewhat explain why I need to keep another one I kind of can.
After she passed I didn't have any time to grieve, I was pretty much broke, sunk everything and more into our little roadside Bodacious Oasis (the name I gave to the hotdog cart), and I still had a little ways to go and I desperatly needed cash flow.
Still needed a few things to get permited, and I had to get the health dept. to come to me, as a hot dog cart, they prefer you to bring it to them,
I start selling off more things that I would never considered selling, to finish what I started, just like she would have wanted.
To make a long story just a little shorter, suffices to say I couldn't accomplish what I set out to do in a timely enough manner, so I had put most everything I had left in the world into storage, as I had to move,
And then I moved again....
I'd hit the wall, no money, no place to set up just a hot dog cart to make money, no money for stocking it if I did. Mostly blind now, but I did finally get it permitted to operate in the state of Kentucky.
As much as I didn't want to stop until I sold at least one hot dog, after all the money and years it took to get there, I had no choice but to sell the cart.
I was stumbling around completely blind in one eye and the other maybe 50%, and headed by bus to the pawn shop district to pawn the little gold I had, a pair of my grand daddy's cufflinks, just to buy a cell phone not based on minutes (the minute phone I had was killing me, as was gas for the stepvan I had no business, but no  choice driving).
Telling the pawn guy my story about having a hot dog cart, and joking they should just buy it from me, the guy gave me a number of a fella he said had always wanted one.
I did pawn the cufflinks for just enough for an unlimited cell phone, and I called that number, talked to the guy, and he came to see it in less than a hour.
We talked a while, he seemed genuinly interested, said he'd think about it and call me in a couple days.
Instead, he showed up bright and early the next day, with a proposal, let's be parteners.
Said he had a spot in another county, right on the side of the road, and he had property down there I could stay on for doing all the day to day, he would buy the initial stock and do all the running around getting what we needed, and get me to appointments for my eyes...which are now fixed fine since Febuary.
I jumped all over it.
To shorten again without a lot the frustrating details...
We weren't making money, not during winter heading into spring, with just a hot dog cart especially, but we had a plan, a plan for his lot on a scenic route that should have worked pretty well come spring, I sat there a long lonely winter freezing my butt off, and fine tuning our "Spring Fling Grand Opening".
The week before our Grand Opening, however, my 'partner' instead found concessions, and building a business from the ground up as we talked about, was not nearly as much fun as he must have thought.
He wanted to work more on his house and property where he lived, so he was just up and selling all his property in the rural county I'm now still in.
Actually he'd already contractually sold it all, and then he told me, with no notice, just that was that, but he was still involved in the business he assured me, and then he became a ghost, pretty much until the closing dates approached on the properties.
Still completely broke I started looking for options, but the bottom line was I had no option but to put the cart up for sale again, and I was stuck where I was, I couldn't drive the van as my plates & insurance had expired in winter, that and it needed some work done to be road worthy again.
Two months went buy until I found a buyer for the cart, but only after I slashed the price down to rock bottom, and it was just in time.
I took a beating on it, like practically everything I'd sold, but I had no choice, I had to move off the property, and pronto.
With no place to move, had no real money to do it anyway, not after getting the van, insured, legal, and rolling, and renting the storage unit that I put all of what I had left in the world by this time, and no job, and physically feeling just lousy, mentaly numb, Mama's cats and I moved into that Chevy step van, which is where we are still living today.
So here we are, Mama's, and now my two cats, Buster Brown & JumpyBean, and me, in a 1969 Chevrolet P-30 Step Van, parked in a campground complete with flush  bathrooms and hot showers (haven't either of those in almost a year and a half), until our rent is up very  shortly.
Those two furry pals of mine sure don't deserve this, but they're making do as I have to, they really are pretty 'cool cats', and now they're the only family I really have left.
Let me tell you, what they did for Mama was incredible, and for that I owe them everything, as without them doing their thing, and by giving Mama a way to do her Mama thing, I would have had to put Mama in a full time care facility years ago, they actually did make it possible for me to keep all our things going, they carried an important load, that and they just made her that much happier, which was really the whole point of everything.
So part of what I'm asking, honestly it really isn't all that much for me, as it is for them.
Now after I moved us out and we landed in the campground, I obviously had some extra time, and as the doctors office was fairly close to me now, I thought I best get some things checked out.
Getting up there in age, lifetime of hardwork, some big accidents, the always falling down with those cataracts, and not really having a real 'day off' in years, I felt pretty beat up, physically and mentally, I guess is what I'm saying.
So, turns out I am diabetic, but where I thought I might need some surgeries, that turns out I'm just arthritic.
The good news is, my doc, she's pretty good at what she does evidently.
I'm now on a few meds, and after a few nasty side affects, I now think I physically feel better than I have in years, certainly not perfect, but then what is...being under a doctors care, I have found, can be a good thing.
That's just to let you know that I am up for this new challenge, but to me, after the last few years, this ain't gonna to be nothin'!
So, if you've been kind enough to have stayed with me this far, are ya ready?
I am still a business, legally that is, spent a lot of time and money making that happen, I never quit, never waivered reaching a goal, one step then another, one foot at a time, no matter what, I kept at it.
Never stop reaching and fighting for what you want, it's how I was raised, and Mama. she led by example.
"Mama's BackPorch Concessions", it still lives in my mind, but again I have hit rock bottom and that wall again, but I still I ain't ready to quit, but only because I still believe.
And I so need to keep at that promise.
I have a handful of things left, the ice shaver, some small kitchen things, the mini golf, but it does me no good now, yet anyway, and that van.
She might not be all that pretty, not yet, but she's a good solid Chevy, just a little more tlc and I could drive her to Alaska.
I have me, and I know what I'm doing, I know by the road sales, I know concessions, I know food, and best of all, I have my eyesight back, and I feel both physically and mentally good, for the first time in a long time.
I so want to finish what I started with Mama by my side, I want to fix that old Chevy into a nice little food concession, and I so want to build that little porch for Mama on the back, just like I promised.
Would you help me?
There's more, I want to make another promise, to anyone who would care enough, and be able, to help me. That I will document this to the best of my ability.
I hope to get a little assistance from some folks that are more familiar with social media, and all this other electronic magic we now have, to showcase the process.
My hope is I can make it entertaining in some small way, but if nothing else, at least if you like, you can see where your money is actually going, I know I would.
And just one more thing, if I still have your rapt attention, me, for some reason unknown to me, I have to always include some crazy in the things I do...oh no, no none of the above was it.
When I get this up and running, I want it to be a rolling food joint that is something along the line of, pay what you want, pay what you can, can't pay, that's ok, for that the price is, just please pay it forward.
Will it work, I mean work enough to allow me to live and take care of my little pals, I don't know, but I truly think so, 'cause see I'm a pretty cheap date, and further, I think I can build this up enough to expand...I do so love road side attractions, ain't no business like showbusiness,
But first we have to get a place to live and me to work on that Chevy (cats won't help), build it a nice kitchen any health dept. will approve, and then I also promise, to pay it forward.
If you stayed with me this far, I can only say, you are so very  incredible, so thank you, thank you so very much!
Sincerely,
Patrick Stringfield
Owner/Operator of, Mama's BackPorch Concessions Llc