And I have been waiting for this?

Frankie had his crew start bringing the plant on-line about one-thirty Tuesday afternoon. As usual there were a few small problems with photo-electric cells, limit switches and the like. This was not a day filled with expectations of production records, it was simply a controlled test. What we did this afternoon would normally take one-eighth of our day. I only ordered two trucks in and both of them were late. One driver is a rookie and he had a heads up of three hours to travel one-hundred-fifty miles. This particular driver is so detail oriented that it drives me up the wall. I keep telling myself when he learns the ropes he will do fine. He has put a tremendous amount of effort into the events leading up to today. He has driven the route, he has visited in the offices of the shipper and receiver, but I am thinking he may worry himself silly. When he arrived today, an hour late, we had almost half his load waiting. Basically what a big part of today's process is, is to remove rust, and polish and make slick the material passage ways and hoppers. This is done by actually loading the load as it is processed because even the hoppers are open, this is much like sand blasting but it is using seed instead of sand. The seed is blown in by air, dis-lodging rust and or deposits present and due to the high oil content of the seed it polishes the surfaces it comes in contact with. Needless to say, much of todays efforts were futile due to the trucks being late.

We put the seed truck under the hopper and Julio began opening the doors and loading it. I was trying to give guidance and my expertise when Delfino came through the gin plant to find me. He was adjusting a hydraulic line on the squeeze on his forklift and broke a fitting. Hydraulic oil was going everywhere and bales were stacking up at the pusher conveyor. I took his machine and tried to find a neutral setting for the hydraulic control for the broken line and then I basically bulldozed the bales away from the conveyor. Thankfully this was the test day and the plant was not at full production because my other forklift is still in Brownwood. Delfino ended up with a two wheel dollie moving the bales away while I removed the squeeze to take the damaged line off. Thirty minutes later we were back up and running but it was a thrash for a brief time. We did make a couple of discoveries during this mishap, the shop had serviced this machine prior to it being moved to the jobsite and they failed to put the sealing washer or the wing-nut on the air filter. Due to the recent rains we were not in the normal high dust environment so I am hopeful we dodged the bullet there. Call me crazy, but I hate stupid, and I hate mistakes. I have a feeling that the mechanic at the shop gave this job to one of his underlings and didn't even check the work.

In retrospect it is somewhat comical. Delfino weighing one-hundred-sixty pounds and his dollie, man-handling five-hundred pound bales. It just wasn't funny at the time.

Upside of today is that we were able to get some data for future reference. We will start using it today and make some necessary adjustments. Downside is we have a limited amount of raw cotton to process due to weather, meaning we had better be dead on in our adjustments! When the weather cooperates with the farmers harvest we need to be loaded for bear!

This year is a different year out there. My good friend Milt had originally been a co-contractor with me. Our trailer houses shared the same trailer park and were located adjacent to one another for several years. Two years ago he accepted the plant superintendent position and many felt as though he was waiting in the wings for the General Manager position to come open. This past summer he was approached with a opportunity that allowed him to return to his home town and he accepted it. I am thrilled for Milt, he deserves the best!

With Milt's departure the GM made a decision to give Frankie a trial season as plant superintendent. Frankie has been an employee here for eleven years which means he has been here from day one with the big plant. He has worked his way through the ranks to that of head ginner and now the "acting super". In this community many of the people ( especially the older generation) are biased in their views concerning race. Therein lies a potential problem. Frankie is Hispanic. Now personally I don't give a hoot about what color or ethnic origin a person is. Frankie could be purple with green eyes and antennae, but if he gets the job done I would be his fan! He is sharp, he is knowledgeable, he can motivate his personnel and most importantly he knows the plant. If the Board of Directors will give Frankie all the tools and authority he needs, I am confident he is capable of performing his new job. My biggest fear is that they will handcuff him possibly limiting his success. I am hoping for the best for Frankie and I have offered him my help in any way possible.

I slept about three hours and woke up. Maybe I can get a brief nap before the alarm goes off. Currently it has begun to rain. After two gorgeous afternoons I was really optimistic we had slipped out of the rain cycle. Not so. It is difficult for me to maintain proper perspective. This crop year has such tremendous possibilities but it needs some dry warm weather for another three weeks. I can certainly understand the anguish these farmers are feeling as they watch a possible record crop come so close only to be reduced by nature. They have invested time and money and they have nutured the crops to the best of their ability and now rely on a friendly fall and winter to reach their goal. On the other hand, any winter moisture is a big plus for next year. In reality I would probably sacrifice the record crop for two above normal crops, I just have to adjust my head!

FATHER thank YOU for the productive day. Thank YOU for the opportunities that presented themselves. Help us to be deliberate in our selection of them. FATHER temper me, help me to get the proper mindset. Help me not to be anxious, but to be patient and receptive as YOU unfold YOUR plan for me. Allow me to surrender this day back to YOU. Use me as YOU see fit. I continue to lift up Rene', Carol, Michelle and Aimee for YOUR gift of healing. Comfort them and their families. I continue to ask YOUR intervention for R2D2. I pray for the needs of our spiritual family. I ask YOUR blessings on the victims of the hurricanes. Let YOUR glory fill the earth!