Bah humbug!

I find myself battling depression. I don't really know if it is because of the week we are having or if it is a combination of the season and the week.

Big headache number 1 is still the card reader for the fuel pumps. Regardless of the promises made, it is not fixed. We are a community in peril! I made the trek to the bank, courthouse and post office Monday morning. I doubled down on the cash I usually keep on hand, just on a hunch that the pumps might remain down a little longer than they had told us, but unfortunately while I was there I did not think and fill my truck with gas! Now the repairman has told us there is a micro chip, not a circuit board that is bad and it has to be flown in from Illinois. Hopefully it will arrive late today. Things have gotten so bad the GM parked his company truck due to fuel level, brought in his personal truck, and began gathering oil drums to take to town while one vehicle has enough gas to make the trip to get gas for the compound vehicles. There has been a constant stream of farmers needing fuel to continue their harvest, and they too are out of luck. As of last evening there was a line of pickup trucks pulling fuel tanks lining the parking lot in search of and waiting for fuel. If there is a funny side to this it is that transport loads of fuel have arrived throughout the day and been pumped in the fuel tanks yet this fuel is not accessible because of the micro chip.

Headache number 2 is propane for the plants! We are using a tremendous amount of propane to run the dryers that condition the cotton as it enters the plant. Our usage fluctuates broadly due to the moisture range of the cotton. There have been days that we have used six thousand gallons in twenty-four hours! Early yesterday we began to have problems with the dryers due to low pressure, yes the big supply tanks were almost out. A transport load was scheduled in but had not made it. I looked out and saw Cypert with his little rural delivery truck backed up and putting what fuel he had into our tank. This is the equivalent of feeding an elephant with a teaspoon! I was joking with the plant superintendent last night that if we could just get the gasoline for the vehicles we could scurry across the country buying up all those pre-filled propane bottles from Wal-mart and every convenience store you come to! A thousand of those could run us for twenty-four hours!

Headache number 3 is preparing the monthly tax deposit! This is just a time consuming process. It is a process of bringing together three different applications and combining them. But then I hate taxes! I have to find some software that will combine all of these automatically. Luckily we are still on a monthly deposit instead of a weekly. Easy come easy go........right!

Krl has been at work in the trailer putting up Christmas decorations. We have a tree! It is a pretty little thing, four and a half feet tall. I am trying to decide if the tree and the seasonal decor relieves or feeds my depression. One thing that it does do is make me very aware of the season. Ten years with no room to decorate meant no reminders. There have been years in those past ten that I have arrived in Abilene on Christmas Eve and put up the tree and the outside lights, just for the grandbabies! Now Krl has directed her efforts outside! I am leary to think what headache number 4 could be! (Electricity).

Lots has been written about the season. The gift giving, the cheer, the joyful demeanor. Much has been written about the reason for the season as this is the time of year when many celebrate the birth of Christ. My personal thoughts are that we cannot celebrate daily, weekly, or periodically Christ crucified and his redeeming blood without celebrating his birth, life, death and resurrection. It is a season of giving. But I would challenge you to give something that counts. The easy part is pulling out the wallet and paying for a selected item. This year I would challenge you to give a part of you! Some time, a kind word, a simple smile. May your season be blessed and may it spill over into a way of life!

FATHER, the demons rage within! Please bring YOUR quiet peace and take control. I pray for TRC, for Hag, for Lillie, for Rene', for Carol, for Michelle, for Aimee, and for Rusty and Kim's baby. I pray for R2D2 as well as our spiritual family. Lord lift me up!