We made up for the boring Monday yesterday! Be careful what you wish for! As boring and long as Monday was, Tuesday was packed top to bottom and side to side!

I awoke and found one truck driver had dropped the ball. He had left his truck at the office and gone home for some sleep without calling anyone! Usually we run "comfortably" behind but we were way behind. Like almost a full shift! Luckily the small plant had trouble coming up or it would have been really ugly. I became a cheerleader urging everyone to try for "warp speed", but sometimes it is better to be steady rather than quick.

It seemed as though everything we did to speed things up was met with an adverse reverse action. Not by personnel but by equipment problems and such. One truck broke one of its two fan belts on his very first load, the Roscoe shop tightened up the remaining belt and got the part number to pick up new ones later in the day. This truck came back to the compound and the driver was fueling and checking fluid levels when he discovered the remaining belt had broken as well! This is where I made a major mistake for the day. Being an hour any direction from a parts house that had the needed belts, I had my Polyanna mentality and started calling all the little rural supply houses and of course none had what I needed. After wasting an hour, I finally loaded up and made a mad dash for town. When I got into town I began stopping at each automotive supply I came to, carried my broken belt in search of a set of new ones, but to no avail. Finally I became very frustrated and headed to the truck stop repair shop. When I arrived there they didn't have the belts I needed but did have a set one inch longer or one inch shorter. I weighed the options, wishing I had done a better mental inventory of the belt adjustment before I had left St. Lawrence, finally I chose the longer belts, paid out and headed for the door. I couldn't believe fifty dollars for two fan belts!

Since I was less that a block from Walmart I felt that I should pick up the few supplies I knew I needed since Krl had gone to Abilene for a few days, mainly breakfast stuff that I can throw in the microwave while I find my socks! Finally I was on the road again. Seventy seemed a snail's pace and I would look down and be running ninety (or in excess) give myself a mental scolding and bring it back to seventy, at least until I surveyed the gauges again and found myself flying across the countryside! I am thankful that Glasscock County has no DPS troopers living in or on permanent assignment in the county!

When I finally got to the compound the truck with the problem was waiting. I tilted the hood over and upon quick assessment thought the job would be completed in minutes. Wrong. When I started putting the belt on over the fan blades everything went fine until the fourth blade. I discovered the belt was not as long as the fan blades and it wouldn't go on. I looked and finally decided I could either take the whole fan clutch and fan assemble off, or take the fan belt drive pulley intact with the fan assembly from the front of the engine block. Luckily the fan on this model does not drive from the water pump! I finally chose none of the above. I loosened the fan from the back of the fan clutch and slid it back on the shaft about two inches and dropped it down just enough to feed the belts through, then raised it and slipped the belts over the fan clutch assembly and on to the shaft, pulled the remaining belt excess through the fan and walla, we were on track. I put a little locktite on the fan bolts and reinstalled the fan, loosened the fan belt pulley and slipped the new belts on and adjusted them. It only took an hour and a half after I arrived with the parts and luckily we completed it just before dark. I then finished my daily chores and made it to my trailer shortly before eight. I didn't hear from the driver so I guess the repairs were sufficient. I hope so because the warranty expired as soon as he was out of sight!

FATHER, days like yesterday make me work for an average. Help me to be steadfast, my movements deliberate and with YOUR purpose. I pray for YOUR healing for those that are ill. I continue to pray for spiritual healing and for R2D2. I ask that YOU fill the needs of our spiritual family. May my day, my week, my life, declare my devotion to YOU.