I am thankful for the end of the week. I need to regroup, recharge, re-evaluate.

I actually went in to the office Friday just to do some payday data entry. It is much easier when I can just get in the payroll loop as it comes off the printer on the way to checks being written. I figured a couple of hours and I would be "home free" for the weekend. It has been such a strange week and my work for this company is structured strangely. Basically I guarantee them eight hours a day. The number of days per week is optional as long as I can keep up the spreadsheets. On days when it is necessary for me to be out of the office on behalf of their business, we continue to do a hour trace and sooner or later either they owe me hours or I owe them hours. It's like a modified comp time. To date, I have never owed them any time back. Long story short, I didn't get out of the office in a couple of hours and now I go into the new week with a time credit.

We are expanding our analysis next week. The owner wants a better view of how his lease ops are doing. Also April 2 their new brokerage division comes on line. The office manager received the licensing authority Thursday. Sales calls may be in the near future. If only a small percentage of what is in the works comes to fruitation we are going to be very busy. Add to this the plan to move into their new office beginning April 1. I am already concerned that they may not have thought "large"enough.

The office is located in a rural setting. Coastal hay fields mixed with native shinery comprise the countryside. As regular readers are aware, we have been officing in the home of my employer. Our office mascot is the owner's three year old son, I refer to him as Bill (as he refers to me as Bill, everyone is Bill in our world). Just prior to my employment there, their two female dogs gave birth to pups. This occurred just days apart, and the total gain in hounds was eleven! These dogs are Blue Heeler, Australian Shepherd, Border Collie, Heinz 57, A-1, and probably have a shot of terryaki on the side. Ten of the pups are black, the remaining one is blond. They have recently become very mobile and when you go in or out of the house, the ground "moves" with puppies. One of the mother dogs, Lady, has decided to wean her pups. Turns out she is a wise hound. She can lay down far away and her pups will migrate to her. She will jump up and relocate and difficult as it has been, she has just about dried up. Zip, the other mother dog, has continued to nurse her pups. This is where things begin to get complicated. I was walking into the house early in the week and Zip was lying on the porch nursing a hodgepodge of pups, not all hers! It appears that the family lines have become so blurred no one knows who belongs to who. (Are you my mother?). Late Thursday there was a commotion on the porch and when the door was opened it was discovered that the eleven pups had taken Zip down to the ground for dinner. Eleven hungry mouths looking for a plug in! It's all about strategy! Yesterday the first pup was sent to a new home and over the next few days several people are making plans to visit and look over the puppies. It is probably none to soon for Zip, while she has done an admirable job nursing her litter, the combined litters might just be enough to make her evaporate! I guess that would be evaporated milk in the truest sense.

FATHER, thank YOU for the little distractions you entertain us with. Thank YOU for seeing me through this difficult week. I pray that YOU will rest me well and rest me quickly. FATHER I have much to do and need YOUR help. Keep me on task and help me to focus. FATHER I pray for patience and understanding. May I be tempered, slow to anger, and think things through before I speak. YOU take control. I pray for YOUR gift of healing for those in need of it. I pray for YOUR gift of comfort for those who are hurting from loss. I pray for YOUR gift of life eternal for those searching for YOU. I pray for our spiritual family and for our leaders. Death could not keep its prey.