The week mercifully wound down, but not without a few anxious moments. I had gone in very early to the office to catch up with my work. I did not realize it, but this week I had not spent more than half of any day in the office. I had been at my desk almost two hours by the time someone else came in. It was very concentrated productive time, probably the favorite part of my day. Git 'er done!

In keeping with form, my stay in the office was brief. We were over run with equipment problems on what turned out to be a very pressure packed day. About eleven the owner and I went to the shop to repair a trailer that was needed in the can move. Our guys were really sucking air as they were having to live load instead of dropping and hooking (they drop an empty trailer and hook up to a pre-loaded trailer). Shortly after noon I left the shop with the repaired trailer to put it back in the rotation. On my way into town I got a call instructing me to drop the repaired trailer at the customer's loading dock and to check out another trailer that the shipper refused to load. When I arrived I dropped the repaired trailer and began a quick assessment of the problem with the second trailer. Apparently a forklift had fallen through the floor. It amazes me that something like this can happen and yet no one did it. (When I say a forklift fell through the floor I mean one of its wheels broke through, it would be impossible for a forklift to completely fall through because of the sub-structure). Immediately I was aware that the trailer would have to go to the fleet shop twenty miles away, the gaping hole was about ten by eighteen inches. I quickly hooked up to the trailer and began the brief trip, when I approached Hawley I exited to get fuel for the truck in case it had to go out during the night. $464.00 later I was hurrying toward the shop once again. Once I had backed the damaged trailer to the shop door I began to gather tools and flooring supplies and by the time the owner arrived we were ready to do battle. We were determining the layout and the proper portion to be replaced when the owner's wife drove up in quite a tizzy. A call had come in adding an ASAP load that was #1 RUSH priority and a second "add on" load was added for 2am.(It would appear I was psychic in fueling the truck). Sad thing was the rush load had to go on the trailer needing repairs. Luckily we had everything we needed and within an hour the owner was on his way to make the pick-up. I was quite thankful that the owner's wife intervened. The owner had made a comment that I could take one load and he could take one load. I had told the owner's wife that Krl and I had a date night planned and she nipped the possibility of me taking a load (YES!). I ended up taking a half hour of "comp" time and came back to town early and ran some errands (I hadn't cashed a paycheck in a couple of weeks).

Date night. Good company, Gorgeous WOMAN. Good food, convenient location, atrocious acoustics! Krl selected Chili's as our destination. Other than Luby's and Wok Express, Chili's is the most convenient restaurant to our home (not counting "fast" food). I would like to go on the record. I am not a Chilean. I have never really been a fan of Chili's except for a very few selected items. Give me an "Awesome Blossom" and I could probably sing the national anthem of Chile. After last night I have new found respect and new found taste buds for Chili's menu. Krl ordered the "citrus fire chicken and shrimp with steamed veggies on rice pilaf" and I ordered their "honey barbecued sirloin with sauteed mushrooms, peppers and onions and fries". While Krl was disappointed that they advertised zucchini as on of the steamed vegetables but were out, the food fares were outstanding! The worst part of the entire outing was the horrible acoustical properties of the restaurant. With the totally wood interior,the noise just reverberated, factor in a rambunctious Friday evening crowd and it was loud. This evening was one of the few that I have yelled at Krl (so she could hear) and she just smiled!

We arrived home and found a strange situation to have occurred with the hound boys and girls. It seems two of the three long timers (the older hounds who are 11 and 12 years old) decided to reclaim their "Masters" from the clutches of the new "heathen" hound. Brandy, the new hound (or Maple Syrple, as I call her) is a young pup has been on the scene almost three months and she has had carte blanch. The older hounds just sat back and let her make a fool of herself with her youthful exuberance! When we arrived last evening from our date, Black Dog positioned herself at my chair and Shadow positioned himself at Krl's glider rocker. There was no way the intruder could penetrate their perimeter. When the buffer zone would allow it they would switch off and once Black even crammed her "mature dog " body into Brandy's "puppy size" hide-out. When we began to turn lights out the dogs hastily retreated to our bedroom, when we arrived "Black" had positioned herself perfectly in the middle of the bed (where Brandy normally gets). When I awoke during the night Black was sleeping a blissful sleep while Brandy was fitfully trying to find a new nitche. When I slipped from bed earlier this morning , Krl, Black, and Brandy had each staked claims to their own respective section of the bed. Isn't it grand to be fought over! (I think of Hogue from Driving Miss Daisy).

FATHER thank YOU for seeing me through the week. I am thankful for the good "evening out" with Krl. Thank YOU for the comfort and enjoyment that our pets give us. Help us to be fair and compassionate to their needs. I pray for healing. Spiritual, Physical, Mental. Please make me whole. Rest me well, rest me quickly. I continue to lift up Krl for YOUR healing, I also lift up Ollie, Hag, B., Lillie, Carol, Michelle, Aimee, Ashlyn Kate, Jennifer, Victoria, TJ, Anna, Jess, those recovering from the accident, Yaenga, and Dr. Mackie. I ask YOUR care and healing for them all. I pray that YOU will surround and comfort those saddened by loss. I pray for those of us confronted with issues in our journey with YOU. I pray for our spiritual family and our leaders. I ask YOUR blessings on the efforts of the Highland family, particularly for the Salvador effort as they get settled in. Direct our focus outward, help us to be responsive, not reactive. Let YOUR light shine through us.