I've got to get a grip on things!

I've really had "some" attitude this week. I'm going to work on it though. I need to get it in check because I really don't like this "don't give a care" attitude. (Right now I am trying to figure out who introduced me to that term, I think Kali may have coined it.)

That little tidbit reminds me of growing up and having way to many people in a vehicle cruising "the drag" in Sweetwater, Texas (they really screwed the "drag" up when they built the new court house). We would be trying to decide what to do when Karen Hughes (our closest neighbor) would suddenly say, "I know what let's do!" Instantly the entire group would chime back, "What let's do!" It's been a long time since we had that group together. I doubt we ever have the entire bunch together again.

My head and heart are heavy this week with many issues. I keep telling myself to look out and not in, but I seem to be having a problem doing that. Work this week has been that, work. You can't prepare if you don't know what you are going to be doing. Its kind of like packing a suitcase for a trip and not knowing if you are going to Alaska or the Caribbean but you had better be equipped for either. I went in yesterday planning on a trip to the metroplex that never happened. Spent most of the day at my desk, working on spreadsheets until a co-worker got her drawers in a wad thinking she had to have some of the paperwork I was entering. She was wanting to get off around three and definitely showed her as_piring attributes. I thought the owner was going to have a fit when she pulled her little stunt. He quickly gathered me up and we went to the shop. The co-worker told us to just hold on and I could have the paerwork back when she got through. I told her I wasn't in the mood. She may find the spreadsheet file discs, along with the pile of paperwork she left on my desk, piled on her desk when she arrives today.

The owner and I spent the balance of the afternoon looking for material for some machining projects. He has done some preliminary lathe work but we need to determine some strength properties and requirements before we can start reconstruction. This is one of the places I have to keep him in check because he can turn "something" out quite rapidly. The problem is sometimes that "something" is just that and not necessarily what is needed. More "prep" time can mean getting it right the first time.

At the office we received an inch and a quarter of rain yesterday. It was lovely and fell very gently (I know, it doesn't help any area lakes because of no run-off). As the GM at my fall job calls it, this was a planting rain, exactly what the farmers would want. Problem was they didn't get it out there, they just had showers. Fact of the matter is, we got only a portion of the rain in Abilene too.

I did have a call from the fall job GM yesterday. They are considering building a seed house (again). This is an every other year consideration it seems. They were wanting some numbers reflecting additional costs for handling the cotton seed. They want to know if one of or possibly all of the companies I coordinate operations for would be interesting in making a major equipment investment to do this. It is really a catch twenty-two. The biggest plus would be an "infinite" storage facility (compared to only six hours of storage currently). It would reduce the required number of employees by one (not a minimum wage employee but not one of the top end either), the remaining employee would have to be of better quality (especially if he were expected to operate equipment). The number of required trucks could be reduced. Weather would no longer be a factor. The gin could market their surplus seed over a longer period. It would free up the overhead boxes for seed blocks and breeding seed. I could sleep at night! I can only think of possibly three downside problems. I would probably have to run the loader to load "all the trucks" (although we could go to a schedule), there would probably be a need for increased general liability for the contractor (if the contractor owned or leased the loading equipment), a loader would cost about 60 to 80k to purchase (this would be an adequate piece of equipment but "no over kill") or a loader could be leased for a monthly fee plus hourly charges. The main tangibles here would be who does maintenance and price. If I could win lotto I would do it myself. Did I mention I could sleep at night?

I may have needed the call from the fall job to distract me from my current work.

FATHER, we've got some work to do on me. I'm going to turn this project over to YOU. Make me feel warm and fuzzy, joyful and light at heart! FATHER I continue to pray for Krl's health and her healing. I ask YOUR care and healing for Memama, Ol, Hag, B., Lillie, Carol, Michelle, Aimee, Ashlyn Kate, Jen, Tori, Tj, Anna, Jess, those continuing to recover from their injuries, Yaenga, Dr. Mackie, Jeanine, and for Pat L.. I ask comfort for those who are hurting from loss. I pray for those of us who struggle in our journey with YOU. I pray for our spiritual family and our leaders. I pray for the efforts to expand YOUR kingdom. Blessed is YOUR name.