Yes, I'm still here.

Lots has been going on. Everyone returned from holiday with a smile on their face and renewed vigor (which lasted almost until lunch).

The plant superintendent and I had scheduled another huge seed block Tuesday morning in order to allow my seed truck drivers a little extra time off. We began our day with fireworks! Right out the gate we had a rib fire in one of the gin stands. This delayed the start of the seed block but allowed all the specialized trucks I had ordered in an opportunity to get here. Slowly but surely my regulars began returning. I am happy to report we had a 100% return rate for drivers.

Wednesday did not go nearly as well. I had requisitioned trucks for another seed block and I was assured they would arrive at 10:00 to 10:30 for the first, 11:00 to 11:30 for the second and 12:00 to 12:30 for the last. The first two trucks showed on time, the third was a different matter. Their dispatcher told me the truck was at Lamesa when in reality it was still in Lubbock. Long story short, when the third truck arrived we were through with the seed block and both the other trucks were way over weight. Now their dispatcher was wanting to get bent out of shape and point fingers away from him. Of course he didn't want to pay the labor costs if we had stopped the plant so now he wanted us to transfer the loads over to legal size and put the excess on the third truck. He almost had a cow when I told him I would work a deal with the burr people to off load and reload the seed and he would have to pay the bill.

Finally things began to calm down until just before dark when my forklift salesman called and said the new machine was on the way. I quickly got busy and readied the bale clamp for installation on the new machine. By the time we were through it was seven-thirty in the evening. All that was left was to forward him his check from the office and load up the booklets and manuals. Needless to say, my forklift guys are beaming like proud Papa's!

Shortly after I got to my trailer two of my truck drivers began fussing about a bale trailer. Talk about childish. Actually one of them was not even involved in the mixup but suffered from the fall out of his partner's involvement. One of them pouted and stopped running for the evening. The other made one more run and stopped so he could appear in court this morning. They all should be found in contempt of humanity for operating without a brain.

I did solve my gift wrapping dilemma. Talk about brain fade. I had one driver come to me with his new gloves, both right hand gloves, so I gave him my single odd glove which was a lefty...... but I still had one odd glove. Finally I had a driver come and give me a glove saying he had three in his package. Oh well, it is the thought that counts!

We have been busy with some repairs this morning. We have another seed block beginning at noon. The dispatcher for this group of trucks left himself plenty of leeway in today's schedule.

I have one truck that went down overnight. The rearends went out. As I type, it is being towed to the shop in Midland where they are hopeful they can get it out of the shop later today. After today, for the next three days we have no help from seed blocks or anything else. We are going to have to belly up to the bar and handle the task ourselves. I may hedge my bet and call for some reinforcements.

2005 is almost done. Lots of personal milestones.

Be the real deal!

FATHER, thank YOU for the blessings YOU pour down on us! I pray for all those near and dear who are in need of YOUR miracles of healing and care, your comfort, your resolve. I pray for Richard, Anastacia, James, and Terah as we complete the year and look forward to the next, may it be blessed. I ask the same for our prayer partner. YOU are good.

Merry Merry!

Sorry for the absence from blogland lately, a lot has been going on.

The meeting in Lubbock went well. If a couple of things fall in place it will be wonderful. I think Krl and I both are relieved and optimistic that things have "rounded" the corner.

Upon our return to the compound Wednesday night I was approached by my most senior forklift operator telling me he was leaving Thursday night after midnight to go home for Christmas and to check on his wife. I don't think he knew how weak his story sounded until he verbalized it. I am sure the version he practiced in his brain was much better. The part that was supposed to win me over was extremely weak. Sixteen hours of driving after he crosses the border would put him home Friday night, I don't think he will have much luck finding a doctor wanting to schedule an MRI on Christmas Eve, especially since she is not and has not been hospitalized. He thinks he will not return until after New Years. Everyone out here would love that holiday vacation. Thanks to the willingness of my day crew, we worked right through Thursday. (I didn't let the operator who was leaving come in Thursday night. Then he belly ached about needing hours! Make up your mind!). By Friday night one of the day crew had transitioned back to the nightshift.

Another problem which arose during Krl's and my absence was a back log of cotton bales awaiting shipment. It seems there is a license and weight/DOT officer in Colorado City who has taken a strong dislike for "Peg leg". This dislike has made this officer want to stop not only "Peg Leg" but also the driver sharing "Peg leg's" truck and "any" truck that is hauling our products. The driver opposite "Peg leg" was stopped, inspected and put out of service while the remaining trucks and drivers were stopped and inspected. Regardless, a substantial amount of time was lost. It took two days just to catch up and that was shortened because the plant went down with breakdowns twice.

One seed truck went down and remains in the shop even at this late time. I brought two trucks in from Hawley (that I worked with through the summer) and they helped out with three loads. A truck which had been in the shop came out, (this is the one that was repaired and went two miles before it broke down again and returned to the shop). Thankfully it has now made three trips with no major problems.

We did the phase out for all the seed trucks. I sent all the trucks going to South Texas beginning mid afternoon Thursday. This was going to put a load on all my trucks from West central Texas but surely they would be up for the task one night. Wrong. I remained awake monitoring seed storage and Baldemar as he was on duty. Finally about four thirty in the morning I went to my trailer and to bed. One truck driver who asked me directly what I needed him to do dropped the ball. I now have new rules concerning him when he returns Tuesday. I am going to starve him out. The name of the new rule is "the lying white man's rule".

I only slept three hours before awakening with a start when the plant shut down. My first impulse was "what's wrong". Krl awoke and we began to get ready for our "mad dash" to town. We had a very short list, lunch and groceries were probably the most pressing items. We did a quick Wal-Mart visit and then went to Logan's (using a gift certificate Frank gave us, thanks Frank and Nancy). Target, Staples, the Mall, Western Beverage, Albertson's and HEB and we were through! I was running out of gas very quickly.

It sounds like we had a tame day but I did leave one item out. Shortly before we left the compound I received a call telling me one of my bale trucks had over turned. More information revealed it was a black Peterbilt. All my bale trucks are white (Thank you GOD!), and the only black Peterbilt I am using happened to be the truck in the shop. Slowly more information revealed it was a black truck hauling seed and that the accident occurred just east of Roscoe. Luckily my seed goes north to Lubbock from here and there would be no reason for one of my seed trucks to be loaded and at that location. The only part of the info that fit was that I was using a black Western Star truck and it was heading to Roscoe when it off loaded. As luck would have it this driver whose initials are P.B. (these stand either for Peanut Butter or Pea Brain) ran out of route, he still hasn't explained his reasons for being where he was at. He was traveling at a slow rate of speed on the service road, ran off the road, tried to correct it and over turned. Yep, that was my load. Dang it!

Hind sight is twenty-twenty. This is the driver I had sent home twice and Roscoe kept sending him back. They look pretty brilliant now don't they!

Friday night Krl and I drove to Sterling City to meet Kali and Addie and give them their Christmas gifts. We had told Kali we would help her with Addie's Christmas. Krl and I both felt it was very important for them to have a "good" Christmas since it is the first one after "Lump". We met at a little restaurant in downtown Sterling City and had a good visit. Krl and I both needed to be exposed to more of a child's amazement with the miracle of Christmas. Addie behaved very well (Kali did too) and it was a good evening!

Today Krl and I are doing the same thing as Santa and Mrs. Clause, We are kicked back doing nothing. Relaxing, making a few phone calls, getting ready for a scrumptious "west Texas Christmas dinner. Baked 'taters, baked beans, grilled rib-eyes, barbecued baby back ribs, german sausage and "biskits"! If they had had some good looking crab legs we woulda got out the turkey fryer and fixed them too. It will be a feast! Please note, there is not a pie or cake to be had in our house. We are eating smart!

When Krl and I made our stop at Western Beverage we picked up a couple of bottles of wine. We are like wine connoisseurs from the "kountry". We don't care what they say about them in their reviews, we go with our gut feeling. This year we got a bottle of "Smashed Grapes", which the best part of the label reads will make you a "grape success" with your friends when you serve it, and a bottle of Yellow Tail Chardonnay which goes great with kangaroo tail soup. Of course in case that we made poor judgements we have one bottle of "Thirsty Lizzard" in our emergency supplies. I can never look at a bottle of wine without visualizing Lucille Ball in her grape smashing role!

Off today and tomorrow. Yes! I told Krl that I am fighting getting depressed because these are the last scheduled days off until we finish out here and the general consensus is saying that will be well into April.

Hope all of you behaved well enough for the "Lil' Fat man" to treat you. Regardless, we know justice was served!

Be the real deal! Merry Christmas!

FATHER, thank YOU for the time off. Thank YOU for the season of giving and good will towards others. Thank you for Krl, my mate, my friend, my bud. I ask safety and care for Adam and his men in Iraq. I pray for safety for all those traveling. I lift up those near and dear who are in need of YOUR gifts of healing and care. Please bless them. I pray for those hurting from loss. I pray for those of us who stumble while attempting to walk YOUR way. I pray for our spiritual family and our leaders. I pray for the efforts being made to expand YOUR kingdom. I pray for Richard, Anastacia, James and Terah. That they would allow YOU the opportunity to work YOUR plan in and for them. I pray for our prayer partners Jenavene and Susan, that we would give it all up to YOU. Hark the herald angels sing!!!

Sixty thousand bales in the books. One hundred to one hundred-ten thousand more tagged in, awaiting their turn to be ginned. It's beginning to look a lot like April.

Bertha has been running like a well oiled machine. Last week she turned out one hundred seventeen loads of cotton seed, seven loads of motes, and eight thousand four hundred sixty-one bales of cotton. That converts to almost thirty trucks a day leaving the plant with loads. Golly!

Sunday was a maintenance Sunday. It was a very welcome reprieve for all of us. We are tired. Our three day weekend for Christmas seems an eternity away. Three whole days with no phone, no scheduling problems, peace and quiet.

Krl and I went to Midland Sunday afternoon. I had spent most of my night lying in bed listening to the plant. I had phased out all my seed trucks by about two-thirty in the morning. I was concerned about whether we had enough storage to hold the seed for the remainder of the night. Finally about twenty to five in the morning I heard Rogelio and Paco turn the valve to the last storage hopper and I knew at that point it was in the bag. I slept very well the remainder of the night. Krl and I decided to try a new restaurant. Big mistake. Oh well, that just makes our list of choices much shorter. We then made a couple of stores picking up some Christmas stuff. Gift certificates, Christmas cards, things like that. We have only a one day window this week to deliver Christmas gifts to the girls in the office. That day would be Thursday. I am confident Friday will be one of "those" days.

Krl and I are going to Lubbock early Wednesday morning for a meeting. If things go well we will finish up our immediate shopping needs while on this excursion.

The new company forklift is in Midland, still waiting for some of the optional equipment that was back ordered. They are telling me it will be here Friday afternoon.

Krl is clipping her houndgirls. It is so odd, they really like being "pretty". Krl even has them some Christmas "finery" to wear during the holidays.

We are trying to determine what our scheduling is going to be for the holiday. Of course the hourly payroll will go out Friday, the salaried and commission payroll is scheduled for Monday, but that is one of our days off. I figure the guys are going to be clamoring for their checks, even if they aren't out here, but therein lies the dilemma. Most drivers will be back her Tuesday morning making it impossible for them to receive their checks by mail. The only other option is for Krl and I to try to accelerate generating them and getting them out and or in the mail by Saturday. I am hedging my bet and doing what I can to "pre" build all the settlements I can.

Yesterday I had spent two hours in the office keying in some data. When I clicked on the save command my laptop belched and went down like it had a glass hard drive! Out for the count! When I finally revived it, my file was lost. I spent another three hours this morning rebuilding and re-keying. Krl got on the Dell website and told me to order a new laptop but I procrastinated. This morning my "tab" key is not functioning. I have rebooted, used two cans of air and still it is being fickle.

Dear Santa,
In the Dell brochure dated December 16, 2005 on page twenty-......... And I have been really good this year.

Wouldn't that be nice.

Have a good day, a good week, a good holiday!

Be the real deal!

FATHER, instill in us the joy of the season. I pray for Krl's continued healing and renewal. I pray for safe travel and that our meeting would go well. I pray for safety and YOUR care for Adam and his men in Iraq. I lift up Addie, Memama, Pepa, Hag, Bets, Jess, B., Lillie, Aimee, Jennifer, Ashlyn Kate, Dr. Mackie, Jeanine, Brenda, Hope, K.C., and Tyler. I ask YOUR gifts of healing and care for them. I ask YOUR comfort for those who are sad and heavy hearted with grief. I pray for resolve and focus for those of us who struggle to follow YOU. I pray for our spiritual family and our leaders. I pray for the efforts being made to expand YOUR kingdom. I pray for Richard, Anastacia, James, and Terah. That they would be encouraged and united in love, and that they would know the riches understanding and know YOUR mystery and in it all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I pray for our prayer partners, Jenavene and Susan knowing that nothing is impossible with YOU. How majestic is YOUR name!

A little nip in the air out here!

Another reminder of winter. Possible snow flurries tomorrow. Yuk.

The renovation are done. I lack installing a few screws before we install the new washer and dryer. By later today we should be ready to wash and dry. We would have been totally through but the batteries ran down on the cordless saw and drill. Rats.

I can't seem to get my drivers to work on the same page. I guess in some ways that is not bad. Instead of a total disaster it is just half of one. One driver came out late, he should have been here before midnight and made it here about five in the morning, dropped an empty and hooked to a loaded trailer and drove just out of sight of the plant and pulled over and went to sleep. And this is a driver who has wanted me to make some concessions to in order to work around his schedule. Reminds me of a driver I had years ago who worked the night shift, so he took a day job too. If he did as poorly at the day job as he did on the night job he was very pathetic.

I will never forget the time I was out of trucks, had bales being stacked on the ground and I went to Big Spring to help a broken down truck. I needed some fuel line to transfer some fuel from tank to tank and when I rounded a corner in Wal-MartI ran into one of my drivers and his wife with a loaded down basket. They were doing some shopping while they were in town. They didn't know whether to run or hide. I simply asked if they thought maybe their shopping spree was one of the reasons I was putting cotton on the ground. When I exited the store I found the Peterbilt truck hidden at the side of the store. Rocket scientists these guys are not.

For the third day in a row a relief truck that was supposed to show, did not. This is the truck that broke down just over a week ago. It was picked up from the shop late yesterday and made it just about two miles before it did the same thing again. Now it is back in the shop.

Becky gave Krl and I our Christmas gift a few days ago. A tin of chocolate covered pretzels and a set of "Christmas ornament" salt and pepper shakers". They are so cute. Now I just have to learn how to shake the tree for just salt or just pepper.

I can't believe Christmas is just over a week away. We have much to do even though we aren't celebrating big since it will just be Krl and I. Thankfully we have a maintenance day this Sunday. The twenty-first we have to be in Lubbock in the morning. We will take the small opportunities and hope to make the most of them. At some point I need to sneak off and buy Krl something for Christmas. Krl already gave me my Christmas, the cordless drill and saw set! Last year we did a small Christmas and I fixed her a basket with a few small items and the balance of the basket was filled with cheese, crackers, bread sticks, a cheese ball, some deli meats, olives, pickles and a couple bottles of wine. I think this year we are fixing the basket together. We are both looking forward to the time when Bertha isn't serenading us. Three days may not be much time off but it will be a quick taste of heaven for us.

We now are headed toward booking that could top one hundred seventy thousand bales. Wow!

Be the real deal.

FATHER, I am sorry, but it is all on YOU. Carry me to our brief time off. Help me to be gentle and kind. Help me to mince my words when I would prefer to lash out. I pray for Krl's healing and renewal. I pray for Adam and his men in Iraq. Keep them safe and out of harms way. I pray for Addie, Memama, Pepe, Hag, Bets, Jess, B., Lillie, Aimee, Jennifer, Ashlyn Kate, Dr. Mackie, Jeanine, Brenda, Hope, K.C., and Tyler. I ask YOUR gifts of healing and care for them. I ask YOUR comfort for those who are sad and heavy hearted with grief. I ask for focus for those of us who stumble as we follow YOU. I pray for our spiritual family and our leaders. I pray for the efforts being made to expand YOUR kingdom. I pray for Richard, Anastacia, James and Terah. That they would grow in wisdom and stature, and in favor with YOU and men. I pray for our prayer partners Jenavene and Susan. We wait and hope for YOU. You are our help and our shield. In YOU our hearts rejoice and in YOUR holy name we place our trust. Oh GOD, YOU are our GOD.

They tell me this would be hump day. I would have to take their word for it because it seems as though I am still climbing.

Our week has continued with more of the same. Get behind, catch up, get behind, catch up. I have had two extra trucks in everyday this week to do multiple loads of bales and motes. Every morning it is a test of self control as I look at an example of how not to perform.

On the other end of the plant are the seed storage hoppers. Talk about mixed bag, I have it here. Half the drivers are busting butt, half are coasting. Not a good mix. I had requested and was assured more trucks were on the way to bring a little relief to these seed haulers. So far, everything under the sun has happened to prevent the arrival of "said truck".

Krl and I spent yesterday afternoon working on the utility room renovation. We aren't through but nearly all the pertinent pieces are ready and awaiting permanent installation. While I was wrecking part of the old room (I am best at this part), Krl decided to bathe the houndgirls. She is wanting to get them clipped prior to the holiday. When she turned the shower light on it responded appropriately, when she turned on the light over the vanity, it did not. I took a break from my project to see what might be the problem. We have been looking for replacement ballasts for three of the fluorescent fixtures in the trailer so I was hopeful it wasn't that. I removed the light cover to reveal a badly blackened bulb. I went to the cabinet to get a spare, only to find we had used them all. I began removing the light covers on all the defective lights, hoping to "borrow" a bulb. On the third and final one, I found a bulb and returned to the vanity fixture. While my hands were full of light covers, I was still able to replace the bulb and the light began working correctly. I then began my way back through the trailer replacing the light covers.

Living in a travel trailer a good portion of the year tends to make you oblivious to certain oddities of travel trailer life. As those of you familiar with travel trailers are aware, the toilet is activated by a foot valve. In addition to this, our trailer is equipped with a trash can with a lid which is activated by a foot pedal. (This is what we call the hound's conscience, because it keeps them out of trouble). To live in our trailer it is a tremendous advantage if all your appendages have above average dexterity. As I made my way through the trailer with the remaining light covers, I came across one which had a few dead bugs. I made my way to the trash can to dump them only to find Krl had taken the trash out and had not yet replaced the trash bag. I thought "no problem" and made my way to the bathroom where I, still with my hands full, stepped on the controlling pedal. "Whoosh", it went. I stepped again. "Whoosh" it went again. As I stepped down on the pedal the third time my pea brain finally registered that I was expecting the toilet lid to open like the trash can. I began to laugh and Krl came to see if I was all right. When I told her what I had done she had a good laugh too! Talk about brain fade! And this woman expects me to renovate her utility room. Hah!

Hopefully I will finish the renovation this evening. At least now I can see the plan for it which is filed right beside my plans for the self-opening toilet lid.

We may make another dash to Midland. We have a few things we need to pick up, and we need to check on the new forklift. I had installed daily penalties for late delivery in the deal. As of yesterday evening the forklift was not in Midland and they have at least a day of replacing standard equipment with equipment that had been specified. The dealer has also told me that some of the special equipment has been back ordered to next week. I may let them wait to deliver it until it is "as ordered". That would upset their old cash flow! Might make them mean what they say too!

Be the real deal!

FATHER, thank YOU for removing from me the anxiousness. I thank YOU for the reassurance that all things happen in YOUR time frame. I continue to ask for Krl's healing and renewal. I pray for safety and YOUR care for Adam and his men in Iraq. I pray for Addie, Memama, Pepa, Hag, Bets, Jess, B., Lillie, Aimee, Jennifer, Ashlyn Kate, Dr. Mackie, Jeanine, Verlin, Hope, Brenda, K.C., and Tyler. I ask for YOUR miracle of healing for them all. I ask YOUR comfort for all of those who are heavy hearted and sad with grief. I pray for those of us who struggle to follow YOU. I pray for our spiritual family and our leaders. I pray for the efforts being made to expand YOUR kingdom. I pray for Richard, Anastacia, James, and Terah, that they would remain centered and focused on YOU and that they would desire to please YOU. I pray for our prayer partners Jenavene and Susan that we would fear YOU and base our hope on YOUR unfailing love for our deliverance. Then sings my soul.

Tuesday. Should be a laid back day, but so far it hasn't happened. Bale trucks dropped the ball Sunday night, no trucks after midnight. Zero, zilch. This converted to five hundred bales sitting on the dock and on trailers.

Conversations with drivers told me they "thought". A violation of my cardinal rule. Don't think, just do what I instruct you to do. Add to this the fact that one of the drivers who has become very abusive to my forklift operators and it is very evident everyone is worn down and easily irritated. An additional person who was irritated yesterday was the DOT cop who stopped and put the aforementioned driver "out of service". Four hours after the fact, the driver called to inform us of his predicament. Needless to say, the carry-over from Sunday night was still evident this morning, even though I had two extra trucks try to catch us up yesterday.

I visited with my mainstay driver Charles last evening. He continues to recover from the surgery he had in September. I find that I need to talk with him from time to time, just for his calming effect. He continues to be optimistic about his return, he is frustrated that his convalescing is so slow. I am ready for him to be ready to return to work.

Krl and I made a quick trip to Midland. I checked on a truck for Roscoe. It is the truck that went down out here last week. Burned piston. I haven't seen a piston burned this bad in a long time. It is burned all the way down to the compression ring land in the front, there are molten aluminum deposits situated on the top of the piston and these deposits have been "tap dancing" on the head surface and valves. Our trip continued on to check on the company's new forklift, a quick stop for Becky, and then on to "Big Lots" and the grocery store. Our final stop was to pick up the washer and dryer at Lowe's. This ended up being an exercise in patience. I was finally ready for them to just refund the money. After a couple of hours they finally brought them up and loaded them in my truck. We couldn't leave there fast enough.

Hopefully I will get some renovations done in the utility room and tonight install the new appliances. Sounds like a plan!

Be the real deal.

FATHER, I need YOUR peace YOUR understanding, YOUR wisdom. Guide and direct me. Calm me. I pray for Krl's healing and renewal. I pray for Adam and his men in Iraq. I ask for their safety and care. I lift up Addie, Memama, Pepa, Hag, Bets, Jess, B., Lillie, Aimee, Jennifer, Ashlyn Kate, Dr. Mackie, Jeanine, Verlin, Brenda, Hope, K.C., and Tyler. I ask that YOU bless each of them with YOUR gifts of healing and care. I pray for those sad and heavy hearted with grief. I ask YOUR comfort for them. I pray for those of us who struggle as we follow YOU. I pray for our spiritual family and our leaders. I pray for the efforts being made to expand YOUR kingdom. I pray for Richard, Anastacia, James, and Terah. Help them to be accountable, filled with good. I pray for our prayer partners Jenavene and Susan, knowing that all things are possible. LORD lift us up!

Saturday, and it's not off to a bad start! Last night mirrored the exact opposite of Thursday night. The phone did not ring one time. Wonderful!

I am sometimes in awe of the celebration of Christmas, especially where it concerns the different religious groups. Tomorrow will be the second Sunday in a row that I have participated in Christmas festivities at the two local Catholic Churches. After that it will be time to hang up the old Santa suit. I actually will give the suit back to Mark. He has a series of pre-Christmas parties and activities to attend as the jolly lil' fatman. The last appearance Mark will make is midnight mass Christmas Eve. He will slip in the sanctuary just at the conclusion of communion, walk to the front and partake of the holy meal, kneel in prayer before exchanging Christmas blessings with the Padre, and then slowly retreat to the outdoors before beginning his night's rounds. Even Santa is subject to our King's majesty.

Growing up in the Churches of Christ I was always appalled at the effort put into "not" celebrating Christmas. No special activities, no special scheduling. The leadership put so much effort into "not" that it "did" indeed make the exact opposite statement. I have always heard the argument that the date is not actually Christ's birth date. I don't think the preciseness is the important issue here. While GOD is all powerful, it wouldn't be possible for Christ to come into this world and walk as a mortal man without birth. Without a birth, his death and resurrection would not be possible. I will celebrate his coming.

Merry Christmas to all. Be the real deal!

Oh FATHER, we are vain, we are childish, we are blind. We need YOU. Thank YOU for the birth, death, and resurrection. Thank YOU for the hope and the promise we have in JESUS. Forgive us, heal us, keep us.

Had it been possible for me to distance myself from my day today, I would have discovered that the day had a great big wart on it's nose. Problem was by the time I was aware of this I was firmly in it's grasp.

The telephone rang all night long. That should have been a premonition. Add to this a driver who has been off almost three weeks asking if he can draw his Monday paycheck, Friday. Add to this the fact that the office manager informed me she needed the Monday billing by end of today because she was going to be gone Monday. Many more add ons and we will have to begin multiplying. My Friday's are always busy enough that I don't need extras!

Hourly payroll, drivers ahead of the curve, drivers behind the curve, mote loads began again today, I requested one mote truck and ended up with two, both of them late. A little electrical work, some cutting edge technology, it was a busy day for a man equipped with such a small brain.

Thankfully the day was warm enough that it did thaw the water problems on the other two travel trailers. I will bet that those guys don't let that happen again!

The past few days have been brimming with forklift problems. If it isn't one it is the other. Krl had taken over as the contact with the forklift vendor. He wasn't even returning my calls. Krl dressed him down pretty good, telling him that he will never make it if he can't be honest and accessible. Before noon I was back in the mix negotiating for the company and made an offer on the forklift and all the options I felt were necessary or desirable. By mid-afternoon we had received word that the forklift was on its way from Houston. Hopefully all the optional equipment will arrive in time Monday for them to be installed before the machine is delivered. The cold weather has really brought out the problems with the old machines.

I have a confession to make. I dislike working on electrical problems. I know just enough to be scared of it. This year we have been a a threshold where one light could trip the breaker on the power pole. We aren't the only one, the other large trailer in the park has the same problem. Too many frills.

Upon close inspection I learned that all the breakers were 30 amp. I decided to up grade to a 50 amp. I had watched numerous people swap breakers so I was reasonably confident I could perform this task. Once completed, I decided to add another circuit for all our Christmas lights. Of this I wasn't very confident so I visited with Delfino. He sometimes works as an apprentice electrician. He was able to explain things differently enough for me to understand about neutrals, hot, and grounds. Fifteen minutes later I was done and moving on to the installation of an automatic timer. Yeah! I did it and lived to tell about it!

I have a curtain call Sunday. I am not overly happy about it and I know Krl isn't. I kind of got roped into being Santa Claus at the Catholic Church in Midkiff. This isn't the first time I have done this but my roots are more closely tied to St. Lawrence. One more time and I am retiring!

Lowe's called and told Krl our new washer and dryer have arrived. Krl is elated. I am still trying to think through some small renovations necessary.

Krl has been busy trying to find a family out here that we can adopt for Christmas. She has several leads.

Lots of computer work to do between now and Sunday night.

Be the real deal.

FATHER I am spent. Rest me well, rest me quickly. Help me to prioritize, to keep on task and to be cool under fire. I pray for Krl's healing and renewal. I ask for safety for Adam and his men in Iraq. I pray for Addie, Memama, Pepa, Hag, Bets, Jess, B., Lillie, Aimee, Jennifer, Ashlyn Kate, Dr. Mackie, Jeanine, Verlin, Brenda, Hope, K.C., and Tyler. I ask YOUR gifts of healing for them. I ask comfort for those hurting from loss. I pray for those of use who stumble trying to follow YOUR way. I pray for our spiritual family and our leaders. I pray for the efforts being made to expand YOUR kingdom. I pray for Richard, Anastacia, James and Terah. That YOU would keep them from the hands of the wicked. I pray for our prayer partners Jenavene and Susan as we wait in hope for YOU. YOU give me strength.

4 degrees. An we're not talking about a career student here. It is mighty chilly.

I had issued directives to all the employees staying in the travel trailers to keep water dribbling to prevent it from freezing. Yesterday morning one trailer reported no water. Last evening another trailer reported no water on their north wall. Rookies. They keep asking if Krl and I still have water and are amazed when I tell them yes.

Yesterday had began very rocky. A bale trailer had ice in the air brake system. All I had on hand was one partial bottle of rubbing alcohol. The alcohol will melt the ice, prevent the moisture from freezing and ultimately the alcohol will disperse the moisture. The GM had made the shortest drive to Garden City and bought all the rubbing alcohol they had Tuesday night. Four bottles. He has eight module trucks running, all of which are equipped with air brakes and inside the plant there are several pieces of machinery which are activated with air. Saying it quickly, four bottles wouldn't go very far.

I told Krl if she wanted to go to town to get ready. I would hate to have a problem snowball over a .28 cent bottle of alcohol. We went to Midland. I bought all the alcohol that Albertson's had on the shelf. Twelve bottles. Meanwhile the GM went to Big spring and bought all the alcohol Wal-Mart and Dollar General had, seven bottles. We filled propane bottles for spot heaters, and I carried a bottle of window washer fluid as a reserve. We made it through the night. We are hopeful that we will be above freezing long enough today for us to thaw trailers and air systems thoroughly!

When we went to Midland, Krl and I decided to eat first thing. This is a variation from our regular schedule. I narrowed it down to two choices and allowed Krl to choose from them. She chose a place that is something like jalepeno's and it does have a pepper in their sign. Last year it was a welcome change. This year it was a disaster. Abilene's restaurant puts this one to shame. Krl's entree was burned and mine was a far cry from what I had come to expect. Oh well.

After the meal debacle, we went to the laundromat and when we had all the washers going, I left Krl there and went to Lowe's to get some parts I needed and to check on our washer and dryer. After that it was an errand for Becky and a quick trip through the grocery store. I then went back to pick Krl up and it was timed almost perfectly. Our last stop was at the forklift supply.

We have been on a deal for a new forklift. I have never had to work so hard at buying something in my whole life. For weeks I have been asking for a dollar amount and I still have not received it. In fact I had a check in hand yesterday from the people that are buying it and all I needed to do was fill in the amount. I didn't get the deal done yesterday. I may start new with another vendor today. Business must be good.

Krl and I are trying to plan a day when we can go to town and not be rushed. That may be selfish, but that is what we are wanting. Walking through the mall, watching people, trying to absorb a little of the holiday hustle and bustle, these are a few of my favorite things.

One thing I would love to find (and I really need to) is an old fashion barber shop. One of those that still keep their combs in the green cleaning solution and use a straight razor for your neck and face and of course, hot towels. Those were the good old days!

Krl and I enjoyed a relaxed evening after I supervised the shift change. It was kind of cozy. When I walked in our trailer I jokingly asked her "Before I take my coat off do we need another log on the fire?" She laughed and replied that she was thinking about a fire place as well!

My bale trucks had progressively gotten behind. I called and asked for some relief help and they were sending a guy out who had started here earlier in the year but couldn't grasp the urgency. He made one load and turned his ankle getting out of the truck when he was unloading. I got a call telling me to expect it to look really ugly when I made my morning rounds.

My friends daughter Hope's surgery went very well yesterday. They are hoping to be released from the hospital in five to seven days even if they have to stay in San Antonio a little longer than the hospital stay. It sounds as though Hope is a little trooper, her only complaint has been her head hurts. We are thankful and optimistic!

Be the real deal!

For YOUR love FATHER, we are thankful. We are blessed that YOU meet our every need. YOU are a good and compassionate GOD. I continue to ask for Krl's renewal and healing. I thank YOU for the good reports on Hope. I pray for Adam and his men's safety and well being in Iraq. I pray for Addie, Memama, Pepa, Hag, Bets, Jess, B., Lillie, Aimee, Jennifer, Ashlyn Kate, Dr. Mackie, Jeanine, Verlin, Brenda, Hope, K.C., and Tyler. I ask for their healing and care. I pray for those sad and heavy hearted with grief. I pray for those of us struggling to follow YOU. I pray for our spiritual family and our leaders. I pray for the efforts being made to expand YOUR kingdom. I pray for Richard, Anastacia, James and Terah. That they would be submissive to authority and honor their parents. I pray for our prayer partners Jenavene and Susan that we might be still allow YOU to fight for us. Glory and Honor and Dominion.

Old man winter blew in. Man is it cold. Currently it is in the mid-teens, but with the wind chill it is C-O-L-D. -1. All of the crew is bundled up, my guys who are working outside are taking all precautions. The weather cab is on the forklift and Delfino is bundled toe to top is Artic winter wear. When he makes a mad dash across the yard he immediately heads back for the wind break.

Writing about the forklift kind of raises the hair on the back of my neck. The new one, complete with heater, was supposed to be here this week. In fact it was supposed to be here today. Now that would have been excellent timing. The forklift dealer has repeatedly demonstrated an acute inability to stay on task. Most of the time I cannot even get a return phone call. More and more I am getting uncomfortable with dealing with him. What to do what to do?

Krl and I have had lots of information to gather on the internet. I have been looking at equipment and we both have been looking at computers. The laptop I am ticklin' the keys on is six years old. Ancient according to new technology. Recently we felt compelled to install a new security suite to scan for viruses, block pop ups, block spyware, prevent phishing and to prevent third parties from pirating our computer and using it as a slave server to generate spam.

When we were shopping for the new securuty program we were amazed at how many products promise so much. It would be much simpler if there were just one with a "S" on the box. Long story short we purchased one of the major brands and brought it home to install. In order to install it we had to remove the factory virus scan along with one that we had been very satisfied with that had been passed by and in need of upgrading (Command antivirus was originally designed for the military.). After we went through all the required actions and installed it we found the remedy was much worse than any problem we were experiencing prior to installation. Immediately we began having problems with the ISP mail account, and settings on our computer became unstable and constantly changing. Finally I felt it necessary to remove the entire security suite. Walla, mail works. For the time being we are vulnerable, but we are looking for a solution.

We had a visitor yesterday. Ollie came by. Of course she had promised to come by the day after Thanksgiving so she was just a couple of weeks late. About a year ago she was riding high, enjoying a successful rookie year in real estate. At twenty-three she felt the world was her personal playground and that she could make the rules. Lots of things have happened in the last year and to be totally honest not very much of what has happened to her has been good. Sometimes what goes around comes around. Brief story is she was very contrite, apologetic and wanting an opportunity to start over. It is difficult for me to do. I did tell her that actions speak louder than words.

Sometimes forgiveness is difficult to give, but she asked. It wouldn't be an option if she hadn't asked and I wouldn't feel obligated. I guess you could say we are in a probationary interlude.

Hopefully I have done all of my "outside" work for today (and maybe tomorrow). I dismantled and reassembled a forklift yesterday, just to install a new muffler. Delfino and I had taken a bale clamp apart and installed some new inserts of the clamp slides earlier, and my final action last evening was going to the fuel stop and filling up the forklift supply tank!

I had a couple pair of insulated coverals in the trailer, they had been in the old trailer since 1995. When Krl was cleaning and straightening she gave them away, confident that they would no longer fit. While she was probably right I have not replaced them yet. Today might be the day to do that.

If you know of a '00 387, c-12, super10, 370 rr, air leaf, full aluminum whls drop me a line. I am looking for a client.

Be the real deal.

FATHER, I pray for our crew, that they might take refuge from the cold, that their work would go well, without problems that would cause them to be exposed to the elements of weather. I pray for their safety and health. I pray Krl and ask for her healing and renewal. I pray for Adam and his men in Iraq. I ask for their safety and care. I lift up Addie, Memama, Pepa, Hag, Bets, Jess, B., Lillie, Aimee, Jennifer, Ashlyn Kate, Dr. Mackie, Jeaninie, Brenda, Verlin, Hope, K.C., and Tyler for YOUR miracles of healing and care. I pray especially for the doctors today that are doing Hope's surgery. I pray that YOU will guide the doctors efforts and that YOU will heal her. I pray for Ollie, that YOU would be a part of her life as she puts it back together. I pray for those sad with grief and ask YOUR comfort for them. I pray for those of us who struggle in our walk with YOU. I pray for our spiritual family and our leaders. I pray for the efforts being made to expand YOUR kingdom. I pray for Richard, Anastacia, James and Terah. That they would abhore and expose the things which aren't part of YOUR plan. I pray for our prayer partners Jenaven and Susan, that we would praise YOUR name and lift up our hands, that we would glorify YOU. LORD reign in me!

Short night. Which means someone has dropped the ball.

I had a premonition, then I had a warning. Then a driver dropped the ball. Now he is looking for gainful employment elsewhere.

In eleven years I have developed a pretty good concept of what needs to happen to conduct this job. I often tell my drivers, "don't think, just drive". It is repetitive, it is not rocket science. I tell these men if they will allow me to schedule them, they will make money and it will be easier on all of them.

My current dilemma is a driver that has been with me from square one this year. He is likeable enough but he seems to have two weaknesses. The first of which is women, the second of which is that when we have a maintenance day he hits the bottle not knowing when to quit. At different points in the season both of these have hurt his ability to show up on time and perform his duties. I have talked with this man on several occasions explaining how critical it is for everyone to pull their weight. Each time he has told me he will do better if I will allow him another opportunity.

This past week I talked with him and told him that by his not pulling his weight he was making it hard on the other drivers. I actually told him if I was one of his co-workers I would probably organize an effort where all the other drivers would gang up on him and "get" their point across. I explained that if I allow one weak driver to sluff off and it burns out the other guys who are picking up the slack, I will be in a position needing to replace seven drivers on that particular run. The simplest solution is to replace the weak driver with one comparable to the rest of the group, that way I am replacing only one driver. I received fluff comments. He said all the right words, but actions speak louder than words. Tonight, for the second time in three days, he dropped the ball again. Enough is enough.

On the other end of the plant I have another driver who didn't show Friday night but sent someone in their place. Mighty thoughtful but pretty stupid. This stand in driver is not on any of the insurances, has not filled out an application and has not done a pre-employment drug screen. Talk about open season. If there was an accident it would be bad.

At seven this morning we will shut the plant down for a maintenance day. Of course this will mean we have opportunity to do scheduled forklift maintenance as well. In addition we will be flipping our crews day to night and vice versa. Normally this would mean a quick dash to town for a late lunch, picking up some supplies and some much needed R & R away from the compound.

Today's wrench in the plans is that it is the local parish Christmas party and I was volunteered to play Santa. This means the day is up in the air. We will play it by ear and see what happens. This year appears to be an accelerated schedule which might still mean the possibility of a quick trip in.

Thankfully Krl and I are well on the way to completing settlements. I became bleary eyed from staying on the computer but it is almost done. I think I lack printing a copy or two of some individual settlements and it will be done. Krl is pretty close behind with preparing the checks. She is becoming as frustrated as I am with some of the on-goings. She is threatening to hold on to checks to get some people's attention.

Enough about us, how was your day?

Be the real deal!

FATHER, I am weary. I need YOUR pick me up. Help me to take things one day at a time, one problem at a time. I pray for Krl's healing and renewal. I pray for safety and YOUR watch and care for Adam and his men in Iraq. I lift up Addie, Memama, Pepa, Hag, Bets, Jess, B., Lillie, Aimee, Jennifer, Ashlyn Kate, Dr. Mackie, Jeanine, Verlin, Karen, Hope, K.C., and Tyler for YOUR gifts of healing and care. I pray for comfort for those hurting from grief. I pray for diligence and endurance for those of us who struggle to follow YOU. I pray for our spiritual family and our leaders. I pray for the efforts being made to expand YOUR kingdom. I pray especially for Richard, Anastacia, James and Terah, that they might be godly men and women. I pray for our prayer partners Jenavene and Susan, may we give thanks to YOU, from whom all blessings flow. I sing praises to YOU.

Whew! I am sucking wind.

While my Thursday had been looked forward to with great anticipation, it didn't live up to expectations.

We had one of the largest seed blocks ever scheduled at the compound. Fifty-six modules, almost seven hundred bales, or just over half a million pounds of highly prized and sought after planting seed for next years crop. In fact, a representative from the seed company came in to baby sit our project. It's not that they don't trust us, it is just being able to maintain the chain of custody and integrity of their program.

The morning was pretty laid back. I spent most of it in the office, data entry, coordinating incoming trucks for the day's project as well as projects for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. About two in the afternoon I received a call asking me to check a brake on the Blacksheep truck. Inspection revealed a broken spring which allowed the brake shoe to drop and ride on the brake drum. Being isolated and not having all the necessary tools required me to improvise. Two trips to the farm store and I rigged up a temporary solution to get the truck back on the other end and hopefully parts and a quick repair. After several trips in and out from under the truck I was filthy! I made a quick trip to the air hose and did a quick clean up before I was summoned back to the bale dock with a problem on a forklift bale clamp. Initial inspection revealed a pin hole in a hose requiring us to remove the clamp to gain access to remove the damaged hose. Shortly, we were on our way to the farm store where Frankie A. fixed us up in quick order. We returned and installed the new hose and began re-installing the clamp when I noticed another problem, a broken key stock which secures the clamp horizontally. This required a torch, some new key stock (which I had in my tool box), a grinder and a welder. After a couple of hours we were back to re-installing the clamp. Finally, I could exhale.

I had been juggling an ever changing schedule to accommodate constantly changing requirements and boy, had those requirements changed since I had last addressed them. Seed truck to bales, other seed trucks leap frogging trucks that weren't on site and trying to work the phone (to no avail). Finally at ten pm. I yelled calf rope and called it a day. If no one else is concerned why should I be? I have an alternate plan in place for daylight and if I deem it necessary I will use it even if it hacks some people off. If you are going to play in the game you gotta play every minute.

On one of my many calls to Roscoe I was able to make contact with Kasey. She was an island in a sea of telephone rings that went un-answered. She tried to direct me but I had no success making contact. Kasey and had a brief conversation and she revealed to me that she and Bridger are expecting. Yep, Hunter is going to be a big brother, Bridger is pregnant! Congratulations.

It seemed that Thursday was fund raiser delivery day out here. Cookie dough and Poinsettias. Krl and I won't ever go hungry as long as we have cookie dough and we will be stylish as long as we have the accent flowers. Yeah, right.

Since we are so accessible and high profile, we are a target for the fund raisers. Krl tries to buy a little from several so we now have a freezer full of "tubs" of cookie dough. When I walked into the trailer it was a jungle. Krl had ordered nine Poinsettia's to use as accents for the Thanksgiving meal and then planned on forming them out to different people. As it turns out, the poinsettia farm didn't deliver until yesterday (a little late for Thanksgiving) and they didn't deliver the multiple colors the 4-H club had been marketing. The vendor decided to upgrade everyone's order since they couldn't meet all the color schemes. So instead of smaller plants we have an abundance of two foot tall poinsettias sitting all around the trailer!

Bah humbug!

Can you believe it is December? I can't.

The gin has been out of module tags for almost a week so while they are booking modules they are not issuing tags. This is going to be a mess when the new tags come in. Lots of work for Kristy, Becky, Anthony and Tyler. We are approaching that mystical 150,000 bale mark. Optimists were telling me we were between 140k and 150k yesterday. Unbelievable.

I was sleeping pretty well when either I imagined it or one of the dogs made a knocking noise. Immediately I was wide awake and my heart was thumping. One of those adrenalin rushes. I am almost convinced I have a sleep disorder. Anyhow, I jumped up, grabbed a shirt and went out on the porch to find all was well on the seed truck end. Tardy trucks had finally arrived. I didn't even go to the bale dock. I know bad news can wait until morning.

Be the real deal!

FATHER, I need YOU every hour, every day, every way. I pray for patience. I pray for rest and relief. I pray for Krl's healing and renewal. I ask safety and care for Adam and his men in Iraq. I lift up Addie, Memama, Pepa, Hag, Bets, Jess, B., Lillie, Aimee, Jennifer, Ashlyn Kate, Dr. Mackie, Jeanine, Verlin, Karen, Hope, K.C., and Tyler for YOUR gifts of healing and care. I ask comfort for those who are heavy hearted with grief. I pray for those of us who stumble as we try to follow YOU. I pray for our spiritual family and our leaders. I pray for the efforts being made to expand YOUR kingdom. I pray especially for Richard, Anastacia, James and Terah. That they would put their trust in YOU. I pray for our prayer partners Jenavene and Susan, that we would praise and glorify YOU. There is power in CHRIST's redeeming blood.