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.