I don't even want to talk about it.

Sorry for not blogging the past few days. It has been so frustrating because we can see the end in the distance but we can't seem to make much progress toward it. Yuk!

Saturday night we had a thunderstorm pass through, some rain, some hail (in spots) and quite a bit of lightning. The electrical service supply lines were hit by lightning and "Bertha" coasted to a stop. When power was restored it was discovered that there were additional problems caused by the lightning strike. It was ten Sunday morning when the plant came back on line. A sleepless night in STL for Frank!

The other problems is that most of the cotton left to be processed is filled with sticks and stems. This is causing a major problem in the plant and essentially has made them slow down. The sticks and stems are so numerous that some are surviving the stick machines and pre-cleaners and making it all the way into the gin stands where they roll into a ball and much like a snowball just increases in size, rolling on top of the saws and gin stand ribs. We have had numerous fires ranging from the overhead cleaning system to rib fires in the gin stands. Another yuk!

It has been very difficult to "out guess" the plant and the cotton and coordinate trucks.

We topped 150,000 bales late yesterday. The record in the state of Texas is 152,000 by United Gin in Levelland, set last year. The big difference is they subcontracted about thirty thousand of those bales out to other gins but used United tags. We can say that every one of our bales has gone through our plant. Right now it is just a matter of time until we break that record for real. Bale estimates now are upper one-fifty-five to very low 156's. Now that's a lot of cotton.

Krl and I are so antsy it is unreal. We are so close to everything that we can't see the progress. I was kidding Krl the other day that we began moving home when we had that horrible west wind Monday. I would almost swear it moved our trailer a few inches to the east! Currently we are beginning to try to orchestrate our move home. I hope to move the two larger travel trailers along with all the forklifts and all of our totes, dollie plates, and assorted parts in one fell swoop. Hopefully Tuesday but possibly Wednesday. That would leave only one travel trailer remaining. Julio and his wife and daughter are living in it and he is in hopes of staying in the area until the end of the school year so his daughter can complete her school year. I have been brokering a deal with Frank and Julio for Julio to stay on for a couple of months working in the plant.

Krl and I made an unplanned trip to Midland yesterday. We had been in hopes that we would be finished by now and we had cut estimates on dog food and forklift filters a little to close. Oh well, it gave us another opportunity to go to On the Border. We are going to miss that restaurant when we go home, maybe Abilene will get one.

Pepa was telling me about several new eateries opening up in the six months Krl and I have been gone. We look forward to trying them all out!

Trc is estimating completion of the house to be Friday. I don't know if I have ever seen her so "giddy" about anything. She has busted her butt on this project but I would have to say she has enjoyed herself. Even the girls are excited about us coming home and seeing it. Trc has to watch herself because she would love to spill all the beans but so far has limited it to just small bits and pieces of information. The only thing I know for sure is appliances are to be delivered and installed Friday.

Its kind of been fun watching Krl. She is excited about returning to a new home. She has been very diligent sending her paychecks in for the renovation. I guess she will have more than money invested because it was necessary for her to sacrifice six months to be out here to do this job and make this money. Likewise, the house is going to be more than paint and sheetrock, nails and lumber, because it has been a labor of love as Trc has put some of herself into it as she has coordinated laborers and sub-contractors.

Probably the saddest part of us being gone the past six months has been Krl's friend and our housekeeper for the past sixteen years. This woman has always been "good as gold", until this year. Krl loaned her a vehicle and charged her with keeping an eye on the house, cleaning the house, coordinating lawn service as needed, and watering indoor and outdoor plants. This person was paid through the end of March. We realized we had a problem when we talked with a neighbor who reported that the lawn was in need of attention. We had sent the money to our housekeeper twice for a lawn service to do the yard, including shrubs and trees. We knew the remodeling crews were at our house working when we would get a call from this woman telling us everything was fine, nothing was disturbed and that Krls tulips were blooming. Finally a month into the renovations we got a call from Trc reporting that the housekeeper had finally come by and was very surprised that all the contents were gone and all the "dead" indoor plants were moved outside, all the floor covering had been stripped and that the house was taped and ready for painting. Finally Krl received a call from this woman and Krl lowered the boom. Krl told her how disappointed we were that she didn't do what was agreed on and yet she continued to lie about it. As it turns out, we believe that the housekeeper has been to the house once since Christmas. As Grover would say, "People are just no darn good"! Please prove him wrong.

I have one more dilemma to deal with but it will have to wait until I get home. More on this later.

Be the real deal!

FATHER, grant us patience. Temper us, calm us. I pray for Krl and me as well as the crews as our work here winds down. I pray for Adam and his men in Iraq. Keep them safe and out of harms way. I ask blessings on Lauren on this her birthday. I pray for Memama, Pepa, Hag, Bets, Jess, Douglas, Jack, Lillie, Ashlyn Kate, Dr. Mackie, and Jeanine. I lift them up for YOUR miracles of healing and care. I pray for those who are sad and heavy hearted with grief. I ask YOUR comfort for them. I pray for those of us who are 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 of single mind and put their hope in YOU and YOUR promises. I pray for our prayer partners Jenavene and Susan, give us YOUR strength and YOUR peace. Peace, perfect peace.