I'm still alive. At times this has been questionable, but alas I am still kicking.

Talk about a thrash!

The 29th was just that. Trucks began to arrive early. I had held two employees over to help in the mass exodus, but I would've needed twenty. Needless to say, when trucks arrived they had to wait as we worked them into the mix.

Krl and I arrived home (at the "summer house") about six-thirty Wednesday evening. We looked much like a convoy (I was #4, Krl was #5 for all but the last fifty miles) as Charles was in one of the trucks bringing our trailer to the house to be unloaded before dashing it off to storage and the shop. Trace and the girls had given Krl specific instructions not to go in the house until they were over. As it turned out this was a long wait as we had to secure the trailer and get everything ready to "weather the night". Power cords had to be stretched and connected to preserve everything that remained in the freezers and refrigerators that we had brought in. Finally Charles was unhooked and headed back to Sweetwater with his power unit, Brently had arrived and Krl and I were allowed to tour the house.

Wow!

Trc did excellent. I really think she could make a lot of money decorating if she wanted to. Every single thing was perfect. All the accents, painstakingly thought out and put together. It is simply unbelievable. We took about an hour touring and then the girls broke out the pizza(s). I told them "Let's hurry up and eat so we can get gone before the people that live here get back!"
It is much like coming home to a new house. There are a few odds and ends that Trc still wants to do inside, but it is 99.9% completed. The workers have much to do on the outside as they have just barely began.

It has been wild and wooly since our return. Trying to get things put up and stowed away has been an enormous task. Krl has been doing most of the work at the house while I have been trying to get everything else put into storage, the shop, or just doing maintenance that needs to be done while it is fresh on my mind. Today was an all day sucker as I took the RV to the shop, took Blacksheep 2 to be washed, adjusted brakes and other sundry projects before I parked it. Hopefully next week it will have its time in the shop. A couple of wheel seals, a seal in the turbocharger, a compressor gasket, a new front bumper, and a little cosmetic work to remedy the damage the white tail deer did. (I think the guys hit six or eight deer with this single unit).

Other parts of my day were consumed with Blacksheep 22. I think one battery is going bad and late in the afternoon I finally finished removing the air farings where I could "eyeball" the batteries. It was at this juncture I discovered they keys were missing, so it required me to spend the rest of my day back tracking everywhere I had gone trying to find them. Thankfully I was successful. Stupid, but successful. I think that I have been juggling about seven or eight different key rings so this was bound to happen. The alarming thing was this key ring held one key that we have no duplicate. There is not a single key cutter in town that can reproduce this key. The only way to get a duplicate is to go to the dealership, provide proof of ownership (or responsibility) , give them the vehicle Id# and then wait for the key to shipped. I am almost scared to ask price but Krl thinks we should get another key for both BS22 and BS222.

It was only today that I was able to find enough computer parts to get back on line. I'm, not at a hundred percent, I am limping along with a makeshift mouse and this is the second or third key board I have tried. I guess if there was a flaw in our house project it was that Trc and her help were not "computer savvy". There is one big box of computer cords, power supplies, "mice", and what nots. It has been a chinese fire drill, but I am not complaining. I appreciate what she did!

I guess I am going through a post season funk. I am battling depression, some kind of cold or flu and generally suffer from the "don't want toos". If I felt really energetic I would probably go to Lubbock either Thursday evening or early Friday as my "bud" Frank is receiving an award at the Texas Cotton Ginners Convention Friday morning. One thing for certain, he holds the bragging rights this year! Congratulations Frank!

Since Krl and I vacated the job compound so quickly we did not get to do our end of season celebration with Frankie and Nancy, Becky and Ricky, and Kristy and Alan. I had told Krl that we could stay an extra couple of days and all of us go to town and out for dinner. She worked it with all the wives that they will come to Abilene at a future date, either as a group or single couple and we will go out. I figure some of them might need some recuperating time after the barbecue and celebration Tuesday a week ago. That party was way to close to the trailer park and lasted way too long as far as us residents were concerned.

Well, stick a fork in me. I am done.

Be the real deal.

FATHER, for YOUR love.