The company trailer looks like a recently used and vacated motel room, 'cept someone took the sheets.

With few exceptions, I hauled it all into the house, deposited it, and Krl took over from there. The lone exception to this was that I did fold and put away my socks and unawares.

It was kind of funny, I stripped the bed in one trip. Blankets, comforter, sheets, mattress pad, pillow cases, and when I walked in the house, Krl told me to put it on the kitchen floor. I did and you would have thought I had brought in an old friend of the houndgirls. They all took turns laying on top of the mountain of bedding. I guess they are going to need some counseling to separate their own identity from being trailer park hounds.

We did take a break to go get haircuts. Krl had been wanting one since she got a bad one in early October. I had been needing one but had not had opportunity. I took Krl to Trc's stylist and I went back to my regular barber. I really don't know why I continue to go back. There is about a one in ten chance I get a cut I like, and it looks good for a few days and then I need to go back for warranty. The man has perfected cutting hair with the repeat customer in mind.

On the way home we stopped at Dollar Tree for a few items. To be honest that was my first trek inside. I was impressed, that is quite the concept and it makes more since to me than Family Dollar or The Dollar Store. At least everything at Dollar Tree is a dollar. Not once did I hear the p/a speakers call for a price check.

One more stop at Target yielded some of the requested grandbabie items, but the main item we were looking for remains elusive. Krl had ordered this item online. In fact she ordered several of them online and asked that they be shipped to our home. They have not arrived and it has been almost four weeks. This is one of those items that is "not available in stores" or so they say. After two more stops, I'm beginning to believe it!

Actually our final stop knew what we were talking about and told us they were just out. Delivery truck runs Tuesday.

I am appalled at what I have been reading the last couple of days. The Goldman Sachs CEO received a $50M+ bonus. The Pfizer CEO received a buy out/retirement package of $180M. Are we nuts are what. There is no way you can convince me that these people are worth that kind of money. These guys are allowed more for car and driver allowance than I make in a year! I have always heard how expensive it is to get a new medication through trials. This retiring CEO must have been driving it over himself! It sure looks like corporate America's pay scale is tilted and from where I'm at it is a long ways to the top.

A few years ago, when things were looking badly at the family business, a troubleshooting company was brought in to look over the company and to devise a "work out" plan. (Not a workout plan, a work out plan.) These people looked at all sorts of information, plugged it into an industry standard and then made recommendations. Of course the first recommendation was that you pay them a pretty stout fee. Some of this company's revelations were surprising. For the most part, they considered the pay we were paying to workers, to be over the industry standard. This group included dispatchers, billing, collections, payroll, safety, insurance, telephone operators, and even the cleaning crew. They considered these people to be "minimum wage" people. I remember them telling us that these people are a dime a dozen. My response was "not in our area". I went on to tell them about the low turn over rate, the established communication between workers and customers. I felt and still feel that the stability was a very valuable asset. We weren't always training someone new. I will be the first to tell you we weren't paying $50M+ bonuses or $180M+ retirement packages, but the pay was good for that time, in that area. The other interesting revelation regarding payroll was that the management level pay was below industry standards. In fact they could combine Fred's and my pay and it wouldn't add up to the industry average of one manager.

Were we stupid or what? Good guys finish last. Good guys have footprints on their back where they got trampled.

Nah. I think we were trying to be fair. To all concerned.

But man did we have fun!

I'll bet you that these people earning these big bonuses, big salaries, big retirement packages, are not happy people. The smiles they have on their faces are probably permanent and the result of a creative plastic surgeon.

When is enough, enough?

I don't want to be rich. I would like to be comfortable.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Dang, two years away and already the fields are forming for the '08 presidential race. Call me crazy but I think it would be extremely difficult for me to even look at a Republican candidate after life with Jorge' Bush (that's pronounced Horgay Boosch). I figure any Republican considering a run for this office would feel that he had been "bushwacked". Actually, I think a Republican would have a better chance becoming president of Iraq.

Personally, I like John Edwards and Hillary. I know, Edwards is the rich trial lawyer, and we all know about Hillary. I think government needs to be returned to "the people" and not special interest groups and businesses.

It may be time for a woman to head this nation. Lord knows they can't do any worse. Besides, my Mom is pretty smart and she's a woman.

My biggest concern for Hillary is simple, how would Bill look in a blue dress?

Three days 'til the jolly fatman comes. Oh joy.

FATHER, rescue us, harbor us.