The last few days it has become evident that summer is here. Hot.

I have worked three days so far this week at Chris's store. Today is my scheduled day off, which I will spend in and out of doctor's offices.

Not much of a day off, huh!

Pepa got a pretty good report from his doctor in Lubbock yesterday. I figure that is a good thing because ready or not, he is fixing to go back to work!

The parts store has been busy this week. It seems like a steady stream of people coming and going all day long. The brief lulls are barely giving us time to do some of the things we need to do like putting together service packs for one of our larger customer's fleets. Then it seems we are expanding our inventory to meet a changing clientele.

It has been pretty fulfilling for me to watch as many of the inventory additions I was hired to make, have begun to move. It takes a while just to get the word out. I recently purchased for the store a group of high visibility, six-in-one screwdrivers for resale. I had purchased the exact same items at the seasonal jobsite. It gives me a thrill every time I'm by the counter and there is another vacancy in the display! I have also made a few changes trying to see how we are affected by impulse buying. So far, these have been a success!

My education continues though. I probably devoted a couple of hours to researching a small fifty-nine cent retainer. Problem was, the computer never did recognize what I was looking for. I finally called our buddy at the DC and he helped me find and locate what I was looking for. Terminology is proving to be a real challenge. The computer registered the part once the research was complete, but I will never know why their description list it as a GM retainer clip. I told our friend in Dallas that I was only as good a parts man as he was smart. It pays to know who to call!

After two consecutive nights of excellent sleep, here I am up and at 'em in the middle of the night. Go figure.

I can't let the Dale Earnhardt Jr. news go by without comment. It would be interesting what sort of terms were agreed to. We know that it is a five year contract. It is unbelievable that Junior is going to be teamed with Jeff Gordon, Jimmy Johnson, and Casey Mears at Hendrick Motorsports. That sounds like an all star lineup. I have always like Junior but never been a fan. That stands to change now. It will be interesting to see how Junior responds to Hendrick's vast resources. Now I feel that we will see what Junior can really do! I'm also very curious about the Bud sponsorship. The car Junior is moving to has had long time affiliation with Kellogg. There have also been rumors that MasterCard or Visa were wanting to cash in on Junior's marketability.

Last evening I was talking with Pat. She had told me she would go to the doctors appointments with us. I think she really wants to make the one with the dermatologist. When I was on my way home, just a few miles from the house the pavement became wet. We had had a rain shower. While Pat was talking with me it began to rain harder and water was running off the house. She found it hard to believe because fifty miles to the west the sun was shining brightly.

I had a call from Ed, the other contractor from the fall jobsite. He had just learned of Fred's death. He was offering his condolences and telling me they would have sent flowers, attended the services, or made some type of memorial, if they had only known.

Earlier in the day I waited on a customer I thought I recognized, and as he was leaving we were talking and I asked him his name. Turned out my instincts were right, he was who I thought he was. His name was Omer and he owns the B-Line lube chain. He had been a friend and long time supporter of Fred's. He was out of town last week and was saddened and surprised when he returned home and learned about Fred.

Well, I have ranted and raved without saying a whole lot. I just needed to purge my brain cache. Maybe I will try to lie down again.

Have a day!

FATHER, be with me.