Is it the weekend yet?

I have been running on fumes this week, and I don't think there is going to be any relief in sight, at least for the next three weeks. I committed to have the equipment project at a show August 11, so now it is deluxe thrash time! As usual, I have to be pressured to get it finished.

I wonder if money were no problem if I would study and budget so much. Currently we are trying to use as many of the drives, couplers, sprockets, sheaves, and pumps as we can to minimize cash outlay (because cash, as always, is at a minimum).

Today is my regularly scheduled day off which means I am meeting with our hydraulic specialist, then hopefully with a transmission builder, and finally beginning to do more dis-assembly so we can begin to re-build.

I think the rebuilding can be limited to re-modeling and only a day or two once we have al the pieces gathered. The big thing is going to be some disc sanding and shooting some gray sander primer. We have decided we will take the equipment "primer gray" to the show.

For the long term I may look into the possiblity of these new "wraps" that I see many businesses using on company vehicles.

At the parts store we have been teasing with crossing historic thresholds. One day we will bust through it, the next day we will backslide. Every day we print an EOD report that gives us a bunch of information. For the day, for the month, for the year to date. Other areas include a comparison of this day last year, last year's month and last year to date. So if we have a poor day (like Monday) and the same day last year was good, we can lose ground on the year to date comparison. Yesterday we busted through the $30K barrier above last year's year to date. Not huge numbers, but I'll take them. Especially since the increase has really started adding up since March or early April. I would sign up for a ten thousand dollar per month increase for the next six months!

I was last to take lunch yesterday. It was done on purpose because I was going to Uncle Wilson's funeral. I ate lunch with Memama, Pepa, and Coach, then we all went to the funeral together.

Uncle Wilson had made and paid for the majority of his funeral arrangements back in 1992. Talk about planning. That would have made him seventy-four when he worked out the rough details. Of course there had to be a few changes. A couple of substitutions in pall bearers were in order as some of his choices left this world prior to him leaving. He not only chose the minister who officiated, he chose the songs.

In something I had never experienced, after the brief graveside service, several songs were sung. Once again, all choices of Uncle Wilson. The first was sung by his granddaughters, one was sung by a great granddaughter accompanied by the granddaughters, and the final song was a congregational singing. It was very special and I know Uncle Wilson had to be pleased.

I was somewhat surprised by the lack of turnout for the funeral but then I really didn't realize the family had been gone since 2003.

One particular piece of information I found interesting was that funeral cost had increased by 306% since 1992. I don't know of anything else that has increased that much in the same time period except fuels.

I know my pay has not increased that much. In fact it has probably decreased since then.

I realized a weird statistic tonight. I have gone to a funeral every twenty days for the last forty days. June 8, June 28, and July 18.

I am ready to break the trend. Once I again found it extremely difficult from a personal standpoint. Just when I think I am making some improvement, someone else dies. Two steps forward, one step back.

Pepa has been having great difficulty getting adjusted to his new medications. He continues to complain about dizziness and yesterday complained that the ground appeared to be like water. We ended up putting him back in the car at the grave site because he had a spell between the car and the grave site. He is supposed to go back to his new internist next week.

I woke up about 1:46 this morning and began working on a letter and putting together a package to fax to a gentleman I have been working with. This is a weird situation where he needed some equipment, yet didn't want to do my program. What time I have devoted to this has been with no compensation because I usually take a small over-ride of the job. I have tried to put interested individuals together and now I am stepping to the side. I am in hopes at some point in the future my contribution will be repaid with other opportunities.

Well, I may try to get a nap before morning now that I have emptied my brain.

Have a day!

Oh FATHER, I need some help here!