I am worn out!

At least mentally, but that was no big feat!

I enlisted some help with the equipment program. If you know me you have some idea of how my brain works. Rather than me taking time off, I hired a young man to help me. My justification is that rather than having "no" income, I'll just have less.

Spread the wealth!

Actually, this young man is a friend of Chris's and is splitting time between the store and my project with hope of further employment hanging in the balance. This young man worked at a convenience store across the street from the parts store. Recently he was told to throw the left over deli items in the dumpster. In the course of doing this, he had given his brother three corn dogs. This is something that all of the employees sometimes do, but for some reason the manager took exception this particular time. The manager told the employee that he was going to jail and that he would be fired. The employee offered to pay for the corn dogs. The manager refused. The corn dogs never left the store. Law enforcement was contacted, the employee taken into custody and jailed. The employee bonded out and returned to work to learn he had been fired.

All for three corn dogs.

The latest news is that the store manager was afraid the young man was a threat to her job!

Someone should beat the woman with a soggy corn dog! (Or even worse, one of those crispy hard ones that has been under the lights too long!).

Seems like the "expired" food should be used somewhere rather than trashed.

The new project employee and prospective store employee was very impressive in his first day at the store. He likes to stay busy. I even began showing him some things that I do to make the office flow better. It was an opportune time, end of month. Lots of paperwork to shuffle. We will hopefully begin getting statements out today! I am hopeful that when I am at the seasonal jobsite I can come in a day or two a week for a few hours and help with or deflect some work away from Pat, especially if the new employee can lend a hand.

Of course if history repeats itself, I will probably put things in place where I work myself out of a job!

After my Monday I might not complain. Monday when we closed the store Chris asked me to take him South of town to the farm his Dad was working on. I didn't begin the hour drive home until between seven fifteen and seven thirty, which put me home after eight in the evening.

Chris had been summoned to the farm for one of those Father Son talks.

Monday when I arrived at work there was a young lady sitting in the side chair in the office, Chris was sitting behind the desk, both were drinking a large cup of Chris's coffee. Chris introduced her. "Uncle Don, this is my girl friend", he said.

I don't know how I did it, but I didn't faint. I acknowledged her, and had enough of my senses to remember her name. Later in the day, after she had left, I told Chris they looked like an old married couple drinking coffee in the morning.

Mid-afternoon, "girlfriend" returned. I called Pat, thinking she might like to meet the young woman. Actually Pat thought I had been kidding about the girlfriend.

Myself, I think it made Chris throw his chest out and stand a little taller. Chris is not a seasoned veteran of dating. I would bet I could count the number of dates he has had on one hand and not even threaten to use my thumb.

Pat thought this is part of the growing up process. She was excited for Chris that someone could look past the scars and vision disability the car fire left on him as a five month old infant.

But! Pat and I seem to be in the minority. Shoot, we aren't marrying him off! We're just letting him be normal!

Chris's Dad, Hag, came unglued! Aunt Krl did the same.

I did tell Chris that no girl would ever be good enough in Hag's eyes.

Chris's Mom told him that it took JR twelve years to finally win over Hag enough to marry Chris's sister. (Chirs's Dad may be a push-over compared to Chris's sister!).

I told Chris that I did the math and in twelve years the current girlfriend would be mid thirties. We might want to go with a younger model! (There was a sister of one of his friends who came in the parts store. Gorgeous red hair, fair fair skin, cute as a button. We were helping her acquire a set of flip flop car mats. She had left her phone number with us and I told Chris he should file it away. His response was, "Uncle Don, she ain't eighteen!").

Nope she ain't, but in twelve years she will be twenty-seven or twenty-eight!

Of course, we are apprehensive that Chris's heart will be broken. The current girlfriend came on the scene last Friday. A friend of one of Chris's roommates came by Chris's house and the girlfriend was with him. Turns out she dumped the friend of a friend and hooked up with Chris. I haven't given Chris that speech yet, but I'm perfecting it. (You know, "If she did it to him she will do it to you!"

For the time being, "puppy love" is howling at the parts store!

Gotta get!

Have a great day!

FATHER, work YOUR plan.