The Abilene trip didn't happen yesterday. I don't guess the stars aligned or something.

Actually by the time everything was in place to do the trip it was well into the afternoon. The morning was spent getting things ready for Delfino to service forklifts. We hadn't gotten all the service items out of the supply trailer and then as always, the drain pans had disappeared from last year.

When I did finally give Krl all the settlements, she began to get busy and I decided to take a break on the couch and watch NASCAR. I think I woke myself up three or four times snoring, but I never snoozed more than a brief period.

Surprisingly, my crew showed up as instructed. Lots of time when the crew is going off days onto night duty, attendance is spotty. The only glitch was that Frank, in trying to prove the GM wrong, fired the plant up about twenty minutes early. That meant I had to watch the forklift dock until Herbert showed up.

I am trying something different this year. Usually on a maintenance Sunday I try to clear the yard of all loads. Yesterday when we started the plant I had a load for each of the night trucks waiting. So, if they performed as they should things should have flowed for them, if they didn't I will have a surplus of shipments.

I've just decided not to spazz about it. There are a lot more important things in this life to worry about.

I was sure sleeping good until about two this morning. I got up and walked to the door of the trailer and took a look out and then checked all three phones to be sure no one had called with trouble. I guess when I went back to bed Maple Syrple was jealous of me cuddling Krl because although it was a slow process, she gradually ooched and waddled enough to get between us. Of course Phooey will occasionally try to infringe on Maple's seniority, but it just takes a couple of snaps and a growl to put her in her place.

The big hounds are hibernating I think. I'm sure they hope when they wake up they won't be out here. Yesterday they didn't even get up until almost three in the afternoon. Leave it to us to have a mobile geriatric nursing home for ancient hounds! We don't talk about it but Krl and I both know that probably sooner than later they will go to pet heaven.

Well, I think I will watch a little telly and lay on the couch for a while. Have a good day! Think of me when I round the corner in the morning. It could be good or it could be a mess.

FATHER, instill in me YOUR patience. I ask for confidence that with YOU I can do all and solve any problem.

Silence is golden.

The sound of silence.

Silent morning.

What a gorgeous sound this morning. Actually it hasn't been that way since I woke, but I was laying in bed when Barco took the plant down for a maintenance Sunday. First the seed blower quieted, then you could hear the multiple fans which power the air system as they began coasting to a stop. The last thing you could hear was the low rumbling hum of the lint cleaners as they began coasting down without power. Some of these big machines take over two minutes just to coast to a stop so it is a slow gentle progression from noisy to silent.

And boy do I need a maintenance Sunday.

Yesterday was the worst day I have had out here. I'm not talking about the trucks or the drivers or the plant. I'm talking about me. I bit off more than I should have and it had me fizzing and spurtin' before my day was out.

When Krl and I came to the jobsite we thought we would have one more weekend home in Abilene. That is how it usually happens. But not this year. We have been making a list of everything we left at home. Most importantly are some records in my desk that I need to do the quarterly reporting due by the thirty-first. So that means we (or more specifically me) will have to use the maintenance Sunday to make a mad dash to Abilene.

My heavy office work begins Friday morning with the support staff payroll. It escalates Saturday and Sunday to driver and truck settlements. What I was trying to do was finish all of my weekend duties by Saturday night. And that had me wound tighter than a mainspring! Try as I might, it always seems I have inadvertent mistakes. A missed minus sign, a number is transposed, and the list goes on and on. It is a rare occurrence when I have no mistakes. Krl's primary job is to proof the settlements and write the checks. This is only week two so I have not hit mid-season form. I finished my work and handed them over to Krl. Then I began running errands, things I am required to do on site. Copies of fuel bills, giving out transition notices of maintenance Sunday and the flip of the crews from days to nights and vice versa. It seemed like everytime I walked back in our trailer Krl had one more correction for me to make. I finally snapped at her and told her not to present them to me one at a time, give me the whole dose at once. The final problem was a missing one load of bales. I should have caught it earlier. I have a system to check between the sign outs and the settlements. Crazy thing was I had actually made two mistakes one on each side of my checks and balances and that gave the appearance of my being correct. it took me forever to figure it out! But I did. Problem was it affected several pay sheets and Krl was already out on the couch. Oh well.

I actually think I have one more settlement to do this morning. There was one driver who just signed his name. "Sam".

I started to title his settlement "Sam I Am". Or "Sam Sung". Or "Son of Sam".

I still have a few corrections from last weeks settlements, but they will be minor compared to my day yesterday.

Some of my drivers are excelling. Others are stumbling and failing badly. I'm probably in that last group too. When I hire a driver I like to tell them what is expected and then just leave them alone. If I am not having conversations with a driver, he is doing good. If he is seeing me on a regular basis, he might have a problem. Friday night saw one driver do two-thirds of what he was expected, another did none, and the last was a fill in making up for the no show who did one third of the goal. It wouldn't be too bad if the jerks would just call, but they don't. By the time we are aware of a problem with them we are stacking shipments.

I am thinking of holding paychecks until they call me or come to see me. None of these have authorized release of the pay to any one else, so usually that means they will pick them up at the plant.

Hhhhhmmmm. That might be an idea.

Well, I guess I had better get started on my maintenance Sunday. I have to lay out filters and fluids for Delfino to service forklifts. I sent parts in with Jason yesterday for the Volvo trucks that will rest on their end. Nothing major, pretty much routine or near to it.

Have a day!

FATHER, I am in need of YOUR maintenance. I give myself up to YOU to do YOUR thing!

I never got time to get on the 'puter yesterday, and that should tell you something.

What you might not know is that it started Thursday morning. Truck 20 came in to load seed and while he was loading the truck developed a throttle sensor problem. It wouldn't come off idle. Add to this the fact the driver over loaded and had to back inside the storage building to off load and when he began to pull out, the clutch went out.

Jake sent me another truck and when it arrived several hours later, we had the task of unhooking a disabled unit from a loaded trailer. This is often tedious when you have mobility. Thankfully, we pulled this off without incident. We hooked the replacement truck up and I made my rounds to return and find the truck still sitting. The driver said he had an air leak and the brakes wouldn't release. This driver is pretty taxing and I just wanted him gone! I began to look and check things out and first thing I discovered was air coming from a dispersal valve on the back of the truck where the trailer lines attach. I messed with this a while until Cowboy, another driver who once was a mechanic. arrived and began helping me. We finally determined that the valve was bad and I removed one from the first truck and installed in on the replacement unit. No luck. Air was still escaping. We chased over and under this unit from one end to the other until about one in the morning. Long before this the driver had disappeared.

I went to the trailer and ate supper and showered before finally laying down about two. When my eyes sprang open it was five-thirty and I was dreaming of the truck with the problem. I finally decided it had to be a brake chamber leaking through and I began trying to isolate which one it was. No luck. Jake and their shop man arrived and the man began doing the same diagnostic things I had been doing. Finally he determined it was a dispersal valve on the trailer that rather than charging the trailer storage was bleeding directly into the service side of the valve causing it to bleed back to the truck. He removed the valve and I gave Jake directions to a trailer place in Midland.

For several days Krl and I had been trying to get into Midland and Odessa to pick up parts for trucks and forklifts, and by yesterday we even had a few grocery items we needed. We weren't too far behind Jake going into town.

We got our parts, Jake got his. Highlight of Krl and my day was going to Chili's. We love and miss civilization. It was great. While we were running errands, Jake called and told me the truck was fixed! Hallelujah! Before we got home Jake called and told me the truck was in Lamesa and had a blowout!

Sometimes you can't catch a break.

I gave Jake the information for a tire service in Lamesa and he relayed the info to the driver.

Now I have to reassemble the broken down truck sitting on the yard.

One of the parts we picked up on our trek was a control board for a travel trailer water heater. Once shift change had occurred, I went into Delfino's trailer (he was on duty) and I removed and replaced the board. Dang the luck, the heater still doesn't want to light. Next repair will be to replace the thermostat but our supply place didn't have one yesterday.

This morning on my rounds I found we are enjoying a tremendous inventory of product at every orifice of the plant. In other words, we are behind!

Oh well. I'm just not going to stress.

Thankfully we are having a maintenance Sunday.

Today I will spend working on the computer! Driver and truck settlements.

IF things go well, either one or both of us will make the mad dash to Abilene tomorrow.

I need a day to decompress.

Rian called me and said he and Erica and the boys were going to Dallas to see one of the youth from their church who had a brain tumor removed. Before the day was out Rian and his next door neighbor (behind him) and the youth minister were making the trip instead of Rian's family. When Rian called it had already turned into a man trip. They were deciding where to eat and had even thrown in a football game. Ma Allen's buffet in Sweetwater for supper and the Abilene-Permian ball game in Abilene. We even had to make a bet on the outcome. I took Abilene and seven and a half points. Permian won by seven.

I have big plans for that dollar I won, even though I know it won't have the impact that the $100 I won from Rian had a couple years ago on the BCS Championship game. Heh. That year Krl and I put another nine hundred with the hundred and sent it to healing hands for disaster relief. Heh. I have his number! Of course that is a drop in the bucket for disaster relief.

I better close. I have calls to make and keys to punch. If you are fortunate enough to get a weekend, enjoy it!

Pray for us, that this mad frenzy will fall in place.

FATHER, my body aches, it is tired and sore. My mind is frizzing. My soul needs a recharge of YOU. Renew and refresh me. Make me new, make me what YOU want me to be. Give me YOUR peace, YOUR patience.

Small things matter.

That seems to be the theme out here this year. It's like at every turn there is something that reminds me of this. I have had so many times already where in my rush to get something done I have cut a corner either purposely or accidentally and it has come back to remind me that small things and attention to detail are important.

This morning is probably one of the best mornings we have had so far this year. By this I mean I don't have an abundance of product on either end of the plant. At least not like yesterday morning. It was an all day sucker just to get caught up. It seems that I have two superior drivers, one on each shift, and two average drivers on the jobsite to Sweetwater run. The two superior drivers do about one and a half times the work of the other two. If one of the average drivers could make that extra push we could probably do without the "fill in rigs" that we have been using.

On the jobsite to Lubbock end of the plant I have assembled a pretty decent group. Oh it is not without a couple of cry babies, but hey you got to take the good with the bad. Some of the good guys are like all world all stars as far as I am concerned.

I was in the office yesterday when the Plant Superintendent came in and told me one of my drivers was throwing a fit so I had better be prepared. As it turned out, by the time I found him he was over it, or so it seemed. This man was in a foul mood. He was out of road money and has had more than his share of trouble. I told him I would advance him so money for food and that calmed him some, then we addressed some of the problems he has been having. I told him enough stuff happens in normal day to day activities with a conscientious driver, that we need to pay attention and tend to business. Take care of the truck and it will take care of you.

Minutes later I discovered a problem with a wheel seal on his truck and had to make arrangements with Jake to send a truck to take it's place while repairs are being made. At least the driver isn't sitting around while this transpires. He wasn't happy about changing trucks again but hey if you are hungry enough.............

For the first time this season Krl and I splurged. We made the thirty-two mile round trip to the closest convenience store and got 'burgers for supper last night. Krl had been waiting all day to go to town to pick up parts and it just never happened for me. That may have been a blessing though because mid-afternoon she had a "white headache". This is really bothering me. I am going to suggest that she call Dr. Mackie today and see if he can get her in with a specialist in Midland.

I can't believe that the work week has cycled around already. I have data entry to do and tomorrow is payroll prep and I have to certify hours for payroll.

Krl continues to brag on me about the self control I am exhibiting. Sometimes I don't know whether to be proud or ashamed. Maybe I have been a real monster in the past. My whole motto this year is "kill 'em with kindness".

Back to this blog's opening line. Will it not be neat when we meet Jesus and if he tells us that "small things matter". Maybe we were encouragement, a friendly smile, maybe we were an outlet or an opportunity, maybe we just shared a laugh or a prayer.

Few of us have opportunity to do great things that impact society. Probably none of the readers here will discover a miracle cure, but all of us have the opportunity to do some small act of Christ on a consistent basis.

Join me in doing at least one today!

Have a day.

FATHER, Oh to be like thee, bless-ed redeemer! Thank YOU for Jesus!

My yesterday was busy.

My truck driver I had given an opportunity, pooped on me. He did not have the experience or expertise to really qualify for the job, but since he had previously run a forklift for me and done a decent job, I gave him a chance.

He left me high and dry. In fact he was supposed to come on Monday night. We had talked late Monday afternoon and I gave him a pep talk about getting his turns done quicker. Usually a complete turn takes four hours, he was taking as much as six. That meant in twelve hours he was only doing two compared to all others doing three. The major affect was on the bottom line of his pay check because he is on a percentage pay. As it turns out he went to the truck, started it, turned it off, gather all his personal belongings and went back to the trailer. He told my forklift operator he didn't feel well. When I woke yesterday I found cotton stacked on every trailer and on the ground. I felt of the truck and knew it had not run all night, then went to the driver's trailer and he had already fled (which was probably a good thing). I crawled in the truck and hit the road. I made one turn in three hours and forty-five minutes and the other in four hours! The problem wasn't the equipment!

Before I off loaded the first load, we had a driver in route to take over after my second load.

The driver who quit never called or talked with me. This is what really gets me bent. My trailer and this man's trailers are less than fifty feet apart. He could easily have come over and said he was quitting. I guess it is just a hispanic mentality because Frank the plant Superintendent says it happens to him quite often.

This morning the brother-in-law of the man who quit called me telling me the man had left me a note. In short strokes he said the man wasn't happy with his pay last week. I don't know why he thinks I am responsible, when you are on commission its up to you to get the job done. Add to this the fact that he only worked five days when six were available and he still made right at six hundred dollars (take home). Of course that is about two thirds of what he could have made, and this week you would have added a seventh day. You just can't 'splain some things to some people.

I know the man didn't like being away from his family. I can understand this. But he called me asking for the job..

On the Sweetwater end, the truck pusher Fred had hired before he died, finally showed his true colors. This man had been mad ever since he learned he was not going to be the head man. He had put in place an elaborate maze of lies and untruths to both vendors and customers and tried to do the absolute most harm he could do before he left. Now they are inventory-ing amid claims of tools and inventory being sold. It would also appear there are many improprieties in some of his business deals and of course his lies try to implicate anyone else. I am in hopes that substantial charges will be brought against this redneck racist from across the Red River and that justice will be served. I also believe that many of his lies are libel and that civil action would be justified.

I could say I told you so but I won't.

I will say that the man is very lucky Fred is not here, because the man would not be. Of course if Fred had been here the man probably wouldn't have tried to do what he did.

This man's name is Darryl Bischoff, he drives a junky white Dodge pickup registered in Oklahoma that is equipped with a service bed that is not quite right, he is loud, vulgar and abusive and usually has a small cigar stuck in the corner of his mouth, has a red motley complexion, reddish hair (what he has left) and wears some kind of old felt material pimp daddy looking hat. If your know of his whereabouts, please notify the authorities!

I could complain if I was pushed to.

Thanks for listening, I needed to vent.

I just hope my today is better. When the day started we were A-O-K on every front. I know the dock has already changed for the worst. If things go well we will go into Midland to secure some parts and supplies!

Have a day.

Oh FATHER, rescue me!

What a miserable day out here!

It is nasty nasty. Cool temperatures, strong winds and blowing dust make for a poor work environment!

Yesterday was supposed to be equally as bad but ended up being a pleasant surprise, especially when compared to today. The plant was not very productive yesterday. I guess they should have rested. The morning was filled with fires breaking out inside and finally making its way to the trash conveyor. My co-contractor Greg spent most of his day driving one of the local fire trucks. Just when they thought they had everything figured out and under control, they broke a piece on a cam on the press. That brought things to a stand still! I had trucks and truckers backed up and waiting. Thankfully most of them realize the way it is to work with machinery and equipment. Sometimes break downs occur! Finally, after the night crew came on duty, the plant came back on line.

I took a shot int he dark last night and called Pat. She had been gone all week to Sinton and Austin. Robyn had asked Pat to come down and help go through Terri's things and pack them and put them away. I think Robyn also was wanting some cooking lessons. I know when they first discussed this possibility Pat asked her what she wanted to learn to cook and Robyn said gravy! Pat told her to figure out what she wanted her to teach her and they would get 'er done! I don't know the entire menu but I do know one night they fixed chicken fried steak!

As it turns out Pat had just walked in her house. What timing! We talked for a while, even though I was trying to get off the phone because she was just getting home. She told me found the trip and going through Terri's things a lot more difficult than she had expected. She said she would go through the total emotional range of being mad at TJ one moment and in awe the next. I do think she enjoyed her time with Tj's family. She did tell me they laughed and laughed about some things. In fact, Edwin thanked her for showing the kids it was all right to laugh in their house again! Their situation has a long way to go in being resolved. With E's work and the timing there are still lots of adjustments to be made. It will happen, but there are somethings that you just can't rush. E has a huge job ahead of him. Robyn is having to assume some roles that she wasn't yet ready to tackle and the boys are going to have to become very independent! They just need to always remember they have an angel on their shoulder.

In fact we all have a couple sitting there!

By the way today is E's birthday. Happy Birthday Edwin!

As Pat made her way home she went by Austin to check on Hag's little brother and his family. They too had lost their wife and mother recently.

Well, I need to get out and enjoy this wind before it quits. My sources tell me we are supposed to have winds of twenty-five miles an hour every day this week but one! Yuk!

What do your think GOD was thinking when he created sandstorms, or was it just an after affect?

Have a day!

FATHER, thank YOU for the still days when YOUR earth shows off her beauty to us. Thank YOU for E, I ask your blessings on him on his birthday and that you will bless him with many more. You reign.

For yesterday to have had such a dismal start, the day rallied!

Thank YOU GOD!

I am still missing one of my regular players. Baldemar has worked with me for three years. I am hopeful he will come. That would give me a solid cast that I have faith in! Currently I have two guys who have yet too prove themselves. The remainder of the cast are like granite. Solid and durable.

For the first time this season I was in my trailer before eight last evening. Krl had prepared a tremendous meal (my favorite, baked barbecue chicken, corn on the cob, broccoli, taters, baked beans and biscuits), we were able to relax and have an enjoyable evening. I eventually fell asleep on the couch, where I remained until I awoke at four this morning. That is about the best night's rest I have had since we started this year.

I was out and about this morning by six-thirty.

O.K., a little for the weird.

Lots of times when I am driving, I just bust out in song. More times than not it is usually some type of old gospel song. For quite some time it seems as though it has been "I'll Fly Away".

Some glad morning when this life is o'er, I'll fly away.

Any way, I have been struggling with this song, my faith, or a combination of it all. First of all, I can't convince myself that it will be a happy or glad time when I die. Is this because I assume there will be those that are sad with my passing? Is it because I question my hereafter? As a Christian should I be eager to leave this earth? If so, is it selfish to want to rush to the reward?

I know that many are in a much better place. I know TJ is in no pain, Fred's mind is not consumed with problems of the business (whether they be loads or equipment), and both of them are everything they might have hoped and dreamed of being.

I know there are many on the other side who wait to greet us.

I guess it is a good thing that we aren't in charge of when we check out.

As you can tell, my mind is acting strange.

I have work to do. Have a good day!

FATHER, thank YOU for the restful night. I ask YOUR blessings on this day and our work. I pray for safety. I pray for resolve, I pray for patience and peace. Bless-ed be YOUR name.

O.K., I need to get back in the groove of blogging.

I know I need the self analysis. I have been fighting many demons that dance in my mind.

This has been a very tough work to get started this year. If something can go wrong, it probably has! From mechanical problems to employee problems, we've had it all. I am still one person short of being fully staffed. I have had multiple people promise they would be arriving but so far they have all been no shows. One former employee has promised me numerous workers but they always fail to show. I think he is blowing smoke.

I have been working closely with Jake and Jason. This is a necessary change due to Fred's death. I think their Dad would be proud of how they are trying to continue to carry the torch. My biggest fear is that they try to live his dream instead of their own. Even though the boys are doing a good job, there are times I just ache to talk with Fred.

I had a conversation the other day with a guy and he termed Fred as having been a haven for wayward truckers. If a trucker was salvageable, Fred could usually get it out of them. Fred's management style and people skill were very laid back and you had to really have multiple screw-ups for Fred to come unglued.

I have been trying not to get over taxed out here at an early stage. It is a real work for me to maintain and even keel instead of blowing my top. Krl said she is proud of me, but worries about when I do boil over it may be like a pressure cooker explosion. Oh ye of little faith (you probably have lived the experience!).

Today saw one employee not show up on schedule so I loaded seed trucks until he did. He had gone to town with another man and failed to come home last night. I bet by the end of his shift he is worn out. Wost thing about his being tardy was I needed to be keying information into settlements!

Yikes.

Krl and I went to Midland Odessa yesterday. Anything from grocery store to forklift shop, to RV parts, to picking up Unit 222. All we did was spend money and get me more projects! At ten last evening I was completing installation of a water heater in one of the travel trailers! Part of today was spent analyzing what the truck shop messed up when they fixed the big truck!

And last but not least, my infernal alarm clock is it's spazzoid self! I think I am more tired now than I was at the end of the '05 season.

Jason took a load of motes yesterday and brought Reidman back through on their way to Roscoe. It was good to see the little man!

Continue to pray for us! We need all the help we can get!

FATHER, give us your peace, give us your healing. I call upon YOUR name!

We are alive!

Eleven days without internet, go figure! In some ways it was a well deserved respite, in others it was a severe punishment!

In or move to the seasonal jobsite, yours truly failed to pack some very vital technological pieces. I could not even hook up our internet much less the wireless router because pertinent pieces are still in Abilene. Just last evening we picked up new cables and are toughing it out by being hardwired!

More later!

Pray for us, it has been sooo tough!

FATHER, be with us LORD!

O.K., I lied to you.

We aren't in the badlands yet!

And while I am cleansing my conscience let me add, I did not go by and tell that doctor all those hateful things I could have. No matter how true they were or how badly he needed to hear them.

Yesterday, just about the time we needed to get really serious about loading up and hitting the road, I had second thoughts. And it was a good thing. Shortly after, Krl got what she terms a "white headache". She likens this to an acute migraine which affects your vision where all you can see is bright white. Of course to drive like this would not be good.

The doctor told her these headaches were more than likely a result of either the small stroke she suffered, a horrible sinus infection, or a combination of both.

With his bedside manner I am surprised he didn't tell her she was a snot nose!

I am sure if I had asked, the houndgirls would have tried to drive. I can imagine Maple Syrple and Phooey in the floorboard working the accelerator and brake pedal, at least until Phooey got ADD and began wanting to fight with her sister. I can imagine the two black dogs at the sterring wheel (hey at least they are big enough to see over the wheel), both of them almost blind as bats being very evident when they are awake. (Hey, they are fixing to be 105 in dog years).

Yep, I probably made a smart decision to wait.

I spent the rest of the day doing things that needed to be done, but things that might not have been done if we had left.

My crowning achievement for the day was filling Krl's SUV with gas and having a coupon that saved me fifty cents a gallon! That's getting it down there close to the two dollar mark! I saved over twelve dollars. (It takes a lot less to thrill me the older I get).

As you can see, the achievement bar was not too high yesterday.

Probably the highlight of my day was cooking supper. Excuse me, but I like to cook. It is therapeutic. I cooked beef tips with bell pepper and onions on a bed of rice with egg rolls. I kind of cheated on the egg rolls though. About a year ago it seems like all the grocery stores changed brands and I don't like any of them so I went by Wok Express and bought ready to eat egg rolls!

By later in the evening Krl was waking me as I sat in my chair! I was tired, I was full, I was happy! I was asleep! Even the premier college football game of the day couldn't entice me to stay up.

If I had been watching USC and known they were going to get beat I would have stayed up. Sorry, I just don't like Pete Carroll or his program. It seems they are always having someone get in trouble. They may recruit from the penal system.

Texas/OU was a good game. I just wish Texas had won.

Miami was behind by 27 at the half. They got beat 33-27. KW had a poor first half, but KF didn't get to play.

Krl and I had a heart to heart yesterday. She told me she was not looking forward to being gone to the jobsite. I told her neither was I, BUT, we do what we gotta do. Probably the thing I will miss most is home. Don't get me wrong, we have about as nice a setup as you could hope for in a travel trailer. Forty foot long, double slide-outs, full compliment of appliances.

But it is not home. I like being able to run to and from the store in five minutes, not a two hour drive. I like the convenience of calling for fast food delivery. I like having an almost unlimited choice to choose from.

I'll admit it. I am spoiled.

My itinerary today. Go WEST young man! Regardless of Krl's headache I have to go to the jobsite. Seven Monday morning is going to come pretty early even if I am there. We are scheduled to run the plant for a while Monday. How much we won't know until Monday gets here. I am sure we will process everything we have on hand. I am optimistic that we will be able to return home at some point during the week or next weekend. In the not too distant future we won't have that option, especially when the plant comes on line around the clock.

So once again, I bid you adieu!

Have a day!

FATHER, don't give up on me yet!

Tough day yesterday.

I left the house a few minutes after six in the morning with the third travel trailer. (I had taken the second one as far as Memama and Pepa's Thursday night, which made for another late night). Shortly after seven in the morningI sat at the kitchen table with Memama and Pepa and visited while I made a trailer light pigtail adapter from parts I had either in tool boxes or had picked up from the parts store the night before. Then I made my way out to hook the Pepa's big truck up. At this point I didn't care if he took it or if I sent my man back to get it.

Memama and Pepa had taken a seed trailer to their farm shop late Thursday to leave it for a man to re-floor. Prior to unhooking it they were supposed to slide the fifth wheel all the way back. But they didn't. Which caused me great frustration and loss of time. After about two hour we had finally moved the fifth wheel but it wouldn't lock in place. Finally I disconnected the travel trailer and parked the truck. I could have moved the fifth wheel on Blacksheep 22 in a shorter period of time. Try as I might I couldn't help but be short. I told Pepa if I had a sliding fifth wheel it sure as hell would work, and I gathered my things and told him I had to get gone. I had hands waiting on me. So I hit the road, two hours late (or about the time I had told the hands I would arrive).

An hour later my cell phone toned, it was Pepa. He had hooked the truck back up and was on his way with the big trailer. For that I was thankful.

When I arrived, the other truck driver (who had left early with a fuel tank and gone by Midland to pick up one forklift) was there, but no "on the ground" hands. It seems they had become tired of waiting and left. Bad move on their part, since they were not there I had no assurance that they ever had been, which means I will be darned if I am going to pay them. My first act was to position the travel trailer I was pulling in the small trailer park. Then I unhooked and the truck driver and I went to the produce shed to unload the equipment. Just as we were finishing up my phone toned and Pepa wanted to know where we were. We returned to the gin and helped him unhook in the general vicinity of where I wanted the big trailer.

Turns out he never got the fifth wheel to lock back in place (which is kind of scary). His theory was if it moved at all it would lock. We probably had him on his way back home thirty minutes after he arrived on sight.

It sure did help my day that Pepa brought the trailer. Thanks!

My truck driver and I returned to the produce shed and I got on the forklift to drive it the two miles to the plant, but only after I had given him his instructions for the remainder of the day. By the time I arrived back at the plant, he was gone. Which left me with a long list of things to do by myself.

I took the forklift and maneuvered the big travel trailer in place, hooked up the electricity to get things cooling down and began the four hour job of unloading everything I needed to start setting up camp! When I finally had everything scattered around, it looked like a disaster area. I took a brief break to drink a bottle of water and a diet coke while cooling down, then began the arduous task of leveling the big trailer. I get so tired of going from one end to the other, side to side, as every adjustment has an affect on all the other jacking points. Finally I deemed it good enough and moved the slide-outs out. Then it was necessary to move a few items from their designated transport positions inside the trailer and then it was back outside. I began positioning and assembling our porch, steps and dog ramp, unloaded the small refrigerator and microwave and took them inside, retrieved a pallet to place under the gooseneck to place our small chest freezer on, and during a brief macho siege I grabbed the freezer in a bear hug and unloaded it! Aaaarrrggg! I laid our our perimeter fence and posts before turning my attention to the other trailers and getting electricity to them and turning refrigerators on. Finally I was spent and began putting things away, locking up and preparing for the trek back to Abilene.

I had gone in just before the office closed and got another bottle of water and a Sprite and Kristy had told me to get some extra water from the fridge in the back room. By the time I got to the closest store around, the football fans were stopping in for game supplies. I got myself a large ice tea and a bottle of Gatorade before continuing my journey.

I guess I had become to hot and too dehydrated during the day because about the time I got past Big Spring, that large ice tea was coming back up. Luckily I still had the cup! For the first time in a long time I thought I was just going to have to stop until I could quit retching. But just as quickly as it came on, it subsided and I continued on. I had a horrible time maintaining the speed limit. I would look down and be running ninety miles an hour! On a football Friday in West Texas! What kind of idiot am I. I actually thought I was going to have to stop, get out, drive over my accelerator foot, and then continue on at a sane rate of speed!

I knew what I was wanting to quench my thirst and my body's need for liquids. I wanted a Jolly Rancher Frozen Treat from Chillers. I figured cherry flavored, drink it down to half and then pour in a Diet Coke. By then muscle cramps had set in full force. I made it to Chillers in Merkel before I stopped for my frozen treat. Dang the luck, they didn't have the cherry so I settled for the next red flavor, strawberry. By the time I hit Abilene city limits I had scarfed it down, but I was so chilled I was shivering.

Krl had called and told me to pick up supper because she was going to bed (I didn't even see her while she was awake yesterday). So, I ran through Taco Bell. Once I arrived at home I got out of my work clothes and prepared to shower, but cramps were still bothering me, so I decided to eat supper, then drink a little pickle juice, then do the shower deal. When I was showering, one side of me got a lot cleaner because the muscle cramps were helping me scrub. As soon as I was out and dried off I grabbed my prescription bottle of potassium before heading back for more pickle juice. It was crazy. As soon as I would lay down in bed the cramps would chase me back up and I would be stretching, trying to get some relief. Finally I got up, made the trek to the kitchen and finished off one jar of pickle nectar and then laid down on the couch. I was somewhat relieved, but just about the time I dozed off the muscle cramps came back. I went back to the kitchen, found a fresh jar of pickles and downed the entire thing!

I woke on the couch at six fourteen this morning with my cell phone ringing. Try as I might I never could go back to sleep.

Today we go back to the jobsite for the weekend and at least part of next week. Festival today and tomorrow.

O.K., I'm going to back up to our Thursday. We spent half our day in the doctor's office. It was not our regular doctor. This was a new doctor we have never seen before. He is an asshole, but let me qualify that. He is paralyzed from the waist or chest down and confined to a motorized wheel chair (I guess for his convenience because I didn't see anything that would prohibit him from having a conventional chair). He had wanted to talk with Krl face to face about her stroke. When he did, he told her, "Don't worry about it. If you are suffering no loss of motor skills, no slurred speech or any other symptoms, don't worry about it". He went on to say it was not a new clot, the brain appeared to have circumvented the problem area, and there are no assurances it will ever happen again. My thoughts were O.K., does she need to be on blood thinners or what, but he said no. I guess he just wanted to make an extra office call fee.

Krl asked him about my sleep study and he got my file and said there was no reason for my sleep problems. He told me I was morbidly obese and that I would sleep better if I would lose some weight. Personally I know I am over weight, but would stop short of saying I was even obese, much less morbidly. I told him if he thought that, he should have met my brother and my sister. (Fred would have just grinned at him but TJ probably would have tossed him from his chair and then run over him with it!). That would have been enough but he continued to harp on it. Then some how he began telling us of how his education was plastic surgery before he was paralyzed in a car accident which has relegated him to doing what he is now doing. What that had to do with us, I don't know. I do know this man is an idiot who wants to sit in his high dollar motorized chair, with his long greasy hair and insult patients while trying to get sympathy from them. Even when we were leaving he told me when we get to the jobsite I need to see a dietician. I told him O.K., I would, she is there every morning and sells burritos and other Mexican delicacies. He has no idea how remote a location we are going to. Listening is an acquired art.

I may stop by today on my way out of town and tell him he is morbidly paralyzed, or that next time I was in town we would get together and play a round of golf and maybe go dancing. Of course that would be after we went through the car wash with the top down to get rid of his greasy hair.

I told Krl that he is a very angry man trapped in a wheel chair. My question is, was he this big an ass before the accident. I am trying to figure out proper usage of the term morbidly and asshole to describe him. Crazy thing is he is "over weight" too.

Well, I have things to do and miles to go. Next communique will be from the bad lands!

Have a day! Pray for us.

FATHER, help us all!

And the answers to my day yesterday are; no, not good, $1500, Fort Worth, and almost nothing.

If you have the correct answers to all of the above please contact me before I get out of bed today!

For all of you not so fortunate contestants, let me enlighten you.

No, the company travel trailer fridge did not heal itself. When I opened the door to the fridge yesterday morning I could have used oven mitts! So, K.O. brought his truck and we rushed the trailer to the shop where a five minute diagnosis revealed the refrigerator had to be replaced!

After days of badgering Dr. Mackie's office for results of Krl's MRI, they finally called. The news was not good. More in a moment.

$1500, the amount they want for a new fridge for the company travel trailer. In the old days this wouldn't have been bad news. Now that we are the new little company, this is BAD news! Of course in addition, this threw me another day off in the move to the seasonal jobsite.

I ended up going to Fort Worth to pickup equipment rather than to the jobsite. Six and a half hours to get 'er done. My old trusty driver didn't want to go alone so I led him there and back! At least now all the equipment is only forty-five minutes away for pickup and transport!

I accomplished almost nothing, zero, zilch that I had intended yesterday.

My day was what I termed a woe-full Wednesday.

My major concern of the day was and is Krl. Her MRI results revealed she has suffered a small stroke at some time. The doctor wants to meet with us to discuss her situation this morning. We are both feeling like we have been suckered punched and are stumbling around trying to make it to the bell! We are thankful that the stroke was small and non-debilitating. Our biggest fear is what the future holds. What are the possibilities of recurrence. I am finding this entire area extremely difficult to address. Hopefully, we will be better informed later today.

All the sudden I am feeling not too much like blogging.

I'll hope you can understand. If not, deal with it!

Have a day!

FATHER, we're feeling kind of loaded up here. We pray for relief, we ask for Krl's healing. We ask for things to come together with our crazy lives. Please bless us and our day, may it reflect you.

Crudola. Just when you think things MIGHT fall in place, they spin madly away.

I don't know if anything was accomplished yesterday that I had hoped and planned. About the only thing that happened was lots of things got loaded into the travel trailer. And that wasn't really on my schedule.

For some reason, the fridge in the travel trailer is acting up. It worked fine through the year while in storage, but bring it home, get it ready to go and zilch. I spent most of my morning working with it. Finally about one, I got the gas side of it to ignite. Of course as luck would have it there wasn't ample time to see if it WAS going to cool down before the cut off time of three for ordering repair parts. So in line with our game plan, I am waiting until this morning to open the door and see what is going on.

I spent part of the afternoon with Pepa, looking at equipment and checking on other things.

Mid-afternoon I went to K.O.'s. We have some loose ends to tie. We got a couple of them done and made plans for a couple more.

K.O. has been feeling poorly. He has gone through a battery of blood tests, yesterday he went through a stress test. He told me if a person wasn't stressed when they took the test, they would be by the end. He was there five hours, although some of it was waiting for testing equipment. He said he is nuclear after they injected him with an IV.

I don't know that I would want to be nuclear but I wouldn't mind being bionic. That would kind of be like wearing PF Flyers without having them on. You could run faster and jump higher! (You might have to be a little older of you don't get the jest). PF Flyers were THE tennis shoe to wear many years ago when I was in grade school. Black high tops, white laces, brown rubber soles with white rubber trim with red accent stripe. No swoosh! They were stylish before we became aware of style.

Last night I returned to the house after stopping by the grocery store on my way home. Before I even went in I secured the trailer. through the day I think I had all the storage compartments open as I loaded. I locked it for the first time since all the entertainment center pieces are now in. The only thing I haven't loaded is the microwave. Krl has been loading her clothes through the mid and late afternoon. Me I will take about ten minutes and gather everything I think I will need.

Probably the most frustrating thing is one of the last things I did. I called one of my seasonal drivers. I had helped get him a job after last year. When that job didn't work out I made a couple of contacts and opened some doors to get him another. Throughout the summer we have talked when he came into the parts store. When I visited with him, he would ask about the seasonal work and tell me that he was ready just give me a call. I saw the man that I had talked with originally when I set up his current job and we were talking about the up-coming seasonal work. He was asking me when the work would start and I reminded him that when I made the recommendation and introductions,I wanted and intended for this employee to be back when my work began again. He remembered, reluctantly.

Last evening when I talked with the employee, I could tell something was just not right. He told me he was going to have to think about it. It seems that since my conversation with his supervisor they have given him a substantial raise in hopes of retaining him. I told the man I have no problem with him improving his position if that is what he wants to do. I do have a problem with him trying to ambush me with his raise and the manner in which he was trying to negotiate.

I ended the conversation by telling the employee to "let me know". It didn't make me a hoot or a holler one way or the other. This man and I have always gotten along, BUT, we had always been up front and honest (at least I had). I feel his vision is a little tainted and his story tilted. He told me he is working twelve to fourteen hours a day currently. Of course with the shorter days this will become nine to ten. Weather will affect his current work while it won't affect ours (once we get going). He told me he has weekends off, but in his next breath he told me he was by the parts store for parts last Saturday.

The biggest thing for me is that our work is available and any one wanting to make more always has that option. Last year this employee would float in the nine-hundred dollar a week range while others in the same position were making two to three hundred dollars more.

Want to means a lot. Thank goodness this man is not my right hand man.

I think I will plan around him.

I am almost afraid to put down what my plans are today. I could go to the metroplex. I could take the big travel trailer to the shop. I could return to the jobsite. I could do lots of things!

Worst thing is I woke with a tummy that is one mad camper. Krl had complained about being sick when I got home, maybe I have contracted it.

Have a day.

FATHER next time my world comes spinning by, grab it by the tail. I pray for YOUR patience, YOUR calm. Instill in me YOUR assurance that everything is happening as YOU intend.

One down. More to go. Let's just don't look at how many more!

I suppose I'm pretty good at self analysis. I was spazzing and fizzing because nothing was falling into place yesterday and because I was SO dreading the trip. I had two opportunities to have someone accompany me, but I felt I needed to do it on my own.

It was after lunch before I got away. From that I knew it was going to be a LONG day. One I got to the jobsite I commenced setting up the first crew quarters trailer. It isn't ready, but it isn't far off. I did not hook any utilities up, but the trailer is secured and leveled on jack stands.

I made a quick visit in the office and found Frank and Becky along with Becky's husband Ricky. We had a brief visit before I left to finish my trek. I did learn that Kristy's paternal grandfather had died last Friday and she and her family had gone to his services. My condolences to her and her family for their loss.

I then hit the road to compete my outward trek. I arrived at the forklift dealers at Midland shortly before closing time. I had a load of attachments I needed to leave for one of the machines. Why is it that places that specialize in certain equipment usually have the absolute worst machines of their wares. One of their employees was told to get a forklift and help me unload. He had a choice, yet he grabbed a machine which had transmission sensor problems meaning that every gear change required the operator to kill the engine and electrical system. It was very frustrating.

There were several high notes to my day though. Both company machines that have been left there in their rental fleet were out making money! Yea! And, I did get to see the new company machine. It is awaiting the new clamp attachment. I'm not in a hurry because once they deliver it, the payments begin! Yikes!

When I got home it was late and I had been over four hundred miles!

I called my buddy K.O. to check on his day. He has been feeling poorly for several weeks and a couple of weeks ago his doctor did a battery of blood tests and scheduled him for a stress test in the morning. I know he has been dreading the stress test. They told him he would spend nine minutes on the treadmill. That was bad news in itself. The good news for me would be that the test takes place in a medical facility! I know he had spent time over the weekend on the treadmill at his Mom's. I would think training for a stress test might cloud the results. Any way, yesterday late, the doctor's office had called and informed him one of the test indicated he had mono. That would explain a lot. I was surprised that they still wanted him to come in for the stress test. I may get a lot of mileage out of asking him who he's been kissing on!

I do know going into this time of the year, even though his seasonal work is at a little slower pace than mine, he needs to be healthy.

Krl had one problem with the big travel trailer and although I looked at it, I couldn't fix it last night. I will talk with Brandon, my trailer man, when I pick up crew trailer #2. If I can't fix it maybe I can swap one trailer out of the shop for one going back in. I sure don't want them to give me a permanent repair stall in their shop!

Lots to do today. We are loading personal effects in the big trailer.

Have a day.

FATHER, thank YOU for a productive day yesterday and for getting my week going. I continue to ask YOU to take charge of my week.

I am so fighting with myself.

I just can't seem to get in the mood for the seasonal work. Let me build on that, I can't even get in the correct frame of mind!

And that is bothering me.

This will be fourteen years I have gone on this pilgrimage. The first ten of which I went without Krl. I have missed ball games, marching contests, cheer leading, Thanksgivings, and yes, even Christmases.

We have had Christmas in February and we have had Christmas in June.

The '05-'06 seasonal work was a record year for production. It was also a record year for time spent on the jobsite. Six months and two days. During that time span we did NOT come home at all.

They tell me there is a good chance this year will surpass all previous years. In fact the girls in the office have told Krl when we come to bring our Easter clothes. Easter '08 is in April for those who are wondering. One patron I visited with Thursday told me we would not be through until May!

It is not a problem with the people. We are lucky enough to work with some of the best in the business. Many of my drivers and machine operator's have been with me for many, many years. Very few of the plant employees have been there longer than me.

It is not the work, it is not the people. I think it is the time away.

I would also say that other variables come into play. Primarily Chris and the parts store. I guess I don't feel finished with them. I guess they are a lot like Kyle Patrick Henry last year at the jobsite! Works in progress.

I would also have to say I am leery of the work without Fred. We always had a deal, he was support on his end, I was support on mine, regardless of who's equipment it was. I am confident of Jason and Jake if they are who I work with. They have an understanding of the work. If I work with Mr. Harris, that won't be new. My biggest question mark is IF I work with Daryl. This is the tool pusher who Fred had hired just prior to his death. He has had some positive results within his scope, but where he is going to have to go with me and the seasonal work is uncharted territory for him. I don't see it as a capability issue, I see it as a possible control issue. Lack of knowledge is a dangerous thing.

My theory has always been to hire someone who is capable, explain what is expected of them and then turn them loose and let them do it. (This is a lot like Billie Sol's recipe for success. Surround yourself with good people!). If you are not seeing me or talking with me, it doesn't mean I'm mad, it means you are doing well. If I am seeing you regularly or seem to be giving you pep talks frequently you might want to step it up.

My other ingredient for this recipe is don't do stupid. Enough stuff can and will go wrong, so don't tempt fate.

I need to go to the jobsite with one of the crew's travel trailers tomorrow. And the next day, and the next day. Of course before I can do that I need to get that elusive inspection sticker on my truck, then a trip permit for the travel trailer. Give me seven hours and I should be back on this end planning for tomorrow.

I have always found the most difficult part of any trip is getting in, slamming the door shut, and getting underway. If I can get the trip underway, it usually flows.

So pray for me. For my week. For the seasonal work.

Hope you're not having as much problem as I am looking forward.

I wonder if I slept in my truck if the hard part would be over?

Have a day!

FATHER, I am struggling mightily. I find myself filled with apprehension and dread. Take these from me. Fill me with hope and certainty. Help me to know that all this is trivial, a small diversion in the bigger scheme of YOUR plan. I pray for safety, for the day, for the week, and for the seasonal work. Reign in me.