Time seems to be moooovvvviiinngg in ssslllooooowwwwww mmoottiionnnnn out here.

I am so battling letting it pull me down. One minute I am winning, the next it is.

We are still on top of things, at least last time I drove the compound. We seem to be having some equipment attrition this week. The long season is taking its toll. Wheel seals on one, transmission on another one (both of those are Pepa's, he won't be happy), an air leak here, a tire that needs replaced there, a light problem. The problems are wide and varied.

I have put in place hopefully the wheels to get things up and in shape to begin the trek into New Mexico in seven to fourteen days. I am NOT looking forward to that. I sat with the GM this morning and he talked with the compress and he then handed them off to me. Thank You, I think. We talked and they told me they anticipated this move lasting for forty thousand bales worth from our plant, or roughly thirty-three days. Where we go from there, who knows.

I have been campaigning for some of the old Wal Mart or K-Mart building that are vacant. This is going to be such a mess, little dabs of cotton sprinkled all over from New Mexico to the metroplex.

I can get a rise out of the compress people because back in the summer when they were talking of shipping all the cotton to Flower Mound their argument was cotton would be worth more in Flower Mound, Texas than Sweetwater, Texas. I tell them now that using their reasoning, cotton in New Mexico is going to be worth diddly squat!

So far though they have not flinched at the added expense of shipping.

Krl is telling me she is afraid I am becoming sick. Dang it, I hate it when I am the last to know something! She tells me I am feverish. I tell her it is just all that knowledge battling around in the vast emptiness of my head!

Last night, just prior to shift change I was in the office sitting at the scale counter visiting with the GM. We had begun a conversation the other day and didn't get to complete it before some patrons walked in. We had a very good visit last evening.

He has been the GM thirty-five years. He has seen this cooperative grow from a new fledgling business to one of the premier operations in the state. I wasn't sure if he was aware of my application for his position or not. To have been one of this coops anchors, he is surprisingly insecure in his position. Over the years I have learned that you never do anything that would make him think you are circumventing his authority. Through the years I have received the "obviously you have forgotten who is running this operation" speech so many times I can probably do a good impersonation. To his credit, he can get un-mad as quickly as he can get mad.

He told me that he was aware of my application and that he was surprised when the board President showed my envelope to him. He didn't give me any particulars but said it made for some lively debate in the board room.

I told Krl last evening my only regret was that by their decision that they knew me well enough from my association with the coop that they didn't need to let me interview, I was not allowed to sell myself. And Krl has always told me I could sell cow poop back to the cow.

Anyhow, the conversations the GM and I have had seems to have taken our business relation another level forward. I am only sad that it has happened so close to the end of his career.

Well, old man winter is comin' visitin' again.

Have a day!

FATHER, thank YOU for the journey I have had to this point. Some parts of the trek have not been fun or enjoyable, but they have contributed to who I am becoming. Thanks.