February 17.

Krl's mom, Nannie's birthday. She would have been 82. It is hard to believe she has been gone nine years next month.

Today is the start of our trio birthdays. Nannie today, me tomorrow, and Kathryn Grace the nineteenth.

I would like to make note that only my birthday is a national holiday. If you have the day off tomorrow, you have me to thank for it.

Krl and I have been trying to gather information for her older brother to get his passport. It is made much more difficult with us being away from home. I am thinking Krl and I need to check our passports expiration dates. I think it is 2010, but I'm not sure.

Fred has really been heavy on my mind lately, I don't know why. It would seem that I am not the only one though. Rian was telling me about his day last week.

Recently Rian acquired his license to carry a concealed hand gun. (I guess this is something all school administrators want to do). He has found that he enjoys shooting a gun and purchased a nine millimeter I am going to get him a ski mask). He went to an indoor shooting range last week and he said when he walked in he was greeted by a very large man who was running the place. Immediately he thought of Fred. As he paid in and the gentleman was giving Rian the talk about safety and range rules and regulations, Rian said the man had that same "fat index finger shaking at him" accenting every important point. Finally, the man was through with Rian and as he walked away the man threw out one last directive, "Hey, we're going to have some fun, and if you don't, you just let me know!"

Sounds just like Fred!

I would say that it is amazing that on occaisions we even see glimpses of Fred and TJ out here. Well, maybe not glimpses of them, but something that triggers a thought of them. Even though I miss them both, this is a small comfort.

I can hear Big Bertha (the plant), singing an octave higher. This means that they are emptying the system in preparation for shut down. Maintenance Sunday.

I rolled the dice last night and gave off to one more truck driver. Pedro had already gone in and he had promised his return this morning at eight. I also have three others who wanted to work today. By rolling the dice like I did, I created a backlog of bales to be hauled, making it worth their time to stay on.

My phone rang at five fifty this morning. It was Pedro. He has a headache. Everytime I try to work with him to go in, he ends up messing me around, so no more. He can work within the same auspices everyone else does. He said he is going to minor emergency to get it checked out.

Hey, it's not like he can go anywhere with a GED and make eight grand a month!

I was shocked yesterday when I looked at his wages for the last month. And he isn't the only one making good money.

I am beginning to see then end of their gravy train though. We have hauled over twenty six thousand bales to Lovington to date. Initially we were told we would take forty thousand bales there. Friday the compress manager told me we were inside two weeks to fill the warehouses. One driver told me we had begun our last one! Rumors have been flying about our next destination. Aztec, New Mexico. Amarillo, Texas. Sweetwater, Tx. Flower Mound, Tx.

Management is telling me we are still scheduled to return to Sweetwater. I hope so. Oh for the good old days!

I am trying to hedge my bet on the truck Pedro jack knifed. I had been thinking about upgrading for a couple of weeks. I had found two trucks identical to BS 22 and BS 222, only a year or two newer with only three hundred fifty thousand miles and three hundred ninety thousand miles respectively. They are also equipped with the larger Volvo engines and ten speeds instead of nines.

In addition to these I have learned of a bank that has three "big rigs" in their repos. It might be worth a drive just to check them out.

Call me crazy, but I'm looking for a bargain! Anything solid and cheap as long as it isn't a freightliner, western star, or sterling. They are all junk and their corporate people are all lying, thieving, bustards! If you EVER see me owning a late model one of these, just shoot me!

Daytona 500!

I'm going with Junior. I'm not a fan, I just think he is the man this year at Daytona. If it can't be him, anyone but Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, Ku or Ky Busch, JP Montoya or Sam Hornish!

It would be nice to see Mikey do well.

Our day is up in the air. I wouldn't mind going somewhere, but then it would be nice to just stay close, lay on the couch and watch the race.

Tomorrow I am going to town! Don't ask me where, but I'm going!

By the way, for about the last two weeks bloggers spell check has been on the fritz, I apologize for any spelling errors, but the typos are intentional! Ha!

Have a day!

FATHER, thank YOU for birthdays. Thank YOU for memories! Thank YOU for Jesus.