Thirty-seven days, 12 hours, forty-two minutes.

That is not significant to anyone but us. But it means a lot. It means there is hope. It means there will be closure. It means....... we will get to go home.

The plant has a computer program and system called Eagle Sys. This is the program that all the modules are tagged into and tracked through the process until they are ginned. The last stage is when the module is being fed into the feeder and the ginner scans the barcode into the system. Of course the computer works either with the average speed of the last twenty modules ginned or with a pre-programmed number of minutes for each module. Over the last few years Frank, the Plant Superintendent has come up with eighteen minutes per module.

That means we will have ginned for 262332 minutes or 4,372.2 hours or 182.1750 days or 26.0250 weeks when we get through. What the computer doesn't know is that we are getting two days off for Easter, and that isn't in the program estimates.

What I do know is that we have been here 141 days, 3,384 hours, 81,216 minutes, 4,872,960 seconds, and .......... I am ready to go home.

I am tired of fighting the same old battles day after day. I am tired of drivers who are tired of driving (and I don't blame them). I am tired of equipment failures and repairs. Let's face it, too much of a good thing is bad.

As you can probably tell, we have rounded the bend and begun to think of getting through. I catch myself beginning to plan an exit strategy, figuring how many trips it is going to take to move everything home! I have begun to think about what I want to do first when I get home. (A long soaking bath using all the hot water won out!). I can't wait to be able to make a phone call and people deliver prepared food to our doorstep!

Krl and I go through this same thing every year. We will go out to eat with very frequently, experiencing all the fine cuisine that Abilene offers, from Larry's Better Burger burgers to their nachos supreme, to Red Lobster, to Ideal Barbecue in Tye! I am salivating just thinking about it!

But we have things to do before we get through!

Thanks for allowing me that Pep talk! I am back to chasing the carrot hanging in front of me!

By the way, I overheard Frank tell the GM that we have 2985 modules to gin as of 7AM. this morning.

I am splurging this morning and cooking breakfast! So far I have sausage cooking, and I am not sure if it will be sausage, oat meal and biscuits or maybe Hagerman specials! One thing though, Krl will be able to eat it! The other day Roy, one of the permanent plant employees was walking by and I asked him what was in the menu today. Roy is Pepe's wife's salesman. He sales taco and burritos and if he sales enough he get his free. Roy called Mrs. Pepe and when he got off the phone he told me bacon and egg tacos. I told him to get me two and I gave him the money. A short while later he came by the trailer and dropped of a foil package. I sat it on the table and waited for Krl to wake so we could eat together. When Krl woke and was ready we opened the foil to find not bacon and egg tacos, but chorizo and egg! I had never bought chorizo for Krl because of her volatile stomach, but she decided to try it.

Never again!

Well, think of us often. Keep us there and in your prayers! We need all the help we can get!

Have a day!

FATHER, thank YOU for hope, in this life and the hereafter!