Well, the Presidential debates are over. Thank goodness! I request the record reflect my displeasure the candidates received the questions prior to the "staged" debate.

When I was in school, we called that cheating.

I will make a couple of notes, #1) John McCain comes across a lot better when he smiles. #2) Barrack Obama is one pretty cool dude. #3) I'd still vote for Hillary.

I had seen the analysts take on what McCain had to do, meaning he had to rattle Obama. McCain came out rattling the chain, accusing Obama of consorting with known terrorists and affiliating with ACORN.

All I am going to say is that most people have some sort of wart. Either they have done something they would choose not to do now if the same opportunity presented itself or they have befriended someone who did.

It is all in the presentation. Excerpts from books, events taken from lives, isolated with no preface and no after word can often portray whatever the presenter wants. That is what they call out of context (that is for you Sylvia).

It all gets back to today's media and the microscopic scrutiny candidates must submit to.

I wouldn't want it, and wouldn't submit myself or my family to it.

And with that, I give you this update. As I had mentioned last week, I had located and written to a friend of mine who went through a down spiral in his personal life, made some bad decisions and is currently incarcerated. Yesterday, I received a letter from this man. It was a very moving, heart wrenching letter. I plan on writing again, and if opportunity presents itself I would even consider trying to go see this man.

The letter I received was from a man who lost it all, it was totally his fault by his own admission. He lost possessions, he lost family, he lost many friends. His first paragraph was one of apology, that I would have to contact him in prison. He seems to come across as being ashamed, being humbled, and being penitent. This man told me he had received a fifteen year sentence, did two years in a facility in El Paso and received some sort of extra credit for that time, and he became eligible for parole in June of last year, was denied and will come up again in December.

When I told Krl that I was going to write this man, she asked why. "I just need to", I told her. I continued by telling her that if this man called me or walked up, I would hire him in a minute.

I still stand by this.

I spent my entire day running back and forth across Abilene and surrounding area. I gathered parts, I gathered info, I picked up supplies, medications, hey I even threw in a few honey doos!

Late in my day I went to the storage facility and picked up the "gamble" truck to retrieve a trailer for K.O. from the repair shop and take it to his shop near Anson. I was pleasantly surprised with this little truck. It performed quite well. It is not flashy, but I think it will go down the road. I was cruising and looked down as was running 78! Yikes, and the guy who sold it to the company told me it was a slow truck!

My return trip was in Blacksheep, bringing the "project" back to Abilene, and putting it in the company storage slot. About six-thirty in the evening I was headed home. No telling how many looks and inspections the project is going to receive while it is there.

The only thing I did not do while I was there was check the antifreeze. I was so miffed. I had bought a new checker and left in the truck I drove to K.O.'s.

I have three men coming in today to look at equipment. They had inquired about grain equipment when I was at the jobsite last week. Trucks and trailers. That is what they are looking for. I discouraged them and told them they were shopping at the wrong time of the year! Of course they don't really have a choice. They planted a lot of acres, not knowing it would come to harvest. Now they can see they will have a crop to harvest and need additional equipment to handle it.

I told them of equipment available from my niece and nephew. This is equipment that is older, and some of it is not pretty, but most of it is mechanically sound. While they liked the pricing, they told me they preferred something they could keep for several years. These men are known for keeping their equipment in prime, pristine condition. The older man restores antique tractors and equipment. All three of the mens farming operations are "top notch". I will show them some trucks and trailers this morning.

I get tickled because I think back to the past year at the jobsite. The Parish was building a new "Hall", and the senior member of these men was the chairman off the committee who pushed for, planned, and oversaw the construction of said project. I have never heard so much belly aching about the "proper" way, or "correct" way to do something. I think that at one time or another everyone on the committee quit except this particular man. Of course all of them came back once they were over their mad, and two weeks ago I saw the finished project and it is very, very nice, and something the entire community can be proud of.

I think it may be difficult to find a piece of used equipment that will hold up to these men's scrutiny.

It should be an interesting morning.

Over the years, Krl has developed a fetish that when she sleeps she has to have a fan blowing. I don't know if it is because she needs the noise or if she must feel the air moving. I just know she needs to have a fan running. Over the years, we have been through several fans. Two ceiling fans and I have not kept count of how many other desktop or oscillating fans. Our home features a split floor plan, meaning we utilize only half the house unless we have company or I am working in the office. The master bedroom and bath are the farthest rooms away from the heating and cooling unit, and usually our room is the hottest in the summer or the coldest in the winter. A few years ago, I was walking through Lowe's and found a window unit on sale. I purchased it and took it home. Krl was shocked and surprised, but allowed me to install it. I must admit, I was shocked and surprised at the difference it made in our electric bill!

For the last few weeks, Krl has been pampering and coddling this window unit. It developed a problem that when she would turn it off in the morning, the compressor stayed on. It would hum until she unplugged it. The unit also has developed a rattle or rumble. I suspect it is a bearing or bearings beginning to go out. Long story short, Krl has been trying to make it last to the end of our stay here at the summer house.

The unit has gotten where when Krl unplugs it, or plugs it in, the plug in sparks. I have not been comfortable with this. My home burned when I was growing up and I don't want that again! I guess you could say I have been sleeping with one eye and one ear open. This morning, about three-forty I got up to go to the bathroom. I had glanced at the clock as I rolled out of bed. When I came back to bed, everything was normal. I could hear Krl's rhythmic breathing, the pups re-arranging themselves, and of course the window unit. As I lay in the darkness, all the sudden, it became quiet. The window unit stopped. I got up and turned the bathroom light on, no smoke, everything appeared normal. When I lay back down, everything was quite except for an occasional noise. This unit is one of those equipped with a thermostat so I wasn't sure if it had quit, or if it had given up the ghost. A brief while later I heard the noise again and happened to be looking the direction of the wall plug when I saw a brief flash of spark. The cord on this unit has a circuit breaker so I wasn't terribly concerned, but when it happened a second time I decided it was time to disconnect it. Then it really seemed to get dark and quiet. So dark and so quiet that I couldn't sleep.

Hmmm. Maybe Krl isn't the only one who has developed this fetish.

I may go to Lowe's today if the opportunity presents itself, and see if they have some seasonal clearance sales on window units. Krl and I had recently made the decision to replace the windows in our house with new windows that are more efficient in dealing with hot and cold, and I would like to at least have the new window unit for when they install these windows in November.

Have a day!

FATHER I am beginning to feel the pressure of our deadline for being at the seasonal jobsite. Help me to make good choices in our preparation. Bless my friend in need.