One truck is on the road, the other is still waiting. Yuk!

Of course the one truck waiting is my little wild man driver. Actually, it has probably been good for us to have to spend so much time together. We have talked about a wide range of subjects, and I have heard his version of events which occurred in past.

No question about it, this man loved Fred and misses him each and every day.

We had a radio going yesterday and the song came on, "Where were you when the towers came crashing down?" That was interesting because it is much like "Where were you when JFK was assassinated?" The major milestones are forever etched in our minds.

This driver ranks his learning of Fred's death with 911 and JFK's death. He can tell me his exact location and how he learned of each event.

We have an axle surgeon coming to the shop today. We have had one trailer sitting there since before Christmas that requires this man's attention. It is really very interesting. The is a problem with a spindle on this trailer and this man will repair it on the trailer at our location.

In the past, we were relegated to either a complete axle replacement or finding a machine shop with a lathe big enough to throw (meaning rotate) the axle or banjo housing. The latter would require building up the damaged spindle before machining it back down, or cutting off the damaged end and machining a new one and attaching it.

I'm betting this is pricey, but this is a contact I want to keep in my phone.

Well, dang the luck. I cheered for the Sooners, out of conference loyalty. However, Rian and I had a friendly wager (no money involved) on the game. Rian wanted OU and 3 1/2 points. I told him if he wanted OU, he would have to take them even. So I won the bet, but I lost.

My hopes had been for the Big Twelve to go 2-0 in the BCS.

I find myself procrastinating. I really should make a break for St. Lawrence after the axle surgeon finishes. I still have two travel trailers out there that need to come home. One is winterized and ready, the other is still connected to water and power.

Rian and his friend Robert used the trailer still connected last week for their hunting excursion. By the way, they got four deer.

Pepa asked me yesterday if I wanted to take two pickups and get both trailers. That would mean taking my truck driver with us and him driving my pickup and me driving Pepa's. (I would imagine). Of late, every time we are going to drive very far, Pepa doesn't want to drive. I think about Grandpa and how he tooled around in his little old Chevy 2, one leg and all. Of course if he stayed in regular circles (between Roscoe and Lake Brownwood) there were a lot of people who knew him and watched out for him if he had trouble.

Memama had a procedure yesterday. So far the early results look pretty good. I think what the Doctor learned will explain a lot.

My yesterday began with another trailer going into Pepa's shop. This is a trailer one of his trucks pulled through last year's off season. During the seasonal work, a tool box door had become damaged, and a spare tire and wheel had been put on the trailer. The spare wheel was a steel wheel where the original was aluminum, so we got it back on to finish the set.

A tire had been mounted on the original wheel, but is was a different size, so we had to take the tire off the spare wheel and off the original wheel and swap them out. Then we had one more wheel which didn't have a tire mounted and we did that one as well.

There is an art to working with these big tires, and I am not an artist. I watch and try to learn, but I struggle when working with them. Of course these new wheels are a breeze compared to the old split rims. My driver is pretty good with the tire irons, but yesterday morning the tires were cold and hard. Two dismounts and three mounts were sufficient for my aching back!

Rian called yesterday evening. He was frustrated with his work and questioning his choice of vocation. He had had a couple of teachers in his office, saying they were speaking for a larger group. They were frustrated with discipline problems, saying they are not seeing results from kids being sent to the office. Rian's boss sat in on the meeting, and at the conclusion told Rian "Don't let this bother you." And he voiced his support and appreciation for the job Rian is doing. The campus athletic coordinator came by and visited with Rian and they discussed Rian's day. This person was very supportive too.

I told Rian, you can't make everyone happy. A person needs to be accountable to themself, knowing that the job you do is the very best that they can do, and from there let the chips fall where they may. That is all you can ask of yourself.

Rian is honest enough to know they have a tough group of kids. I would imagine after a three week break from teaching these kids, a teacher would return and go through culture shock. I am sure they seem like hellions. One thing Rian had not told the teachers is that one disciplinary option had been unavailable since early December, although they use it as a last resort. That program had been filled.

I am beginning to hear rumors concerning Coach. I think Fox Sports Southwest had reported him going to Baylor, but I don't think there is anything to this rumor. Other rumors have him moving to a new 4-A school in the metroplex area which would get them close to Colby's family.

I have been told Kirby is through with school. Of course he had graduated from Miami last December and had transferred to Baylor for his final year of eligibility and to work on his masters degree. His senior football campaign included getting stepped on early in the season resulting in a foot fracture that bothered him him the entire season.

Well, I have rambled far and wide. Have a day and a weekend!

FATHER, thank YOU for the good days that make the bad ones more bearable. YOU are good!