You don't have to tell me to keep those home fires burning!

It's winter out there!

I hate to have to endure weather like we have had for the last twenty-four or thirty-six hours and not get any more moisture than we have, but every little bit helps!

My drivers had gotten themselves to a good location before they shut down, with one man being the exception to the rule. He had come in late Monday and it bit him on the back side. This man thinks I don't know what he is doing, but I didn't fall off the turnip truck yesterday.

He told me the other guys weren't going to be at the jobsite Monday morning until eight or eight-thirty. I told him someone was trying to snooker him. Sure enough, my other guys were sitting at the scales at six-thirty. They were loaded and gone before this guy even arrived. After he loaded and tarped, he made a detour to go by the bank, which by now was open to cash his check. This was what set the time and tone for his day. After he left there, he had a flat before he even got back into his regular route. By the time he got that fixed he was a half turn off from the other guys. Instead of being an hour and a half behind, he was now five and a half hours behind.

When weather began deteriorating, the other guys had been in and out of Lubbock and headed to home, this man still had miles to go. Before it was said and done, he got his second load unloaded, and drove about thirty miles before laying down.

Yesterday morning he called me wanting to know what he needed to do. I told him it is too slick to try to do anything, so just sit where you're at. Immediately he replied, "I need to be somewhere I can get something to eat and have a bathroom nearby".

Poor decision after poor decision seems to define this man. It ended up he drove another thirty miles to a town. I haven't heard from him since he did this, so I am hoping no news is good news and the short trip was uneventful.

Of course on the other hand he could be getting his story together.

The tardy driver had the audacity to call the other two drivers and tell them they were making him look bad! Come on guys, he doesn't need any help!

Krl and I stayed in for the majority of the day. I had a few errands I needed to run, and mid-afternoon, I slipped my boots and coat on. Although I needed to go downtown to pick up some supplies I had ordered (and prepaid), I went no farther than the Southern Hills Post Office. Surprisingly roads for the most part were good. It did seem like where buildings or structures funnel the wind it did increase the possibility of being icy. I went to the grocery store and back to the house.

I spent a large portion of my day researching butcher orders for pork. Rian and I have to decide how we want our pig cut up and packaged. He is wanting a lot of breakfast sausage, some pork chops and some pork roasts. I don't vary too much, but I want the ham sliced into ham steaks about an inch thick. Both of us want bacon. I finally found a website that describes what cut comes from where and gives approximate percentages of the carcass weight each area will yield.

Outside of that I did a little research for Rian and forwarded some numbers to him. If this keeps up he may need to put me on the payroll.

Rian called me yesterday and he was enroute back to his school. He had driven to Lubbock Christian Schools where he had been asked to speak at chapel. He has been taking a group of kids from Dunbar with him to Wednesday night church, and he got one of these Dunbar students to go with him and read scripture. He said it went really well. Leave it to Rian to have to drive across town on the worst driving day of the year! Thankfully, they made it to and from without a problem.

As I was beginning to exit the grocery store yesterday, a young man stepped in front of me from the self checking lanes. He was lumbering slowly toward the parking area and I couldn't very well pass him, so the sacker and I slowed to walk behind him. It was then I began checking my clothing to be sure I was dressed appropriately. This man had come to the store with his sweat bottoms on wrong side out. The tags were flapping in the breeze, the pockets hanging out. I couldn't help but laugh to myself. I know that sometimes in the past in my haste I had done the same thing!

It is being reported that the majority of the bank executives have kept their jobs. So this means that the same people that created this mess are the ones who will be responsible for turning it around. That just doesn't make sense to me.

I was pleased to hear the report that Citigroup will not take delivery on their new $50 million dollar, foreign built jet. And the attorney general for New York is subpoenaing some high ranking financial executives to inquire about huge bonuses paid the end of 2008. The reports say billions were paid to executives even as their company's were in the throws of bankruptcy awaiting bail out monies.

Accountability! I want a person. These people should be tarred and feathered and run out of town.

Well, the weather man says by noon today, the ice and freezing temperatures will be only a mere memory. I hope this is one of those times he is right.

I woke this morning seeming to have one of the episodes. I have been up about three hours, so I am tempted to slip back in the bedroom and see if I still have a spot under the electric blanket.

Stay warm, be safe and have a day!

FATHER, thank YOU for being YOU.