I figured I had better check in.

It has been a really busy week. Trucks, parts store, Fort Worth, two day show in Priddy. Throw in some schedule issues and you would have my week.

We seemed to have lost our rabbit's foot last week with the trucks. We had been running about 99.9% of our miles loaded prior to, but last week we were fifty percent on back hauls. I have heard all sorts of horror stories about people sending trucks to Houston, then more trucks to Houston and finally bringing them all out, empty.

We have been pulling a pretty short string. I don't know, it may just be my nature. I just won't let the trucks grow to the pavement. If we check with all our people and they don't or won't have something, we'll move the trucks.

In talking to Angelica and Pete in Laredo, it has to do with a two week slow down on the Mexican side. They say these two weeks are the holiest weeks of the year for the Catholic based faithful. A contributing factor has been the spat the Mexican truckers are having with the US government about NAFTA and trucking regulations.

On Tuesday I talked with my driver and he told me he didn't think we needed to go back to Laredo until after Easter. He wanted to go to Houston, so I commissioned Krl to get him a load. She did, and the rest of the day was spent searching for a back haul.

The other driver needed off so he could take his wife in for some out patient surgery. When I talked with him, he is ready to load in the morning. Surprisingly, Krl had calls from Laredo saying they had loads that crossed, and if we had trucks they needed them.

We may have one in the wrong place today. But we make the best call we can at the time.

I did my six month checkup wit the skin cancer doctors office Monday. They froze four or five more places and did a biopsy on one more. It could be a week or two before we have the lab work back. I saw one of the PA's, but not the one I usually see, and I sure didn't have a good feeling. She was bragging about how well the place was healing on my nose from last August. I told her that might be because it was August of 2007. It took her five minutes to finally read my chart and agree. But, she didn't read enough to learn about the places my regular PA was watching. I am sure I will get another bill from them!

The weekend was way to fast and furious. Chris and I were scheduled to leave the parts store at two-thirty to give us enough time to get one of the travel trailers we planned to take to Priddy. The store manager had left at eleven Thursday morning to go with his son to take a pickup to the body shop. What he failed to tell us was the body shop was in Abilene. Four hours later he called saying if we needed to leave, leave. He was in Maryneal. I haven't quite figured out the routing for his trip, but it was four o'clock when he finally drove up. That meant we had cancelled Chris's four o'clock appointment and had to rush to make things work for his six o'clock.

Chris and I left the house about eight Friday morning, running errands, buying supplies, and making preparations to go to Priddy. K.O. had left Thursday evening and Rian was leaving Lubbock by nine. Chris and I finally gassed the pickup and rolled out of town shortly after noon.

We made the trip with no fanfare, although we did battle the wind in every direction we went! When we arrived at Melody Oaks Ranch we found the gentleman who had booked me to announce the show, he had remembered the terms of our agreement and had us a RV hookup waiting. Chris and I set up camp and got the air conditioning going before we began walking through the pit area.

For most of the competitors, it had been a long winter! Lot of equipment, lots of "off season" work, and all these guys were ready to see the fruits of their labor.

Friday nights show went well until about half-way, then the sled had a malfunction and we had what they call a runaway. The sled didn't transfer the weight and the tractor was speeding down the track. When the sled operator realized he had a problem and began to do something about it, the flagmen realized it too and waved the red flag at the driver of the tractor. The drive chopped the throttle and the weight box raced forward on the sled rails until it slammed into the stops on the front of the sled and then rolled back down the rails to the back.

I could see the sled operator slumped in his seat and his arm swinging limply. I began calling over the public address system for someone to check on the sled operator. After about three calls, someone did and discovered he was unconscious and his head was bleeding. The weight box had hit the front of the sled so violently it had thrown the operator into the roof and windshield of the sled.

An ambulance was summoned from a near by town and I called for medical help from the crowd. Finally the sled operator regained consciousness and was complaining of severe neck pain. After what seemed like an eternity, the ambulance arrived and they began stabilizing the man. In a brief while a helicopter arrived and they care flighted the injured man to Abilene, and finally to Dallas. Turns out he had a compression fracture of the 3rd and 5th of the cervical vertebrae.

They cancelled the remainder of the Friday show, but by then it was already late.

Saturday morning brought good reports from Dallas. The sanctioning organization's board went into a meeting concerning the accident and began their investigation. By mid day the officials had determined that the show would go on!

Saturday's show was long! When we finished the touring competition, we began pulling the local stock 4 X 4's.
Forty of them to be exact. With problems and breakage, it took a long time. Chris and I arrived at our travel trailer just before three Sunday morning.

I was a whipped puppy. (And I still am).

Chris and I left Priddy about nine-thirty Sunday morning, and true to form, battled the wind all the way home. We stopped in Abilene and unloaded the trailer before taking it to Roscoe where we set it back up (in case my truck drivers need to shower or sleep). I followed Chris to the fuel pumps in his mule because he was on fumes after he and Rian used it as a support vehicle at the show. (Rian had dropped it off when he went through Roscoe in the wee hours or Sunday morning).

I did a couple more errands on that end before returning to Abilene.

Try as I might I just couldn't find my groove once I got home.

I did cheer Jeff Gordon to victory at Texas Motor speedway from my recliner!

For any of you interested, Rian's return to the track with the Texas Free for All was somewhat disappointing. Some of the assumptions made about the gearing were all wrong and when Rian took the one motor off to meet the rule requirements of the new little association, he didn't have enough horsepower to pull the gear. He didn't finish last, but he has some changes to make. Hopefully they won't require a lot of $$.

The tractor is gorgeous. He should really be proud. He joked with me that he might not run good but he intended to look good doing it!

His other tractor ran sixth in it's class. In a move I disagreed with, the association didn't pay any places or any purse for the pullers who ran Friday night prior to the accident. I suggested they run for double purse double points on Saturday, but they didn't like that either.

To see the Texas Free for All return to the track brought a flood of emotion. Friday night Memama and Pepa were there, Jason flew in from Florida (he just couldn't stand not being there) Jake and Lindsey had driven Memama and Pepa, Steve, Jani, Kirby and Kelsi drove over from Brownwood, and you just had the feeling any moment Fred and Terri would walk around the corner!

On Saturday, Edwin, Stephanie, and Shelby joined the Friday contingent. It was like a family reunion but I had to work!

Yesterday was another chapter in the family business debacle. One of the creditors form the defunct family business has persisted until they got other creditors uncomfortable. Yesterday's happenings didn't go anything close to what plan the banker had planned. We sure got a good indication of some people's true colors. One a young man who has done custom work for Pepa and another who grew up across the road. The one who grew up across the road was true to form and couldn't tell the truth if his life depended on it (still).

I told Chris if either of these men walked in the store, if I sold them something it would be straight list or higher. I will eventually address both of these issues.

All I would say to these two men is "What goes around comes around. Get ready for yours!"

I haven't talked with Memama and Pepa, although I tried to contact them several times. I do know Pat was severely bent.

Krl and I are struggling with Prissy. My goal has been for her to make it to her birthday April 22. Krl says she is having serious doubts we are doing her any favor.

Well, I am going to close. I need to get my day started.

I am finally in the last chapter of the book I have been reading. It is interesting how the author tried to protect his position with " a disclaimer" (of sorts), but I don't think he had any idea what would transpire the fourth quarter of 2008 and first quarter of 2009. Some of his ideas I agree with, while others I think are baloney!

Have a day!

FATHER, Krl and I are both struggling with a lot right now. Give us relief, give us purpose, give us direction. We lift up Mark to YOU for YOUR gifts of healing and care. I could sure use a pick me up about now.