Things are quiet here at the house.

Krl says the little pups are mourning Prissy. Yesterday when we returned home from the veterinary, Krl came in the house while I moved Prissy's body from the SUV to my pickup. (Our Veterinary includes a "coffin" shaped box and his assistants had placed Prissy's body in it and then carried it to our SUV). Krl said the little pups went from room to room before Brandy parked under Krl's desk and cried. She said it wasn't the same cry as when I leave the house, it was much different.

I had given my buddy K.O. a call, and he was very aware of what was transpiring. By the time I arrived at their rural home he had already prepared a grave site just a few feet from where we buried Lady Rachel last May. I appreciate his help.

Krl and I re-lived a lot of the early days with the pups. They were all ears and feet when they were born! Crazy thing was, none of them ever realized they were not little tiny dogs! I can remember Krl rocking them at night, and them swimming to her to lay on her floatie in the pool!

But now, they are all re-united. They are all healthy, and they are running and jumping and playing.

But I am still sad.

I had an early morning phone call from Reid. Rian says it was Reid's idea, which is very rare because Reid doesn't talk on the phone much. Neat thing was when he was finished with me, he wanted to talk with Meme. I told him Meme was still asleep and he told me not to wake her, just have her call him when she got up.

Then Reid gave the phone to Holt. I could tell Holt was a little bent about something. He began in his rapid fire shorthand english. I could pick up a word here and there. Something about "my Momma didn't" and "the grocery store". Finally his Dad told me Holt was mad because his Momma didn't let him go to the grocery store with her. I thought I would make him feel better and asked if he was dressed and ready to go, and maybe she was making a quick trip and that was why she didn't take anyone with her. He then told me that Drew got to go. So much for me helping his feelings. Then his Dad said tell Dandy why you don't get to go to the store. A little more rapid fire english and finally his Dad said "Because Holt throws fits in the store".

I finally told Holt if he would come see his Meme and Dandy, I would take him to the store.

Since that call, I have probably talked with Rian six or seven times. I guess I am going to have to include him in my circle on my phone.

Rian had gone to his relative's and picked up the truck and trailer with his pulling tractor in it and returned to his house. He was wanting to roll out his gear ratios, so after he unloaded the tractor, Erica pulled the tractor while Rian was laying on it counting rotations of the transmission input shaft, while a neighbor made calls on the tire rotation. Much to Rian's surprise, the two gears he pulled in Priddy were the two highest in the transmission. Instead of running the tractor as a twin in what they thought was high gear, they were running it in direct (which is the lowest gear in the transmission).

After a week of calling and talking to different people, Rian heard a suggestion from one person that rang true to his needs. Pull the transmission out and turn it around. That way, it would go from having two overdrives, to having two under drives, putting him much closer to where he needs to be on his ratio. That solution puts Rian's most abundant resources front and center. Time and muscle.

I had hoped that when he pulled it apart he could just switch gear sets on the shafts and change his ratios. If this gets him close but not exactly where he wants to be, that may still come into play.

The best word I heard was Rian said as he winched the tractor into the trailer the bottom fell out and it was raining!

Have a day!

FATHER, thank YOU for the good possibility of rain. I would ask that YOU bless our family and friends in this area, Roscoe, St. Lawrence, Sinton and Bishop with YOUR blessing of rain.