Several months ago, customers coming into the parts store had began lamenting the shortage of ammunition for their guns. Their primary concern was dove season, which begins tomorrow.

It has been interesting, trying to figure out why twenty-two bullets and shotgun shells were in such short supply. We would check with our hardware vendor at the store asking about availability. They had no explanation, just that munitions were not available.

When Hag took Pat out for her birthday date, they spent the day in Abilene, shopping, eating out and taking in a movie. One of their stops was at a sporting goods store where Hag found shotgun shells. Hag bought them by the cases!

My Gan Gan used to take me dove hunting. Later, it was me, Coach, and Gan Gan. I can still see Gan Gan sitting in the shade of a small mesquite tree on a five gallon bucket, shotgun across his legs, his pipe in his mouth. We hunted around a stock tank in a pasture, each of us strategically positioned. The plan was to let the birds fly in and then we would try to keep them circling inside our perimeter. As I have become older I wonder more and more if Gan Gan was even trying to hit a bird, or just diverting them back into our areas.

I haven't dove hunted since Rian was much younger. I guess I took him enough to expose him and when he got old enough to drive he would go to Roscoe and hunt with Hag.

I suppose if I was still seeing my analyst he would say that dove hunting stirred memories of Gan Gan that make me sad. Gan Gan has been gone 40 years this November. Hard to believe.

And now, before anyone begins to think I am becoming senile or settling in a gray area, will demonstrate I am still my old radical self and take a stand.

Last week we lost the final Kennedy brother, Teddy. I won't beat around the bush, he was my least favorite of the three.

I fell in love with the Camelot White House back in the early sixties. I was at an age that I just began to learn of politics. I thought JFK was wonderful. Young, good looking, what America was all about. Add Jackie to the mix and put kids in the White House and it was a perfect setting.

It broke my heart when JFK was killed.

The same thing with Bobby.

I often wonder what this country would be like if we had eight years of JFK followed by eight years of Bobby. I don't know that Teddy would ever have been President.

I would like to know what would have happened if we had not had LBJ in the White House.

Inquiring minds want to know.

And, let the record show I am in favor of health care reform. I do not believe health care should be a privilege for the wealthy or affluent. I think the health care field should be level for all citizens. I caught a portion of the Bill Maher show and one of his guests was making the comment that he didn't think it was right for him to be on the top floor of a hospital having a $25,000 operation while someone four floors down is dying because they don't have insurance and need the same surgery.

I know I have visited with Krl's brother about the time he lived in Denmark with his native wife. Nationalized health care. He liked it. Basic care was available for everyone. Perks like anesthesia are extra.

I told Krl I don't know if I am going to be able to send trucks off. This is the first time in fifteen years I have sent trucks off, with me not accompanying them. I guess I am a hands on type of manager. I want to be there if they have a problem. I visited with K.O. last evening and he thought it was funny.

Krl's driver called Sunday afternoon and he was well on his way to Bishop. So far so good!

This morning I woke, just lying in bed. I was taking it all in. Our little family. Krl was snoozing, Phoo Doo backed up beside her. I could feel Maple Syrple backed into me under my arm. No doubt about it, Phooey is Krl's dog and Maple is mine. They are affectionate to Krl and I, but when it comes time to go to bed, it is a rare time they don't claim their master.

I don't know how Maple knows I am awake. But when I was lying there very still, in the darkness of the bedroom, I felt a warm wet tongue on my arm as she gave me a quick good morning kiss, just letting me know she was awake too. I don't know that I have ever been loved so unconditionally on this earth.

I kind of like it.

Hey, have a day!

FATHER thank YOU for YOUR unconditional love. Thank YOU for YOUR blessings. I pray for a safe week for our workers in South Texas, that it would be quick and profitable, void of problems. Settle me as I grow through this experience. FATHER, YOU are good.

Sorry I haven't posted. Suffice it to say, "This has been the week from H-E-L-L".

We had our regular week laid before us, but we were also presented with several new challenges. The major one being how to get fuel to the trucks. We have only one fuel card still active, and I am waiting to see how long it is before WalMart discovers it. Currently, I am gathering information to argue with them, if and when they discover there is another card out there.

Trc wants to go and buy more WalMart cards, in her name, and use them until they are closed.

I am wondering if I can go and buy new cards in my name now that the two have been closed.

I had come up with a new alternative, but our bank didn't like it, and it might have ended up costing more money than we could afford. I wanted to set up additional checking accounts with debit cards and be able to transfer money from the primary accounts into the additional accounts, as need required, allowing the drivers to use "bank cards" for fuel transactions. Worse part of this is that our bank has a minimum deposit requirement of $1000 to not have any bank charges.

So, Trc did quite a bit of driving and coordinating meeting times. Handing cash to drivers for fuel. I am very uneasy giving them money, and of course they are always crying about the possibility of needing more money. One drive the other day called asking for more fuel money when he came through town and when Trc met him, she wanted an accounting of how much money he had on hand. Turned out he was yelling calf rope at least one fueling before he would exhaust his funds. She scolded him about yelling wolf!

In addition to my role with the trucks, I not only added the parts store, I added preparations for getting a truck to Bishop for the short gin run down there. This year not only is it short on haul distance, it is short time wise too. Edwin tells me he expects it to last only three to four days. I had planned on taking one of Krl's trucks down myself, but was finding it difficult to get in proper mindset. A number of events took place that made different options available, for both equipment and personnel.

The truck I was planning on taking had been at the shop since August 8, going in for a "do over". They had fixed an oil leak (multiple) but failed to get one to stop. As luck would have it the mechanic who had done the work took vacation, then had some personal issues that caused him to miss work for another week. Then when he did work, he didn't want to work on something he wasn't going to get paid for because he had botched it. The truck came out of the shop Friday afternoon.

Our heavy work load was prepping the trailer. The tarp (covering) had needed repairs, so we had removed it earlier in the year and sent it out for repairs. The hot sun and moisture do lots of damage to the tarp when they are exposed, so we were in no hurry to get the tarp back on the trailer. Since the repair shop was in Lubbock, Rian had picked it up and dropped it off in August when he came through. Then we needed to put some screws in the flooring materials, a few bolts in the sideboards and air tires and check lights. In addition to this, I had to fabricate a new license plate bracket (after having to find the plate) and bolt on one ratchet that is used to hold the tarp on. Finally we loaded all our "tools" into the trailer along with a few items that might be needed down there.

The truck needed only minor changes. Primarily moving the fifth wheel forward. Of course with an air slide this would be a job requiring just seconds. However, this trucks fifth wheel is bolted with ten grade eight bolts that are very, very tight!

It was with a tremendous sigh of relief Saturday afternoon when the truck and trailer rolled out of the shop.

By the way, I am trying something else for this truck's fuel. Last year I set up a bank account at a small local bank in Bishop. This bank has since merged with Compass Bank. I have a debit card from them, so I let the driver have it to fuel with. Cash deposited into that account is instantly available for point of purchase while ATM draws wait until after the day's activites post. Here is hoping!

Now the personnel changes. Earlier in the week, our newest driver threw a shoe. He wasn't wanting to load a load. He told Krl that his annual inspection as fixing to be out on the truck and if we weren't going to fix it (it needed the brakes adjusted and an air line replaced) he was going to park it. What Krl and I both tried to tell him was the inspection was not out until midnight this coming Monday and it was only Wednesday. The driver would cycle back in on Friday morning and we would have had time to set up appointments and get parts by then.

This is the driver who cried and cried about everything on Pepa's black truck and then finally talked the driver on the blue truck to trade with him. Now the cry baby had started it again.

I do not respond well to ultimatums. In fact I usually go the other way, pretty hard.

Krl had told this driver he needed to call Pepa, that it would take the middleman out of the mix, because I always try to develop a plan of action before talking to Pepa for him to make the final decision. This driver was wanting instant action, which doesn't usually happen.

The driver called me telling me he did not have the number for Pepa and before I could give it to him, Pepa drove up at the parts store. I told the driver to hold and I would let him talk to Pepa on my phone. I kept my phone open and explained everything to Pepa so he would not be caught flat-footed. Pepa asked this driver where he was and he told Pepa he was at B-line Oil change. Pepa told him I just drove back from there and you weren't there. The driver had been where he was supposed to load, helping another driver, wanting to fart around until it was too late for him to load. Pepa told him he was driving to the oil change and to remain there.

I am not sure what transpired when Pepa arrived, but it must not have been good. In a short while Pepa called me wanting me to come over to help him. I asked what he needed and he said he didn't know, he just might need some help. Chris told me to leave the parts store a few minutes early to check on Pepa.

When I arrived, Pepa's blue truck was parked haphazardly in the parking lot and Pepa was parked by the entrance to the building. There were all sorts of bags sitting next to the door, so I figured Pepa had trumped this driver and parked him.

My assumption was correct, but when Pepa had crawled into the truck to drive it to his house, he discovered this driver had been removing screws and the CB radio (which belonged to Pepa) from the truck. The driver denied taking the radio so Pepa wanted me to clarify that the radio was in the truck. Pepa had already called the police.

I could see the driver pacing inside the oil change waiting area, but he didn't dare come out side. Finally, the policeman arrived and he visited with the driver, then came out to talk with Pepa. He told us he was brokering a deal. After gathering the facts he went back to the driver. In moments he returned, saying the driver admitted taking the radio. He said he was protecting his interest because he was owed for three days work this week. I explained to the policeman that the drivers were on a percentage of the loads they hauled and if and when he turned in paperwork (proofs of delivery) he would be paid on the next regular pay day (which is Monday). I told the policeman I wanted paperwork before I left the oil change center, and he returned to tell the driver what he had learned.

When the cop came back to us, he said the driver would mail the paperwork and he was willing to surrender the CB radio but he didn't want to come out because he was very intimidated by me. The cop asked me to go to the parking lot by the truck and check for any other missing items.

I told the cop I wanted paperwork before I left, that I didn't trust the driver to do the right thing.

After a few minutes Pepa drove out to where the truck was parked, having received his CB. But no paperwork.

I was not confrontational to this man at, so I don't know where he gets off being intimidated by me. Surprisingly the driver called Krl telling her he just couldn't work for Pepa and that the paperwork would be in the mail.

Guess what, there is no paperwork for this man. Surprise, surprise.

So, that development freed up a truck, because Krl had to cancel all the loads for the rest of the week.

Surprisingly, the next day a driver who drove for me at Bishop last year walked into the parts store asking for a job. He gave me a down on his luck story and told me how sorry he was for a problem earlier in the year, and gave me assurances that if I would give him the opportunity, he would prove his worthiness.

This man busted his behind the last couple of days right along side me. So far so good!

This man had driven Pepa's truck that was recently vacated during his previous employment, and initially we assumed we would send him to Bishop in it. However, closer scrutiny revealed the annual permits for over axle expired August 12, 2009.

The route takes you directly through Riviera which has a weight and license check point. When the lights are on all trucks go across the scales. I visited with the driver and he told me he felt the permit was necessary, or we would give any profit to the state. (You are allowed 80,000 pounds without the permit, 84,000 with it, but it has to fit the axle groups. The 80 = 12, 34, 34, the 84 = proportionate increases.)

The point is, if you have the permit and load 80, the permit has enough variance to get you legal on all axles. Add to this fact the little truck in the shop is probably 5000 pounds lighter than Pepa's blue truck and at 80 you will be hauling a bigger payload.

We decided on the truck with the permit!

I told the driver I have my fingers crossed for a trouble free run down there and for him to be safe and do his part.

Memama had another hand doctor visit. They told her she doesn't have a retractor ligament in her index finger. That is the reason she can't bend it. She didn't see Dr. Lehman, only a resident. The resident said that with her advanced age, he didn't see them doing additional surgery. That kind of miffed me. I want Memama to see Dr. Lehman next time.

Krl finally went to see Dr. Mackie. Surprisingly, all of her blood work was good. The two problems were her blood pressure was "sky" high and she had lost weight. She weighed in at a hefty 95 pounds.

Dr. Mackie had been doing some research since I had gone in in May or June. He is trying to combat her osteoporosis and her IBS. He had her on Boniva, but her digestive system couldn't take it, so now, he is trying a nasal medication. He wanted to give her something for appetite, but after visiting with her learned it is not a problem with having appetite. He sent off one blood sample looking for a blood disease (its name escapes me at the moment) that prevents her body from absorbing nourishment from food.

And, finally another chapter in Ollie's life. Brad received five years for his most recent violation. I don't know if that is on top of his original sentence or if it is concurrently. Either way what a waste. I still think back to our conversation last summer. He told me he didn't mind being incarcerated. What an idiot.

And Krl said that Ollie had tried something that could have caused her to be on the inside looking out.

I just don't understand.

Well, if you were wondering, it wasn't me who won that Mega Millions jackpot, otherwise I would have a paid writer posting this! Just kidding.

I guess I put the kiss of death on San Antonio at the Little League World Series by picking them. They got beat in the United States bracket final by Chula Vista with the ten run mercy rule. Crazy thing is Texas had beaten them earlier in the tournament. They had three errors in the first inning and were trailing by eight before they ever had an at bat.

Sorry guys.

The highlight of the week was a surprise date night last evening. Krl and I went to Chili's. The company was wonderful, the appetizers and Presidente Margaritas were excellent, while the main entrees weren't quite up to par. If you frequent Chili's you have to try the Southwest eggrolls with avacado ranch! Yum!!

It was a great way to finish what was a hard week.

Hope your day and weekend are good!

FATHER, thank YOU for good finishes. Thank YOU for Krl, for her good reports and pending test, bless her with good health. Thank YOU for Dr. Mackie. Bless him with good health as he battles his disease. Then sings my soul!

I sure hope that was the only Monday in my week.

I spent an hour on the phone with money card customer service. I'm sorry, I am not usually prejudiced, but believe me, you talk to India as much as I have lately, especially spending one hour one minute and one second in one session and you become opinionated. I realize I had some difficult questions for them about "why" they closed the two fuel cards. While their English is very poor and choppy, when they get frustrated or nervous, it tanks even worse. Try as I might, I get really bent with them.

Yesterday I finally got to speak with a supervisor, for what good it did me. His answer for "why" was that their compliance team reviews the card use and elected to close the cards. He cited card loads in excess of $4,000 in a month. I asked to talk to his supervisor and he told me he was as high up as I was going to talk to. I asked him if he was Mr. Walmart and he responded, "To you, yes!" Needless to say, the conversation did not go anywhere but down from there. I asked to talk with someone from compliance and he told me they were not taking calls. Finally he invited me to file a complaint with the folks in California. I assured him I would.

So, part of my day was spent composing a multi-page letter to the MoneyCard people in California. I decided to demonstrate how upset I am by sending it both regular U.S. Postal Service and Certified mail. If I give this to a lawyer, I want to have a paper trail.

My biggest beef with them is they gave no notice. In fact if I didn't do on-line reports I still wouldn't know the cards are closed. I also take issue with them allowing additional money to be loaded on a card that was closed and then telling me it would be ten days to two weeks before I would receive a refund.

I re-read the card agreement service and I can honestly say I saw absolutely no reference to any limits on card activity. When I pointed this out to Mr. WalMart he did not argue the point. The only thing I can even imagine is that they feared we were laundering money by loading it and then spending it. I guess I wouldn't be very good at money laundering because I thought the object was to cycle it through and end up with money. If you print the reports, we ended up with fuel. If what they suspected was true, it went up in smoke. Diesel smoke that is.

Let the record reflect, I really don't want to own WalMart. I just want them to right a wrong.

Trc has been straightening the office the past two weeks. So much of our office has been mobile the last fifteen years, traveling to the seasonal jobsites only to return home in boxes. We learned to live with the boxed clutter because we knew in only a few months, we would be leaving again. With our decision not to sign the seasonal work contract, one of the most pleasant possibilities is the fact that we will be home for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years.

Slowly but steadily, Trc has put the office in order. The only limitations she has had on her is "Do not touch my desk". Inside or out. So far she has been able to abide by this. However, she re-arranged the bookshelves in the office and when I turned to them to get a Certified mail slip and a return receipt, they were not where I kept them. I really believed that when I called Trc to ask her about them she would direct me to them quickly. Finally she began going through files and supplies. Ultimately she drove to the Post Office and got me a new supply.

I could tell how put out she was at herself, but I couldn't resist. I told her, "I've tried this organized crap and it doesn't work. Bring back my clutter!" Trc, Krl and I enjoyed a good laugh.

In other developments, the telephone company came and did an add and change. We had requested an additional line in our bundle with our provider and they never responded after numerous calls and correspondences. So we jerked the primary phone from the bundle. I walked through with the technician doing the installation, trying to get him on the same page with us. The main thing I didn't want was him messing up the fax line we left with our bundle supplier. Finally he understood the system. I am somewhat amazed and ashamed at the mess of wires and cables that gather on the wall and eve of our house. I think sometime it might be easier to strip it all and redo. Instead each technician does his own little thing and marks his own little territory.

All the reports I received on the first day of the new school year were very positive. I sure hope it is a good school year.

Doing my part for the neighborhood beautification, I took the RV that had been sitting here to the shop for a few repairs.

Speaking of neighborhood, we seem to have an epidemic of houses going up for sale. There are four houses which make contact with our property or are connected to a property that is in contact. One is the house beside us that sales often. One is the house behind us that after having one owner for a long time has sold two times in two years. The other two house have been occupied long term. Fact of the matter is, the house that borders the house beside ours has an elderly couple who were here before us. They are retired. I am not sure, but it seems they may have been struggling. I don't know if it was with finances, but I do know they are physically no longer able to maintain the place. I have feared some mental health issues because one day the gentleman came to our door asking me to steam clean his carpets again. I don't know that he ever understood he needed to go two more doors down.

If I had the money I would buy the house next to us for a guest house!

Krl and I have much more seniority than most of our neighborhood.

Today it is the parts store. Chris had called me, complaining that it was s-l-o-w.

I guess you can tell, the sandman bailed on me early again.

Have a day!

FATHER, thank YOU for the blessings we enjoy. I continue to ask for YOUR patience and peace. Peace, perfect Peace.

Another weekend that wasn't.

That describes my weekend. I sure hope yours was better.

My entire weekend was spent playing catch up. And I'm not even there. Part of my Sunday was doing driver and truck settlements. The tidbit I had left over was spent working on water valves in the sprinkler system. I have two stations that are not triggering like they are supposed to. And that drives me nuts! We don't have a really big or expensive sprinkler controller. The one we have is only the second we have had in almost twenty years in our home. But, it may be time for another one. I am just n0t sure. My biggest problem is trying to figure out why some stations are working and some aren't. I would think if it is the controller it would be all or nothing.

That is why I have been working on valve solenoids.

Another fuel card has been closed by WalMart. I have read all the cardholder agreements and for the life of me I can't find anything that has been violated. The only thing I see is that they can, at any time, suspend or terminate your card. I am still waiting for my phone call from the customer support supervisor.

It looks like I am going to spend another portion of my morning on the phone.

The only thing I can figure out is they would like for you to load the cards with a large amount of money and then let it sit all month long. I would think the amount we load and the fees we pay would be worth something. The agreement says we agree not to do anything illegal with the card, and we haven't.

The only thing I am not sure of is what "changes" they may have made because the card support dude told me there have been no policy changes since August 6th, 2009. Any way, they have not notified me of any changes.

I saw a segment on the early news CBS show this morning. They had a gentleman on who has tried to find his niche in the business world. He tried a taco parts delivery. They would bring you all the ingredients for tacos and leave them with you for you to put together. That didn't work out. Then he tried flavored iced cubes. That didn't work either. After that he did a mobile bar. Instead of going out to a bar to drink, it came to you. Another failure. Luckily this man has a regular job working at a Red Cross blood bank. His latest foray has been to start the "Recession Proof Cab Company". You pay what you want or what you can afford. His first customer paid him by giving him a CD. However, since then, he is averaging six dollars above the regular fare for a three mile ride.

When I had opportunity to watch television this weekend I bounced between the Little League World Series and the MASH festival on TVLand in the evenings, although I did watch the NASCAR race Saturday night.

I have already picked my favorites in the Little League World Series. In the first game I watched it was Mexico against Canada. Excellent pitching and superb defensive play. It was a shame Canada lost it in extra innings after a bunt and no one covered first base. Yesterday Canada seemed like they had lost their spirit and were defeated by Taiwan.

I am pulling for San Antonio in the tournament.

I am so impressed with this event. No admission. No paid parking. Concessions are very reasonable.

Outstanding!

I have to report on my scratch off ticket. A couple months ago a new game was introduced and Max from the parts store bought a ticket. I watched him scratch it off, and thought "It has been a long time since I bought a scratch off". A few days later I bought one. Rest assured, I am not addicted to scratch offs. The first one rode around on the visor of my pickup for a few days. Then it sat on my desk for a few days before I would scratch one or two squares and set it aside again. Anyhow, after a long process the winning numbers you have to match were finally scratched off revealing a match. The winning ticket rode in my pickup again until the spirit moved me to turn it in for another game card and cash. This process has repeated itself over and over. Pat's birthday scratch off was purchased with proceeds from the original game card. Then I got another game card last week for myself. I followed the previous precedents but finally over the weekend, I scratched it off.

Another winner! Crazy thing is, I never cash them in and get a new game card in the same location I got the winning card from.

There is a breaking story about a prosecutor in the terrorist cases in Guantanamo Bay this morning, alleging abuse and torture. It was so bad in fact this man resigned from his military duties. I afraid we may never know the whole truth. As more information is made available, I fear that we have become a monster no better than those we have pursued. While I have voiced it before, "W" may need to be tried as a war criminal.

Well, as much as I hate to, I had better get my day going.

School is in session!

Have a day.

FATHER, I ask YOUR blessings on the students, teachers, administrators, and staff as we begin a new school year. FATHER I ask that YOU temper me, and bless me with more patience. Help me to be thorough and deliberate in my actions. I pray for our country, that our vision and goals don't become clouded and misguided. Help us to be a beacon for goodness. Oh to be like THEE.

I read a couple of on-line articles yesterday that really make me wonder.

One involved a professional football player who has boycotted the majority of training camp wanting to renegotiate his contract because he is only making 2.2 Million dollars this year. He also alleges that the team mis-diagnosed a hip injury he had surgery on earlier this summer. Of course he also has suffered muscle pulls and strains since he did report for camp. The latest development was that the team left the unhappy player at home when they traveled to play an exhibition game.

The other article was titled "The Rich get Poorer" with a sub title of "How one millionaire lost 96 Million dollars of his net worth. The article stated that the rich lose a greater percentage of their wealth in a recession than middle class. Duh! It stands to reason they have more to lose. It doesn't mean they suffer as much as middle class.

The big story was about John McAffee. A few years ago he was worth 100 Million. Today he is worth 4 Million. This is the McAffee. The anti-virus McAffee. In the 1980's he developed the antivirus software and gave it away, charging only if a subscriber wanted technical support. After a few years he said he became bored and cashed in, to the tune of $100 Million. He invested in real estate and the stock and bond market. He says he never anticipated the real estate market and the stock and bond market to crater at the same time. While real estate is down, it was a lot better than the Lehman Brothers bonds that became worthless after they tanked. He had a property in Colorado with a view of Pikes Peak that he spent $25 Million to buy the land and build a house. Recently he sold it for 5.7 Million. His property in Hawaii sold for a fraction of what he had in it. There is a picture of John on his property in Southwest New Mexico that he bought and developed for people who fly experimental fixed wing aircraft that require no license to pilot. He also bought several vintage automobiles for his guests to use. This property will be auctioned off in the coming days. He says he needs the money to pay his bills. He has sold his ten seat Cessna airplane and now flies coach. His plan is to move to a South American country with more favorable tax laws.

Excesses.

If I had it, I wouldn't waste it!

I would be remiss in my writing if I didn't address "The house that Jerry built!" As you sports fans know. Cowboy stadium made its athletic debut Friday night. The big stink is that the Titan punter kicked the ball and hit the scoreboard. Jerry claims it was intentional and he won't move the scoreboard. One interesting thing about the new stadium is that it is the world's largest free standing room (meaning it has no support columns).

And last but not least, Happy birthday Rian. #32. Wow! Hope it is a good one.

Have a day!

FATHER, thank YOU for the blessings we enjoy. We lift up Rian for YOUR blessings as we celebrate his birthday and ask that YOU bless him with many more. Love lifted me.

I would like to have a day off I can do what I want to do and not what is dictated for me to do.

I thought I had my yesterday planned. But that didn't happen.

Late Thursday night I received a call from a driver, telling me he was having a problem with his fuel card. We began investigating and went on line to check available card balance and transaction history. His fueling total was $294. His card balance was $295. But for some weird reason, his card would not work.

As regular readers know, we are using a prepaid debit card from Walmart. It had actually worked very well. It allows us to load money as needed and has reports you can print out on weekly, monthly or yearly scheduling.

Krl tried to call customer service, and reached a recording telling us to call between 8 and 5.

Finally, about midnight. Krl put the fuel on one of her personal credit cards.

Friday morning I got up and printed the on-line reports. I was getting all my ducks in a row before I called customer service. One thing I could not believe was how many times the truck driver tried to use his card, even after Krl told him not to. 18. He would go from the fuel desk to the ATM.

The reports showed the card had been closed. ??? I couldn't understand why. It had money on it. I called customer service and talked with Milo. I guess he is in India or Pakistan. His English was short and choppy and the more questions I asked him the worse it got. He told me the card was closed because the card use was not consistent. ????? "Not consistent?", I asked. "We have had these cards since March, loading between $1200 and $1600 per week, and with only a few exceptions the card use has been for fuel (the exceptions being tire service and a couple of motel bills)". Milo told me the system reviewed the card and closed the account. I wanted to know who is the system. Walmart he replied. I asked to talk to his supervisor. He put me on hold, finally returning and telling me his supervisor would have to call back. He assured me it would be no more than ten minutes.

Two hour later I called customer service again. This time I talked with Ryan. I told him I had talked to Milo and needed to talk to their supervisor. He assured me, "I am very good at what I do. I can help you." I told him my problem and began asking questions. He had no answers, at least not any that went beyond "I am vely sorry for your inconvenience". I asked him "when" the card was closed. He told me the card was closed at 9 in the morning August 20, 2009. "Why then, did the system allow money to be loaded on the card at 12:49 in the afternoon August 20, 2009?", I asked. He told me that is not possible. By this time I was getting pretty heated. I told him I was holding the load confirmation in my hand and asked if he wanted the number. He told me it was not possible to put money on a card after the card was closed. I assured him he was wrong, and told him again I had the receipt, and if he would look at the transaction history he could see the card load. Finally he told me, "Yes, I can see it now. I don't know why it did this". Yeah, let me talk to your supervisor. He wanted to argue. I told him either activate the card or let me talk to your supervisor. He told me he could not activate the card again, the computer had already generated a refund check and I would receive it in ten to fourteen days. I told him if they had indeed closed the card and were refunding the load balance, I wanted the purchase price of the card included plus the load fee for the money loaded on the card after it was closed. He told me he could not do this, so I asked for his supervisor again. He told me his supervisor was not available and would have to give me a call back. I told him I had received the run around before, I would hold. He told me he was not allowed to have a call on hold more than a minute.

By that time, I was really steamed and just wanted to piss this little foreign jerk off. He made the mistake of asking me, "Is there anything else I can do to help you today?". I couldn't resist. I told him, "You haven't helped with anything yet!" I could tell he was getting exasperated. I asked him if their calls were recorded and monitored. He said, "Yes". I told him "I hope they are monitored, because you are a liar and a jerk. You assured me you were quite good at what you do but you are not!" He decided he would give it one more try to satisfy me. What a dummy! He told me Walmart was not comfortable with how the card was being used. I told him I didn't buy it because there had not been a problem for six months and all the sudden there was. I took my argument farther and told him obviously they could tell that the card was being used for "fuel and auto expenses" by where the card was used. Finally the man gave up. But not before he began asking me "Is there anything ... . . . . . . "Don't do it", I said, "and tell your supervisor I will expect their call." With that, he hung up.

Why are all the United States companies outsourcing their customer service to foreign countries? I get so tired of hearing "I am so sorry" in choppy English, or they begin giving you a claim or complaint number "aight, fiv, cero, cero". It just makes me sick.

I really believe the companies do this on purpose hoping that callers will become frustrated and give up.

They don't know me.

The rest of my day was spent at Roscoe. I had to meet the driver with the closed card and give him cash for fuel until we decide what we are going to do from here. After I met him I went to the barn to do some truck work. Later in the afternoon, after I had sweated down and been stung by a wasp, I loaded up and headed home.

My Friday got moved to Saturday and now we have a thunder storm in the area which may move it to Sunday or Monday.

Crudola. Hope your day was better!

I took a break and drove to Tye to meet one of the truck drivers to pick up his and another drivers paperwork. This driver always wants to meet in the restaurant. I had asked him to call me from Trent so we could arrive about the same time. When he called he was already sitting in the truck stop. I drove there and sat down with him. He always wants to visit. I don't want to be rude. Anyhow, we were visiting about the fuel card we are having the problems with when two older gentlemen walked in. One went to the breakfast buffet, the other went to the restroom after the waitress brought their coffee. In a short while the man returning from the restroom became visible to me down the hall. He was staggering back and forth, using the wall for support. When he walked through the door he mis-judged it and walked into the wall. Finally he staggered into the dining room, almost falling into another customer's lap before he sat in his chair.

Initially I thought these men might be finishing up a bender from last night, but in a moment, the man who had been staggering told his friend, "I don't feel right". I didn't want to be intrusive, so my truck driver and I resumed our conversation. In a moment we heard the friend of the man saying, "Richard. Richard. Wake up Richard. Are you all right", and the friend started rounding the table. My truck driver had realized what was going on before I did and was up in a flash. The man who had been staggering was on his way to going down in a pile. They got the man upright in his chair and under control so they could lay him gently down in the floor. An ambulance was called and the police began arriving. This man was breathing, and the people helping out said he had a pulse, but he was unconscious at least ten minutes. When he came to, he immediately began fighting and arguing wanting to get up. His friend told him what had happened and the others kept the man on the floor. I heard the friend tell the man, "I have called an ambulance and they are on their way. We are going to find out what is causing this".

As we heard the ambulance arrive, I told my driver I was going to go. He agreed. As we were walking out they were asking about blood pressure medication and blood sugar. I don't know what was going on but it didn't appear to be good.

I ran by the post office on the way home with one more stop to pick up breakfast burritos. Yum!

By the way, guess what? It rained while I was gone. Now another day is trashed.

Oh well. I may watch the little league world series. Now that is really a game. No over paid prima donnas there!

Have a weekend!

FATHER, thank YOU for all the blessing we overlook and take for granted. I lift up the man from the truck stop for YOUR gifts of healing. Thank YOU for good days that off set the bad ones. I ask for YOUR blessing of patience. For YOUR love FATHER.

Well, the parts store has seen a steady stream of customers, particularly in the mornings. This week is batteries. It seems as though everyone is needing one or two.

As any of you who have worked with me know, I like to have fun. Use to be when someone made the decision to leave the family business I would tell them, "You may work in a lot of places but you will never work in a place that you will have more fun than here."

That remains true, even today. I like to have a good laugh.

Recently, Chris's paternal grand Dad came by the parts store telling us if we wanted the security system from their grocery store, Chris needed to let him know. The system has two monitors, each accommodating four cameras.

There has been much discussion about how and where to place the cameras for surveillance.

Yesterday, Sylvia went to lunch and Max, Chris and I were at the store. My mind got to racing as I put together a scheme. I went into the office and retrieved a mounting kit, a screw, and a camera that had no wire attached. I took it into the bathroom we all share, and mounted the camera in the corner, just where the wooden paneling and the sheetrock meet. Actually placement is almost perfectly aligned that when you are sitting on the toilet, the camera is staring you directly in the eyes! I told Max what I had done and I took Chris back and showed him, but no one said a word to Sylvia.

Everyone cycled through their lunch hour and about three the Territory Sales Manager came in to do a class return and re-order that Max had been working on. About three-thirty Sylvia came around the counter and headed for the bathroom. All of us were waiting to see what her reaction would be. In a short while the door opened and she walked back behind the counter. "Ya'll are a bunch of assholes!" she proclaimed.

We all had a good laugh. I assured her there were no wires. Then I had to make her wonder if there was one wireless transmitter camera in the set. Finally I told her "No". Later in the day I went back to the bathroom and the camera was turned pointing straight down. Obviously Sylvia didn't like the camera.

I told Chris that I moved to stand at the other side of the toilet where the camera gets my good side!

Of course Chris says, "I'm not right!"

Max may be an exhibitionist. He is spending an abnormal amount of time in the bathroom since the camera was installed.

In another highlight of the day, I had given Pat a lotto scratch off in her birthday card and she walked in the store excitedly waving the card. She won a hundred dollars! She and Hag went to Abilene to eat and see a movie for her birthday!

Well, I hope your day was good. I had better get busy, I need to string some camera wire!

FATHER, thank YOU for YOUR gift of laughter!

First matter of business today, we need to send some birthday wishes.

August is filled with family birthdays, Steph, Dakota, Reid, Avery, Pat, Kyle, Linda, and Rian. I hope I'm not missing someone, but it was not intentional if that happened.

This past weekend Memama had Sunday lunch and had birthday cake celebrating four birthdays. Dakota Rain turned one. Pat had another one, Kyle turned 23 and Linda had another one.

Happy Birthday all!

I had lunch with Jason yesterday and he showed me a picture of Dakota in her new pink pedal car. It was soo cute! She had a big smile and was posing for the camera. I began calling her car her "pink Cadillac". Of course every girl needs their own pink Cadillac convertible!

Jason stopped by the parts store yesterday and Dakota and her Mom saw him and wheeled in, so we got to see Dakota briefly. She was needing a nap when they were by. She wasn't a happy camper.

Business at the parts store seems to be steady, but there aren't many big ticket items. Everything is nickel and dime.

Krl has her trucks off to their best start in several weeks. Oh there are some glitches, but overall it is much better than it has been.

When I returned to Abilene last evening I made four stops running errands. That made it almost seven by the time I got home. Needless to say I was a tired puppy. I ended up going to sleep in my chair. I moved to the bedroom about 10:45. When my eyes popped open this morning my body wanted to argue with them.

Oh well. For a long time I have contended that my days are only 16 hours long but I have ten of them in a week. At least that is what my internal clock tries to tell me.

Have a great day!

FATHER, thank YOU for a good day yesterday. I lift up Lrn to you for your gifts of healing. Bless me oh LORD, and expand my boundaries.

I sure hope Monday is behind us.

Actually, I can't complain. It was very productive. I had opportunity to do some things that needed done, and even a few that I wanted to do.

My biggest project was working on our lawn sprinkler system. For some reason, two stations were having problems. One of them I could turn on manually, but the other one would not. I ended up digging the second valve up. I wanted to do a really good inspection. Crazy thing is, once I had it where I could readily get to it (meaning I had a hole larger than the plastic valve housing), I retrieved a spare valve from the work bench in the garage. Just to satisfy myself, I took the valve apart to see how it worked. I finally determined either there was a solenoid problem or possibly a diaphragm problem. I didn't think I could do it, but I decided to remove the electric solenoid without turning the water off. Turns out after I turned the solenoid about a round, the valve opened and the sprinklers began working. I took the opportunity to "dig" out all the sprinkler heads. So, I need to go and get another solenoid.

My other dilemma is the lawn computer that controls the system. It is not too elaborate, but it is weird to program. I always put the instruction booklet behind the control unit. We have stretched the watering rules in the past, when we were restricted to one day a week for watering. By stretching them, I don't mean violating them, just taking them to the letter of the law (or city ordinance in this case). We water at night. The first cycle begins just after midnight. The second cycle begins backed up from midnight the following night, just enough to conclude on the required day. Simply said. We watered twice a day on our given day. The cycles are short enough to prevent any run off, and gives each application opportunity to "soak" in.

I am conscientious enough to turn the lawn computer off any time we have had rain.

Now my problem. When we had the house painted, the painter took the lawn computer off the wall to paint behind it. What he did with my booklet I don't know. It hadn't been a problem until recently. The city began restrictions on lawn watering, twice per week. Our days are Sunday and Thursday. I began reprogramming the lawn computer because it was still set for Mondays. Try as I might, the lawn computer has a mind of its own. I am going to try to go on line and see if I can print instructions for programing. I have to be missing something.

Krl's week got off to a good start. She has the trucks loaded through Wednesday already. Coming and going, and that is a big improvement from lately. Our preferred lanes have been one sided due to the recent legislation in Mexico, but we are hoping we have found a new vendor. Best part is, their hauls right now are coming right back to Abilene. They say they have enough for the next month.

I was working in the office when Pepa called me. "I thought you were coming over", he said. I had told him I was going to have to use one of my days off in the not to distance future to go to Roscoe and do a few things to get equipment ready to go to South Texas. I didn't designate any specific day. I asked Pepa what he was doing and he told me, "I am still trying to farm".

He was trying to change the oil in his big tractor and couldn't find the oil plug. He said he was going to try to get Hag to stop by there and show him. Then we got to the reason he wanted me to come to Roscoe. He told me he wanted to put the duals on his tractor. I don't know why he couldn't have told me that up front. I don't mind helping him when I can. It would be nice if he could say, "I'd like to put the duals on my tractor but I can't do it myself, do you think we could find a time when you could help me?" Instead, he can't ask and he doesn't like to work on any one's schedule but his. The end result is that it makes me feel like I have been ambushed when I go to some particular task and end up spending all my time doing what he wants to do. I am sure this is an issue with JPF and JEF as well.

It only makes me think that Pepa needs to re-think whether he needs to be farming or not. I know money is an issue, but he isn't physically able to do what he needs to do on a day in, day out basis. Another issue is that he has become so difficult to work with, few of the available farm hands want to work with him.

I don't know what the answer is.

I am watching a segment on the CBS News Early edition about sleep apnea. It all sounds too familiar, even though my sleep study didn't support it. Of course the night I did my study I only slept three hours. I had a problem from the time I began trying to go sleep to getting twisted up in all the wires when I would toss and turn. The observing nurse had to hold me until I reached the insurance limits, which made it a long night. This nurse told me she felt sure the Doctor would request I repeat the study. The only thing we learned from this one is that I am the most vicious sleeper they ever had through their program. By that the nurse meant I thrash all night, turning over and over. She told me she had never had anyone sleep so rough the fitted sheets came off the corners, that is until I was there. She told me to make the beds, she has to raise the head and feet both, to slip the sheets on and them put the bed back level. The only thing I got out of the study was a 'script for restless leg.

The segment I just watched was saying many people who suffer from sleep apnea stop breathing for thirty or forty seconds, then they wake up and breathe, repeating the process over and over. There are lots of times I wake, thinking I have had an episode and seeming to be oxygen starved.

Health care reform. What's the deal? People that have health care don't want reform, those that need it want it. To be honest, I am for a national health care program. I think it is long over due. I know when RT lived Sweden, he was covered under their health care program. He said there was a basic service that was paid for, anything above that costs. That would be a good starting point. Then maybe we could have a supplement that would determine a service level.

I do like the fact that the President doesn't want to pay doctors for every procedure or test, he wants to pay them for having healthier patients. This would probably rid the system of testing that was not necessary or was duplicated. I know lots of times I feel like the doctors send you round their circle and everyone gets a little piece. I know it seems even worse for medicaid/medicare patients.

O.K., so much for my soap box. Don't you wish I hadn't found it?

Have a day!

FATHER, thank YOU for a good day. I thank YOU for the new day and the blessings it holds. YOU are indeed good.

I just read that Reader's Digest is filing for chapter eleven bankruptcy protection. They have secured agreements from the majority of their creditors that would allow them to restructure the 1.2 billion dollars in debt they have. Earlier this year they dropped their guaranteed circulation for advertisers from 8 million to 5.5 million.

I don't understand. You are collecting from both ends and going broke? Selling subcriptions and selling advertising. Reader's Digest has been and is a fixture in my Mom's house as long as I can remember. Even to this day. Of course I have made more than one trip to the post office to return something that was sent unsolicited.

I guess my siblings and I got our love of reading from Memama. Fred enjoyed reading, I enjoy reading, Pat enjoys reading, I suspect Coach does if it is X's and O's, and Terri enjoyed reading, although if she were still alive I would accuse her of just looking at the pictures.

I can remember when Cullen Davis was on trial, Pepa read several books about the trial and everything that swirled around it.

Grisham, Patterson, Roberts, would probably top our favorites, but we like any romance or mystery. Terri had quite a library that filled their bookshelves in Farwell. Few people knew that most of the books had been through the system. We all share. We try not to duplicate purchases, and to honest, most of the purchases have been Pat's. She made a deal with Hag, that as long as his vice was active, she felt she was entitled to buy a book a week.

I am not talking about paperbacks. These are hardback, new releases. While Hag had agreed in general, I don't think he knew or knows how many books have been through his house. Use to be Pat would get a book and if it lasted a day it was lucky. Three days was a miracle. And it was not unusual to turn around and re-read it at a more leisurely pace. In fact, I do that quite a bit. A Grisham for me may last only a few hours, only to be re-read the following week.

A few years ago, while Pat's built in book shelves had long been full, she bought several large bookshelves. They too were filled, and she still has boxes, as do I and I would imagine E.T. has more books in his house. I think it was only when pat displayed more of her books that Hag realized the magnitude of the deal he had made years ago.

Memama doesn't read like she once did. Her diminished vision makes it more difficult than it once was. Aunt Anna Joyce participates in the sharing as well. It is not uncommon to open the cover of a book and find multiple initials, signifying who has, and more importantly has not, read that particular book.

Pat and I both have learned that we share some common interests. Although neither of us has ever done it, we would love to learn to sail. Our dream vacation would be a clipper cruise with the huge billowing sails. And lastly, we both would like to write a book.

If I have one pet peeve about authors today, it is that for the hero or heroine, money is never a concern. It seems they all have trusts or were wealthy heirs. In my book, they might achieve it, but they would have to earn it.

I have big news to report. Reidman's team won a game Saturday night. I think since he began T-ball a year or two ago and moved up to coach pitch, his team may have never won a game. And Reid started a new home run streak. He had one and two triples that Rian said could have easily been homers but the coaches didn't want to run up the score.

Kat's team ended up third in their girls fast pitch tournament which ended yesterday. It seemed that right in the middle of the tournament they had the worst game of their year.

And Ln's AHS volleyball team won the Bev ball Classic. I think Ln had about 70+ sets for the tournament. While she wasn't named to the all tournament team she did good, and she is just a junior.

My Monday is a little shorter because my Sunday was a little longer. I made Fed Ex Office yesterday and made all the copies and all the invoices were ready to put in the mail this morning!

I have put off trimming shrubs all summer, but I think I may give in later today. I sure do dread it.

I did take time Sunday afternoon to watch NASCAR at Michigan. It was a good race. I was hoping to see a 1,2,3,4 Hendrick finish but it wasn't to be. Johnson and Martin both ran out of fuel. Johnson stopped one or two laps before the finish, and Martin ran out on the final lap, costing him multiple positions and places in the points standings. While he could be the points leader entering the chase for the cup, he now will be a hero or zero. Now he is at the threshold, making it very possible he will miss the chase.

Crazy thing is Johnson and Martin had the dominant cars of the event. Johnson repeated what happened earlier in the year while Martin stretched his fuel in the first Michigan race to win and ran out this time.

You just make the best calls you can at that particular moment in time.

Here is hoping you make good decisions today!

FATHER, I need YOU in every aspect of my life. Help me to be all I can be.

Date night was great. I really enjoy going out with Krl. I don't think it would matter where we went.

And . . .. . . . . . . ...... that is probably a good thing. As I had written earlier, we had been seeing the Red Lobster ads on television and with Krl's affection and affliction for seafood, it was a no brainer on where we were going.

We weren't in a hurry so we ordered an appetizer and our drinks, then we studied and pondered before we ordered our main course. What Krl normally orders was no longer on the menu. In fact what I usually order was no longer on the menu. Krl usually ordered some huge platter with King crab legs, shrimp scampi, and sea scallops. I usually ordered shrimp and pasta with marinara sauce. All the menu pushes now is alfredo sauce. It doesn't matter where or when, I prefer red sauce to white.

We finally centered our attention to the fire grilled menu. There was a platter with snow crab clusters, scampi, with fried jumbo shrimp and broccoli. Krl substituted the fried shrimp for flame grilled and rice pilaf for the broccoli. I took the safe route. No substitutions, ordering the flame grilled shrimp and scallops with red potatoes. I think they called my entree Maryland flame grilled shrimp and scallops with Chesapeake Bay seasoning.

I realize that on television, those plates are prepared by "artists" and the segment is the end result of a huge contingency of people. When our orders arrived, they looked nothing like what we had seen on television. To add insult to injury, Krl's substitutions weren't done. We were tallying out when the waitress finally brought her flame grilled shrimp. I think we won't be going back there for a year or so.

Actually, the best place to eat seafood in Abilene is our house. I don't know how she developed it, but Krl had as knack for whipping it out. Anytime we cook seafood, we usually get the turkey fryer out so we can build a fire with a big pot! Actually it doesn't take much time and keeps the heat out of the house when we cook on the back porch. Our favorite to do at home is King crab legs and ribeyes. I eat a little crab legs and concentrate on steak while Krl is the crab leg hog. We have cooked it all, lobster, scallops, shrimp. We love steamed or boiled.

I am t0o impatient to eat crab legs. I love the flavor and taste but they are a lot of work. Much like fondu.

A guy could starve while eating!

The Cattle Baron is probably the best restaurant we have eaten in for crab legs. They not only crack them for you, they split them all the way up the length of the shell, making it easy to extract the delicious meat. I must confess though, I don't eat crab legs in restaurants.

Now battling at the top of our restaurant list are Chili's and Abuello's. The cajun ribeye versus Los Mejores Especial. Yum!

On our way home I asked my date if she wanted to stop in and pickup ice cream from Sonic to put in the freezer for her usual late night raid on the freezer. She told me she had everything she needed for a coke float!

I only have one report from the sporting venues. Rian called and reported that the streak is over. Not only was there no homer, Reidman went hit-less in their baseball game yesterday morning. He didn't whiff, the other team just had guys who could play the field and throw the ball. Rian said the little man was not happy. He couldn't even tell me the score although he assured me it was another loss and expressing a deep thankfulness that they have a fourteen run mercy rule after three innings. They played again last night at seven.

Trc ran by briefly Saturday, she was racing from Kat's softball games to Ln's volleyball. Two tournaments on the same weekend.

We are back to driver, truck settlements today. Yesterday was as close to a day off as we get. We are hopeful that things will turn loose in Laredo. All of our vendors are telling us they are receiving calls from their customers wanting to know where their loads are. All I know is there is a tremendous back log at the border. Thankfully, all the trucks are loaded tomorrow, and all are scheduled to reload tomorrow. We will keep our fingers crossed.

I had better catch up to my day. Hope yours is a good one.

FATHER, thank YOU for a good evening out. Thank YOU for Krl. I pray YOU will continue to watch over and bless her. I ask YOUR blessings on the coming week, that it would be productive and beneficial, but more than anything that it bring glory and honor to YOU. Forgive us when we fall short.

What is wrong with this picture?

The highest paid executive in 2008 was with the Blackstone Group. The founder and CEO of that group which "went public" in 2008 was paid 702 million dollars. His base was $357,000.

Eli Manning just signed a six year extension with the New York Giants for $97 Million. This year is the last year of his rookie contract and he will ONLY make $9.8 Million.

The highest paid NFl player this year is Julius Peppers. He will earn $16.7 Million. He is a defensive end.

Am I weird or does all this strike you as slightly "off".

I can't imagine the need for that kind of compensation for a CEO or a star athlete.

I guess I have meager tastes. To be honest, I have had a scratch off Lottery ticket sitting on my desk all week. I began scratching it this morning, a two and a half hour process. I am exercising my ADD. I would scratch, get distracted and scratch again. When all was revealed, I won $30, and that makes me a happy camper!

I like to think back to a Bible class I had at ACC/ACU with Earl McMillan, a professor of Biblical studies who was later terminated by the University for what I have been told were views not "totally" aligned with the University's. If anything, Earl was honest to a fault. In this Bible class, we had a discussion about describing living a Christian life in one word. That was difficult, and to this day, mind wrenching. When discussion waned, the class asked Earl his one word. His answer? Moderation. He continued by explaining how excesses made it impossible to live a Christian life. Interesting. This question still surfaces years after the class. Hmmm?

Am I one of these people who aim low and expect to achieve even lower? I don't think so. I would like to be comfortable. Where money was not a daily issue, but it wasn't something that dominates my every thought. I don't have to have a new spiffy vehicle, my little 1994 S-10 should prove that point. I don't want a huge house, ninety-nine percent of the time our home is more than large enough. I don't have a big screen. I don't have a flat screen.

Use to be Krl and I would play a game. What if? What if you won the lottery? We would take a piece of paper and begin writing down what we would do "if" we won the lottery. Surprisingly, a lot of our answers were the same. Education for our grandchildren and great grandchildren was near the top. Benevolent causes, through church and other agencies were another priority. Of course sharing with friends, family, and co-workers was included as well.

It was fun to day dream.

Krl and I are talking about treating ourselves. I have been seeing the Red Lobster advertisements on television, and anyone who knows Krl knows she has a weakness for sea food. The only time the woman has ever embarrassed me is when the small woman ate her weight in crab legs! It seems as I age I have developed a taste for seafood and pasta. We haven't eaten out since her birthday, so we are due. I told her, we deserve it.

I had been campaigning to go to Chili's the last month, but I didn't get far with my plan. Today I was entertaining the possibility of running to load money of fuel cards and picking up burritos or tacos from Rosa's, so Krl isn't going to have to persuade me too much.

I guess this could be a celebration of faith. Krl was told by the vendor she had been harassing for pay for loads dating back to June, they had cut and mailed a check zeroing their account. I hope so. It is very difficult when Pepa needs money and is due money, but vendors haven't paid. It seems as though we usually are the ones that do without.

I guess while I am on my soap box, I might as well vent a little. We use pre-paid debit cards for fuel cards. We do this to be able to get money to a driver if he has a problem and also to have funds available to him for maintenance and fuel. Two drivers are excellent. They have never used the card for anything except "business expenses". The third driver is the other extreme. He can get paid and make a cash ATM withdrawal on his company card the same day, then call Krl and tell her he is going to need more money on his card. Yesterday we were looking at his card activity report. Truck Stop Restaurants, Mc Donalds, Taco Stops, Taqueria, and ATM withdrawals are the majority of his activities. I have begun to keep a minimal amount of money on this driver's card. Use to be I would try to keep at least three hundred dollars on it, but in one week this man drew off $236 for personal use. I began passing charges for loading the card, and the inconvenience of me having to either cash a check and take the time and trouble to go and load it in addition to the amounts used for personal use. As his "miss-use" has increased I have increased the charges. If he used five dollars on the card for personal, I charge the five plus five more for his excess and my inconvenience. So far, I have not seen the threshold that will deter him from his addiction.

I don't mind an occasional use. I can under stand that. But where this man is at is almost abusive.

Now I got to brag a little. Rian called last evening giving Dandy a baseball game report for Reid. Two triples and a grand slam home run. They still got beat 27 to 14. That was three games in a row Reid had a homer. Trc came by this morning and Kat pitched last night and did a good job and helped her cause by hitting an inside the park home run. The way Trc talked it should have been on a error, but oh well. And finally I saw in the Abilene Distorter News that Ln had 27 assists in the Eagle volleyball match last evening.

Have a great day and a great weekend!

FATHER, We are thankful for everything YOU bless us with. Thank YOU for YOUR mercies and YOUR grace. We continue to ask YOU for YOUR guidance as we transition. YOU are good!

Well, Meme and I talked with Reid last night. He had a baseball game. Rian had told me Reid hit another home run but their team got beat. 17-1. They haven't won a game all year, but that is O.K.. That is two games in a row Reid has hit a homer. Meme and Dandy sent him cash (at Dad's request) so Reid was thanking us for his dollars! Rian said KB had given him a twenty dollar bill for his birthday and someone else had given him five or ten, but Reid was telling everyone he had two dollars! (meaning two bills).

I did get to talk with Holt while Reid was coming to the phone. Holt is the talker. He was telling me he had been eating cake. The boy loves cake. I went to their house one time and on the way I stopped and bought a cake. It wasn't anyone's birthday. I just know they love cake!

I have been working in the truck office most of the day. I am fixing to go to one of the shops and check on a repair ticket and a truck that had to go in for them to do the same repair again.

Krl and Trc have been trying to expand their base. Right now their biggest problem is not enough telephone lines. We had put a call in to Suddenlink for an additional line, piggy backed on our original number. After their technician scheduled and rescheduled and a week went by, they are telling us they can't do what we need to do. So, we are going to pull the voice line from our bundle (we are leaving the fax line) and return it to AT&T with the new line and let them roll over. It is crazy, but we have had something similar before only to have had it changed when the kids were gone.

I don't know, maybe Krl and I are going through our second childhood.

I have been having a personal ordeal lately, catching myself trying to force what I think I want or need. I have caught myself think a lot about the LORD's prayer, particularly the phrase "thy will be done". I find myself often trying to convince the LORD to see things my way. It is sobering to think who I have been trying to make a deal with. Who am I to question him? I think often times we get all caught up in what we want and not what we need. Maybe we need a job, but we want a title. Often times I have found more fulfillment in a job that didn't pay as much or wasn't as glamorous as others. ( I still think one of my most fun jobs was delivering flowers.).

I am making an effort to pray "thy will be done" without trying to influence where GOD is taking me. This may be one of those ordeals I struggle with.

Have a day!

FATHER, THY will be done. Forgive me when I question you.

Happy Birthday Reidman!

#6.

I talked with Rian this morning and told him I couldn't believe Reid is six years old. It is probably time to consider trading him in.

Rian's school saga continues. JM's 4:30 Wednesday meeting was cancelled. It seems the head of the LISD Sciences curriculum succumbed to a recently diagnosed cancer. Rian said the Superintendent cancelled to attend funeral services. The Superintendent is scheduled for lunch Friday at the Dunbar campus.

Rian says he feels like things will stay the way they are. He believes the Superintendent is just wanting to visit with JM to encourage him. JM wants the opportunity to visit and see what the new Superintendent's vision is for education in LISD.

Dunbar, with JM at the helm, had shown improvement each year on their state mandated testing, until this year. For the first time scores went down and Dunbar received an unacceptable rating. JM, took this very personally. The Avalanche Journal has been relentless praising Hutch middle school and chastising Dunbar. Hutch does not have enough minority students to form a sub group, so none of their minorities are included in test results. At Dunbar, the minorities are the majority.

I told Rian that until they can convince their students that they are capable, administration is going to fight an uphill battle.

I think one thing that makes JM an outstanding Principal is that he identifies with his students. He told Rian he (JM) is one of these minority students who has been fortunate enough to pull himself out of his childhood peer group to be an educator, administrator.

Krl has continued to battle the trucks. Back hauls are still a wanted commodity. Yesterday she had one haul back to Denver City and the customer told her they might possibly have two more. When Krl inquired about the additional loads, the customer told her that the load she already had a confirmation on had cancelled. I think Krl was more disappointed than the truck driver.

It has been a hard two weeks!

She is beginning to look at other lanes which scares me to death. We barely survived the pay time frame last time we did that.

While the last two days have been better for me, today I have the humdrums. While I know that where Krl and I need to go will be revealed to us in due time, I find myself anxious and short.

Have a day!

FATHER, thank YOU for all our blessings. I pray that YOU will continue to lead us where YOU want us to be. YOU are good. We lift up the kids step-Dad as he has his surgery today. We lift him and his doctors up that his procedure and treatment will be successful. YOU are good!

I may be dealing with a personal addiction problem.

When I wake early, or in middle of the night, I find myself wondering what might be on TVLand. It seems that one pretty consistent programming tendencies of that network is they broadcast MASH from four to five in the morning.

I love that series. Hawkeye, BJ, Colonel Potter, Major Winchester, Father Mulkahey, Klinger, Margaret, and Radar, not to leave out Henry Blake, Frank Burns, or Trapper John McIntire. I love the constant banter between all the residents of that small fraternity of humanity that were tossed into a situation that no one could be prepared for, yet I am amazed at the bond and loyalty they each had to each other.

Of course, I was in college when the series began, but I think I now watch the re-runs with a different perspective now that I have aged.

That is a pretty good way to start a day off. Laughing! Thanks, I needed that.

If that is my worst addiction I guess I am doing pretty well.

I knew it was going to happen, but I was still saddened and surprised when Brooks and Dunn announced they were hanging it up. I don't know that means a whole lot. Both artists have made their own forays in to the solo area. They have had a good ride.

My first knowledge of Ronnie Dunn was when I attended ACC. Chris, Chris and Dunn was a very popular musical trio on campus. Of course the story is told that administrators encouraged Ronnie Dunn to leave. Other stories indicate a more animated exit. Either way, Mr. Dunn had a passion for his music and moved to Tulsa to play in a house band. Obviously he made the right decision for himself, although success took its time to find him. One of my favorite songs, by any artist, is I believe, a song idea/rough work that was brought to Ronnie Dunn by an individual, and he sat down and in an extremely brief period of time refined and put the lyrics to music. This song was a solo success for Ronnie.

Thanks for the tunes. Good luck, Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn.

And, we say goodbye to Eunice Kennedy Shriver whose legacy lives on in Special Olympics. I think of all the influence the Kennedy family has had on so many different areas of society. I can't help but wonder what would this country be like if we hadn't lost JKF 0r Bobby, and JFK Jr. I may be wrong, but I think it would be a different world.

Health care reform. I think we need it. I like the part where doctors wouldn't get paid for every procedure, Doctors would get paid for having healthier patients.

I think President Obama has a very aggressive agenda. I shudder to think what the past eight or ten months would have been like if we had reactive leadership instead of proactive leadership. I for one, appreciate the fact the President Obama is making the effort to lead.

Summer is quickly winding down. Of course one of the first signs is when two a day football practice begins. Other sports have begun practice and it won't be long until the yellow hound school buses will be mixed with our traffic.

And it is only 135 days to Christmas.

Rian called me yesterday. He said, "Dad, pray for me, that I can keep my cool".

I asked what was going on and he told me that LISD posted three principal penings yesterday. One high school principal opening, one middle school principal opening, and one elementary school opening. He said that "central office" had been making some calls. Apparently JM, the principal Rian is an assistant to, is the subject of much interest. JM called Rian into his office and closed the door. JM told Rian he did not want to make a change, that at this late date if he was asked to make a change he would not be allowed to take his "team" with him. He asked Rian what he thought and what he would like to see happen if the changes occur. A weird twist that is thrown in is that JM is also a name being bounced around for the LISD Athletic Director's position. Of course Rian was in meetings most of last week at Central Office. So far he has been impressed with their new superintendent. She came from Houston.

Late word is that Central Office called and JM has an appointment today to meet with the superintendent.

More breaking news when it happens!

And, I learned yesterday that one of the grand-nieces had surgery earlier this week. If the information Memama gave me is correct, Jani is in Denton after Avery had multiple hernia repair surgery. I don't know many particulars, I just think that isn't the kind of birthday present I would want for birthday #6, which is right around the corner. I won't say a lot since I really don't have permission to share.

And there is another birthday right around the corner. Reidman will be 6 tomorrow. Where did the time go?

Rian will be 32 in eleven days.

If Rian is 32 and Reid is 6, that makes me? +/*-#@%&^\`= at least 38. Hah!

Pepa had been plowing Monday and reached down to get a bottle of water from the floor board, to place it by the a/c vent and he accidently hit the gearshift. He said it was just like a rearend collision. It threw him into the steering wheel. Memama said he came in Monday night telling her he was hurt. She went to therapy yesterday and was telling her nurse about Pepa's wreck. The nurse said Pepa would be pretty sore, but they didn't any big damage was done.

I reassured Memama and told her those steering wheels were pretty tough and I didn't think it was hurt.

And with that said, have a day!

FATHER, thank YOU for a good day yesterday. Thank YOU for pulling me up by my spritual bootstraps. While I am better, I still have a ways to go. I ask for YOUR continued help. I ask YOUR blessings on Krl as she is struggling with her work. Give her the assurance that it too will get better. I lift up Avery to YOU for YOUR gifts of healing and care. I pray for a quick recovery for her. I know whom I have believed.

Krl and I have stupid computers.

Krl had been telling me she could not print on her "local" printer. It hadn't been a priority, but with changes in her trucking business, her computer is playing a bigger role. She and Trc both, don't care for my computer. It has a mind of its own sometimes, but somehow me and it connect.

Sunday afternoon, I decided I would re-install the printer on Krl's computer.

Trc has been organizing the office. Since we are not moving to the jobsite as we have for fifteen years, we can finally put up a large part of our "portable" office. I had been doing settlements on my laptop, with my printer from the jobsite.

I am fixing to date my desk top computer, but I use a thumb drive for storage. My desk top is prior to the USB drive push. In fact, it only has two USB ports, both are located on the rear of the CPU, which is extremely inconvenient. So I purchased a USB hub, but my computer does not support the drivers needed. I am still looking for a suitable driver for it. Dumb computer #1.

A quick note, if you shop for a new computer, don't buy anything that does not have at least six USB ports on the back and a couple on the front (for easy access for thumb drives).

Back to Krl's computer and the printer problem. I un-installed her printer. Reconnected it, and the computer tells me it has found new hardware. So far, so good. Then the installation wizard come on and asks if I want to install the driver for the printer. I begin the process, only for the wizard to come to the conclusion it can't find the appropriate driver. I go to the HP website, type in the printer model and number, and download the driver. The computer still can't install it.

Finally I got my lap top's printer, knowing this would be short and simple. I removed Krl's printer and replaced it with the other one. Guess what. Now Krl's computer can't find the driver for the new printer.

So, after wasting several hours messing with this, I was at wits end. Krl came into the office and as usual, told me she would get the installation disc. In a matter of minutes, she handed me the disc for the original printer. So, once again I removed the printer and replaced it with the original printer. After hooking it up, I began the installation process again, telling the wizard I have the disc. I placed the disc in the CD rom, only to get the message that the disc holds no driver information pertinent to the printer.

I would pull the disc out and show the computer what it has on it, but I am sure the computer would just look the other way.

Dumb and dumber.

Yuk!

My brain has not been in a really good place lately. To be honest, I feel somewhat "off".

Krl and I were talking yesterday and I was trying to explain to her how I am not seeming to "bounce back" after having days like Thursday and Friday. Heat seems to sap me, horribly. While I have been putting it off, I think that I am going to have to pursue an arthritis doctor in the not to distant future. My shoulders and lower back and hips constantly hamper my movement.

Crazy thing is, I can tell you exactly when I hurt each part of my body playing high school football. If I knew then what I know now, I would have stayed in the band! I suppose one thing I hope is that Rian does not have as much joint pain as I have since he only played one year of high school football.

Of course he did break his wrist on a band trip! Go figure!

Rian's biggest pain are his feet. It probably comes from jumping from too many tall trees! Actually he says his best relief is from "proper" shoes.

My Monday is here at the home office. Guess what I have to do? I have to get my laptop out, hook up my printer, and do driver settlements. That is what I usually do on Sunday afternoon. Thanks to dumb and dumber, it is on my Monday horizon. Then Fed Ex office for copies, the post office, and then we will have to see where the day goes.

I need to talk to E.T.. He called me last week from the work in South Texas and told me not this week, but next week we are going to gin some cotton. I need to see if the target date is still on. I think I have everything ready for our brief visit down South. E.T. tells me he thinks it will be five to seven days.

That is two years in a row for short seasons. Of course it is bad for the producers too. But one of these days, it is going to turn around.

Well, have a day!

FATHER, I need a lot of help. I need to get out of the place I seem to be mired in. I continue to ask YOUR guidance as we form our plans. YOU lift me up! Thank YOU LORD!

Whew. I've been lots of miles since my last post.

Thursday, I went to the parts store.

Rian had called asking me to take one of the travel trailers to De Leon. While he has sleeping quarter in his pulling transporter, with running water and operational toilet, there is no shower. I told him I would check on the travel trailer Krl and I had taken to the Brownwood reunion. When we returned home, I heard the fan on the air conditioner speeding up and slowing down, then I heard it slow to a stop. I walked in and turned it off. I knew that it needed some further research, but I didn't put it high on my list, especially when I may not need it for South Texas or the seasonal work.

I dropped the inside cover and filter from the roof mounted a/c unit. I reached into the unit and turned the fan. While it initially seemed heavy to turn, it freed up. I removed my hand and turned the a/c switch to high cool. Nothing. I reached in and spun the fan, and watched as I turned the switch on. The fan immediately stopped. For what ever reason, the fan motor had grounded it self. Instead of the fields and armature spinning the fan, it stopped it.

So, I called my RV man. They were extremely busy, but they did have the fan motor. I ran by and picked it up. $201.

Thursday morning I took the travel trailer to the parts store and backed it in the bay. I crawled up top and began removing the cover. While I was hoping for a quick fix, I had one bolt on the cover that was turning. I was able to place my had through the cover, but never could get a wrench to hold it well enough to get the nut off, so finally I took a hack saw and cut the bolt.

I should have done that to begin with.

My Rv man told me they could do this in an hour and half to two hours, he figured I could do it in two hours. I ran thirty minutes over. But by the time I got through, I was soaked with sweat. It was hot in the top of the shop.

Chris and I left the parts store headed for the peach and melon festival, just after one. Rian had come by with the truck and trailer, but left prior to us being ready to go. He did have a stop in Abilene, and I decided I needed to stop by the house and shower and change clothes again. When Chris and I got on the road again, we were just east of Abilene when I called Rian. Ironically, he was two miles behind us.

I don't get in a big hurry pulling the travel trailer, and it fit pretty well with the truck Rian was driving. We arrived in the pit area, and Rian began delegating. He and his buddy Andy would begin unloading the pull tractors while Chris and I set up the travel trailer.

Rian had brought two gas powered generators to power the living quarter in his transporter and the travel trailer. We fired them up to begin the cool down process, and began getting ready for Rian's competition.

The peach and melon festival tractor pull was in their second year in their new venue. It is a double track facility that is pretty nifty. They ran the Outlaw classes on one track and ran the TTTPA classes on the other.

On Thursday night, they were almost two hours late getting the show started because the Outlaw laser (they use for measuring) would not work. As it turned out, Danny O. had taken my laser and they ended up using it until a prism could be found for theirs.

Rian's econo rod didn't run very well, but the big question mark was whether his pro mod would make a pass without breaking something. He had sure been snake bit. Our goal was to drive off the track under its own power.

While driving tentatively, he laid down a good pass, and drove off the track.

All of us were relieved. Now he could begin working on maxing the performance.

I left Rian, Chris and Andy about twelve thirty and drove back to Abilene. I walked in the house about two in the morning.

Rian called me and told me the power plant kept tripping the breaker on the travel trailer, so all three of them were going to shower in the travel trailer, but sleep in the transporter.

Turned out Friday the water pump in the travel trailer went on the fritz, so the best laid plans did not yield the desired results.

Rian's vehicles ran much better Friday night. I didn't go and I haven't seen the tapes, but they tell me he had a really good pass with his pro mod until he had to chop the throttle to stay in bounds. He moved up several spots in the standings.

Saturday morning he was checking his filters and found cuttings in his Oberg. Bearing material. He decided he would not run Saturday and risk hurting his motor more. He called me and we made alternate plans. I left Abilene at one, and was back in Abilene by four thirty, having retrieved the travel trailer in the mean time. That allowed Rian to get back to Lubbock, hopefully in time to go to the reception for one of the other assistant principals daughter.

Crazy thing is, when I got home, I plugged the travel trailer in and turned the a/c on and it worked flawlessly. the problem may be with the generators. I haven't looked into the water pump problem yet.

I have been so sore and so dehydrated from the last three days. Friday I mowed. Kat wanted to help, but found it wasn't as much fun as she thought. It is amazing to me how many strips she could leave. I don't know if she doesn't pay attention or if she is just kin to her Meme!

If I had known how much gatorade and water I would have consumed this weekend,I would have bought stock in those companies!

I hope I can get rested up and re-hydrated quickly!

Have a day and a week!

FATHER, rescue me!

Do I or don't I?

That was the question Rian posed to me this morning. It seems he had stopped by a donut shop to pick up an apple fritter for his boss as this is the first day back on campus of the new school year.

When he pulled up there was a lady walking toward the door, and Rian would be directly behind her waiting in line. It seems this lady had tucked her shirt in her granny panties and her britches were riding low and a lot of tidy whities was exposed.

"Do I tell her or do I not?", Rian asked.

We laughed and he got off the phone. In a while he called back and told me, "I chickened out!" He continued on, "That is a job for a friend."

If this is an omen, this could be a difficult day!

Yesterday was a pretty good day at the parts store. Traffic was relatively steady, in and out of the store. That makes for the day to go by more quickly.

Monday night, I had put together breakfast casseroles, (2) before going to bed. Sylvia had kind of called me out last week at the parts store. She told me, "I've heard about your breakfast casserole for two years, but it never shows up." So I decided I would "shut" her up. I figured since I was fixing one for the parts store, I might as well fix a second one for Krl at the house. Trc has been helping Krl this week, so Kat has been coming with her, also Bobbie comes on Tuesday, so they had as many guaranteed attendees as we do at the parts store.

I woke about five, but waited until shortly before six to begin my day. I went to the kitchen, turn the oven on and got my mixtures from the two fridges. By the time I had "pammed" my pyrexes and poured and smoothed my mixtures, the oven was ready, and I put the two casseroles in, side by side.

This was a carefully choreographed exercise. I know how long my morning routine is, and I emerged from my bedroom and bath, freshly bathed and shaven, and fully clothed with the exception of shoes. I had a five minute window to put my shoes on before removing the casseroles from the oven.

I left both dishes on the stove to cool while I loaded and prepped my pickup for the drive to the parts store. Finally I grabbed hot mitts and took the parts store breakfast to my truck.

It was a hit, domestically and professionally.

Pepa and Riley were late coming to Memama's for lunch. In fact I was just walking out as they arrived. In a short while I had a report that one of my co-workers had seen Riley dropping Kyle off at Chiller's, next door to the parts store. Then I had a truck drive in who reported that Riley had stopped by and visited with him at the fuel stop.

I was surprised, because not that much time had elapsed since I had left Memama's.

Late in the day, Pepa and Riley came back by the parts store to cool off. Riley went into the shope with Chris and Pepa sat at the counter. I told him about the multiple sightings of Riley and he said, "Yeah, he had it all planned out in his mind before we came in for lunch".

I laughed and told him, "Riley comes by it honest. His Momma was the same way. Constantly scheming!"

After Pepa left, Syliva asked me about my comment about Tj. I told her that if Memama and Pepa had had Tj first, they would have had no other kids!

Sylvia laughed and said if her sister had been born first, her parents wouldn't have had more children either.

For those of you who aren't aware. Both Sylvia's sister and Tj are gone.

Sylvia made the comment that she believes GOD knows when you will be born, and when you will die. She also said she wondered if her sister and Tj were so mischievous and "busy" because they weren't going to live too long.

I don't know. I do know Tj lived fast and loved hard. She was the classic impulse buyer! It was nothing for her to wake Et, wanting to make a mad dash to Abilene for something in the middle of the night.

Riley is going home this weekend.

My day is backed off just a bit. I am picking up a a/c motor this morning and dropping off a starter, so I can't leave Abilene before eight.

Have a day!

FATHER, thank YOU for a good day. I ask that YOU continue to fill my week with YOU.

Krl and I are trying to get excited about the new week. That is pretty hard when deep down we are dreading it as bad as we are.

We are starting the new week pretty much squared up. All I lack is making copies, and putting invoices in the mail.

Don't ask me why, but I told Krl my skin is crawling. And that is usually a bad sign. If Krl and I both have this sensation, it is usually better to stay in the house with the lights out. Krl asked me if I have any idea what it is about. If I knew, I would fix it!

If I were to fathom a guess, I would say it probably would have something to do with the GM from the work we declined when we didn't sign the contract.

It is very seldom I can't work with someone. But this is one of those instances where this man is so insecure and so in need of validation, he is threatened. When you talk ego about this man, it has multiple e's and o's.

I have been as above board as I can possibly be. Every single one of my people that have called wanting to be sure they have work, I have referred to Frank the plant Super. If I was wanting to mess with our former work, I would refer them or promise them work at alternate jobsites.

So, I guess we are fixing to find out a couple of things. #1) If my "skin" is right, and #2) if this is personal or professional.

This is a man I have caught in several lies, the same man who told me as far as he was concerned "We had a deal", the same man who then tried to slip in several things in the contract that were not agreed to in the negotiations.

I have been told by one person, that this man is all about power. He wants everyone to know who is in charge, and continually presents challenges intended to force people to "knuckle under".

I don't need this. I guess the retired GM spoiled me. He would give me a goal, and it was up to me to get us there.

I guess I am all grown up!

As a boss/manager, I have always subscribed to the Billy Sol philosophy. Surround yourself with good people, and multiply by dividing. Ie; Hire good people and delegate. Never ask someone to do something you can't do, but find someone who can do it better than you. Instill the sense of team.

Krl and I seem to be getting a new direction. She is pushing pretty hard. I want to take it very slow and deliberate. I think today will be the first steps of where we are going.

It was kind of a relaxing day and evening yesterday. We had absolutely zero pieces of equipment moving. And that was nice. Today I have the one truck off loading his Saturday load and coming to the shop, while the others are loading. The truck coming to the shop is one of Pepa's, but I am going to take the driver to have a drug screen for Krl's company. This is the first step to blending the two entities. If and when our drivers have had a problem, Pepa has allowed us to put them in his "idle" truck.

Here is my problem, Pepa has no drug testing program. Over a year ago, I told him if he was going to do this, he needed to do it right. He asked me what I meant and I told him driver qualification files, pre-employment drug screens, random testing, maintenance files. The whole enchilada. He told me, "I am 79 years old and never had to do all that, why would I start it now?"

I take that to mean he wants to do business the way he did back in 1950. I think the regulations have changed a little since then.

I am probably going to start preparations for putting unit #244 on the road, IF, Pepa's truck doesn't get out of the shop. We took a load for Tuesday for F23, but if it doesn't answer the bell, I guess I had better be prepared. Pepa tells me his truck will be ready. His driver said the second shop it is going to told him they would need the truck a day and a half.

One of our vendors Krl has been arm wrestling with finally sent a check. I would love to meet their payroll clerk. Krl called on some loads we hauled for them in June. Our terms are net/20. The payroll clerk says their terms are net/30. Our terms begin when they receive the invoice. They claim their terms begin when they receive the invoice, not when we hauled the load. Either way, if the invoice was June and it is August and the load hasn't paid, I would think both terms have been violated! Crazy thing is, the load their payroll clerk paid is not their oldest one.

In an even crazier turn of events, the above mentioned customer's lead dispatch, Mandy, called Krl just to vist on Saturday. While it was just a "friends" type call, Krl told her about the check they had sent. Mandy was appalled and embarrassed.

I have decided my favorite time to watch television is between three and five. Surprisingly, I did not like Roseanne when it was first on. Now that it is on TV Land, I find myself enjoying it. Don't ask me. I don't know if it is more mindless TV now or back then. After Roseanne, it is Three's Company followed by MASH. I don't like anything that if I walk out of the room and then back in, I can't find my place in the show.

Yep, I like to laugh.

I guess I had better get prepared to laugh in the face of my Monday.

Have a day!

FATHER, we need a good dose of YOU in our week!