"Dandy, my Daddy shot an eight point buck and it fell down!", the caller said excitedly.

This was Thanksgiving evening, almost at dusk. The caller was Holt.

Rian has taken the two bigger boys on outings to his in-laws farm at Roaring Springs. While Reid (the oldest) has enjoyed them, Holt (the middle boy) seems to be in his element.

You can just mention "hunting" and Holt is ready. Often times Rian will take them out to B.L.'s and set up targets and let them shoot their BB gun.

Thanksgiving day at the Freeman household in Lubbock was a "free" day, they had celebrated their Thanksgiving on Tuesday evening and had no plans for "Thanksgiving Day proper". Rian had called me to wish us a happy holiday and told me he was thinking about going to Roaring Springs. He said Holt had been begging to go hunting.

My Thursday had swerved off course Wednesday evening. K.O. had called me and told me he had a problem with a forklift he has leased from Krl's little company. The machine could not find its "neutral" safety start position. He was able to by-pass it to load a load late Wednesday, but I told him I would drive up and look the problem over.

Thursday morning I drove up to Anson and began tearing the steering column and shuttle shifter apart. The transmission is controlled totally by micro switches. Four of them in all, so K.O. and I had to determine which ones were working properly and which ones weren't. As expected, one was hanging. We blew the small switch with compressed air, but it still didn't want to work properly, then we sprayed a generous coating of WD 40 and began working the switch. With each click it worked better. Finally we took the air blower and blew all the excess lubricant from the switch and began putting the controller and column back together. Some of these screws are so small. I was concerned that if we dropped one it would be gone forever. Luckily we didn't drop anything. As we completed each stage, we would test the circuit to insure the machine would still start. Finally we had competed the re-assembly, the machine passed with flying colors, I wished K.O. a Happy Thanksgiving and I headed back to Abilene.

That was three hours out of my day I had not planned on initially.

I called Krl and she was putting the turkey in the broaster roaster. She had the oven on and was placing items we had assembled on Wednesday afternoon and evening in to cook. (We had done deviled eggs, and sliced eggs for the dressing and giblet gravy Wednesday afternoon from eggs Krl had boiled earlier in the week. Then we assembled the squash dressing, all from meal parts Krl had prepared earlier).

We had other entrees grouped and ready to be put into the pans, so when I walked in the door, I washed up and we got busy!

I have to admit, I love Thanksgiving. I love the theme, and I love the food. I will also admit I really enjoy cooking the meal with Krl. As we worked in the kitchen, mixing and preparing, we re-visited the many St. Lawrence Thanksgivings and hoped and wished all of our former co-workers well. Both of us missed the feeling we got when serving what had become an annual meal our co-workers looked forward to out there.

I will be the first to admit it is much simpler to cook for seven than it is to cook for a hundred fifty!

Krl and I both made a concerted effort to bring the meal together at precisely the same time. For me that is always the trick. (I hate to have to microwave plates).

Luckily, we pulled it off. We used both ovens, sometimes with multiple trays inside, the broaster roaster, my Ronco rotisserie, and a warming tray with multiple items sitting on it as they came from the oven.

When our guest arrived, we placed their items in the mix and within minutes the meal was served. Yum! It was delicious.

Ln has not done well from having her tonsils and adenoids removed last week. She ate anything soft. Mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, deviled eggs, and freshly baked bread Trc had prepared. She ended up lying down on the couch while everyone else finished their meal. By the time the clean up was over she wanted to go home for more pain medication and to get back in her bed.

It was some time later I received the excited call from Holt reporting on the eight point buck. When he was through Rian got on the line and told me of their quest. He said he told Holt on the way out there how important it was to be real quiet, and figured it was a wasted lecture. However, he said Holt was still and quiet as a church mouse during the hunt.

On Friday and Saturday K.O. had asked me to help him again, which I did. I moved bales from Anson to Sweetwater. Two loads Friday and pre-loaded one load for Saturday, then we delivered three loads Saturday. I took one of Krl's truck drivers with me to see if I could train him to run the forklift and put a load of bales on that would "stay" on the truck.

I can load a load of bales in a half hour. This trainee loaded his first load in two and a half hours. I think he has potential, but he won't be the man you need if you are behind, at least for a while.

While the trainee was loading bales, I received a call. It was Holt. I swear every sentence ended with the phrase "eight point buck". Each time Holt told it, he embellished it a little more until finally he told me, "I shot an eight point buck, all by myself!" (Quite an accomplishment for a three, almost four year old!).

I asked him when he was going to come see his Meme and Dandy and he didn't even acknowledge the question. He was too busy talking about the eight point buck. Finally I asked him if Dandy was going to have to get an eight point buck to put in the back yard for Holt to come see us and he said "Yep!".

Rian said two days after, Holt was excited and wanted to go hunting again.

Hhmmm. That is a Christmas gift possibility. Hunting "camo" gear for Holt!

I had entertained the possibility of driving over to Memama and Pepa's Thursday morning. Of course the forklift problem took care of that. When I leased the equipment out, I agreed to do "any" maintenance outside of ordinary.

As I was helping Krl cook I received a call from Pat. She was having a blue day, missing Fred and TJ. TJ use to peel all the potatoes for Memama, and her standing order to Pat was for Dr. Pepper fruit salad. Pat had been preparing the Dr. Pepper salad when she called me. I told her I would worry more about her if she didn't miss Fred and TJ. That is part of the holiday stigma. Holidays stir memories and sometimes these memories pluck on the heart strings.

Add to this the fact that the last month has been extremely hard on Pat and that Wednesday she had taken Memama and Pepa to see Brody and Jalin in the neo-natal ICU. She says Memama travels pretty well, but Pepa is horrible. I concur. He has no wind and no strength. Doctors are wanting him to get an exercise bike for him to ride.

I told Pat and Memama if Pepa is going to ride it it had better be electric powered.

By the time Pat got Memama and Pepa to the maternity floor Pepa was spouting that she had better find him a wheelchair. Of course then the problem is that he doesn't intend to propel himself. He wants someone to push him around. (This is the problem. He has sat on his duff so long he is the one to blame for his predicament. And if you know me I don't like helping anyone who doesn't try to help themselves!).

Yesterday morning Pat called me wanting to know where I was at. She had received a phone call from Pepa telling he he had been up for hours. He was aching all over and freezing so much he was shivering. Memama was still asleep and even if she was awake she couldn't hear anything. Pat told him if he was sick he needed to got to the doctor. He said he wouldn't know what to tell them. Pat said tell them what you just told me! Then he told he the doctors offices were closed. She said go to the emergency room. He didn't want to.

I told Pat if she wanted me to I would call 9-1-1 for an ambulance. She told me she was going to go check on him before she went to the field to run their module builder.

A short while later Memama called her telling her she had wakened and found Pepa sitting in his recliner. She turned the heater on and he was much better now. (I am sure she made a pot of coffee too!).

(Remember what I said about someone helping themselves? Remember what I said about he wanted someone to do it for him?). I rest my case.

Grandpa Freeman was a piece of cake. And he only had one leg. He did more, went more, and was healthier than Pepa.

I may put McCoy's number on my speed dial. (That ought to piss someone off!).

Ln spent a good portion of her Friday at the emergency room. Trc had called Dr. Dyers office and he told them there would be orders waiting at the ER to admit and treat her. When they arrived, the doctor on call told them he didn't want her in the hospital, that what was in the hospital (flu) was worse than what she had and she really didn't need the flu on top of the problems she already had. The gave her two bags of IV's and he said the pain and antibiotic combination Dr. Dyer had given her would make anyone nauseous. He also said the pain med her doctor had prescribed was at a dosage for a seven year old, not a seventeen year old. He made the changes he thought she needed and sent her home. She seems to be doing much better.

Well, I had better get. I have office work to do sometime today and I received an invite to come back to K.O.'s gin jobsite if I got through early. I am also planning on going there to help tomorrow. He is still short handed.

Have a day!

FATHER, thank YOU for a wonderful thanksgiving. Help us to have thankful hearts every day. I lift up Ln for YOUR gifts of healing. I pray for safety for all the travelers. Help us to make good decisions. To YOU be the glory!

Happy Thanksgiving! Count your blessings, we are blessed!

Thank YOU FATHER!

Two! Dos! Twins! Quate!

Brody Mac and Jalen Brook made their debut shortly after noon today weighing in at 5lbs. 4 ounces for him and four pounds eleven ounces for her, both are 18 inches long. He has a double chin and is breathing on his own, she is not distressed but is on oxygen. They may spend as much as two weeks in NICU.

Mom and Dad are doing well also!

K.O. called me mid-week, asking me if I could help him at his Anson jobsite on Friday.

The only thing on my immediate horizon is the S-10, so I told him I could.

I went up early Friday and strapped a load of cotton bales and took them to the compress. Then I returned to load another load and take them to the compress.

It was a flashback of sorts. K.O. has one of my forklifts from the old seasonal work leased, so it was a familiar setting.

When I left Friday evening, K.O. asked if I could return Saturday to do the same thing. I told him I could.

Saturday morning I woke about my usual time and tossed and turned for a couple of hours before getting up at five-thirty. I got up, took my time bathing, reading, getting dressed and gathering my things for the day. While I was in the back of the house, I thought I heard my cell phone, just before six-thirty.

As I came through the kitchen I gathered my license, credit cards, and cell phone. A quick glance told me I had indeed missed a call at six-twenty-nine.

As I backed out of the driveway, I returned the call to K.O.. He informed me that one of his drivers had called and told him one of the driver's daughters had been killed in a auto accident. We were into making emergency plans immediately.

The truck driver has been one of about six working at the Loop location, so the first matter of business was "how" to get the driver home quickly. The second matter was developing a plan to cover the driver who was leaving shift.

These men who work together, blending company lines, form relationships with each other of mutual respect, and admiration for their dedication and work ethic. This gruff group will never vocalize this relationship, but these guys will go to the nth degree to help or assist a co-worker.

And they did and they will.

While the driver who suffered the loss is one of K.O.'s drivers, I have taken him with me on our South Texas work. He is hard working and jovial. Always smiling. (I have joked that I should call him "Smiley").

K.O. had told the driver "put it in the wind". (A trucker's phrase for get it going). This driver had an almost three hour drive to get from his jobsite to his home. By the time K.O. and I were in my pickup, both of us were talking on our cell phones, working of different pieces of the solution.

My early start to the day quickly faded and K.O. and I began to make our way to the driver's home a half hour away from our location. We ended up following the driver into town and to his home. When he arrived there he just stopped in the middle of the road and killed the engine. There was a large group of family and friends already at his home. He walked to us and handed K.O. some paperwork, K.O. offered our condolences and I offered up a "I am so sorry", and the driver walked toward his house.

I got into the big Peterbilt truck and pulled it out of the already congested neighborhood. I took it to the jobsite in Anson.

My heart is hurting for man and his family. His daughter was one of four who lost their lives in an early morning Jones County accident. The daughter was the "baby" of the family, a bright and shining star in her daddy's eyes. She had been valedictorian of her graduating class. According to reports, she was a passenger in a vehicle only six miles from home when a vehicle meeting them drifted into their lane and hit them head on. The driver of the daughter's vehicle was 18, the other vehicle had two men from Abilene who also lost their lives.

Tragic.

I often wonder how closely I have toyed with death, not even being aware of the possibility.

Take nothing for granted.

Have a day.

FATHER, I lift up Leroy and his family as they mourn the death of his daughter. I ask your care and comfort as they deal with this hard loss. I pray for the family of the other victims as they deal with their loss. FATHER, we look for answers in tragedy, wanting explanations and finding none. FATHER, as hard as it is, we believe in YOU and YOUR plan. YOU are still good.

Thank goodness!

My blogger had been acting weird. It hasn't been giving me all the toolbars lately, but for whatever reason, it has restored them today!

I spent part of my Monday at the house, part of it running parts, and part of it working on the little S-10 pickup.

When Trc re-modeled our house in 2006, part of the kitchen re-do was a new deep stainless sink, disposal, and faucet. While parts of it have been great, the disposal was always suspect. It seemed as though it refused to coordinate with anything attached to it. It didn't want to drain water in the sink unless the disposal was on. If you ran the dishwasher, more often than not the drain water would rise in the sink.

Krl kept telling me their was an obstruction. I didn't think so, but I wasn't going to argue.

In a strange occurrence, prior to the re-do, I had replaced the disposal only a few months prior. I had told Trc the disposal was "almost" new, but she replaced it anyway. Luckily, the old disposal was stored in the garage.

I retrieved the disposal from the garage, cleared under the sink, and removed the newer disposal replacing it with the other.

Reports are that it is working "wonderfully".

Krl was right. There was an obstruction, the disposal.

I was not satisfied Saturday when I installed the pan on the new S-10 engine. It was a cork gasket (which I don't like) and it felt like it "cut" when I tightened the bolts. I picked up another pan set and removed the pan yesterday. Sure enough, the gasket had cut in to.

I had a pretty productive time working on the engine. I almost have it completely sealed and will be moving on to installing the accessory drives.

I have had a weird feeling lately. While more often than not, when I get these feelings my skin crawls and it is a sense of gloom and doom. However this time it is like an eager anticipation that something good is just around the corner.

Hey I can hope!

Have a day! Parts store for me!

FATHER, please bless this day. To YOU be the glory!

Wow. Excellent NFL game last evening. Finally one of my teams won.

The Patriots appeared to be pulling away. Randy Moss and Tom Brady were definitely on the same page.

To a large degree, Peyton and company seemed to be confused and guessing. They did continue to do enough to lurk, waiting for opportunity.

Patriot's Head Coach Bill Belichick made the decision to go for it on fourth and two from their own twenty-nine with just over two minutes remaining on the clock. The Colts held and Manning directed them into the end zone to tie the game. The PAT was good and the Patriots had time for one play.

Colts win!

I read that Peyton Manning can control a game better than any one in the history of the game.

I would agree. The man is like having a coach on the field.

I don't watch a lot of NFL football, but I enjoyed last night's marquee matchup! (Much more than the Romo Cowboy extravaganza).

Well, have a day!

FATHER, I need a breather today. Thanks for covering me!

O.K.. Let's catch up.

November birthdays I know of. I missed Lindsey's a week or so ago. (By the way, they put her on some oral medication to control her contractions and sent her home. Doctors want to get the twins past at least Wednesday before they take them).

Riley had a birthday yesterday. Jeanetta had one today. Hag has one Wednesday.

It seems like I am missing one but for the minute I am blank.

So, Happy Birthday all!

Rian and Erica, along with Paul and his wife and their new youth intern and his wife, brought about thirteen girls from Greenlawn to participate in a retreat at ACU.

Rian and Erica had dropped Reid off at Alton and Lou Ann's as they came through Sweetwater. The other two boys were with Chet and Shirley.

In major contrast to the past retreats they have brought young women to at ACU, this one seemed a bust. The girls and the youth ministers and their wives discussed the retreat, then called their sponsoring elder to get permission to skip the final day.

Turns out they talked with other youth ministers who also opted out.

Rian said he fears this year's bad experience will not be good on particpants next year.

My day began with driver settlements, lasting well into my afternoon. One driver, I call him Einstein, had drawn a large amount of cash from his debit fuel card. He contends the debit machine at his fuel stop was on the fritz. Now this man is not a good record keeper, and when I did a tally he was in the hole almost three hundred dollars. Krl called him to ask if he had any more receipts and he told her there was no way he could be in the hole that bad. We invited him over to defend himself. Even when he saw it on paper and on the computer screen, he could hardly believe it.

I am fearful we have invested a year in a driver who isn't a keeper.

While he won't do it to me, he has told Krl that the little wild man is "my favorite". He has threatened Krl and Trc both with "I'm going to quit". I told them next time he threatens, accept his resignation.

I feel like I am in quick sand. I have all these projects in the works and I don't have adequate time to address any of them properly.

I have either watched portions or at least listened to portions of the NASCAR race at Phoenix. the Cowboys at Lambeaugh (?) the NHRA Winter Nationals season finale at Pomona and currently am watching and listening to the Colts and the Patriots. So far none of my guys or teams are winning!

My Monday is an open book. I guess the squeaky wheel will get the attention!

Hope you had a weekend.

FATHER, take control. I am spazzing.

The mystery of the missing post.

I blogged earlier in the week but my computer ate it.

I guess.

Don't ask me what happened. I typed it, spell checked it, and hit the post button.

Somewhere, out there in cyberspace, my post is lost.

So, I will try to do a brief catch up and move on.

My Monday was a disaster. Sunday night the little wild man truck driver called me to tell the one repair that topped our list, did not hold. The pinion seal on the front rearend. In fact, the new seal was leaking worse than the seal we replaced. We made an alternate plan for the driver to move into another truck that was also working at the jobsite, so the customer was covered.

I began formulating a plan to pick up parts and get the service trailer and then go to Brownfield, where the truck was located.

I carried multiple seals. New style. Old style. With speedy sleeve. Without speedy sleeve. I even purchased a seal installation tool. I was carrying six gallons of synthetic gear oil.

On the spur of the moment, I decided to load the incline ladder on the service trailer. K.O.'s drivers haven't ever used one, but my guys think it is a must. Especially for safety concerns.

One of my character flaws is that when something goes awry, I want to go warp speed to fix it! Patience is not one of my more abundant virtues.

As I entered the Brownfield city limits, I called the driver to wake him. By the time I arrived at the truck he had his shoes on and was ready to go to work. We unfolded a cardboard box to lie on under the truck, and I gathered wrenches to take off the u-joint. Once the driveline was out of the way, I fired up the big air compressor and put the socket on the one inch air impact wrench.

Thankfully, the big nut that had given us so much trouble Saturday, came off in the matter of seconds. When we removed the yoke, the seal we had installed Saturday was in two separate pieces. This seal is supposed to be state of the arts and they call it a two piece seal, one piece attaching to the outer housing, the other attaching to the yoke. Both of the attached points "seal". There is a three rib joint where the two pieces interact, and the inside piece actually turns onside the outside piece. For whatever reason, this seal had come apart.

We had a problem removing the broken piece from the yoke, but luckily my forklift man has opened a shop in Brownfield and he allowed us to use his vice and anything else we needed.

As difficult as the repair was Saturday in the farm shop, it was equally easy Monday on the roadside. Don't ask me, but sometimes pieces just go back together the way they were supposed to and things just fall in place.

The main reason we made the decision to park the truck was to prevent burning up the differential due to oil loss. When we went to pour oil in the rearend, the truck driver was amazed when it held only a gallon and a half.

The driver took the truck and did about a twenty mile test run and everything remained dry.

Thank you LORD!

About five, I hit the road, headed to the plant to deliver the ladder.

By the time I got home between nine and ten, I had driven 416 miles.

Yep, it was a Monday.

The rest of my week it seems I have done nothing but stay on the phone arguing with people. Insurance adjusters. The engine warranty technician on the S-10 engine. I don't know why people can't do the right thing. The engine technician has all but called me a liar saying that there is no way i received the engine I received and returned the engine I said I returned. That go him a letter to his supervisor!

In good news, Addie made the A B honor roll. Good job Addison!

Also Ollie is still recovering from her allergic reaction to the medication change her doctor made, but she is scheduled to go back to work and she has also begun enrolling at Angelo State beginning in January. She says she is 22 hours away from completing her degree in Mass Communications. My big question is what she is going to do with it once she is finished with it.

Lindsey was hospitalized earlier in the week. She began having contractions and they were having trouble controlling them. The original plan was to take the twins the first of December. Now they say that Lindsey is in the hospital until the babies come and they hope she can carry them at least once more week.

On a somber not, a few weeks ago there was an accident close to Winters that claimed a young woman from Rotan. One of Rian and Erica's friends was riding in the other vehicle along with her three children and her Mom and Dad. Her Dad Sonny was driving her suburban. Luckily her husband was in Dallas at a sales meeting.

The vehicles hit head on, and the suburban caught fire, luckily one of the first "passerbyer"s was a paramedic from Lubbock. . The most severe injuries in the suburban were to Sonny, the driver. He suffered internal injuries and was care flighted to San Angelo. The young mother suffered a broken leg and a broken ankle. Her Mom suffered a broken arm. Amazingly, none of the three kids were hurt.

Yesterday Rian called me to tell me things did not look good for Sonny. He has had multiple surgeries. They have removed the majority of the intestines and his colon and he suffered severe lacerations to his kidneys. His kidneys and his liver have shut down. His blood pressure is extremely low and his circulation is so poor they are entertaining the possibility of amputating fingers and toes due to complications.


Please add Sonny and his family to your prayer list as they and the doctors make difficult decisions.

Have a day!

FATHER, thank YOU for all the blessings we enjoy. We lift up Lindsey and the twins to you for YOUR care. We lift Sonny and his family to YOU for YOUR gifts of healing and care. Be with the doctors and nurses as they minister to him. Great things YOU have done!

What a horrible Saturday!

Yuk!

EEeeek!

Sssppppppfffffttt!

Our day was mapped. Farm shop. Big truck coming in for some repairs and maintenance, and the little S-10 engine replacement.

From square one, things began going awry, and it didn't get any better from there.

I arrived at the shop prior to the little wildman, and decided to open the sealed crate with the new engine for the S-10. Was I in for a surprise!

When I unlocked the rubber snubbers and removed the top half, I was greeted with an engine, less the valve cover, timing cover, and the oil pan. To make matters worse, the oil pump was lying inside the plastic bag sealing the engine from the elements.

What I had originally purchased was a complete engine, valve cover to pan. Through the warranty process, someone screwed up and sent me the aforementioned engine.

To tell you the truth, if I am working at this point I would rather start with a bare block and build the entire engine. That way I know what I have got and if there is a problem there is no one to blame but yours truly!

Luckily, the original engine from this truck was sitting at Chris's parts store, having never shipped backed as a core. I had chastised Chris repeatedly for not doing so, but it turned out it was a blessing.

When the little Wildman arrived with the big rig, we hopped in my pickup and made a bee-line for the parts store to pick up the core engine. Once we got back to the shop the little wildman went to work on the big rig and I went to work removing all the pieces we needed from the core.

I had given the warranty department an estimate for the labor of removing and replacing the engine, but I had figured on the complete engine. The added time of removing, cleaning and preparing the pieces and applying silicon and gaskets was not in that estimate.

I am going to prepare a supplemental bill and plan to include a substantial mental anguish penalty!

But the day didn't get any better. The little wildman requested I help him remove the pinion nut on the front rear end (or differential) of the big truck. This nut secures the yoke the driveline bolts to. Initially he had used a three-quarter inch drive air impact wrench. Then he moved to a one-inch drive with hammer and anvil action. The nut didn't move. We applied some heat from an acetylene torch, then put a socket, breakover wrench, and a seven foot long cheater pipe with me hanging on the end. No movement. We repeated the process with me and the little wildman on the end of the pipe. No movement. Finally we moved to the other side, heated the nut, placed the socket over the nut with the breakover and cheater pipe and I lifted the cheater pipe using the 5000 pound capacity forklift. Nothing.

By now is was four in the afternoon and I felt we were looking at taking the torch and cutting the nut off. Problem was, there were no vendors open to purchase a new nut from.

Jason had happened to the barn to mow around the house and he had helped us when we began using the forklift. He told me he could cut the nut off without damaging the threads on the pinion, but he wanted to go to town and get a really good tip.

As he made his way to town to get the tip, he talked with Brent and Brent told him before you cut it off, put a rosebud tip on the torch and get the nut red hot, then cool it down quickly by pouring water on it. Jason began heating the nut, but the torch was acting funny.

We were running out of oxygen.

We made a quick survey of the shop and a spare was not there. (Turns out when the vendor went up on his bottle rent Pepa returned all but the bottles on the cart).

Jason ran back to town to pickup the JBK service truck which has almost anything you need.

By now it was dark.

Jason returned and quickly unrolled the hoses and began heating the nut. In a short time he had the nut red hot and he began pouring water on it. Two gallons in all. When he could touch the nut he put the socket and breakover on it as the little wildman and I positioned ourselved to pull on the cheater pipe. As Jason pulled the slack out of the differential, he began smiling. The breakover moved counter clockwise almost effortlessly. He removed the breakover and spun the nut off using his hand.

Unbelievable.

While the yoke and surrounding metals cooled, we did the remaining repairs.

Shortly after nine, we closed the shop and I headed for Abilene and the driver headed for a motel room Krl had reserved for him.

I arrived home close to ten thirty, after stopping to pick up supper for Krl and I. When I walked in the house I was a whipped puppy. I was tired and dirty and sore all over. When I took off my work boots, my feet seemed to expand. The cement floor had been murder on my feet and legs.

I told Krl my work boots have been good, but I am going to have to break down and buy a new pair.

Finally I stepped under the soothing and cleansing shower. In short order I was clean and took my night medications and hopped in bed.

I slept like a rock.

I will spend part of today working in the office. Monday I will go back to the shop and get back to work on the S-10 motor. I tried to call the engine company Saturday but they were closed. Tomorrow I WILL talk to them.

By the way, Rian and his friend didn't get a deer. In fact they didn't see anything. But when the gassed the snake den, they killed nineteen rattlesnakes. Three were over five feet long. Rian said he is going to have to revise his snake eradication plan as there are three entrances/exits to this den.

Well, I had better go get some more Advil.

Have a day!

FATHER, rest and refresh me. I pray the repairs we made will be good fixes. Bless our efforts. To YOU be the glory!

This past week while working at the parts store I encountered a problem I had never had to deal with.

I had a customer, who I have known almost my whole life, walk through the door and approach the counter. We exchanged greetings and I asked, "What can we do for you today?"

"I need a .......... . . .. . .. . a .. .. . ...... .. . . . . . a . . . . .. .. . . . .. ", he replied, "I forgot what its called."

He stood there using his hands forming an unidentifiable shape, while trying to think real hard.

After several uncomfortable minutes, I began a conversation going back to his last visit to the parts store when his quest was a "V"-belt for his lathe.

"Did you get your lathe fixed?", I asked.

"No, I haven't even thought about it since I was in here the other day", he replied.

We talked some small talk before I came back to the current visit to the parts store. "What are we working on today?", I asked.

"I put a hay bale lift on Big John's pickup and the switch isn't working right. I can take the hot wire off and touch the other terminal and it works like it is supposed too", he said.

All the sudden you could see the dots connect and he said, "That's what I need. A switch. A solenoid switch!"

Whew, that was uncomfortable for me and I know it had to be embarrassing for the customer. Thank goodness, we worked through it.

The majority of my Friday was consumed gathering parts and supplies. Eight stops in all. Almost $300 total. I hope I have everything I need.

I have not talked with the little wildman truck driver to see how we are going to do this. He is supposed to come on about eleven in the evening, so he is probably going to want a nap before beginning the shop work.

I did talk with Rian late Friday and he was quizzing me about gassing a snake den. He and a hunting friend are going to Roaring Springs early Saturday to go deer hunting, but when they are done deer hunting he is wanting to go and gas a big rattlesnake den.

This past week I had been talking with people, trying to find someone who might go and collect the snakes from this den. Now Rian just wants them gone.

This place belongs to his in-laws, and last time Rian and his father-in-law went there they killed eleven or fourteen rattlesnakes. Last weekend when Rian and his two oldest boys went there, Rian killed four snakes.

I think that is the main reason Rian wants to rid the farm of the snakes, so he can be more comfortable taking the boys.

Rian comes by his dislike for snakes honest. His Dad hates them too.

But, my plan would be to find someone who enjoys snake hunting. Especially with the market what it is now.

Rian's plan is to back his pickup to within ten or twelve feet of the den entrance, start the gas going in, and then him and his friend getting in the back of the pickup and shooting the snakes as they flee the gas.

I asked Rian what was going to happen if the snakes exited so quickly they couldn't shoot them all and they got under the pickup, how was he going to get in the pickup to leave. He told me if that happened he would do that old Bo and Luke Duke deal and crawl over the top and enter through the window.

I am up and an unholy hour again. I find it difficult to get comfortable lying down. My shoulders have been a problem, as they still are, but now my hips seem to ache as well. Krl had been complaining to Trc of not sleeping well and they changed some things with our mattress that may take some adapting to.

I had a call from the old seasonal jobsite. I must admit, this is the most enjoyable phone call I have had. I will not identify the caller however.

The call came as I was going around Sweetwater and lasted until after I had killed my pickup in our driveway. Here are highlights from that conversation. "Hello, how are you?" I asked the caller.

"Oh Mr. Freeman, I'm O.K.. Not really though. I'm not very happy. No one is very happy. I don't know if any of these guys will be back after this year. Plant employees are complaining, truck drivers are complaining. The plant is not running very well. The changes Mr. Turner made to increase production have not done that, the new equipment has not run like it was supposed to and production is down almost a third. I think maybe this job is to big for Mr. Turner. Mr. Turner is not very smart!", the party on the other end said.

I couldn't help but laugh! I don't want to wish bad on any of our friends and former co-workers out there, but if Mr. Turner is in a pickle I can think of no one more deserving. (As you can tell I consider him neither a friend nor a former co-worker).

I must admit, it is an odd feeling to plan for Thanksgiving and Christmas knowing we will be home!

Ain't life grand!

Ahhhhhh!

FATHER, thank YOU for small blessings! Thank YOU for Ollie getting out of the hospital, and for Phoo Doo's recovery. YOU strengthen me.

In many ways the week has flown by, but in many ways the week has dragged.

The parts store has seen a lot of traffic. I am hopeful the sales numbers are up as well. It seems as though none of the customers, or a small percentage, are looking for odd parts or items that take a lot of research.

One afternoon, when things did calm down, I pulled the drive-line out of my pickup. For quite some time I had heard a squeak coming from a u-joint. This past week it has become a loud click or clatter, so I knew I needed to do something about it.

Sure enough, when I had it out, the rear joint was frozen up.

I enlisted the help of Max and Sylvia and we began the r & r process.

About an hour before the end of the business day, Max and crawled back under the truck and re-installed the drive-line.

Now I can drive through the drive through windows without being embarrassed!

A quick update on the grandson's dog story. It hasn't happened yet.

Speaking of dogs, Phoo Doo went under the knife Wednesday at Rescue the Animals. We had been wanting to have her spayed. She had a rough twenty-four hours but is much better today. Wednesday night, every time I woke she was crying. About the middle of the night Krl got up, gave her some medication and rocked her for about an hour.

Ollie's doctor changed some meds for her and she had an adverse reaction. She had a mouth and throat full of fever blisters, even had them on her eyes, and they did an MRI to see if she had them on her brain. She spent the night in critical care and remained in the horsepital yesterday.

And condolences go to Jeanette and her family in the loss of her Dad. I believe Rian told me graveside services are Saturday in Lipan.

I have spent my day off picking up parts and supplies for what I hope is a whirlwind Saturday. The little wildman is coming in, the gin is giving him Saturday and possibly Sunday off. We have some truck maintenance to do on his truck, and then we will jump on the little S-10.

After dealing with the engine rebuilding company since February 5th, which was when I filed a warranty claim on the new engine I had bought, the re-builder finally approved a replacement engine. It is sitting in the floor of the shop. We just have to put all the accessory drives on it and sit it back in. We are hopeful we can get it close. The re-builder says 13.2 hour to remove and replace. We are half way there. There will be possible three of us, so maybe we can do it in five or six hours.

I would like to be able to drive the little truck tomorrow, but I am not planning on it.

Maybe next weekend I can deliver it to Lubbock.

Have a weekend!

FATHER, thank YOU for a good week. Please Bless us with a productive day tomorrow.

I have always thought a young boy needs a dog. Does that mean three young boys need three hounds?

Nah!

Rian told me an interesting story yesterday, and to tell you the truth it surprised me. The boys are getting a dog.

Holt has wanted a dog for a while. Drew has always been intrigued, but Reid took after his Dad and wasn't crazy about having a dog. Throw in the mix their mother is very allergic and it is no wonder a dog hasn't resided at 5402 16th Place.

But, that is all fixing to change. Perhaps it already has.

Reid decided he wanted a dog, but he wanted a known commodity. He wanted the miniature Dachshund Penney that belongs to Rian's boss's family. Reid asked his Dad and his Dad told him to call Jimmy. Reid did and Jimmy told Reid, Penney is Jada's dog, if she agrees, you can have Penney. Reid called Jada, who lives in the dorm at LCU and who often babysits the three boys and she agreed, telling Reid she couldn't have a dog in the dorm but as long as she could visit, she gave the deal her blessing.

I tell you, that Reid is a mover and a shaker!

Worst thing about it is Penney is a seven year old dog.

I don't want anyone to think I am skirting an issue, so after a week since its occurrence, for any of you wondering it is true. Yes, Chris assaulted a train with his mule.

It seems Chris had been imbibing in the spirits and decided to go the caleche pit at his Dad's gin and shoot his deer rifle. He was traveling West with his ear phones on jamming when a West bound train was overtaking him. Just where the county road crosses the tracks, the train passed Chris in time for him to make contact at the rear of the lead engine. He rode out the first barrel roll as the train took control of the off road vehicle, but then he was thrown down the rail bed (luckily away from the tracks). The mule was violently rolled several more times before it broke away from the train.

A man who lived close by found Chris lying in the ditch and summoned the authorities and called Pat and Hag who were on their way home from a wedding in Amarillo. The Highway Patrol and an ambulance were soon on the scene.

Chris was very uncooperative with the paramedics so they strapped him to a board. Sources say he would pepper anyone within earshot with explicit demands to be released.

Amazingly, he suffered only minor injuries. Scrapes and bruises. He did have to stay overnight in the ICU.

I don't know where this will end up. I figure the DPS is still exploring options. Chris doesn't have a driver's license, but could be ticketed for driving while intoxicated, operating an off road vehicle on a public roadway un-registered, another option could be public intoxication.

I am not sure the total impact of his actions have set in with Chris. He lost his Kawasaki Mule, which he had paid for over a few years. He now has a ICU, ER, Hospital bill. And the biggest loss is loss of the limited independence the mule afforded him.

Chris stayed hid out for the first part of the week. If a customer came in, he headed for the back or the shop bays. We have been peppered with official sounding calls from different agencies.

I am thankful Chris was not killed or seriously hurt, yet I don't think it is going to be good if he gets off without some sort of reprimand and punishment. Maybe he could lay it out over several weekends.

Chris has been on a dangerous path, and a week ago Saturday that path took a radical turn and Chris was extremely lucky. For quite sometime Chris has manipulated and posed and positioned himself, trying to make a lot of different people think he had a grip on things. Obviously he doesn't and hasn't.

What he does and where he goes from here is going to speak volumes.

We can only hope.

The really odd thing is when Chris has gone with me to work pulls or attend a competition, he has never had a problem. I tell him if he chooses to drink I expect him to drink responsibly and behave. It has never been a problem. Yet when he is alone, he doesn't seem able to stop.

To me this signals a problem.

Please lift him and his problems up in your prayers.

FATHER, thank YOU for all our blessings. For the new puppy for the boys. For Chris not being seriously injured. We pray that YOU will intervene and that YOU will give Chris a new resolve and a new conviction. Bless-ed be YOUR name.

November elections take place Tuesday. The "hot" ballot item appears to be the proposed "Career Tech High School" that civic and district leaders are pushing.

I kind of feel, this was rushed to get it on the ballot. Both sides have been very active promoting their stance.

I have decided to vote against it.

I will back up and give you some of my reasoning. $25 million dollars in bonds will raise annual taxes less than ten dollars for each home owner in Abilene, so the issue is not necessarily money. My first inclination is to utilize some of the facilities that sit empty.

Or, if I may be allowed to back up to the last bond election. I supported the single high school. I still do. Combine the single high school with the career tech school and I would come on board and support both

I won't delve beyond that at this point.

My stint on the big truck was hard. I am out of road and driving condition. I left Sunday morning, picked up the truck and laid in sleeper berth until the time I was supposed to come on duty. Notice I didn't say I slept in the sleeper berth. And, luckily the driver logs only distinguish between driving, off duty, on duty not driving and sleeper berth.

Monday when I came off duty, I was ready for some sleep. I took a shower and laid down to be wakened by my phone after only five minutes rest. That disrupted the remainder of my afternoon.

I finally decided to go back to the job site where I could turn off my phone and yet if they needed me early I could come on duty. Thankfully the plant did not run to0 well the second night and I slept a portion of it. It all worked out because I did twenty-five percent more than the plan called for the first night.

We are at the verge of needing to add an additional truck to the haul. K.O. and I talked about it and a driver doing an extra load once in a while is one thing while having to do an extra on a regular basis will wear them out quickly.

I have lots of little screwy things I do, especially until I get use to working nights. Use to be it involved lots of nicotine, caffeine, and sugar. For almost nine years now, the nicotine has been left out. But you could always count on me to have Diet Coke and peanut M & M's.

I will not allow myself to get too comfortable. I will keep it a little too cold in the cab, and I won't eat until I am ready to sleep. A full belly seems to be connected to my eye lids!

Long story short, I got way to little sleep and didn't eat or drink enough and by the time the regular driver relieved me, I was getting on the weak side. It has taken the remainder of the week to recover.

I'm not as young as I once was.

I returned to the parts store Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. I brought the other truck driver in to do some maintenance on his seed trailer and also to help finish out some other projects. We finished up the prep work on the last forklift we had leased out and it left Friday for its seasonal home.

Saturday morning me and this driver went to Anson to do a little more checking on another of the leased out machines.

My Saturday afternoon was spent doing the quarterly reports. I drove them to the post office a half hour before the mail went out.

I spent part of my evening surfing between the world series and the UT/OSU ball game.

Today will be NASCAR and driver settlements and billing.

Hope your weekend has been a good one!

FATHER, thank YOU for the safe travel and safe work. Thank YOU for renewing me.