I spent the majority of yesterday at Anson. It was a muddy mess. It is hard for me to imagine why a manager and board of directors would be blind to facility improvements.

When the cotton bales come out of this plant, they are transported by the gin's forklift and operator to be blocked into 108 bale loads. The area where the loads are staged is an uncovered dirt area with standing water. In prior years this plant has had bales rejected at the port and returned due to water damage.

Earlier this week the compress had made a call to the manager to file a complaint. The bales were wet and muddy, especially the ones that have to be laid down before being loaded on the top of the load.

In defense of the loader operator who was working at that point, there were no dry options available for laying these bales down.

Finally, the gin manager decided that the top bales would be transported to the shed that covers the old trailer suction. The seventy-eight bales that go on the bottom of the load would be loaded in back of the plant, then the truck would have to re-locate to the front of the plant, retrieve the forklift, and load the thirty bales on the top before strapping and securing the load for transport.

The strapping and securing was another muddy task. There is no where to go to avoid the mud! I have always wanted to be 6'4", but not with mud lifts on my shoes!

I only hauled one load yesterday.

The plant should get caught up, possibly today, with everything they have been able to haul. They do still have 90 modules in the field and it may be seven to ten days before they can get in to get them, provided it doesn't rain any between now and then. (Guess what, there is more rain in the forecast).

K.O. had talked to me Thursday about working Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. I really didn't want to, but I didn't want to leave him in a bind either. I was very relieved when he told me the plant would be closed Sunday, he had someone else who wanted to work Saturday, and it would appear there would be no cotton to gin or transport on Monday.

Yes.

It has been fifteen days since my last day off, and I had even done double duty getting the W-2's, 1099's and all the year end and quarterly reporting done, after hours. It was nice not to look out the corner of my eye to see what time it was, even though I didn't sleep terribly late.

Yesterday I had just returned to Anson when my phone toned. It was Pat. She told me that Memama and Pepa had just left Roscoe, headed to Abilene for a doctor appointment. The doctor's office was only a mile away from my home and Pat asked me if I would be able to meet them to help Memama, should Pepa have problems getting out of or in the car.

I finished my paperwork before I got out of the Peterbilt truck, left it for K.O., loaded my personal affects in my pickup and headed to Abilene.

I arrived early at the doctors office and waited about fifteen minutes before I saw this car slowly make its way into the lot. As I walked up, Memama, then Pepa saw me. I think Memama was relieved. We gave Pepa a choice, wheelchair or walker. He chose walker. Surprisingly he was able to get out of the car and inside, unassisted. When it was time to go back, he got up, and apparently he had no problem when it was time to go.

When we walked into the office, it was straight up 3:30. Which was Pepa's appointment time.

We left the doctor's office at 6:10.

Excuse me, but that is totally unacceptable.

This past week has been a really good one in a lot of ways. I am not saying it wasn't without anxiety or questions, but there were a lot of really positive things that happened. I am excited.

I am also very thankful because the good LORD definitely had a presence. There had been some critical issues that were totally out of our hands, yet they unfolded timely and more than met our needs.

I know I have often kidded that GOD has to get frustrated with my backseat driving, and how often times HE has to let me really screw up by tossing me the wheel and allowing me to drive. Problem is I don't have his map or his insight. No matter how difficult things might seem, HE is working his plan for me.

I have a minimum hour of drive time each way to and from work. At other times I have had much more. This past week I have tried to use this time to vocalize my concerns and fears, but when I hand if off I know it is all O.K..

My day today, while I call it a day off, requires me to drive two hours to pick up a driver paperwork packet. This driver wanted to keep his paperwork and mail it Monday after completing one more load. That would mean a Wednesday arrival for billing and payroll. As close as time frames run and with all the fuel prepaid, it is critical that billing go out preferably no later than Monday, Saturday if possible. Trc had contacted the driver and made arrangements for him to leave his big rig and paperwork in Roscoe and to take an "extra" car home to Lamesa for the weekend. This would be a substantial savings over paying truck fuel for the 220 miles of driving just for the convenience of this driver getting home for the weekend. $120 compared to$28, big truck compared to passenger car.

Just yesterday morning I had stopped by and paid the Explorer out of the shop. Jason worked with me by getting the truck driver to the Explorer, so it saved me a trip to Roscoe Last night. Thanks, Jason!

Rian and Erica made it home from San Antonio. He has two more trips scheduled, one in February and one in March, one to Houston, one to Dallas, both to schools that were rated exemplary.

Have a day!

FATHER, thanks for a great week! Keep up the good work, YOU are doing good!