Happy Birthday Ollie!

Yesterday would have been the black dogs 19th birthday. Prissy was the last one and we lost her one week before her eighteenth birthday.

I did something yesterday I have not done in 21 years. I ran out of gas. I have been driving the Explorer I repossessed, and I thought I had come to know it pretty well. A while back the low fuel light had been on and then the check gages light came on, I drove 13 miles to a station and fueled it.

I had answered a phone call shortly after I got on the interstate yesterday. I had glanced at the gas gage and it was questionable about whether or not I could make it home, but I decided to get on the road, see where the gas gauge settled and make a decision when I got to Sweetwater. When I finished my phone call, I was already around Sweetwater. I glanced down and was instantly reminded of the gas level by the low fuel light. As I was looking at the gauges, the check gages light came on. I glanced at the mile marker and added thirteen to it and I made the decision to stop at Trent for gas.

Six miles later I felt the engine cut out.

I turned the key off and coasted, finding a spot to get off the road before stopping. Then I sat there for a minute trying to decide what to do. I was almost perfectly halfway between Roscoe and my house. I made a call to Krl and learned that Trc has been driving her vehicle, so that was not an option. About then I turned the key back on. No check gauges light. I rotated the key and the engine came to life. Immediately hit the road, coming up to speed quickly. I was doing everything I could, even drafting behind a vehicle that had passed me. I glanced down the the red check gauges light was glowing again. After almost three miles, the engine began sputtering again.

I coasted as far as I could once again. After sitting for a moment, I tried to recreate my luck from earlier. Didn't happen.

I knew Pepa had been out and about, so I called him to see if he was up to bringing me some gas. He seemed to jump at the opportunity. After an hour he arrived.

One interesting thing happened. Probably ten minutes before he arrived, a car passed, then exited and returned to where I was at. I got out and walked around the Explorer as this man walked up.

He told me, "It seems that every day either you pass me or I pass you going or coming from Abilene to Sweetwater or Sweetwater to Abilene. When I saw the sticker on your window I recognized the vehicle".

We talked for a few minutes and he offered to take me to get some gas but neither of us had a jug and when I tried to see where Pepa was at he didn't answer the phone. So I thanked the gentleman and told him I would be in deep trouble if Pepa made the drive and I was already gone. We shook hands and he went on his way.

Well, I learned that if anything on the Explorer the fuel gauge and the warning lights are not consistent.

Oh well.

It seems Chris's friend Charles came to visit Chris because he was told he could work in the shop on small engines and make some extra money. I thought that was interesting because Chris stopped working on them because he wasn't making any money.

Rian called yesterday from the city Middle school track meet in Lubbock. He said that was the quickest he had ever seen a meet run off. Prelims were Tuesday night. If I understood correctly they ran off boys and girls, seventh and eighth grades in two and a half hours. Rian said the kids from Dunbar were very good ambassadors for their school.

Rian told me they got some preliminary scores back from part of the TAKS testing. Rian said they were disappointed in the math scores they had seen.

Rian said they had received notification of over staffing of their school. Administration has told them that after the six resignation requests the new principal asked for and received, central office says they are still three teachers over. Problem is several of the resignations were in the same department. So, the over staffing may lead to even more turnover than the three because the one department is short.

Kind of sounds like dominoes.

Have a day!

FATHER, I sure need YOU in my day.