Rain blessing!

I spent the week at the farm. We are planning on another application of Roundup, and we had hoped to begin earlier in the week. Wind prevented that, until yesterday. We are making a final application because Pepa and Jason's cotton is very young and we want to try to keep the weeds knocked down until harvest. So, we were jumping through hoops trying to do other things that were going to be coming up. One day we transferred chemical from the storage into our transport tote in preparation for friendlier conditions. That was they day that Erica and Baby MOses came by the barn.

This visit was a total surprise. I had no idea and Rian had kept it quiet. It seems that Erica's best friend moved to Salido and although they talk via the computer quite regularly, they still miss the daily interaction. Erica's friend and her husband and family had met Rian and Erica at the West Texas Fair Truck and Tractor Pull. It seems that on Wednesday Erica's friend had a doctor's appointment and her daughter, Baby MOses' girlfriend, was looking for transport for a visit to Lubbock with friends and family, so Erica and Baby MOses drove to meet her friends husband and daughter in Sweetwater. They were running far enough ahead of time that Erica called for refresher directions to get to the barn.

It was no accident I had left the big green tractor sitting in the door of the barn. When they arrived, Baby Moses told me "I like your big tractor!"

I told him I had been waiting for someone to help me park it back in the equipment line and asked, "Do you want to help me move the tractor?"

I didn't have to ask twice.

I sat in the companion seat and he sat in the big seat. I would reach across and bump the gear shift and he handled the driving. He sure is into turning and has a tendency to drift left. It was fun and once we were done he had to sit on the forklift. I know he knew he was missing a golden opportunity to get filthy. I guess that is the difference between going to the farm with Dad and going with Mom. I told Erica she must have a little country in her if she could find the barn!

We got the first cotton stripper out this week. We are contemplating running the old 484''s with no burr extractors for the first time in about five or six years. It would appear they are still the cheapest way to harvest your crop. Of course when harvest cost goes down, ginning goes up. The best price we have heard for burr extracted stripping is .075 per lint pound. That computes to $37.50 per bale (500 lb. bale). Yikes! I saw in last year's records that Pepa paid almost $16,000 for cotton harvesting last year!

My plans had been to work this coming week on the farm and then go to the gin job at Loop with the trucks for the next five or six weeks, and then hopefully have everyone trained enough that I could come in for eight to ten days to help strip Pepa's and Jason's cotton.

You know what they say about the best laid plans.

Well, Abilene High lost last night in double OT by 1 point. Godley put it on the Buckaroos 49-6 I think, the Sweetwater and Shallowater 'Stangs won homecoming games while Abilene Wylie lost another one. The Plowboys play at Munday tonight!

After the rains yesterday I had planned on working at C-City today. However when I check, it was still raining hard over there. Oh well, that should just mean that I will have opportunity Monday!

Have a weekend!

FATHER, thank YOU for YOUR blessing of rain. FATHER, I pray that I will make good decisions. YOU are good. I lift up Rebecca, Joe, and Harold for YOUR gifts of healing.