I went to Lubbock Friday, I had several errands I needed to run. The most important were to pick up chemical to spray winter weeds, and to pick up spray nozzles for the sprayer.

When we made the deal on the sprayer, they put it through their shop, installed a new guidance system, and were checking and calibrating the spray controller. They did all this with old nozzles and were supposed to put new ones on before the sprayer left the shop.

It didn't happen.

Anyhow, I got to Wolforth to pick up the chemical. Clay, the chemical man, was very cordial and very helpful. In fact he may have been too helpful. He had been talking around about what chemicals, and what rates I would need to use. He told me he thought I needed to take a tote of Glyscar Gold (a generic roundup that is relatively cheap) and some Banvel, along with some ammonium sulfate. He told me thirty gallons of Banvel is I went with the weaker rate, and 22 bags of the ammonium sulfate.

I told him that I didn't want all of the chemical, enough to do five or six hundred acres. After all, I was in Pepa's half ton pickup. He did some figuring and told me the Glyscar was four pound material, so 1060 pounds there, then 240 for Banvel and 562 for the ammonium sulfate. Not bad, but not good either. When we had it loaded, the pickup just king of squatted.

I was thinking about my circuitous route home via Brownfield and Lamesa. I really didn't like the prospect of driving an extra 100 miles with this kind of load. I made a call and talked to the owner of the business. We have been on a trade for a couple of months, but he has never come down to appraise and figure trade in value on a plow I would like to trade him. After talking briefly we made a date for him to come to Roscoe Wednesday. And, he is going to bring the spray nozzles.

Whew.

I turned back to Lubbock and then south on 84.

It was a little squirrely driving. There was a side wind, which wasn't too bad, but sometimes the chemical in the big tote would get to sloshing. The combination was almost enough to make you suck your fruit of the looms up your butt!

I made it, thankfully with no trouble.

I went directly to the barn and got the forklift to unload. While doing this I got serious about figuring the weight. Turned out that the Glyscar was four pound active material, and another four pounds inert matter per gallon. Eight pounds per gallon, not four. So, 2120 pounds plus the weight of the tote (not much), plus the 240 plus the 562. 2922 pounds total weight!

Yikes!

I won't do that again.

When I did get back to Abilene I took some parts to Robert's truck for the fan clutch. I had him scheduled to take the truck to the shop Saturday morning.

When I had gone to bolt up the fan solid, I discovered the fiber disc of the clutch was totally gone. I really don't know what the deal was. I myself kitted this clutch last summer. Maybe, just maybe, I over tightened the screws holding the disc on.

Yesterday I had a text for Rian. There was a picture of his boys at the dinner table eating with no shirts on. He told me that Pepa would have a fit if he were at his house right then. I told him that the boys wouldn't be eating.

Pepa had a rule that if you were going to eat at his table, you would wear a shirt or you would not eat.

Rian told me that was exactly what he had told the boys.

He said they knew he had taken a picture and was sending it to someone. After being told what Pepa would say, Holt asked his dad, "Are you sending the picture to Pepa?"

Those little minds.

Chance of rain on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The wind was horrific today, but thankfully we didn't have sand blowing. I had talked with Memama and asked her to have Jason made a run to check. Jason texted me that he did a check after church and then again mid afternoon, but he said we were holding.

Just as suddenly as the wind came, it left.

Thank goodness.

Spent a large part of my weekend writing my friend who is incarcerated. He has been intransit for ten days, going on two weeks. From Houston they took him and 116 others to Oklahoma City where they were bus-ed to the county jail in Chickasha, Oklahoma. All they are there are a revenue opportunity. A per Diem.

He said when they left Houston they took all his possessions and boxed them up and addressed the box to the Federal facility in Jessup, Georgia.

Oh, my letter to my friend was six pages of text and nine pages of pictures. (Mainly of Noble).

I'm sure wish Baltimore had won over the Patriots. No doubt tom Brady is an excellent quarterback, but things have just come too easy to him for my likings. Also I don't care for Coach Belichek.

I find myself cheering for the Giants in the NFC game. I love an underdog.

By the way, Pat came in Thursday afternoon from Steph's.

Well, I'm going to close. Hope you had a weekend. Have a day tomorrow!

FATHER, help me to be clear in my thinking, and to make good choices.