Another six day work week.

I went to the farm yesterday to work on the spray rig. I have been trying to put it back together. During the week there are so many distractions and so many people wanting something that it has been difficult. My Saturday was very productive, I think I lack twelve nozzle housings having all of them replaced on the spray boom.

Maybe an hour or an hour and a half and I will be to tightening hose clamps.

I will be VERY glad to finish this project.

The 8310 went to the shop Friday. I talked with Memama and told her I needed two or three of me to do everything I need to do. Luckily the John Deere House's shop at Rotan was slow and the tractor went straight in. They said they will have it out tomorrow. Water pump, fan clutch (thanx BA), an oil change service, and replacing one of the amber warning lights that didn't come back from Godley (thanx BA).

In a crazy occurrence yesterday I got a phone call from a guy in Palestine. He began by asking me if we had signed oil leases on one certain piece of land. I asked him for a legal description and he began. "Northwestern 120 acres of the west half of Section 43 straddling the Nolan, Taylor County line of T & P survey".

Yadda, yadda, yadda!

Long story short, this parcel belonged to my Great Grandmother and Grandfather McLeod. Norman Lee McLeod and Jo Ella Blackmon McLeod had owned this farm. Of course Papa (as he was called) died on the day I was born in 1953. Mama McLeod (as she was called) had moved to Merkel, but retained ownership of the old home place until her death and it was sold to Mac and Shug Springer (Mac being a grandson).

It seems that in the drought of the fifties two sells were made of oil and mineral rights, both being an eighth, or a total of a quarter.

When the farm was sold to Mac and Shug only half the oil and minerals went with it, so there is a 37.5% interest still held by Mama and Papa's heirs.

The eleven off spring are dead, and many of the next generation are gone as well. I told this man that he will be dealing with over a hundred heirs I feel sure.

I know one of the oldest sons, son is gone. Meaning his portion would be passed too his children of which I know one of them is gone as well.

My granddad is gone as is his oldest daughter, which means Gon Gon's portion would be split between the remaining four living and the children of Aunt Jo.

Mac Springer is gone, so his portion would pass to his three children, but Cathy is gone so her portion would pass to her children.

And those are just the easy ones I am familiar with.

When this man finishes this project he is gong to have a major headache.

I sang on the praise team both services today. Now that was an experience. We had eight people, two singing each part of the four part harmony and Brian leading. In the group we had a sing song hostess from last weeks sing song at ACU, and three participants. Three older guys rounded out the remaining tenor and both basses.

We had to be at the building by 7:15 for rehearsal. We had received worship planner notifications earlier in the week where we could download sheet music and for a few of the songs we could download a MP4 to listen to.

I was very surprised at how coordinated the services are. During rehearsal there was a digital countdown clock showing the time remaining before the service began, and immediately when it achieved zero another digital countdown clock began showing the remaining time in the worship service. There is also a real clock with sweeping hands as well. These clocks are located in the prompters which the praise team reads the song words from (one on each side of the stage with another located in the hearing impaired sign language signers location).

The total time for today's service was 72 minutes 13 seconds. Everything is allotted for. Welcome, prayers, songs, scripture reading, lesson, communion thoughts. All of it is figured in to the time. If the service is running behind song verses are skipped or even whole songs, to get back on track.

Not much room for spontaneity.

In visiting with an elder he told me that use to if someone ran over it was a major offense, but now they are more flexible and it is a target, not etched in stone.

By the way, we had another rehearsal between the two worships services, a little critique and a little hands on instruction and direction. The basses were asked to back it down a little. (Go figure. I figured the sound tech would have us in check).

Oh well. Overall it was a positive experience.

Yesterday marked one year since Pepa has been gone.

When I was at lunch at Memama's I saw a pickup drive around the house. Coach and Jani had driven in to spend some time with Memama.

During the time shortly after lunch Pat and Hag showed up so it was kind of neat that the three surviving kids and Memama were together on the anniversary of Pepa's death.

While most of my day was spent alone, I did a lot of reflecting, wondering what Pepa would think of everything that has transpired since he left us.

Of course I really believe that he along with Freddy and Terri have a lot to do with things, especially unexpected blessings. I just hope they keep it up. This makes my job a lot easier.

I never wanted or expected this job. It is really strange looking back at everything that has happened. I had always figured Fred would fill this position when Pepa was gone. To be honest, it is a job I never wanted and would gladly give up if Fred could return. But, I figure GOD put me in this position for a reason. I look back and think about losing the contract I had held for sixteen years, being traded to the farms before Pepa died, and being postured to step into this role without even knowing it. Someone much greater than me has a hand in this deal.

So, I think I am where I am supposed to be, and I certainly don't mind taking care of whatever Memama needs taken care of.

Well. Hope your weekend was good. Hope you have a day tomorrow!

FATHER, thank YOU for new opportunities and new experiences. Help me to let YOU have YOUR way with me to put me where YOU want me. Tell Pepa hello and that we love him and miss him. We lift YOUR name on high.

In conversations, Carol denies any recollection of the events of Saturday night.

Weird.

Scary.

Convenient.

Most of my day Thursday was spent on a tractor streaking fields with a sandfighter. Luckily I had run out the remainder of the farm that is my biggest sand problem earlier in the week.

I had planned on doing preventative sand fighting on Wednesday but ended up spending the whole day in Abilene.

Memama had a coumadin appointment and I needed to get the purple truck out of the shop. They had assured me it would be ready shortly after lunch.

At five o'clock they finally gave me the truck, but only after I had given them $10,455.29.

I took the truck to meet the driver who was still in the truck he jackknifed last week, we made the swap and I took the wrecked truck to the farm.

Memama followed me so she could take me to her pickup at her house. We arrived at her house about six o'clock.

Wednesdays are my Memama medicine days so I got out the meds and began filling the day dispensers. About ten to seven I told her 'bye and headed east.

Late Thursday afternoon I got a call from the insurance adjuster assigned to the wrecked truck. He told me he was gathering numbers but that the truck would be a total loss.

I was afraid of this.

The body shop says the floor pan of the cab is damaged and it is a single piece costing $10,000. Labor to replace it is $20,000. The truck is insured for $18,000.

After deductible, it will cost the insurance company $17,000 total the truck out.

Now comes the interesting part. The sister truck to this truck was jacknifed in 2008, on the driver's side. It too was totalled out. (Damage was much more extensive and the door was not operable.) The recent wreck was on the passenger side and the door is still operable. I am curious if I can find a body shop that might cut the floor pan of both trucks and piece it together in the second truck, take the cab corner from the first wreck and put it on the second one.

I have all the pieces except the fuel tank faring and a muffler.

This is one of those things I would sure like to discuss with Pepa and Fred.

I suppose it depends on what price the insurance puts on the salvage. The first truck I bought back for $1000.

We will wait and see.

I am sure hoping for some relief from the wind, but forecasts doesn't look promising.

I had decided there wasn't enough of me to go around so I talked wit two shops yesterday about the water pump on the 8310. The first shop told me two weeks before they could get to it. The second shop told me they could pick up the tractor today and take it to their shop, but they wouldn't fix it in the field.

I may see if Jason can haul it to our shop.

But. I need to finish the sprayer project I have in there first.

I am almost halfway done on replacing the nozzle bodies on the boom. 80 foot span. Spacing of 20 inches. Two clamps and one bolt for every nozzle. The hardest part is removing the old nozzle housings from the rubber hoses. Going back together should be much quicker.

Maybe today.

Pat was driving in from Huntsville last night. I know Memama is excited. I suppose she will be leaving Sunday to go back.

A glitch in the oil deal. For whatever reasons, the oil company has yet to wire the retainer which the contracts called for, or the agreed amount they promised "If we could wait a day or two!"

Hag and I are in agreement that today is the day. Either the money is in the banks this morning (they said they wired the funds after two yesterday so they wouldn't show up until today) or we will nullify the contracts and sign on with a new player in the mix.

I think we have exhausted our good faith!

Have a day!

FATHER, help us to make good choices.

What a day!

Shallowater for Reids final basketball game of the season. Birthday cake that Memama took with us, at Rian and Erica's house. Back to Roscoe. Back to Abilene.

I had hoped to get home in time to see my old college roommate, but I ran about an hour late and they had commitments.

In a weak moment, and I should have known better, I called Carol to see if she wanted to go out to eat. She declined initially, then called back saying sure. When I got home she still had not had her bath. I told her all the restaurants were going to be filled up.

Sure enough, I called it before hand.

Second restaurant we sat and waited. The bartender Micha saw and recognized me, and shortly we had drinks in hand. Finally Jeremy waved to me. He had us a table. I summoned Carol and headed in.

Lots of glass slamming, loud trash talking ensued. I told Jeremy to bag the supper, I needed to get her out of the restaurant. I had already taken her second drink away, but who knows how much she drank at home prior to.

On the way home she became physical, attacking my plastic fingers and bending them different directions, then she began clawing and dumping the take out containers. I grabbed her by the hair and told her she was going to clean it up. We were in Pepa's pickup. She began cleaning it up once we were in the driveway, then bolted down the street yelling at the top of her lungs, "Somebody help me!" Over and over again. I carried some stuff into the house and then began walking toward Steve and Jeanie's house. Steve was standing in the driveway. He told me she was hysterical and he had called the cops. I said, all right, then, she is ya'lls problem and returned to the house.

The bull shit meter has tripped. Sorry guys. I can't take this any more.

She needs to be in a rubber room and I just want out.

Cops came, I told them give her a field sobriety test and I refused to step outside. I may be stupid but I ain't dumb. The joker told me to be a man and step outside. Hello. He said I couldn't deny her entry, i told him if she had her keys to come on in. End of conversation.

They haven't returned.

Lots of stuff came out today. I am so excited,I am fixing to be a millionaire! Carol told me so! That is the reason Carol has decided she wants to hang on.

Two weeks in a row I have been set up. I did better this week.

Father, deliver me!

Another busy week. A six day work week too. My Saturday was a testament to not working on the weekend. Not very productive. The big John Deere tractor is having some issue and I am not sure exactly what it is.

When I headed to the field, the big tractor was doing fine, business as normal. Midway through the first pass I began getting a warning light and a quick scan revealed a climbing water temperature. I stopped the tractor and returned the throttle to idle. The temperature began slowly dropping. When I felt it had cooled enough, I began plowing again. I was hoping a thermostat had stuck in a closed position. I went a greater distance, but eventually the temperature gauge began climbing again. I did a quick survey and the water reservoir was still full, no leaks or coolant discharge was evident. Once again, when the temperature had declined I began plowing again. It seemed that the temperature was much more stable, but I also noticed the heater was not heating up. (This would be an indication of a low coolant level or a restriction in coolant flow). I was midway between the field I wanted to go to and the farm shop. I had already moved my pickup (Hag had helped me). I decided if it was a thermostat issue I preferred to be back at the shop. I began plowing back toward the barn. Midway through, the temperature began climbing again. I had an orange light flashing, that finally turned red. As I depressed the clutch and returned the throttle to idle, the temperature gauge began dropping toward the bottom, settling in the mid range position where the engine normally operates. I resumed plowing and headed to the field at Wastella.

Once at Wastella, I began plowing and the temperature operated normally, although the heater was still barely warm. I had my concerns about killing the tractor for a late lunch, but I did.

I took about a thirty minute lunch and returned to the tractor.

When I began plowing again, the heater was hot (for which I was very thankful) and the engine temperature was normal. As I finished my first pass, the heater turned cold and the engine temperature began climbing. Not good. I began the same cycle. Cooling the big tractor down, then plowing and the temperature climbing, cooling down, plowing. It seemed that every time I would return to idle the water flow would improve, then as I began plowing, the temperature would begin building but sometimes would drop just as quickly.

I decided I would get back to my pickup and park the tractor until a warmer day. About a hundred yards from my pickup I began seeing some coolant spray on the front tires, yet the temperature was virtually normal.

I am conflicted in my diagnosis. There was steam discharging from the blow by tube and some condensation occasionally dripping. I reached down, cupping my hand to collect the drips. A quick taste was very sweet, revealing the presence of anti-freeze. (If I croak I must have swallowed some of the coolant).

Past experience with the big trucks would tell me that the steam indicates water in the crankcase. That could be the oil cooler (as simple as an o-ring), a pin hole in a liner (very serious), or possibly the water pump leaking internally (it is gear driven).

I had a conversation with Hag and he told me he had a tractor and the impeller was slipping on the shaft, not moving water through the engine. I am hopeful this is the problem I have and I also hope the water pump is leaking into the crankcase.

Call me the eternal optimist.

Dang the luck. I would love to climb on a tractor and just ride around for a couple of days!

Hag and I pulled the trigger on the oil lease deal. Tuesday we meet at Lance's office with our consultant and should have letters of intent there. The drilling company wants the intent agreements signed to bind us, and they will wire a small percentage of the amount due until they have completed their legal research. When that is finalized, the contracts will be signed and the balance of the lease bonus will be wired. (Hopefully inside ninety days).

For the last few days our consultant had been haggling with "suitors" about a firm drilling time frame. We believe this has been addressed to our satisfaction, but I am excited to see it in the intent agreement.

Last week I had called a family friend in Houston because I was concerned that he might not be aware of what was happening in Roscoe, and he and his sisters own land in a prime position in the Black Shale formation. Jason farms this family's land and I had told Jason two or three weeks ago to call this man. Jason said he was unable to make contact. I called the business this man use to operate (he sold it to his daughter and son-in-law) and they took my number and said they would get it to the man.

In just minutes, my phone range.

After casual greetings, I began sharing information and asking if they were aware of the oil lease activity around Roscoe. I told him we had hired a consultant and were dealing directly with drillers instead of land flippers, this appeared to put us in a position of including more stringent drilling requirements, while reaping a bonus of anywhere between twelve and a half times and one and a half times what others had leased for.

Immediately, I had his attention.

I faxed consult contracts to him and he promised to get his sister's signatures.

Last evening I received a call from him telling me I had signed consult contracts on the fax at the office. Then he thanked me and Hag, on his behalf as well as his sisters, for taking care of their business and looking out for them.

"Ya'll are more than friends", he said, "Ya'll are family. My Father and your grandfather, then your Dad and me, and now you and Steve. Ya'll have been looking out for our interests for a long time."

While our consultant will benefit from the contract, Hag and I will not, other than the personal acreage that Hag and Pat hold in the block. But I will admit, the thank you went very far. Made me feel good. Very personal, very sincere, very heartfelt!

Hag and I were laughing yesterday. The block we blocked and will sign letters of intents on Tuesday is so close to a million dollar deal it is scary! Multiple players, and I would say that Hag would be a mid range player while Memama is probably the smallest in the mix. Who would have thought six or eight weeks ago when I took a call, then made a call to Hag about it, this deal would snowball like it has.

If one other landlord who has been out of the country, comes on board next Friday, it will be almost a two million dollar deal.

Maybe we should do this for a living!

Thing is, if the fairy tale comes true, it could be eighteen months before the real money could flow. Those numbers are unbelievable!

Hey, we can dream!

Thursday night Memama had a fall during the night. She isn't sure why, but she really messed up her face (nose is skinned and she will end up with black eyes), one hand, and a large bruise (probably from a door knob) on her shoulder. She was complaining yesterday of being achy all over. I am thinking I will reduce her nighttime Tylenol PM by half.

After her fall I subscribed to Lifealert for Memama. Following that I talked with OnStar. Precautionary measures.

Pat is headed back to Huntsville today. She is supposed to take Betsy and Scottie back to Fort Worth. Shannon has been working on downsizing their home to fit into a two bedroom apartment at the new facility.

It had been two years since I had seen Betsy and Scottie and it has been a year since Betsy had her heart attack. It is been somber to see the health issues that they both battle. I am hopeful they will be able to function in an assisted living setting.

Congratulations to my friend's granddaughter Savanna who joined the Diva club in Girl Scouts by selling over a thousand boxes of cookies!

A very busy week awaits. Of course the tractor dilemma Monday morning. I take Memama to get her new hearing aids Monday (none too soon as he lost her last one end of the week), then I have to take her car to the GM dealer (it needs a digital upgrade for the OnStar). Tuesday is Lance's office. Wednesday we take delivery on the LifeAlert kit. Thursday Memama goes to Snyder. Friday is the LifeAlert install. By the way I selected the neck pendant for Memama.

Happy Valentines all!

Have a day!

FATHER, thank YOU for new opportunities. We pray that YOU bring them to fruition. Be with all our family that is traveling, bless them with safe passage. Bless Shannon as she deals with a difficult project. We will glorify and praise YOUR name!

It seems my days are split between on the farm and in the office.

I had hoped the oil lease deal would be put to bed by end of day yesterday, but it didn't happen.

I did talk with a family friend who has land adjoining Memama's and I think we put it in the block with her place. Strange thing is, this man had not heard one single word about the oil boom, and their place borders the farm that has the only producing well in this formation (albeit a vertical well).

Timing is pretty good though. This man is seeing all of his sisters this weekend and will talk and hopefully get the consulting agreement signed.

I did some work on the June Lake Chelan trip. The numbers came in on the charter flight. $55,000. Pretty steep, but it does have some conveniences. Memama didn't flinch when I told her. In a moment she asked me, do I have the money to pay for that plane. I couldn't help but laugh, and told her, "Yes Ma'am, you do, if that is what we decide to do". Thirty seats, departing Sweetwater and arriving at East Wenatchee Pangborn Memorial Airport with one fuel stop enroute. Reverse it for the return.

I called the lady we have used at a travel agency and she made pretty quick work of it, $600-$650 per person, Lubbock to Seattle or Dallas to Seattle. From there is gets complicated. Our group is to large to fit on the small feeder airline in one flight. Maybe not even two. Her suggestions is rent vehicles for the last 180 miles.

I did get to do some work on my plow. I am hopeful I can get in the field today or tomorrow.

My Wednesday will begin at the bank in Abilene, then a stop at the courthouse in Sweetwater and then to Memama's for my morning check in. I know I have a fax I have tried to send five times that has not gone through. Then hopefully to the barn.

Memama's sister Betsy and her husband are coming today. They will be spending a few days with Memama. Their daughter is trying to downsize them to move into an assisted living apartment and every time she takes a box to the dumpster her Dad beats her back into the house with it telling her Mom, "Look what I found!"

Pretty rough around the house right now.

Have a day.

FATHER, thank YOU for opportunities. Help us to make good choices.

Wednesday, I went to the FSA office to learn what paperwork had been filed with them that would lead them to believe that the man who purchased the May place had done so in its entirety. They produced a deed claiming the man had purchased 146.5 acres, more or less. I jotted down the instrument number and thanked them. They were telling me that if I had other documentation they would look at it.

Immediately I headed for Lance's office. He was with some clients, but I made an appointment for after lunch.

The delay gave me time to go to Memama's and get documents to support our claim, which is that three acres of the 146.5 this man says he purchased, are included in Memama's homestead.

Before going to Lance's, I stopped in the county clerk, gave a deputy the document number and they made me a copy of the deed the man filed. I made my way across the street to Lance's office.

After a short wait, I was escorted in to Lance's office. I gave him a quick explanation and handed him the documents. He quickly looked them over, paying particular attention to the dates. He called his secretary in and asked her to make copies of the papers I had brought. He kicked back in his chair and placed his feet up on the desk.

"I think a few letters are called for. To this law firm that says they specialize in recoveries, to the man purporting top be the buyer and to Transportation Alliance Bank", the creditor who began this train wreck.

"Dear Sirs, we don't take kindly to people selling something which does not belong to them yada, yada, yada. We have been damaged. Mental anguish."

What they don't know is Lance loves to fight. Go get 'em Lance. Sue the sons a bitches! All of them!

Thing is, these people violated a Federal Court order and by so doing they are in contempt. I may push for Lance to have the sell negated. Pepa would love that!

Pat took Memama to Abilene to the dermatologist to have him look at a couple of places that had recently revealed themselves. One was an aging spot while the other was a pre-cancerous spot, and Dr. Cannon froze it off. After that they visited Meretha at Abilene Regional, at lunch at Red Lobster and ran a couple of more errands.

I think Memama enjoyed getting a good dose of Pat.

Pat is about a week away from returning to Huntsville.

I spent my morning working in Memama's office. My afternoon was spent on the tractor plowing weeds next to county roads.

This morning I began my day going to have Pepa's pickup serviced. As I pulled in the place I took a phone call from Lance.

"I have some good news", he said.

Immediately I thought he had made phone calls concerning the land dispute and already had a remedy offer to fix it.

I was wrong. This had to do with the oil and gas leasing.

"One of my clients has placed $600 per acre and 22.5% royalty on the table to lease all of your family's land", he said.

I told Lance, "Let me call our consultant and have him call you for details".

By end of day we had $650 and 22.5 % offered. We are still waiting and watching.

Three weeks from tomorrow is when the NAPE expo starts. It is liable to get interesting between now and then.

I told Pat a number tonight, that I would pull the trigger on. I am hoping by Tuesday we will be at that number.

This is stressful and nerve racking.

We are just trying to get the absolute best deal we can. (And I don't even have a horse in this race. But it sure makes you wonder if you could have held on to the land that sold on the courthouse steps in 2004 and now has five windmills and now possibly oil!).

My day today was spent hooking up to a John Deere Hoeme. It turned out the tractor I am pulling it with is much taller than the other tractors (46" tires compared to 38"). I spent my entire afternoon drilling in graduated sizes from one-quarter all the way to one inch diameter a new higher placement for the clevis which hooks the plow to the tractor. I may be a sixteenth too small, but that is the largest bit size we had at the barn. The iron in that plow is pretty good quality. Tough drilling.

I figured out a way to sit in a chair and lean the chair back and lock the drill at my knees to use my weight to help make the bits cut. It worked very well except for the few times the drill hung up and jerked out of my hands. It beat the thunder out of my knees! I expect they will be black and blue!

I stopped by Memama's briefly before heading home for the weekend.

Memama's sister Betsy and her husband returned to Texas yesterday. Shannon brought them back. Apparently it has been a train wreck. Shannon contracted with a man to re-model, paint and make ready their house to go on the market. She has decided they can no longer live on their own. Betsy has health limitations and Scottie has pretty severe Alzheimer's.

The man doing the house badly misrepresented his progress. The house is not livable. No kitchen. Only one bathroom, and it runs over.

They are going to live in an assisted living facility that is affiliated with the churches of Christ.

Memama told Shannon to come to Roscoe until they can make a plan.

O.K. guys. I am pulling for the Giants in Sunday's game.

Hope you had a day and a week.

FATHER, thank YOU for the opportunities you are giving my family. Help me to make good choices concerning them.

Another very busy, mentally exhausting day.

An unscheduled morning meeting consumed the majority of my morning. But it was very informative and educational.

Best part was it took place impromptu at the farm shop and when the gentleman took a phone call, Hag helped me put the last dual tire on the 8310. (Hag did scold me for not calling him the day before).

After a break, we went to Lance's office for about two and a half hours. Also another good meeting. I didn't know if Lance and the other gentleman would gee haw, but they hit it off well. Lots of good information was exchanged.

We are not in any hurry to jump in on the oil lease deal, although we did turn down $500/acre and 22% override prior to lunch.

I think between now and February 24th a lot of stuff is going to change. February 24th is the end of the prospect expo where oil and gas leases are grouped and traded. We are hoping to avoid being flipped the initial time and capitalizing on it by getting more for the leases and selling to a driller at a better price than the flip.

A sobering thing was to learn that there would probably be no drilling on any portion of the area by the end of 2012. Our man says the drilling will go on for years and years if the field is viable.

Learning all sorts of terms, Pugh clause, continuous drilling clause, contiguous, contemporaneous, black shale, Strawn, Mississippian, commercial field, vertical well, horizontal well, directional, play, pay, kitchen, and the list is almost endless.

Many common words have a special meaning in the oil business.

My next stop was a visit to Memama's banker. Short and sweet. Just to keep them on the edge of the loop. I could tell this man and his family had jumped in on the lease business very early and very cheap. I could also tell he was extremely curious about what we had going on that no one else does.

He is still wondering.

Our contact told us that his could be a fairy tale come true. Only two wells have been drilled in this formation, one northeast of Rotan and one northwest of Roscoe. The formation is 220 feet thick at Rotan and 335 feet thick north of Roscoe (about a mile from Memama's barn). The oil is there, they believe they have the technology to harvest it, but they won't know until the first well is completed. It must be a commercial field.

$7.5 million to drill one well.

Final business with the attorney was the three acre track. He told me to go forward with it. I am headed to FSA today. Probably an altercation with Mr. Cumbie in the future.

One thing I will say about Lance. He loves a fight. I'm glad to have him in our corner.

If things go well, I may get to ride around on a tractor a while today.

Have a day!

FATHER, than YOU for giving us opportunities, for putting people in our lives for a purpose. Help us to be fair, yet committed, strong, yet approachable. Help us to make good choices. For YOUR love,I am thankful!