New post.

New eyes!

I returned late yesterday after having my lasik process.

I am impressed. Virtually painless. Extremely quick. (Probably two or three minutes per eye). An extended period of keeping my eyes closed (4-8 hours) for which they gave me two sleeping pills. The pills didn't work on me. Lots of moisturizing, steroids and antibiotic eye drops. No reading (which was hard for me).

For the first time since I wore contact lens, I bought sun glasses!

I sleep in protective goggles, at least for one more night, then if I get in lots of dust or an poor enviornment I will were them then.

I did the mono vision. My right eye is for distance and my left is for reading and close up.

On my follow up I read off the charts. They took out the protective contacts and scheduled me for a return visit May 11.

In a short while, I am driving to Roscoe to pick up Memama to take her to Brownwood for Colby's induction into the Gordon Wood Wall of Champions.

I have to be back to Abilene early. I worked on the praise teams WATS day team and that got me the job of singing on the praise team for both services tomorrow. I have to be at the church at 7:15.

I have blocked out the dates from the middle of May until after the Washington wedding. We are working off of a website called the Worship Planner. You can block dates, are check assignments or even decline or accept them through the website.

Anyhow, I better get. Need to get a bath before my date with Memama.

Have a day.

FATHER, thank YOU for my good results for my eyes, for the safe travel. I pray for a good trip this afternoon.
.

Wow. Take a week off and they change everything! Last week was a very busy week. Lot of miles. I did get in my consult for my lasik procedure. It is scheduled for May 4, but I am looking to move up. Memama and Chris got good reports from their Dallas appointments. Pat and Bopey drove up from Huntsville Wednesday. Jeri came by the hotel to visit and then she took Memama with her to run some errands and to see her home. Later she and TJ took all of us to Pappadeux's for dinner. It was a fun evening. On Thursday we went to Betsy and Scottie's. Memama had been birthday shopping earlier in the week for Betsy's birthday. The whole time we were shopping she kept telling me she didn't believe Betsy was as big as she told her. Turns out Memama was right. We took them to Outback for birthday lunch. Their new place at the assisted living center is nice. It is a very impressive facility. Sunday was WATS day at Southern Hills. We Are The Sermon is what wats stands for. Multiple teams from multiple churches of many denominations spread across Abilene doing deeds for those that can't do for themselves. I participated on the praise team WATS day team. Mowing, weedeating, tree trimming, caulking, painting, a new storm door, trees chopped down. It was a very tiring, but very fulfilling day. I am going to book cottonseed tomorrow. It sure is hard to do with it as dry as it is. I got my invite today for Shelby and Larissa's wedding. They are getting married at a winery in Washington in the Lake Chelan area. Five o'clock in the evening with dinner and dancing to follow! Its going to be a blast! Have a day! FATHER, bless our efforts.

On Saturday, Rian and his friend Paul picked me up at the house. Destination Texas Motor Speedway. NASCAR Sprint Cup. The Samsung 500.

Rian and Colby had been working on this for a couple of weeks when it began coming together. They were actually planning a surprise for me and Coach. Problem was, Coach and I talked on Friday and discovered both of us were going to the races.

Sneaky sons.

I called Coach in regard to another matter and in the course of that conversation we discussed the Washington trip in June and Colby and Kirby. Coach told me you never know where those boys are going to be from day to day, and I commented that I knew where they were going to be on Saturday. Kirb was fulfilling the obligations of Best Man in a friends wedding and Colby would be at Texas Motor Speedway.

Coach asked me how I knew Colby was going to the NASCAR race and I told him because I will be there too!

"Me Too!", he exclaimed.

Turned out we met them in the parking area. Me, Rian, Paul. Coach, Colby, and their friend Chance. Colby had secured tickets on the internet. Just past the start finish line, near the exit to pit road, Row 22. Pretty good seats at the fastest part of the race track.

We did pretty good. On our way to the metroplex, The West Texas group stopped and ate at Chili's. At the race way our only purchase was a race program (although we looked at various T-shirts, camps, and caps).

I probably need to apologize to all those people that a red chevrolet pickup passed on the right hand shoulder of I-35W. (As much patience as I preached, it had little impact).

At the raceway, people were mulling everywhere. Vendors were doing big business as the group Foreigner played in a pre-race concert. They were really loud.

All of our neighbor spectators were very friendly and courteous, five of them were from Australia (although they now live in Houston).

Weather was excellent temperature wise and cloud cover wise (although I still got a touch of sunburn) while the wind was a little excessive.

Colby rented a Racing Radio scanner with two headsets and it was so neat he went back and rented another. At any given time, four of us were listening to team strategies and raceway announcers. That is a pretty neat way to watch and listen to the racing. My biggest gripe is that Colby would not let us share in the cost ($70 each). I appreciate him doing what he did to put the trip together and I would hate to want to do it again and him feel taken advantage of.

I will say, Junior is a foul mouthed cry baby! (I know he is Colby's favorite but oh well.) Colby purchased a few Junior items (cap, T-shirt, Tank Top. I can't wait for Colby to post pictures of him wearing his tank top!).

Good racing. One of my picks won. Man are those things fast and loud. Ideally I suppose it might have been advantageous to be eighteen or twenty rows higher. We were directly across from a television monitor so we could check it out too. Only two cautions the entire race and both for debris.

After the race we headed west (although Colby had extended an invite). We ate breakfast about 1 at Petro in Weatherford. Meat lovers omelets with biscuits. Afterward we began searching for a motel room. We finally found one at the Sleep Inn. We rented a "family room". Huge room. Excellent beds. Even better shower.

By the time I got to sleep it was almost four in the morning.

I woke at 8:32.

By the time we checked out, it was on the verge of missing McDonalds's breakfast at the drive through. That meal was probably the worst decision we made the whole trip. While it was good and up to standards, we paid $22 for three adults. That probably isn't far off of IHOP or some other restaurant.

We got to Abilene about 12:20 this afternoon.

I did the grocery shopping and returned home, hauled them in and took a nap of over three hours.

And I am still tuckered out!

Hope your weekend was as good as ours!

Have a week!

FATHER, thank YOU for the safe trip. For the time together and the memories we made. We ask if it is YOUR will we get to do it again. Thank YOU for the opportunities we have in living in this country.

I think (and it may be a guess) that I am gradually catching up to everything. If things go as planned, tomorrow my helper will finish plowing and everything will be fresh plowed or fresh sprayed. Ready for a rain.

I complained to Pat that it seems there is never time for what I want or need to do.

When Monday is behind me I will be a happy camper.

I have to say kudos to my friend and accountant (Tom) for bailing me out once again. For five years I have been on a "Timely filing" requirement by the US Treasury. I can already tell you, I'm extending next year!

Monday I will have met all the terms of my offer in compromise from June 5, 2007.

Whew!

I took Memama for her last scheduled hearing appointment on Thursday. Afterward we ate at Red Lobster and then met with our travel agent. I am trying to finalize plans for the Washington trip to Shelby and Larissa's wedding.

I probably spent four hours on the computer shopping for rooms for our group of 23. Where we are going is a resort area and there is a wide range of pricing. From the most expensive to the most economical you can figure half. Very frustrating. The difference between luxury suite and premier is $100.

By next weeks end I plan to have this project done and in the books.

Busy, busy week coming up.

Tuesday, Memama'a appointment with skin cancer doctor.
Wednesday, Memama's appointment at the Coumadin clinic.
Thursday, Memama's appointment with the vision field specialist and her and Chris with Dr. Bowman (cornea transplant specialist).

Not realizing I was going to be in Dallas on Thursday, I scheduled a consult for lasik surgery on Friday.

But before the busy week, a little fun.

Rian and his friend Paul are picking me up in the morning and we are headed to Texas Motor Speedway for NASCAR Sprint Cup. Race begins at 6 Saturday evening. Should be fun. Meeting Colby, Coach and Chance at the track.

By the way, congratulations to Colby, he is being inducted into the Gordon Wood Hall of Champions April 28th.

Very tired, ready to hit the hay and get rested up for RACEDAY!

Have a weekend!

FATHER, thank YOU for a week of progress. I pray for a good trip and enjoyable trip to the races. I ask that YOU help me to complete my Washington trip plans. YOU are good.

Wow. A week since my last post.

What can I say. It was an up and down week. Very frustrating as we took the big plow back to the field with the same results. We had done everything the engineers at the factory had asked of us and still it didn't work. The gauge wheel tracks were still visible.

The dealer told me he, along with the territory representative and some company people would be down on Wednesday.

Needless to say Tuesday was a really long day, trying to do things other than plow.

When the people finally showed up to help with the plow, it was a dealer representative, the territory rep and a hydraulic expert from Lubbock. The engineers and the factory were on the phone.

We began with measuring cylinders and their stroke and it was quickly determined the two center cylinders were not stroking all the way. They wanted to take the lifting apparatus loose to see if the cylinders would cycle with no load, so my farm help and I left to go get the service trailer because we knew you could not remove the cylinder pins without jacking the plow up.

When we returned they asked for my schematic of the hydraulics. They were as frustrated as I had been with an owners manual that is very inadequate. Even the illustrations are vague and poorly drawn.

The hydraulic expert began talking about re-phased hydraulic circuitry. He is not a fan of it, and the company he works for does not use it, but he was there at the request of the territory man. He was very very sharp. He told me the hoses were hooked up wrong and I explained to him that when the hoses were hooked up like inn the schematics, the center would lower while the wings would raise. He suggested that "all" the hoses were wrong.

To prove his theory we switched positions on the cylinders on the two center section cylinders. When we did this, the cylinders stroked the full length or their bore. However the outside cylinders behaved as I had told him. So we changed those hoses as well.

It worked. Turned out the plow had been plumbed wrong, maybe from the factory or at least at the dealership where a contract crew had finished assembling the plow.

We had changed hoses and cylinder positions so many times I had to put fourteen gallons of hydraulic oil in the tractor.

It took about four hours for us to finally get the plow going and the dealer and manufacturers people were very good about helping level the plow. After that we just kept setting it deeper and deeper.

Power is not the issue pulling the big plow. Traction is. We are running about 5 miles an hour.

I will say the plow is almost as good as I had hoped it would be.

We would have been very close to finishing on the section, but we got a shower mid afternoon Saturday and had to quit.

The rain must have been very spotty because Memama said it didn't ever rain at her house.

For about the last week we had been preparing a choir ensemble Easter presentation for this mornings church service. Final rehearsal was yesterday morning.

I had invited Memama over to go to church with me because everyone except her and Chris were gone (Kyle was working). I had invited Chris to come as well. Even promised we would go out to lunch.

I met Memama between Penney's and McDonald's at the mall between services, and I drove her to church. As luck would have it, guess who forgot her hearing aids.

We ended up sitting on the fifth row. I had to sit with the choir prior to our song, but moved to where Memama was after we sang (we had the option to leave because we did both services). So I got a double dose so I ought to have another free pass!

Phil's message was split into two short segments. One at the front of the service, one at the back. Memama said it was almost like not having a sermon. Vann did a different twist with the communion service and it probably was not well thought out. He wanted everyone to wait to partake in unison. They had the stations set up, but their was a limited access and it ended up kind of rushed.

I think Memama would like the daybreak service better.

Praise team had to be at church at 6:45. Choir Ensemble had to be there at 7.

One funny story is yesterday Brian wanted us to warm up with another song and he chose one off the board for today's service. He chose the old song, "Up from the grave he arose". One of the lady's in the choir said, "Oh goody, the gravy song!"

We had a big laugh.

I will admit, it is a big rush for me to get to sing with some of these people. Lots of talent. Lots of gifts.

Brian did say this would be the last special musical project for quite some time.

To me Brian resembled a white male Whoopi Goldberg from her choir directing movie, Sister Act!

Lots of people involved in today's services. Twelve member praise team, plus the choir, sound and media techs, at least five ministers, probably twenty people taking up collection and serving communion, not to mention the greeters and people stationed around the facility. That doesn't count the six elders for two services who made a special announcement.

Have a week!

Happy Easter Jesus!