Got up yesterday and took Memama's car to the shop.  It had developed a bad miss.  Late last week I had taken it to NAPA and we downloaded the codes from the computer.  It was showing an emissions leak, number two cylinder misfire, and a catalytic problem.  The timing advance was all over the place, 3 to 14.

James called yesterday and I stopped by.  The electrode on the number two spark plug was burned off, and he suspected a coil pack problem.  We both felt the catalytic issue was probably from raw gas from the cylinder misfire making its way to the exhaust. 

Turns out James was correct on the coil pack.  $300 plus just for it.  I am afraid this is going to be an expensive tuneup.

A few years ago I took the expedition into the shop for a check engine light.  They said it was in need of a tune up.  $700 to get it out of the shop and on the way home one of the new cylinder coils went bad.

I shot a final load of roundup yesterday.  It probably wasn't necessary but it will dress up a field and hopefully make the landlord happy.

About six I arrived back at the barn and we mixed our first tank of defoliant.  I had spent most of the morning with Justin, our chemical guru, looking at cotton, trying to decide what was ready and what was not.

During my first tank load I blew a boom hose and had to go to town to get a hose barb to splice it back.  Thank goodness I still have my NAPA key!

On my way to town, just a short way from the barn a deer jumped out of the ditch and I hit it dead center.  Luckily it wasn't too big and the pickup had a grill guard.  Pickup 1, deer 0.

Believe it or not that is the first deer I have ever hit.

Once Bill and I repaired the hose, I decided to change nozzles, opting for a larger size capable of more flow.  The computer spray controller had been giving me warnings that it was having a hard time getting the ten gallons an acre I had set it for through the smaller tips and the pressure was through the roof.

It was good and dark when I returned to the field.  Thank goodness for guidance.  I sprayed out three tanks before finally taking the sprayer and putting it to bed.

I walked into the house just before eleven.

Short night.

I am still optimistic about Memama's crop.

Have a day!

FATHER, thank YOU for a day of beginnings.  I continue to ask YOU  to be with us as we make preparations for harvest..  YOU are worthy of our praise.

Jumping into the 21st Century.

For probably two months I have argued with myself about harvest options.  Hiring someone to have the crops custom harvested.  Leasing a machine. And finally updating our equipment to newer better machines.

I have looked at more dealer websites, driven and snooped at more neighbor's farm head quarters than you can imagine.

The Achilles heel was knowing we had potential for a tremendous crop yet not knowing if we would see it meet that potential.

We have been very fortunate this year to be in a "wet" band.  It isn't very wide, but it seems as though every time Roscoe "proper" received a shower or light rain, at the barn you could add two inches to that total.  Gon Gon use to tell me if you were in it in the spring you would be in it all year.  His words proved true.

I had not vocalized my hopes or expectations until Thursday just past.

A custom harvester gets a minimum $30/acre or .08 cents per lint pound which ever is greater.  So their baseline is about three-quarters of the bale per acre.  Bale to the acre cotton would run $40/acre.  Any exceptional cotton could increase the harvest expense to double or any point in between , depending on poundage.

The pro to having it harvested would be the speed and no hassle.

The cons would be that no one takes pride in doing a job for someone else like they do in their own, and when you are done you have nothing to show for the money spent, even though it is 100% deductible.

Leasing a machine would be tied to engine and fan hours and you would have fuel, parts and labor to add on to rental costs.  Of course while we would do the work, in the end we would have nothing to show for money spent except that the lease, labor, parts, and fuel would be deductible too.

I visited with the manager at our nearest John Deere dealership, explaining that no more acres than we had we couldn't  justify a brand new machine, and that Memama really didn't need any more depreciation for 2012.

The salesman suggested that we rent a reconditioned used machine with all rent applying to the purchase.  The rent would be a 2012 fully deductible expense while we could complete the purchase after the first of the year, giving Memama depreciation for 2013.  Also the purchase would be interest free until November 1, 2013.

We had already moved two of the old 484's into the barn and began going over them.  Trying to determine what it would take to get them field ready.  We had also pulled the module builder to the shop to lubricate chains, check hoses and such.

I sat down and talked with Pat and Memama about my thoughts, and we decided to pursue upgrading our equipment.  So I became busy again, talking with the salesman and driving to the Lubbock area.

Of course nothing is simple.  When we decided to buy a 7460 with an 8 row header it became necessary to purchase a boll buggy (because the header is too wide to pull along side the  module builder unless you back along side and dump on the very back).

Due to labor concerns I was also looking into an automated module controller.  It should take about three years for such a system to pay for itself.  No matching social security, no TWC, no FUTA, it is never late and never complains.

So we have leaped into the 21st century.  Updated, late model burr extractor 8 row machine, New boll buggy and a new module controller.

I am afraid my learning curve is going to be pretty steep.

On Thursday I took Memama on a tour of all the farms.  I showed her cotton that only I had seen.  And I shared with her my thoughts that this will be the best crop since 2007 for her.

Memama told me she didn't know she had such a good crop!

The module controller is installed.  The stripper and boll buggy are in Snyder.  I am supposed to meet with our chemical consultant later today to look at our crop and see what we need to do.  Maybe some drop leaf and boll buster.

We may be getting the sprayer out of the barn pretty quick.  I think we will spray about 80-100 acres a day, in hopes we don't get too far ahead of the stripper.  One of my neighbors terms this as trying not to out kick our coverage.

Great expectations!

Have a day!

FATHER, thank YOU for all the blessings YOU pour down upon us.  Thank YOU for the good crops.  We pray YOU will let us get them all harvested without problem.  FATHER, help us to make good choices.  LORD lead me on.

The tale of Two Coach Freemans.

Earlier this year Sweetwater traveled to Breckenridge for a football game.  The Mustangs and the Buckaroos use to be in the same district before Breckenridge dropped from Class 3-A to Class 2-A.

This game was of extreme interest to our family because it pitted Coach Freeman of Breckenridge against Coach Freeman of Sweetwater.

Ever since Breckenridge Coach Freeman was the head Coach at Hamlin, Memama has made her world famous "Whoop AZZ" peanut brittle, seven batches to be exact, and shipped it to him for him and his coaches to munch on while making preparations for the coming weeks game.  This ritual goes all the way back to Hamlin to Brownwood and now to Breckenridge.

I would be comfortable saying that the total number of batches would exceed 1500.  That would be 1500 cups of sugar.  750 cups of Karo syrup.  1500 dashes of salt. 750 pounds of peanuts. 2250 teaspoons of baking soda and 1500 tea spoons of vanilla extract.

The reputation of this Whoop Azz leads to a constant flow of visitors coming and going, making excuses to get their hands in one of the bags of peanut brittle.  Some stop to visit.  Others come to watch film.  Some to discuss problems with their child.  BUT, all of them come under false pretenses!

The week prior to the Sweetwater Breckenridge game, Memama concocted her special treat and shipped it to the athletic department at Breckenridge ISD, attn: Coach Freeman.  The famous candy is known throughout the post offices in Roscoe and Sweetwater.  The Roscoe Postmaster says she loves for Memama to come in to ship it because she smells like warm peanut brittle and by the time she leaves the whole post office smells that way.  Memama has even been know to fix an extra batch and take it to the postal service employees..

The week of the big game was at hand .  Game plans completed.  When the Mustangs arrived, Buckaroo Coach Freeman had reserved some Whoop Azz to share with the Mustang's Coach Freeman.

In the end Sweetwater's Coach Freeman used the shared Whoop Azz to beat Breckenridge's Coach Freeman with his own delicacy.

As luck would have it, Memama and Pat traveled to the Ball game and sat on the Breckenridge side.

The following day I was talking to Memama and asked her about the ball game.

 "We got beat", she said.

I asked her how could "we" get beat when she had Coach Freemans on both side lines.

We had a good laugh.  Memama wasn't sure Sweetwater Coach Freeman knew the story of the Whoop Azz so just to clarify things, she told him when he became a head coach, she would ship him Whoop Azz too.

And everyone lived happily ever after.

The End.