Can't catch a break!

Well, I titled this post and immediately wanted to retract it.  We did catch a break, Slat's broken rib!  Lol!  He is doing well.

Well, we got to strip three days before we had another winter storm.  One day was fair, one day was horrible and one day was good.

The fair day it began with just Cody and I.  Slats had a follow up doctor appointment.  We were doing pretty good until we broke a module builder chain, it took a couple of hours to fix it as we needed two master links and had only one on hand.  We finished the home place after dark, so all we needed to do was pick up cotton and move the following morning.

After the guys had serviced the machine, I went ahead and moved to Wastella.  The guys were going to bring the boll buggy and module builder shortly.  I stripped a basket and they weren't there, so I called them on the two way and they said the front wheel on the module builder tractor had become loose and was wobbling and they were jacking it up to tighten it.  They went another half mile before the problem occurred again.  Luckily we had already moved a pickup truck over the previous day, so I headed to it while getting on the phone to find a new hub for the module builder tractor.  I located one in Colorado City and went and picked it up along with bearings races and seals.  We prepped it at the barn so when we arrived at the tractor we just pulled the old hub off and put the new hub on.  Then we mounted the wheel with new lug bolts and tightened them with the impact since we had the service trailer there.  Finally we made the move complete, but it was after dark when we finished the first module.

Days like this really frustrate me, so I asked the guys what they wanted to do, build another module or go home.  They all voted go home.  The following day we had our best run all season.  An early start and a late finish.  The following morning we stripped one basket before a winter storm blew in.

I parked my stripper and the guys were going to pick up a little cotton with our revolutionary John's Deerest Super Sucker 6000.  I told the guys whoever got to the barn first needed to build a fire in our barbecue pit.  I ran to Sweetwater and picked up some sausage and steaks, flour tortillas, potato salad and bacon wrapped stuffed jalapenos.  I still made it to the barn first, filled the pit with charcoal and fired up old rosebud torch and in about three minutes had a roaring fire going.  I was preparing to throw the meat on the grill when the guys drove up.

It was a great meal.  We had our diesel heater on one side of the table and the grill on the other.  Initially we didn't open any doors on the barn but finally opened a door opposite of where we were to let smoke draw out of the building.  It is nice to relax with co-workers and I think it builds relationships beyond that of boss-employee.  Good morale builder.

Now it is Tuesday and we are still out of the field.  Another front came in with fog so thick it is freezing on the trees and cotton plants and making the roads hazardous.

I submitted my list of people yesterday for CPS.  In September I had told the CPS and Noble's attorney that it was my desire to have Noble at Memama's for Christmas so I had to prepare a list of everyone I thought might be there with date of birth and address.  I sent in 55 names, down from the 62 who attended last year.  I feel sure that CPS will say there isn't enough time but I am hopeful that Noble's attorney will help me get it through.

Rian and his campus policeman came through yesterday.  Shallowater was playing Graham in the state 3-A quarter finals at Mustang bowl in Sweetwater.  The game was originally scheduled for Friday, then Saturday, then Monday.  I had taken Memama to Snyder to have a tooth pulled and we raced back because she was going to prepare chicken fried steak with all the trimmings.  Originally we thought there might be as many as seven traveling together,  but the other car travelled on to Buck's.  Upon finishing the meal Rian and Officer Pearce put their warm clothes on and on a whim I grabbed a heavy jacket and some gloves. 

It was cold!  The score was 14 to nothing before Shallowater every got the ball.  35-7 at the half and as I was leaving early in the third quarter Shallowater made it 35-14.  Final score was 42-14 or something like that.  A tough loss, but a great year for the Mustangs. 

Next year they will remain in 3-A which means  in actuality they drop a classification.  They should be a power house.

It took me a long time to warm up.

I don' think we will be able to strip this week.  But that is O.K..  Back in September I made plans to go to San Antonio and got a great deal on a room at La Contessa on the river walk through expedia.  Georgiana is going to a seminar earlier in the week and I am going to drive down and we will take in the lights on the river walk, possibly eat at Salt Grass and then plan on hiring a horse drawn buggy to take us back to la Contessa.  It should be fun.

Hope all of you are staying warm!  Have a day!

FATHER, thank YOU for warm homes, warm clothes and good food.  YOU truly bless us every day.