San Angelo

Wednesday morning I traveled to San Angelo for a 9:00 am. meeting with CPS.  Merrit's attorney wasn't able to be there and he had asked that I attend.


So far, I have not missed a meeting or court date set by them.


This meeting was a progress report on the family plans that were made back in September.  In attendance was the mediator, the case worker, the case worker's supervisor, Brad, Sandy (Brad's mother), Merrit, me, Don Payne (Noble's attorney ad litem), the Casa Supervisor and the Casa couple assigned to Merrit's case.  (Casa stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates).  They devote much more time to the case than a court appointed attorney can.


The meeting went very well.  Michelle, the case worker reported that Merrit was showing much improvement, that she was enrolled in school and had her own place (which she approved of as meeting all the requirements of CPS.  She even said Merrit had it decorated very cute).  She also reported that Merrit had completed her domestic violence courses and only lacked three units in the CPS program completing their program.


In a surprise move, CPS gave Noble to me from the conclusion of the meeting until 5 pm.  I had to wait for Merrit's Mom to bring his car seat up there, then Noble and I went to Henry's and waited to have lunch with his Mom.  Afterward we went to her house to spend the afternoon.


A really heart warming moment was when Brad had gone out to get Noble and they walked through the door he looked up and loudly said "Dandy". 


And at Christmas Brad said Noble didn't know me from Adam!


Merrit has finally started her job.  In fact she will get a paycheck this coming Tuesday!  They have been in training all week.  I looked over their menu and items they carry.  They are pricey but Merrit says they are well worth it.  They have three chefs, and Merrit says they are excellent.


Rian has scheduled a spring break trip for the boys.  They are going fishing on a guided fishing outing with Mr. Whiskers.  It sounds good and like they will have a great time.


We are down to lots of small projects at the barn.  We have the started off one pickup, the radiator off a tractor, the big tractor is in the shop for a full service and some repair to the seat.  The tractor had begun leaking some gear oil from the left front wheel which we had completely gone through the planetary last year so the guys removed the wheel and the planetary cover.  Close inspection revealed a crack in the outer gear that the bull gears run inside of.  Everything else looked good.  I am not sure why this gear failed because last year we replaced of the gears.  If memory serves me correctly, this one gear costs about $600, so at least it isn't as bad as last year's repair.


Of course the biggest project going in the barn is the boat.


Memama and Chris got good reports from the eye doctor in Dallas.  In a rare occurrence, they made a down and back trip in a single day.


Well, I am fixing to try to go and meet the La Quinta manager again.  Numerous attempts by Coach and I have not been productive in securing dates for the family reunion in June.


Have a day.


FATHER, Thank YOU for good reports.  FATHER we are caught up on the farm and ready for YOUR rain blessing.

interesting weekend

For the first time since finishing the cotton harvest, I actually felt "well" enough to do something this weekend.


I went to Big Spring for Callie's basketball game.  It wasn't pretty.  They got their butts beat and handed to them.  But a late breakfast took the sting out of the defeat.


Afterwards we returned to Roscoe for a while before Georgiana headed to Abilene.


Sunday  morning I woke early and showered and dressed for church in Abilene.  I was running ahead of schedule so I picked Georgiana up.


I am not really sure what is going on at Southern Hills.  They have rolled two services into a single service on their campus and they are still doing bar church.  A year ago there was no way you could seat everyone in a single service.


Last year the worship minister was terminated, then the pulpit or preaching minister was re-assigned, then the search began for a new preaching minister, then the family minister resigned, then the former preaching minister who had been re-assigned resigned his new position.


The last two times I have been there I have not seen a couple of the elders, but I figured they were attending the other service.  Now I don't know.


After church we went to HEB and Georgiana bought groceries.  I spent part of my time reading labels and researching different items. 


Georgiana and I are trying a new diet program and they warn of processed foods and such.  True to their claims, nearly every item I looked at contained what they warned about.


This diet encourages people to skip meals and to fall off their diet one day a week.  I am trying to decide if yesterday was the first day of my diet and I fell off or if I hadn't started it yet!


After grocery shopping we returned to Georgiana's home and she fixed "hold over" sandwiches for us.  She is much more dedicated and determined at this stage because she is giving up artificial sweetener and diet coke. 


Hold it right there.  I may have to draw the line at diet coke.


Actually the last time I lost weight I cut drastically down on diet cokes and drank unsweetened cold brew tea.  So in all honesty, there maybe something there.


I have to admit I was disappointed in the results so far of the diet because Georgiana had been on it longer than me and I figured if she turned sideways I wouldn't be able to see her.  Oh well, so much for two days.


LOL!


For recreation yesterday afternoon, we went to the movies and saw the Wolf of Wall Street.  Leonardo DiCaprio is the star.  He does a remarkable acting job.  In fact at one time in a mad rage I thought he had turned into Jack Nicholson.  Now if you are offended by language, drug use, nudity and sex, you need to go blind folded and with ear plugs.  It has an enormous amount of all of the above.


The thing that really struck me was the excesses in every area of their lives.  There was never enough of anything to satisfy them.  Not enough money, not enough drugs, not enough sex.  Of course their clients were footing the bill for all of this.


At the beginning of the movie Matthew McConaughy's character told Jordan Belfort that the goal was to get rich and to forget the clients.


A real eye opener.  It was very hard for me to comprehend people living like this.


In the end Jordan Belfort was convicted of numerous crimes and sentence to 36 months in Federal Prison and to pay 110 million is restitution.  He served 22 months in a country club prison and to date has paid only $12M in restitution.


Our day was capped of by going to Texas Roadhouse and having dinner.


I returned to Roscoe about nine o'clock and not a creature was stirring!  I checked on Memama before checking out the pro bowl and going to bed to read.


I will say it was an interesting twist to the pro bowl where there is no AFC NFC teams.  Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders drafted their teams players.  Rice won by one in the end.


On a sad note, I have read all my Christmas books.  So now I am re-reading them at a much more leisurely pace.  I am reading "THE WALK" series and had read the first two installments, The Walk and Miles to Go in prior years.  For Christmas I received the third and fourth installments in the series, Road to Grace and  Step of Faith.  (In between I have squeezed in Art Briles' Tragedy to Triumph "Looking Up" and John Grishams latest Theodore Boone The Activist).  The final installment of the series of Alan Christofferson's diary of his walk from Seattle to Key West is due in another couple of months.


I am eagerly waiting and may order it in hopes of getting it prior to the official release date.


Pat left this morning to take Memama and Chris to Dr. Bowman's in Dallas.  He is their eye doctor who did the corneal transplants on them both.


Pat had come out late yesterday and packed Memama's clothes, laid out what she was to wear, and gave instructions as to when finished using your hair brush and tooth brush put them in your bag.  It seems the only thing Pat could not find was Memama's hearing aids.  So I was given that task.


When I made sure Memama was up, I called to be sure when the departure time was.  Memama walked into the kitchen and after seeing her overnight bag and hanging clothes, asked me, "Am I going some where?"


I reminded her that today was the day they were going to see Dr. Bowman.  "Oh yes, I remember now", she responded.


She insisted on cooking breakfast, and as I ate she drank coffee and juice.  Finally I told her she had twenty minutes to get dressed for the trip.


I began looking for hearing aids.  Their most popular hiding place, under the bed, yielded  nothing.  I checked on her bed's headboard.  No luck.  I unmade her bed.  No luck.  I went into her bathroom and began looking in drawers.  No luck.  I checked every table between the kitchen and her room.  No luck.  I looked at the kitchen window.  No luck.  I flipped her recliner over.  No luck.  I looked at her side table.  No luck.  On the other side of her chair is a TV tray.  No luck.  Finally I began looking through a magazine rack beside her chair.  Success.  Both were there although the batteries were fun down.  I took them into the kitchen and replaced the batteries and removed and installed new filters, completing this task just as Pat walked in.


Pat quickly gathered what Memama had forgotten and loaded her bags, hanging clothes, walker and cane into the car.  As I stood at the door I could hear Pat and Memama arguing.  Pat told her to get in the front and Memama wanted to let Chris sit there.  Memama won and Pat put her in the back seat.  I could hear Pat telling Memama, "I am not going to fight with two hard headed people this entire trip!"


I kind of look for them back late tonight, if Memama is traveling comfortably.  In addition to her pain patch, I gave her a pain caplet prior to Pat's arrival.


Their plan was to stop by and see Betsy and Scottie on their way to Parkland.  Pat called Betsy and Betsy told her they would meet them down in the lobby, they didn't want them to see the one bedroom apartment Shannon had downsized them to.  I wasn't even aware of this taking place, but obviously Betsy is not happy with it.


Oh well, we do what we have to do.


With Betsy's health issues and Scottie's memory issues, they are where they need to be.  In a good environment, with neighbors and help nearby.


Memama's appointment is at 4:00 and Chris's appointment is at 4:45.  Dr. Bowman's office instructed them to be prepared to be there for an hour and a half.  This is a rare occasion that they have appointments late in the day.  Usually they will go down the night before and have early appointments the following day.


Due to their last appointments falling near Christmas, Pat cancelled and rescheduled and this was what she got.


17 for the low tonight and tomorrow night.  Batton down the hatches.


FATHER, thank YOU for all YOU do.  Help us to always be anchored in YOU and YOUR values.  I pray for safe travel for Pat and Memama and Chris and that they will get good reports from the doctor.

Winter is back!

Ol' man winter is paying us another visit.  Late yesterday a cold front hit and it has been a gradual cool down since then.


I am researching several projects.


Marine plywood for the boat flooring.


Mileages, rates, and lodging for the tractor pull announcing opportunity.


A garage building with storage/office/efficiency apartment.  This has turned out to be a crazy one.  I made an inquiry about a building "on-line".  I have been over run with calls.  None of them want to sell what I want, most of them want to sell me a standard building that can be modified to fit our need.  Of course all of them claim to be discounted for clearance.  The precise one I had inquired about has not returned my contact.


I am contemplating a trip to Sweetwater and then maybe to Abilene.  I need to run by Memama's bank and then begin gathering supplies for the boat sub floor.  This may also require the purchase of a new saw.  It will depend on pricing.


I have always wanted a small scroll saw.  They appear to be very versatile to me.  The substructure of the boat requires a rounded taper of the main beam and cut outs where all the cross pieces fit.


In addition to the boat, I have been thinking about putting shelves all the way around my bedroom to put my books and special items.  There is a seam about eighteen inches from the ceiling that I am contemplating removing and putting the shelving in its place.


I can't believe twenty months after moving back I haven't gotten all my things in my room.  It has been a chore to fit sixty years of belongings from a house into a single room.


I believe if I can do the shelves and get my desk moved in, it would make it much easier to put it together.


Since Memama's last doctor visit when we first learned of her substantial weight loss I have been trying to entice her to eat by preparing things she likes.  Last evening I grilled steaks and stuffed jalapeno peppers and did backed taters in the oven.  She ate a very good supper.


Today I plan on making potato soup (using a mix) with ruby sensation baby red potatoes.  It is just soup or stew weather.


When I bought groceries last, I also picked up some dry pinto beans.  I love day old red beans and cornbread.  Throw in some pan fries and maybe a little ground beef and I can die happy!  Dill pickles and jalapenos on the side would be excellent additions.


We are almost o at a stand still on the farm today.  Only Josh is working and he is in the shop.  Dakota took off yesterday (with my approval) and then took today without my approval.  Slats has taken his daughter to the doctor in Lubbock.  Every ten days she has to go to a wound specialist at University Medical Center.  I hope the roads don't get bad before they get home.


They say we have a chance of snow and sleet.  I would love a substantial amount of moisture.  There is something about snow and the moist soil freezing that makes it really mellow.  God art at it's best.


One thing I haven't discussed here is the on goings in the ag industry developments in the genetically modified seed varieties that are Round Up Ready.  We spray directly over the top and the crop is not affected but the weeds are.  The problem is that the weeds are developing a resistance to the Round Up.  The latest thing is 2 4 D tolerant varieties.  Monsanto is beginning a push for this new technology.


First thing I will say is it is unbelievable that botanist can do what they do.  Second things is Monsanto is kind of like a big bully.  They are heavily leveraged in the genetically modified crops and they don't want to give any ground to any competitor.  Routinely, Monsanto will take growers to court for technology violations.  The largest, most recent instance involved soy beans I believe in Iowa.  A farmer bought seed from the local elevator (bulk) not knowing if it was Round Up ready or not.  The farmer planted it, took the chance and sprayed it, it was tolerant and Monsanto took him to court.  Eventually the Supreme Court heard the case and ruled in favor of Monsanto.


I have heard of instances where if Monsanto suspects something they will go into suspect fields and gather leaves or nodules for lab testing. 


This could really put a cotton producer who raises cattle in a precarious position IF he buys cottonseed to feed to cattle.  In the event there was some volunteer cotton that cross pollinated with conventional cotton.


I've kind of strayed off course.  I don't think I am in favor of the 2 4 D tolerant variety.  My experience with 2 4 D has been that it is horrible to drift.  Sometimes a great distance from the sprayed area.


I think I would rather see a modified Round Up (that once again would be patented).


I remember in 2011 we had a total loss for a crop but come September and the rains we had cotton we couldn't kill by plowing or spraying until we pulled out the 2 4 D. 


Maybe they could come up with a Round Up Plus, a slightly varied genetic modification and chemical. 


You know, just tweak it.


I can remember the yellow herbicides we used on the farms for years and finally the weeds became resistant to them.


There are people much smarter than I out there.  Thank GOD.


FATHER we love YOU.  We thank YOU for this world you created.

85

Today Pepa would have been 85.  Happy Birthday!


Well, there is lots going on, on  lots of fronts.


We are through shredding cotton stalks, and the plow has moved to the last field, which is two farms but we work it like one except for stripping.


The tear out on the boat is almost complete.  We are fixing to begin gathering materials.  I figure the substructure will go slow, but once it is in place, the floor should be a piece of cake.  Everything in the floor has been fiberglassed over, but I may have come up with a really good idea.  We are going to paint everything with carpenter's glue, then fiberglass it. 


Our biggest obstacle may be if we wan t to find and use marine plywood.


For some reason foreign to me, I woke at 5:30 this morning.  My first text message came in at 6:15 and my first phone call was at 6:40.


Then Coach called telling me we needed to lock in the facilities for the Stevens-Freeman Reunion in Sweetwater.  He said he had tried numerous times since June and the manager had been unable to do the contract.


Today was no different.  But because the manager was not in.


Then I got a call asking me if I would be interested in signing on with the Texas Truck and Tractor Puller's Association as their touring announcer.  I would be paid in to every show they have on the circuit.  The first thing I asked for was a tentative schedule for the upcoming season.


Wow, the first show is April 4 & 5.  The last show is November and all sorts of stops in between.


So far I see only one possible scheduling conflict.


Now to put the numbers together and see if we can make a deal.  I'm going to have to look at it several different ways, but it may come in handy having the motor home.


FATHER, thank YOU for opportunities.  As the little seven year old girls says, "I know Pepa is having a great time dancing with the angels in heaven, having a big PARTY!"

End of an Era?

Sunday may have signaled the end of an era.


For the first time, Sunday lunch at Memama's was cancelled.


For about the last year, Pat and I have shared duties in Sunday lunch preparation, even more since July 6th of 2013.


It has always been a given fact that if Memama were in town, lunch would be on the table.  Standard fare would be two roasts, carrots, cream potatoes, green beans, corn, german sausage, broccoli with ranch, fruit salad, squash, roast gravy, biscuits and ice tea.


This was always prepared and average attendance would fluctuate from probably twelve to twenty.


Recently Sunday lunch was prepared and there were five who came and ate.


Last week, just as lunch was being prepared, the electricity went off, so there was a mad dash for Ma Allen's to get chicken and trimmings for lunch.  About the time the chicken was on the table the electricity came back on.


So for a week, all the pieces of Sunday lunch were on hand for yesterday.  Pat called Memama and Memama was a little feisty, telling her that she didn't need anyone to help her fix Sunday dinner.
Pat called me and reported. 


So in a bit, Memama grabbed the roasts and put them in the oven, then told me she had to go rest her back.  Pat arrived and asked,  "Where is Mom?".  I told her resting her back.  Pat went into Memama's room and came back and removed the roasts from the oven.


"She's just quitting", Pat said.


I told Pat, "She has been trying to quit for a long time".


Pat told me, "I told Memama I was going to text everyone and tell them no Sunday lunch.  That Memama is in bed, you don't feel well, and I have company".


I suppose Pat was calling Memama's bluff.  But Memama didn't bite.


We have always tried to keep it as Memama's Sunday lunch by including her in the preparation.  Whether it was slicing squash, or cutting up broccoli, or mixing the fruit salad, we always made sure Memama was present and "in charge".  I suppose yesterday she threw in the towel.


Pat and I were both saddened and alarmed by this development.  I suppose we thought maybe if she didn't get to see anyone (that usually comes to dinner) it would make her more determined to get back on track.


It didn't seem to make her a flip.


Saturday I went to Noble's birthday party and left just before 11.  I checked on Memama and she was sleeping soundly.  Pat came put at three and she was still sleeping.  Of course she told Pat she had been up, she just went back to bed.  She even went so far as to tell Pat she had cooked my breakfast.


Only in her dreams.


I'm not sure what our next move should be or will be.  I think we probably should wait on her and see what she does.


It seems as though I cannot shake this cold or flu I have had.  This is three weeks, and to tell you the truth Saturday I felt worse than I have felt at any point.  I felt so bad I began checking other things and since I hadn't checked blood sugar in a while I decided to check it.  158 fasting.  Yikes.  When I got to San Angelo I was still fasting, having only consumed my meds and my blood sugar was 201.  When I returned to Roscoe and was changing clothes I took it again and it was 145.  At bed time it was 132.  Yesterday morning 136 fasting and this morning 107. 


I don't know what is going on but a visit to the doctor may be in order.


I guess I am  going to try to set something up for Drew and the boys.  Drew called me Saturday and told me he was just checking on me because He knew I had a hard week.  Of course before he got off the phone he asked me, "Hey Dandy, isn't it about time you send us some donut money".


I think I am going to talk to the donut shop in Shallowater and see if they have gift cards or maybe even set up an account for the first third and fifth weekends when Rian has the boys so they can go by and treat themselves.  Rian says their standard fare is four small kolaches, two dozen donut holes and two donuts with sprinkles.


I was glad that Rian got out this weekend.  He was invited to a surprise birthday party for a friend from Shallowater and even though he had the boys, he decided to go.  Cody Pack came and stayed with the boys.


This week should see us really up on the farm.  We should finish cutting stalk today and begin plowing our final field.


Everything is ginned except for one farm, even though we are waiting for grades on the most recently ginned farm.  It appears that Memama's year was slightly better than last year.  Some farms were down but other farms were up.  We tried two new varieties of cotton this year and one was higher in production, the other was higher in price.


Maybe this will be the year that production and price are up!


Well, the Super Bowl is set.  I was thrilled to see the Broncos and Peyton Manning dominate the Patriots, but I was disappointed the Forty-niners lost the way they did to the Seahawks.  Personally I have nothing against the Seahawks as a team but I despise Pete Carroll.


I actually think the Broncos match u[p better against the seahawks than they would against the forty-niners.


My choice and prediction.  Broncos by 11.  OU 42..


Funny story about my history with the Broncos in the super bowl.  When John Elway finally got Denver to the super bowl, they were expected to be whipped readily.  I woke that morning and called Brently and asked what the line was.  He told me Denver was a fourteen point under dog.  I told Brently to take Denver even, which meant it was an 8  to 1 wager, for a hundred dollars.  Brently asked me if I was sure and I told him yes.  He said he would call his people.  At half time Denver was on a roll.  Brently called me and told me, "You are going to be mad at me, but I was trying to save you from yourself.  I took Denver and the points and I took half your bet."  Denver dominated.


So what could have been an $800 payoff turned into a $50 payoff but it really didn't matter, I never got the fifty either!


Oh well.  My Momma would say it serves you right.


Well, have a week!


FATHER, I pray for relief and healing from this cold or flu.  I ask YOUR guidance as we deal with Memama and try to motivate her.  I ask for relief for her back pain.

I am glad to see the end of the week.


We have had several projects going, some going very good, some going very slow.


To complicate things, I am still trying to overcome this cold or flu


I have had some other things going on so I have bounced from project to project, trying to monitor progress, solve any problems but mainly to let the guys know I am watching them.


My week culminated with me firing one of the guys.  In fact he was in charge of the wood work in the boat project.  He had come to work in October and had a great deal of energy and want to, but with the addition of two younger guys he became complacent and lazy.


About ten days ago we began the boat project.  Pulling the engine (which Josh oversaw) and trying to tear out and assess how extensive the floor and substructure needed to be replaced.  I would arrive at the shop and the wood man always needed more tools and needed me to watch over and guide him.


I explained that if I am going to have to be there and baby sit him, there is no reason for him to be there.


He immediately asked what I had against him.  I told him I had nothing against him, but he seemed unable to work without hands on supervision.


It seemed that every day this was a re-occurring thing.  "You don't like me",  "You have it in for me", "You are always threatening me with my job".


Yesterday I had spent the morning doing some banking and looking over cotton grades and sending cotton to be sold.


All of the guys had come to the house to get their checks at noon and I had rushed to get back and have checks waiting.


After lunch, I made a razoo to see what everyone was doing and how progress was coming.  My first stop was to check on the shredder.  I had to move him back to the other side of the field, explaining that the plow was going to catch him and he needed to concentrate on the rows that went completely through the field, not short rows that had fallow ground on the far end.  Then I took a circuitous route to check on the tractor plowing.  I like to be able to watch from afar before revealing that I am even in the country.  Finally I went to the barn and found no one was there.  To add further insult to injury, my one major rule for the boat project had been broken.  They were  not working and the boat was not tarped.


I began to put a plan in place for finding the red truck and the two employees when I saw them in the distance crossing to a back road pulling the fuel tank.


I knew where they were going now, so I took a short cut and was waiting on them when they got there.  You could tell when they saw me because the truck slowed to a crawl.  Finally they pulled up beside me.  They told me they needed to turn in to the turn row I was blocking.


I asked them, "What is wrong with this picture?"


They responded, "What picture?"


"Why does it take two people to get fuel and take fuel to the tractors, and why didn't you combine this trip with coming to get paychecks?"


I explained that it was costing $18 dollars an hour for the two of them to go and get fuel and take it to the tractors, plus gas, and that they had not hit a lick since breaking for lunch.  They had sat in line at the fuel pump to get the fuel.


One of the guys was extremely quiet.  The other couldn't keep his mouth shut with a stapler on a bet.


Earlier in the week we were talking and he began to argue with me.  This had become so old, I told him, "No, we aren't going to argue about it.  If you disagree that vehemently get your personal effects and give me your hours".


At that time he told me, "There you go again threatening me with my job!"


I told him that it wasn't a threat, it was an ultimatum.  I am the boss, you are the employee and if you can't do what I need you to do and tell you to do, then I don't need you.


Yesterday was no different.  He had an excuse.  He was doing what Slats had told him (I told him get his paycheck from Slats).  He has a lot going on.


Eventually I drove away.  Only to receive a text from him a half hour later.  I responded to him with a text.  Then I got a phone call from him.  I cut him short and told him I was on my way to his location.


When I arrived he began shouting and telling me what he didn't like about working for me, that I was a poor boss and several other things (including he needed more guidance).


I told him to quit shouting and If I was so difficult to work for why would he even want the job.  It continued until he told me I always singled him out, that it was a personal issue.


I told him "Fine." 


He said, "Is this going to cost me my job?"


"It already has", I responded.


Then the tirade was on.  I have never heard such language.  I learned that I was a punk that needed my ass kicked (to which I extended an invitation to bring it on), Slats is a punk two faced ass kisser.  I am stupid, he was the best hand I had and they loved guys like me and Slats in the penitentiary.


In a final act of defiance he grabbed all his personal items and headed town the road, rejecting any offers of a ride from Slats or myself.


Whew.


Go ahead.  Make my week!


Oh FATHER, sometimes I am so confused by situations and people.  I'm not sure what I am supposed to learn from this.  Broaden my horizons. Expand me.

Flashback

Last evening I decided to drive to Sweetwater to the Nolan County Coliseum where the 2014 Nolan County Junior Stock Show was going on.


Specifically, I went to see the steer show.  I'm not sure, but I would say that 1971 probably was the last year I attended,  so forty-three years later I returned to what use to be an annual ritual.


Back then, there was the county show and the six county show.  There was no premium sale, but prize money was good.  It was a two day event sandwiched between the Sandhills Hereford Show in Odessa and the Roscoe Stock Show leading in and the Abilene Regional Livestock Show and El Paso following closely.  Of course Forth Worth, San Antonio and Houston came later in the year.


I have to confess, I am the reason that schools revamped their policies regarding stock show absences and student participation.


I remember 1969 very well.  In the six weeks following Christmas break I missed 27 out of 30 class days.  What a deal.  All of my teachers but one were cooperative with me making up work I missed. One, Ms. Eula Reeves, the math teacher was not.  She refused to give me any makeup work and for that six week grading period I received a zero for her class.


I remember her lecturing me that what I missed school for would never benefit me and that what she was trying to teach me I would use for the rest of my life.


I am sure that later that spring when I won reserve champion steer at Houston she cringed.


In retrospect, after selling the steer (Peppy was his name) for what was a then world record price, I should have enlisted her help in counting the sale price money and the prize money.  The steer sold to Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Brown of Orange, Texas.


To bring the Eula tale to an end, it was necessary for me to go to summer school to make up the work.  That in itself is another story because summer school was a joke.


Back to yesterday.


The only person I recognized in the arena during the steer show was Scott Fullwood.  He seemed to be in charge of things in the arena.


They had two classes of steers, lightweight and heavyweight.  I didn't catch the bottom weight or where the classes broke, but I did hear something about 1300 pounds and I believe that was the top end weight.


(WOW, Peppy in Houston was a middle weight at 951 pounds. Now he would not even make the minimum weight required.).


As the steers came into the arena I was looking them over.  Of course rules have changed, the animals hair is cut a uniform length all over, no type of sheen or shine is applied to the hair, the animals face may be clipped, and the tail cannot be teased or fluffed on the end.


Mentally, I began placing the class on what I could see from the stands.  Much to my chagrin, the steer I started the class off with was placed in fourth.  The steer I placed in fourth was placed first and the second and third place steers were flipped.


In an even more bizarre move, when the judge began pulling animals, he pulled the bottom end first and set them aside while he worked on the top end placing.  In a totally confusing move he placed the class from right to left instead of left to right.


So we moved to the next class.  After seeing the judge work the first class I did considerably better.  I picked the top two correctly and I also picked his eventual champion and reserve champion.


I find I still look for a leggier, long bodied steer.  I guess you could call it a rangier looking animal.


It was interesting to revisit.


While I was there Jason came by and visited for a moment.  He said they had their pigs and lambs weighed in and had their chickens settle in as well.  I said, "chickens?"    He laughed and replied, "Yes, it began as a joke but it turned out they are pretty good chickens!"


I  laughed and told him I have no idea how they judge chickens.  Me, I judge it like, 1. Ma Allens, 2. Golden Chick and so on and so forth.


The boat project continues.  I gave the guys a directive yesterday that the repairs we make now, I want to last 44 years.  This is the last time I am going to mess with the floor in the boat.


The shredder is still running and Slats will finish the bottom at Wastella today and move to the top side.


Our wheat is coming on after a slow start.  A rain blessing would sure be welcome.


Grade cards are slowly coming in.  Lots of light barkies which is an enigma to me.  What would they be if we were running a conventional bat and brush set up.  My only explanation is the two ice storms prior to harvest.


I would be remiss is I did not mention the passing of Maria Sainz,wife of Mario (a long time employee of Pepa) and mother to Marshal, Little Mario and Estella.  Our heart felt condolences to them all.  Maria had a very difficult last few years.


Have a day!


FATHER, thank YOU for memories and experiences.  I lift up Maria's family for your gifts of comfort and care.

I attended one of the elite events in Abilene this past weekend.  The wedding of two friends,  Rhonda Goveia and David Webb.


Forty people were invited to the wedding.  Thirty-nine attended.  Later in the afternoon a reception was held at Larry and Shay Hall's Silverado Ranch.  About 100 people were invited to this event which featured a buffet, an open bar, and the live band Muddy Creek.


It was a very festive occasion with a diverse group of attendees which featured a who's who list of Abilene.


I was asked to tend the bar.  It was an interesting assignment.


I only wish I had felt better.  By the end of the reception I was a whipped pup and my feet were killing me.


I continue to battle a cold or flu bug.


Holt turned 8 years old yesterday, while Noble will turn 2 on Thursday.  A birthday party is scheduled for this Saturday in San Angelo.


For a number of years the jet boat has needed some repairs.  The wood framework in the bottom had become dry rotted and when you hit the throttle, it appeared the engine was going to twist out of it's mounting.  Pepa had re-done part of the floor many years ago, but apparently it is due to be re-done again. 


All the pieces are fitted and installed before being fiberglassed over to prevent moisture and exposure to the elements.  When the framework is done the plywood floor will be laid, and holes will be drilled in each compartment and floatation foam will be sprayed in, until each compartment is full.


As it turns out, one of the temporary farm hands is very mechanical while another one was trained to do wood work while he was incarcerated.  I thought what better opportunity.


Of course new indoor outdoor carpet will be required as well as some upholstery work.  We plan on putting the engine on an engine stand and removing the oil pan to inspect bearings.


It is hard to believe the boat is 44 years old.  Many people might say why bother, but I think every family member has some special memory that took place on a boat outing!


You just gotta believe Pepa and Fred are loving it.


On the farm it is a relaxed pace.  We ripped some turn rows last week and Friday afternoon we began breaking some of the ground while the shredder is on the last farm.  We aren't going to get crazy, probably work eight to five or something like that.


I did go into FSA Friday and certify wheat acreages. 


I will be very surprised if all the modules are not picked up today.  We will make a quick pass with John's Deerest Super Sucker 6000 and pick up any cotton left behind.  So we should have one mini module left to build!


I must say I was extremely disappointed with our "Can't miss" rain this past Thursday and Friday.


Oh well.  We will get it when GOD decides we need it.


Have a week!


FATHER, I pray for YOUR gifts of healing.  I ask special blessings on Holt and Noble as we celebrate their birthdays.

liars.

In October of this year, Memama received a letter from her brother-in-law Garland, informing her that at the end of the year they were taking their farm back.  It was a nicely worded letter thanking us for the care of it over the years.


I will say this didn't come as a complete surprise, and to be honest it wasn't even a big enough blip on the radar for me to even remember to tell Pat.


In November, we attended the funeral of a cousin at Merkel.  At the funeral, we saw Melba (Pepa's sister) and Garland.  Prior to the small service everyone was visiting and Melba told Pat that she guessed all of us were mad at them for taking that place back.  Melba went on to tell me that their kids were going to farm it for them to help increase their income,


This would be understandable.


Yesterday I learned that this in fact is not the case.  That Melba and Garland had in fact leased their farm to a young man in the area that farms about 7000 acres but is also known for paying a third rent, with some of the expenses passed through to the landlord (so it isn't a true third).  I was somewhat disappointed in this young man, that he didn't come to me and say what is going on?  Garland called me and asked me if I would take their farm.  What is the deal?


My problem is with Melba and Garland.  Simply stated, Melba is a liar and Garland is spineless.  I will defend their right to make any changes, but at least tell the truth, and be a stand up guy.


I have thought about how Pepa would handle this situation and while I am not sure of the how, I am sure that it would not be pretty and little sister would get an ear full.  Actually I believe if Pepa were still alive, this would never have happened, due to lack of back bone.


You know in actuality, it is only 143 acres, and farming around the barns and pig pens and farrowing houses was a real pain.  Throw in the calls about when we were going to do this or that, and constant second guessing, it will be quite pleasant to not receive those phone calls.


This fall was an odd occurrence in that harvest began on the day we finished in 2012.  We always begin near the barn so we can smooth any wrinkles we have with equipment before moving away from the shop.  Once again we did that this year, then we began stripping farms where we were going to sow wheat, then we began stripping the cotton that was stringing out worst.


Of course we had an excess of  moisture during harvest which included two ice storms prior to Christmas.  During one of these wet spells Garland made a trip to our barn.  The guys said he was very rude (normal) and demanded to know when we were going to strip his cotton.  They told him they didn't know, that I had the plan but I should be arriving very soon.  He left.  Quickly.  Before I arrived.


Then I got a call from Melba, telling me how bad their cotton was stringing out and how it needed to be stripped.  I told her my plan, that we had stripped wheat ground and then were stripping cotton that was stringing worst and that we had some much worse than theirs.  She quickly retorted, "I see you got your Mother's cotton out".  Yes I replied.  We always begin here close to the shop to get all the kinks and problems out of the machines.


My first obligation is to the landlords Memama still has.  Don't treat her or us like shit on your shoe and then expect us to put you at the front of the line.  There is method to my madness.


So, good riddance liar and spineless one.  Your new renter needs a dose of you and you need a dose of him.  Crazy thing is, recently their new renter was arrested for domestic abuse.


Hhmmmm.  Sounds like a perfect match. Liar, Spineless, Beater.


FATHER, thank YOU for deliverance!

Hooray!

We are finished with cotton stripping!  Finally.  This is the first year since 1984 that I have been stripping come Christmas and New Years.

Ironically, our harvest this year began on the day last year's harvest ended.  November 18.  We had several short runs between fronts bearing moisture, usually 3 or 4 days.  It was hard running.  It is anytime the ground is wet.  You can break through the crust and immediately fill a row unit with mud.

We had delayed the start of the 2013 crop harvest to give the late bolls every opportunity to mature.  Who would have ever thought we would have two ice storms before Christmas.  Not me for sure.  As it turns out, any increase we realized from these late bolls was negated by cotton stringing out from bolls that had been open for a long period of time.

Sometimes you can't win for losing.

It also seemed that the direction the rows ran had a lot to do with how bad the cotton stringed out, and how good or bad the remaining cotton stripped.

Rian had come down a few times this year to help strip, but every time we had poor conditions for harvest and all he had was trouble.  He came down Friday and we were running on the section.  It was good running.  Pretty good cotton, straight rows and cotton that was cleaning off the stalk.  He got on the stripper and had a blast all weekend long.

We will await ginning the crop for final numbers but two places were up substantially in production while two places were slightly down. 

December 31, 2013 marked the end of our farming the Marth place for Melba and Garland.  Several years ago Pepa had began farming this farm for them when Garland's health prohibited him from being able to do the necessary work.  Earlier this fall we received a letter from them telling us that they were taking the farm back January 1, 2014.  At a relatives funeral in November, Melba told me that their kids were going to farm the place for them to provide more income for Melba and Garland.

No harm, no foul, and absolutely no hard feelings.  You can't fault someone for trying to improve their own situation and to be honest, 143 acres with all the farrowing houses and pig pens to farm around is a pain.

While this harvest season was difficult because of the wet conditions, that is good news for next year's crop.

On Saturday just passed, I drove to San Angelo via Abilene to pick up Georgiana, and we supervised a visit for Merrit with Noble.  We picked him up and went to Henry's Diner to eat, then went to Merrit's apartment for the remainder of the visit.  Noble had a blast.  He is really a lot of fun.  He will repeat anything you say.  My favorite is "aw man!", but I am trying to teach him to say "Georgiana is a foreigner".  That one may be a while coming.  So far he has the Ganna down.

I seem to have contracted the flu or a winter cold.  I haven't felt very well the last few days.  Memama has complained of difficulty breathing.  She says she doesn't have an elephant on her chest, just a bear.

Well, Happy New Year!  Have a Year!

FATHER, thank YOU for a good year.  We know that our successes are because of YOU and YOUR blessings.  We pray that 2014 will continue to be filled with YOU and YOUR goodness!