How time flies!

Three years ago this date, Pepa left us for greener pasture.  This past Friday was three years to the exact day.  No doubt, he was ready.  Much more so than any of us were for him to go.


I remember that day well.  He was just out of the hospital, the doctor advising us to admit him into hospice care, just the day before.  Pat and I decided to let Memama and Pepa get comfortable and adjusted to that idea.


Pat had asked Dr. Eaker what he saw happening with Pepa, and he replied, "I wish I knew God's plan for your Dad.  He could be here a year from now or we could lose him tomorrow."  Little did we know how prophetic his words would be.  Simply stated, we weren't dealing with one malady for Pepa.  His entire body was worn out.


Earlier in that day, Pepa was sitting in his chair, leaned horribly over the chair arm.  He just was not himself.


We were plowing on our final place with the v-ripper.  I was running days and Bill was running nights.  I was on the tractor and received a call from Rian as he drove back to Lubbock for the girl's regional basketball tournament, and Rian was tearful and upset.  He told me, "Dad, I don't think I will see Pepa again."  I told him to just feel good that he had been able to see him.


At seven in the evening Bill and I were switching off the tractor and I contemplated going by Memama and Pepa's.  After a long day, I opted to stay on the highway and go home.


Just as I walked in the door I got a call from Pat.  "Pepa is gone", she said.  "They are working on him but I have seen enough people die to know he is gone".


I jumped through the shower so quickly I barely got wet, then quickly dressed and headed back to Sweetwater or Roscoe, wherever they were going to be.  Nine minutes away, I got the call from Pat.  Pepa was DOA at Rolling Plains Memorial.


Ironically, just a few hours after Rian and I talked, I made a call to Erica, knowing that Rian was a working administrator at the basketball game.  I told her to tell him after the game.  It was only a few minutes before he called me back.


It is eerie to think about how clear all of this has come back.


I remember this song was a great comfort then, as it is today.


We're pilgrims on a journey of the narrow way,
And the who've gone before us line the way.
Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary,
their lives a living testament to GOD's sustaining GRACE.


Surrounded by so great  a cloud of testament,
let us run the race not only for the prize,
And as those who've gone before us,
Let us leave for those behind us,
a  heritage of faithfulness passed on through GODLY lives.


Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion light their way
May the footprints that we leave
Lead them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey

Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful

After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone
And our children sift through all we've left behind
May the clues that they discover and the memories they uncover
Become the light that leads them to the road we each must find.


Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful.


AMEN FATHER, tell Pepa and Fred and TJ hello.

My explanation to you.

I guess I owe all of my friends and fans an explanation about why I didn't participate in this years winter Olympics.

 Having grown up in a winter sports state such as Texas, I felt it would be unfair to other competitors who didn't have the same training facilities or equipment. My skills were honed on the Cemetery Road at I-20 overpass. My siblings and the Hughes gang are witnesses to my prowess on the snow. A cardboard box, a seed scoop with the handle broken off, or even a real snow disk were tools of our sport. Of course the most brilliant idea of all belonged to Jimmy Wilson Smith and I when we removed the rudders from a pair of water skies. We didn't have a half pipe, we had a quarter pipe. My sledding expertise came on an old car hood behind whatever vehicle George was driving at that time.  George was the Boys Club leader and always knew how to have fun.

But in all honesty, they needed to have an all around competition before I would compete. Besides, I didn't look good in the suit. Now you know the rest of the story.


Golly, I feel much better having gotten that off my chest.  Thank you for understanding!


Yesterday, I woke early and drove to Abilene to attend church at Southern Hills.  Mark Phillips, the interim pulpit minister is in the middle of a series on grace.  Crazy thing is I have always wanted to hear a series on this.  His visual aids shows a bird sitting outside an open bird cage, while mentally over the years I have wanted this series, my title was "And grace will set you free".  So I suppose we say the same thing, just in different ways.


It was another packed service, due to the single church service at the campus followed by Bar Church at Memories Bar.


I sat along the back wall, in temporary seating. 


Near the conclusion of the service Ricky Pruitt the teen minister since 2008 announced his resignation at the request of the elders.  He said simply that the elders wanted someone else to lead the teen ministry forward.  There was nothing that he had done, no impropriety, the elders just wanted a change.


This makes five ministers that have left Southern Hills.  I am beginning to have serious questions about what is going on.  I figure part of it is money.  I haven't seen any stewardship reports but by going from two services to a single has to mean a tremendous reduction in attendance and that in turn means less dollars.  The budget deficit must be large (or have been large at the end of 2013).


I didn't know Ricky Pruitt well.  I doubt he could tell you my name.  But I thought he was a really neat guy that has the heart of a servant.  I hate to see him and his family treated like this.  However, you have to assume GOD has bigger plans than Southern Hills for him.


Up to that point it had been a really good service.  That announcement kind of ruined it for me.


After church I had a Sam's wish list from Frances, the housekeeper, so I went and bought cleaning supplies along with a few things for the farm shop.


By 11:35, I was in my seat at the movie.  $6 to get in, $9.75 for a large popcorn and a large diet coke.  By the time the 12:15 movie started, I was out of popcorn.  I saw the Monuments Men.  I thought it was excellent!


After the movie I had planned on moving to Chili's or some other "sports" bar type place to watch the Daytona 500.  I was very disappointed to learn that they had a six hour rain delay.  After a snack and a couple of beverages, I headed to Home Depot to pickup supplies for the boat project.


All of you know I despise Home Depot and prefer to shop at Lowe's but I had a gift card from a return I had made at Home Depot and I wanted to use it before I "loosed" it.


Fiberglass Resin, fiberglass hardner, fiberglass cloth and fiberglass mat.  I even got super glue to re-do the gasket on Memama's dishwasher and to repair the hitch on Noble's toy tractor.


After a phenomenal weather week for working on the boat this past week, today is too cool to do fiberglass work, and it may not be any better until later in the week.   Another cold front is due in later tonight.


On a positive note, I got home in time to watch the Daytona 500.  While I am not a Dale Junior fan, it was a very good race.  By the time the race was over and I came in the office and did a little computer work, it was midnight.  By the time I finished my reading it was one in the morning.


For the Merrit cheering section, she had a good weekend.  I think in two nights she made about $164 in tips.  I am still hopeful she can put her rent together to settle that situation.  She has to come up with February and March rent plus her landlords fee he paid at the Justice of the Peace.  ($116).  I think two months rent is $950.  When I returned her car I gave her $150 to go toward rent, she had gone to some rent assistance place and they gave her $100 while another gave her $300.  It she put all her money toward rent she would be short $352 right now without anything else to go to gas, food, or utilities.


Her car was a little above half a tank of gas when we left her car.  I had filled it before we left to go to San Angelo.  Last Thursday morning she had driven it and said it kept dying.  I told her to take it and have a fuel filter put on it.  She took it to a mechanic her Mother and Doug used  and the mechanic and I talked.  We were in agreement that it probably wasn't too  major a problem, if it wasn't the fuel filter, maybe it was a stopped up catalytic converter.  This mechanic was going to put the car on the diagnostic computer but found his machine just would fit year models back to 1996.


The mechanic began pulling spark plug wires and tubes and found that in the 80 miles from Roscoe to San Angelo three of the tubes were completely full of engine oil and oil was present in the other three cylinders plug tubes.  They called me and told me they wanted to put new wires and tubes and seals in it.  I asked how much and he said $71 for parts.  I figured twice that much for labor so I told him to go ahead.


Friday Merrit went by and tested her car, said it ran great and the man said she could take it and just bring him a check.  I asked her to send me a text picture of the invoice so I could make the check out to the shop.  $498.07.


Yikes!  The guys almost needed to pick me up off the floor,  That puts this total car repair at over a thousand bucks.  More than this car is worth.  Maybe she should insure it, because I would sure hate to spend that kind of money and her wreck it.


Hopefully it will be dependable transportation for her and little britches.


I even splurged and ordered new rear outer door handles for both doors so she can reach in and out with Noble.  I don't think either of the rear exterior door handles have worked since she has  had the car.


The tumbler assembly is not in the driver door, so when we have these other handles put on I may have them look to see if the lock assembly has dropped down in the door.  That would be the best case scenario because the door key and the ignition key would be the same.  Then that would just leave the rear window latch needing to be repaired to lock.


Heck yeah.  Merrit may have something worth stealing now.  Lock that puppy up!


Have a week!


FATHER, thank YOU for a restful weekend.  I pray for a smooth week.  I lift up Ricky Pruitt and his family for YOUR gifts of wisdom and guidance.  YOU are good.

Is your glass half full or half empty?

Most of us have heard this question, and most of us have been asked the question.


In a book I am reading, a character was asked, "Is your glass half full, or is your glass half empty?"


"I'm just thankful for the glass", they replied.


I like that.


For those of you who enjoy reading, there is a series by Richard Paul Evans, published by Simon & Schuster, called The Walk Series.


For those of you that instantly think this is a religious series, you would be wrong. 


It is a five part series that Mr. Evans writes from a journal kept by a gentleman named Alan Christoffersen.  The first book is titled, The Walk , the second is titled Miles to Go, the third book is titled Road to Grace, the fourth book is titled Step of Faith, the fifth and final book is scheduled to be released this spring.


Not to spoil the story line but to interest you, the main character lost his wife, his business, his home and vehicles and decides to walk from Seattle, Washington to Key West, Florida.  He kept a journal and the books are taken from these journals and a book has been released each year for the last four years.

It is a thought provoking series that makes you question the things that mold and make you who you are.

I say it is a good investment to read these.

Well, I got a call from Merrit yesterday and her Rodeo was acting up. I swear, that vehicle just doesn't want to live in San Angelo. I told her to have the fuel filter changed, but that didn't help. I told her take it to a shop that had an engine analysis computer. She did, but the shop called me and told me their computer just went back to 1996 and they did not have an Isuzu adapter. They began checking for a vacuum leak and found none. They pulled the spark plug tubes and in 80 miles the tubes had filled with oil. I told him to replace the spark plug wires and tubes. Maybe, just maybe when she got it hot it ruined the O-rings and seals on the tubes. If this doesn't work we are going to look at the catalytic converter.

Memama asked me this morning how Merrit was doing. I told her I didn't want to talk about it. She asked me why and I told her that I wouldn't know whether to talk about her car, her school, her job, her eviction notice, her motion to revoke, or CPS.

Sheesh, that girl has it going on.

Well, have a weekend!

Oh FATHER, will Merrit ever grow up and be on her own. Help her to make good choices.  And bless little britches!

Sometimes you just want to punt and get off the field!

A few days ago, I wrote a post and then experienced a problem and now that post is forever drifting around in the internet universe.


As many of you are aware, Coach resigned at Breckenridge last week.  It seems that when they came to him, they told him they wanted to do whatever it took to attract the coaches who could make Buckaroo athletics competitive again.  (Of course the best way would be to hire coaches with children who are multi-sport stars).  Coach put together a good group, and he and the school board enticed these people to make the transition to Breckenridge.


Now there has been a changing of the guard on the school board, and changes are being demanded and questions are coming that don't have answers.  One school board member requested Coach's presence at a board meeting to ask why they are having so many knee injuries since coach took over.  There is no answer.  Injuries happen.  We all know that no coach would ever wish for or ask an athlete to do something that would cause them to become injured.  (Besides, Coach suffered a knee injury in High School and had surgery then and knee replacement three years ago).  The latest school board initiative is to cut the athletic budget twenty-five percent across the board, including coaching stipends.  Now this didn't affect Coach as he was seven months in on a new contract, but his assistant coaches that had been enticed by increased pay were now looking at pay cuts.  The superintendent was very pro athletics, and the school board in their mindless assault on athletics were looking at non renewing this man's contract, so he resigned.  Coach Freeman requested that the school board grandfather in any coaches who moved with him in 2010 and make the new requirements effective only on new hires.  The school board declined action on this.  The board president became so upset with the board that he resigned and then Coach Freeman submitted his resignation, saying that maybe with any excess between his salary and whoever the board hires to replace him, they could use the money to honor their commitments to the coaches he brought to Breckenridge.


I suppose the Breckenridge School Board is going to go to some place like "Discount Coaches" for their new hires.


My thoughts are this, who would want to go to Breckinridge where they don't honor their agreements and obviously do not support their coaches and their programs.


And that is all I'm going to  say about that!


Last Thursday, Slats and I drove to San Angelo to repair Merrit's car.  This is the little battle scarred Isuzu Rodeo that Alton and Lou Ann gave her.  It has been a good one and remarkably, Merrit has not wrecked it.  (Just minor rubs and brushes).  Last week Merrit had called and said her car was very sick.  You could pour water in the radiator and it ran out just as fast.  Slats and I figured a hose and a new fill of antifreeze and it would be fixed.  Once we got there, we discovered it wasn't a hose, it was the water pump.  This meant it would be a much more major fix than we were prepared to do on the curb of a street, so we began looking for a car dolly to rent.  We went to U-Haul of San Angelo where they had six of them, but they said they were all too big to do our job.  I didn't understand this because I can see the danger in too small but it looks to me that over size wouldn't be a bad thing.  Still they would not rent me a car dolly.  They sent me across town where it took an hour to do the paperwork over the phone with U-Haul traffic, then we hooked up and high tailed it.  I will say it is the first time I have ever rented something at U-Haul that they didn't do a physical inspection of the equipment, that they didn't hook up, that they didn't give a quick tutorial on, and that they didn't check to be sure every light was shining.  I did elect to put insurance on the dolly and $5000 on the Rodeo.


We drove to Merrit's Mom's house where the Rodeo had succumbed to internal injuries and driver abuse.  We readied the car dolly and then tried to start the Rodeo.  It wouldn't start and stay running.  We finally pushed the car up the street, then onto the dolly.  Slats removed the driveline while I secured the straps over the front tires and put the ramps up.


Slats and I hit the road, discussing what we thought might be wrong and hopeful that she had not gotten the engine so hot she had cracked a head or the block.  I did call and ask Chris to order us a book on the 3.2 liter engine.   The trip was uneventful until we got between Bronte and Blackwell, when the Rodeo and the dolly began snaking behind us.  Being the professional I am, I knew something had happened to cause the dolly and Rodeo not to track smoothly.  I pulled to the shoulder of the road and Slats got out.  It turned out that the wheels had turned on the rodeo and the straps had become loose.  One was totally off, the other was almost there.


I saw an image of $5000 floating by my eyes.


Slats told me how lucky we were, then I told him I had insured the car.  We both sat in stunned silence.


We made it to the barn and off loaded the Rodeo, deciding to wait until the following morning to see what we were looking at.


The next morning we began the tear down and discovered the water pump was out and that the timing belt was very brittle.  This engine is an interference engine where if the timing belts breaks, bad things happen.  Pistons meet valves and dollar signs blow out the exhaust.


We decided to replace the water pump, the timing belt and the spark plugs.  Parts would be in Monday.  The water pump was a piece of cake, the timing belt was the subject of much discussion.


Slats and I both had dreamed that we put it all back together and the car wouldn't start.


We decided that since nothing had changed as far as the position of the cams and the crankshaft, we could put the belt on and the timing should be correct.  We put the belt on and assembled the engine as far as we had to, to try to start the engine.  It would turn over to beat the band but it would not start.  Our dreams were prophetic.  We spent the rest of the day tinkering with it, but with no positive results.


We decided Tuesday morning we would tear it back down, remove the belt and begin from scratch.  We positioned the crank on TDC (top dead center), then we positioned the camshafts on their marks as well as the oil pump.  We slipped the belt on, with all three timing marks appropriately positioned.  Then the book said rotate the engine by hand to be sure there was no interference.  We did, and the book said to roll it over until the timing marks came back to the original positions.  With two tensioners, a smaller sprocket on the crankshaft and larger sprockets on the two camshafts plus the water pump driving off the timing belt, it took twenty six revolutions before all the stars aligned again.  Slats got in the car and turned the key and it started up.  It was very smooth, probably smoother than I had ever known it to be, however it had some smoke coming from the tail pipe.  We were hopeful this smoke was from oil leaking on top of the pistons when we changed the spark plugs.


I may begin calling this car Jericho.


We had a few small things we fixed on it,  a transmission leak, some tweaking here and there and we did a full service on it.  I even put two quarts of oil and a gallon of 50/50 antifreeze in the back.


Mid afternoon yesterday Slats and I sat out to return the car to Merrit.  Initially there was slight smoke coming from the tail pipe, then it cleaned up.  I was following watching the tail pipe and my windshield to be sure we weren't losing fluids.  When we got to the hills south of Sweetwater it would roll a little black smoke and I could smell gasoline, then it would backshift and clean up and go on.  Apparently in overdrive on the inclines it was trying to flood out.  About the 53 cut off, it began running like a Trojan!  I looked down twice and we were running 85.  I thought, we have created a monster, we may have to pull one or two spark plug wires to keep Merrit from speeding.


When we slowed and went through Bronte, Slats was running about 60 miles an hour so I figured he wanted me to pass him and lead, I did but her continued to drop back.  I slowed as we got to San Angelo and then the Rodeo got a new breath of life and he was about to run over me. 


We aren't sure what is going on.  I wish I knew someone who had a computer to put it on.  It might well be the fuel filter or it could be the catalytic converter is stopped up.  But it does run.


I had made the statement that the antifreeze would probably cost more than the repair.  HA HA HA HA!  Golly was I wrong.


I told Merrit the Rodeo may not be pretty, it may not be fast, but it is hers.


The highlight of the repair and return was I got to see Noble when we took the Rodeo to Merrit's house.    Lolly drove up with him for a visit.


Valentines, Georgiana and I went to Abuellos.  We tried to go to Red Lobster at 5:30 and there was already a two hour wait.  What in the world.


Aunt Robbie, came in Friday to spend the weekend with Memama and go to a birthday party.  Georgiana came back to Roscoe with me and we stayed at the house.  We got up early Saturday to watch Reid and Holt's little dribbler basketball games in Shallowater.  then we got to go to Reid's baseball tryouts and we finished out visit by all going to eat at the Caprock Café.


We returned late Saturday in time to do some prep work for Sunday lunch.


Sunday morning we got everything in the oven and on the stove and headed to Abilene and Joni finished lunch and put it all together.  I returned late Sunday evening.


Rian told me that Reid was the number one pick in the baseball draft.  I hope he gets lots of money!!!!!!!!!


Tuesday was my birthday and it was a good day.  Me and the guys cooked burgers at the barn, life long friend, Debbie, came bearing gifts and celebrated with us, and late in the day Georgiana came also bearing gifts and with Italian crème cake!  My favorite.  Pat and Hag came by to wish me a happy birthday, then Georgiana, Memama and myself went to Ma Allen's and ate the buffet.  We returned home to have cake and ice cream before Georgiana returned to Abilene.


For those of you keeping a score card.  I turned 61 Tuesday.  Ironically, this is the same age Gon Gon was when he died.  Golly, he was young.  I can remember because I was 16 and he was 61.  That is kind of scary.


Memama is doing pretty good.  She has been getting up and getting dressed which I think makes her feel better and more energetic.  She has not complained of any shortness of breath lately so that is good.


Have a day!


FATHER, thank YOU for another birthday.  Thank YOU for resurrecting Merrit's Rodeo, I pray it stays reliable and dependable and safe for her and little britches!

old and new

There seem to be lots of really good movies right now.  Because of the cotton harvest, I went several months unable to grace the door of a theatre.  Since then I have tried to catch up.


The first opportunity after harvest, Georgiana and I sat through four movies across two days.  One on Saturday and three on Sunday.


Movies we have seen range from The Hunger games Catching Fire, to Gravity, The Book Thief (which I really enjoyed, just because of my love to read), The Counselor,   I am sure there are a few more but they escape me at this juncture.


The two most recent movies have been the Wolf of Wall Street and Lone Survivor.  Both are based on true stories and both featured top actors.


I probably would place The Wolf of Wall Street above Lone Survivor in personal preference.  Both are excellent movies.


I think my biggest problem with Lone Survivor is the revelation that American soldiers were lost because of communication glitches and multiple ops by support personnel and equipment.


Rest assured our special forces are top flight Taliwhackers and the four Americans took far more Afghani lives than the three American lives lost.


Probably the most graphic thing to me is how terribly harsh the terrain is over there.


In my books both movies are worth seeing.


Two movies that escaped Abilene before we could see them were The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and Saving Mr. Banks.


Next on the horizon is probably The Monuments Men.


A side note, while Georgiana has not imbibed in popcorn since we began our biotrust program, I did a week ago, going popcorn with no butter and a diet Coke.  This last week we did neither.


Some things just don't feel right!  It is almost un-American!


I thoroughly enjoyed the Beatles 50 year celebration.  It was great seeing present day artists performing vintage material, seeing David Letterman talking with the two remaining Beatles, and finally seeing the two Beatles perform individually and together.  It is a real shame they never reunited when they were all still alive.


What a magical mixing of talent, desire, personalities and timing that all came together to produce a lot of really good music.  It was something to have lived it at the time and not realize the magnitude of it.


It was even more magical to have the opportunity to relive it.


The week prior to the celebration CBS retro-fitted the outside of the Ed Sullivan Theatre to 1964.  Of course this theatre is home now to the David Letterman Show.


Probably the biggest surprise to me was as much as America wanted to experience the
Beatles, they wanted to experience America just as much.  I thought it spoke volumes when they expressed their awe at performing on the same stage that Buddy Holly performed on.


Another really great weekend just completed.  Lots of rest and relaxation.  And of course Georgiana and I got to fall off our diet for one meal (the highlight of our week, LOL!)  We chose Mexican food again, but this time we went to Abuelo's.  Ah, my stomach's love affair with Los Mejores de la Casa continues!  A little layered dip and Grandeza margarita and I was a happy man.


Georgiana made some diet home made chili that we enjoyed twice over the weekend Saturday and Sunday and even Monday while I was in Abilene picking up some parts I went by and got me a bowl of chili again.  I still contend that beans, stews, soups, and chili's only improve every day.  The saddest part was we had no cornbread with it.


The diet GOD's frown on that.


Well, Ol' man winter must be lonely this year.  He just can't go away.  School is out in Abilene again today after being delayed yesterday.


Early yesterday the roads were very slick, but by late afternoon they were pretty good.  The fog and drizzle during the nights and freezing temperatures made for treacherous conditions again this morning.


Merrit called yesterday, saying she was having trouble with the little SUV.  This is a vehicle her maternal grandparents gave her and it has been a good one.  We have had to bring it to the barn once and again for service or to make some repairs. 


However, yesterday she said it was heating as she got to her Mom's house.  She tried to put water in it but it ran out the bottom as fast as she put it in.  I asked if it was a hose or what.  She couldn't tell me.


I tell her regularly that if you are going to drive you need to learn to care for your wheels.  I told her it may not be the newest or prettiest car on the road but it is the only one she has.


Don't ask me why, but this little car has a lot of Merrit's personality and I have never worried about little britches traveling from San Angelo to here in it. 


When the weather warms and clears up me and one of the guys may drive down and see if we can fix it, if she hasn't had someone look at it.  I did tell her if it is leaking water that bad she can't drive it to a shop.


Of course now she is going to have to have antifreeze again.  That will probably cost as much or more than fixing the leak.


And to think I was looking forward to not having to drive to San Angelo this week.


Well, keep the home fires burning and have a day!


FATHER, thank YOU again for YOUR blessing of moisture.  We continue to pray for those traveling in the weather and for those who don't have homes as warm as others.  We thank YOU for the many talents we all possess and what the culminative result of these talents coming together produces.  For different personalities.  For good weekends.  For warm comfort foods.  YOU are the KING of KINGS and the LORD of LORDS.

I'm still waiting.

I am still waiting for them to play the Super Bowl!


Well crud!  What they showed on television wasn't much of a game, much less super.


I was just getting settled in when the first offensive snap of the game went over Peyton's head.


You can't give those thugs of Pete Carroll's and emotional edge like that.  Add to an interception that led to a field goal, and interception returned for a touchdown and a kick off return for a touchdown and the 'hawks were nearly invincible.


I have said on another day it would be a different game.


BUT, they only play the Super Bowl once a year.  We are done until next year.


LORDY, what is with this weather?  Teen temperatures again, thunderstorms complete with thunder and lightening followed by sleet and snow.


Yesterday it warmed considerably but last night we began cooling off and they say mid twenties today with a horrific wind chill.  By Thursday morning we will be single digits and it is supposed to begin snowing early tonight.  Another front will be here Friday night or Saturday.


As luck would have it.  I am supposed to be in San Angelo tomorrow afternoon for CPS court with Merrit.  The best part is it is two o'clock court time.


Merrit has been upset with the progress report from last weeks meeting.  She said Michelle, the case worker, has added lots of stuff from Brad that was not a part of the meeting.


I will concede that from my experience in September, CPS is very selective about what they put into the reports and anything detrimental to their agency or themselves is conveniently omitted.


I am not sure what Merrit's attorney has in mind but he has said he was going to be more aggressive in court tomorrow.


While I have complained about the cold, I am thankful for the moisture.  Our winter wheat was beginning to stress a little, so it was happy to get a drink.  We had already completed plowing over all the cotton ground, so we were in as good a shape as possible to receive this rain blessing.


We have three projects going at the barn.  8310 planetary, 4440 radiator and the boat.  We have the boat substructure cut and preliminary coating on.  Parts came in yesterday for the 8310.  It could be back together today.  The 4440 radiator is still in the back of my pickup.  Our biggest problem is that it is too cold in the shop to work on the boat.  The glue and fiberglass require temperatures of 55 and higher. 


Oh well, all in good time.


Memama is doing better I think.  She is trying to sit up for extended periods.  She still insists on cooking my breakfast.  Last night I cooked supper for us, baked sweet potatoes, baked chicken, fresh broccoli, steamer veggies and multi-grain toast.  It took her about an hour, but she really ate a good supper.


I will say it is hard to cook for her and myself.  I am trying to put weight on her and lose weight on me.  I have been on my "diet" a full week and so far have had positive results.  Georgiana is doing the same diet and she too is seeing positive results.  They say our diet program is a three month program.  I wish I could just transfer what I want to lose to Memama and I would almost be to my goal!


I find that I am in demand for spring break.  Georgiana was looking into some plans for her spring break (which is a week prior to Rian and the boy's spring break) then Rian called wanting me to go fishing on a guided trip with the boys and him.  As luck would have it, when dates began meshing we had a one day conflict.


The simplest solution would be to do neither.  Georgiana was the first to mention the possibility and she says for me go with the boys, but I don't think that is fair to her.  And I would like to spend some time with her and the boys.  Also, there is a chance I can have Noble for a few days during spring break, Sandy (his other grandmother) had hoped he could see his cousins on our side, particular Rian's boys and Carson.


Gosh, it has been so long since I had a spring break I forgot how difficult they were to coordinate!  LOL.


Well, have a day!


FATHER, we thank YOU for YOUR blessing of rain and snow and sleet.  We ask for safety for all who travel on the roadways during this.  We pray that our winter wheat benefits greatly from the moisture.  We are thankful that YOU have great plans for us, to prosper us and not to harm us.  May we be worthy of YOUR love and all the blessing you rain down on us.