I hate it when that happens

One of the blogs that I follow has disappeared. Not just quit updating but now blogger says it does not exist.

This blogger does not have an internet hookup and only blogs every few days when he can find wifi.

Could it be that he never switched to the "new blogger" and is no long allowed access to his blog? Could blogger "delete" it for not changing? Can't see any reason for him to "delete" his blog.

Anyone still using the "old blogger"?

Dumas, Arkansas

Dumas is a small town in the southeast delta region of Arkansas. It is farm country and without cotton and soybeans, Dumas would have little reason to exist.
After the two tornadoes that passed thru Dumas yesterday, it almost does not.
My sister Vivian lives in an assisted living center there and it was heavily damaged but there was no injuries. Two of my nieces live in the area and luckily their homes were spared.
The Madbutcher grocery story was destroyed. One of my great-nieces works there but had already gone home.
When a tornado rips thru a town the most common description says it is like a "war zone". Well that is Dumas today!
So far there has been no reported deaths and the number of injuries is very low considering that such a large portion of the town has been destroyed.
My family is safe and sound but their hometown will never be the same.

4 weeks

Four weeks from today I will be boarding a flight for France for a visit with my son.
I would be less than disingenuous if I did not say that this trip has had me on edge for quite some time.
This time of the year the weather can be rather unpredictable and I will be flying out of Chicago.
The weather in France can also present a problem as we have our itinerary set. Not so much what we will be doing but the cities we will visit.
Doesn't matter in the big picture as my trip is about spending some quality time with my son.
I love you Zac. See you soon.

Doing my part

Being the "good husband" that I am. I try to uphold my end of the bargain.



p.s. I haven't looked this good in years.

Gaylord boxes

The large cardboard boxes you have seen sitting around (for instance, with watermelons in them at Wal-Mart) are called "gaylord boxes".




They come in several sizes and when they are empty they can be "broken down" for easy reuse or disposal.






While delivering 16,000 pounds of 40% cream to the Fayetteville plant that makes SWANSON tv dinners, I noticed several gaylord boxes. They were about 3ft x 4ft x 3ft. That ends up a little less than 35 cu.ft. after you deduct for the corners that do not extend to a 90* angle.







Inside was 1100 pounds of "macaroni". I just never thought of macaroni weighing that much. The powder for the cheese sauce was on another pallet.

Another surprise was a box of ground black pepper. The box was about 16in x 16in x 12in. Not very large at all, but it contained 50 pounds.

I am often amazed at the things I notice about manufacturing plants I deliver to.

Switched

Well I finally changed over to the "new" blogger. Why the heck can't things just stay the same. Every time you get used to something , they change it for no apparent reason.

I know I didn't have to switch but was afraid that one day I could no longer access my blog.

Things seem pretty much the same on my end but don't know how it will affect those who check out my blog. Please leave a comment (if you can) if it seems different to you.

On another front. We still haven't heard anything on our camper. The annual rv show in Little Rock was this past weekend and I'm sure our salesman has been to busy with new customers to worry about someone that has already put a deposit on one.

Stagecoach Inn

We drove to Russellville today to look at a truck I had seen on the internet and decided to check out " The Potts Inn".












Being Sunday, the museum was closed and I just snapped a few photos of the grounds. I think we will try to visit when it is open so we can read more about it.













This magnificent Inn most have been a welcome stop for weary passengers of the Butterfield Stage Line.













Can't you just picture people getting off the stage and dusting themselves off before entering to have a meal and retiring for the night.













This building was used by Dr. Charles Teeter for nearly the first half of the 1900's.














This was another cabin on the grounds. Without being able to visit the museum, I can't give any details about the cabin or if the doctors office has been moved the the grounds of the museum. My guess is that both building were at other locations.














This time capsule was buried on the 100th birthday of Pottsville.

Genes

Thru the years I have often been asked about my ability with make or repair things. I have NO special talents just a willingness to do things for myself.

My dad (born 1902) was a blacksmith and a carpenter among other things and my mom could do almost anything (yes, I'm a mama's boy).

All my siblings received that "can do" ability. Our genes has a lot to do with it , plus the fact that we simply could not pay someone to do things that we could do ourselves.

The things I do may not have the factory-made beauty but most will outlast things that are built to turn as much profit as possible.

Everyone has that inner desire to accomplish things for themselves.
Say you can't cook, make, or repair things. That is poppycock. Working with your hands is the most natural thing that one does. Fear is what holds most people back. Heck, I have messed up more things than I care to admit.

In its simplest form, my generation was defined by a womans ability to make biscuits and a mans ability to keep their old worn out car running.
Ask any man my age about his wife and he will tell you about her biscuits.
We all want our children to be more successful than we are. Lets just hope that means more than just a larger bank account. Money takes away our self-worth to some degree.

Moms spend some time in the kitchen with your children and dads do the same in the workshop. This can mean grandparents as well. I did not differentiate genders because there should be none.

Computer desk

I ordered 3 doors from the rv factory for the computer desk I plan to build. These will match the doors you see in the picture and were cheaper than buying doors locally that would not be a perfect match.












The doors came with hardware but when I opened the box, they had forgotten to include the handle escutcheons ( backing plate ). A call this morning and they are now on their way.
The desk will be taller than a normal desk as I want to place our printer in a drawer over a file cabinet drawer. That will require the desk top to be almost as tall as the counter top but I can place the keyboard and mouse on a pull out tray that will be lower. All in all I think I can make it look alright.
Can't say I am thrilled with the dealership but the factory parts department is just great .

Slower pace

I am REALLY ready for my life to slow down a little.

The holidays makes my work schedule very unpredictable.

Add to that trying to prepare to visit my son in France. No big deal for some people but I have never been to Europe and have not been on a plane since I was in the Army in the late 60's.

Income tax time is always stressful until I know what the bottom line is going to be.

Plus it has been a struggle getting our new travel trailer ordered. Even ordering new, we had to make some last minute (and unwanted) changes. We have no idea then it will actually be delivered. It could be a couple weeks before I leave for France (unlikely), days before I leave ( just my luck) , while I'm in France ( probable) or after I return. I know the wife would like to be in it before I leave.

Waiting on the doors I ordered from the rv factory to arrive so I can build a computer desk for said camper. I plan to have it ready to install in the camper.

May need a little dirt work done on our site to level the new travel trailer. Should be alright but until I actually park it on the lot I will not know.

At least Zac is helping with the planning of the trip and my plane ticket has been bought for a while.

My kind of gal

If you are not from Arkansas then you may not know that Arkansans can not survive 2 days without "milk and bread". Let the forecast call for a chance of ice or snow and you will find the grocery shelves empty of "milk and bread".

I am not joking. People that use one gallon of milk in a week will buy 2 or 3 gallons if a snow is forecast. We are not talking about a blizzard but a snow that will keep driving to a minimum."It might not be wise to drive today but tomorrow will be fine", type of snow.

Being in the milk business, things get crazy with a snow scare. We "hot shot" (a term we use for unscheduled deliveries) to all stores. I can always count on a few hot shots to Wal-Mart stores.

I had a hot shot to Malvern Wal-Mart and everyone in the receiving area was talking about the "starving without milk and bread" theory. The gal that is in charge of the back door spoke up and said, "To heck with "milk and bread", give me "pizza and beer".

Feburary book review

"STANDOFF", by Sandra Brown.











This month I thought I would throw a little something different at you. I read mostly nonfiction but I do enjoy a good novel. I picked up this book just to thumb thru it and ending up reading it almost nonstop.
I will just "steal" a review as it tells the plot better than I can.

From Publishers Weekly
Workaholic Dallas TV reporter Tiel McCoy thought she would take a well-earned vacation, but while driving to a secluded condo in New Mexico, she hears a radio report that changes her plans. Teenager Sabra Dendy, only daughter of Fort Worth multimillionaire Russ Dendy, has been kidnapped. Soon Tiel learns that Sabra, who's pregnant, has run away with her boyfriend, Ronnie Davison. Smelling a story, Tiel heads for the remote town of Hera to interview Ronnie's father, thinking the couple might go there for help. But when she stops at a convenience store for directions, Tiel encounters Ronnie and Sabra bungling a hold-up attempt. As Sabra goes into labor, Ronnie takes everyone in the store hostage, and Tiel and a handsome cowboy who seems to know a lot about medicine deliver Sabra's daughter. Tiel learns that the desperate young couple are fleeing to Mexico to escape Sabra's dictatorial father, who has vowed to separate them and put their baby up for adoption. He has even threatened to kill the child, and Sabra and Ronnie have vowed to commit suicide if they are thwarted. Bestselling author Brown (The Alibi) sets up believable conflicts (Ronnie once killed a puppy, rather than return it to an abusive owner). If the dialogue and sex scenes occasionally seem stilted, this popular author's tale still hits hard and keeps moving briskly to its satisfying conclusion.

I enjoyed this book and the end is not predictable.