Losing it

I was in a "funk" all last week and really couldn't think of anything positive to post. It all started last Monday (on my shorter day). I called to check on the status of my load and was told it would be ready about noon. It takes at least an hour to do the necessary paper work and get my trailer hooked up and be ready to go.

I get to the dairy about 10:45 am and was told they still owed my load some milk that hadn't been run . We bottle different labels of milk for various stores and naturally they do not have the same UPC (that little label they scan at the register). Sometimes you can substitute another label if they happen to carry COLEMAN brand milk as well as their store brand. This store did not,so I "had " to wait on the right milk. No big deal as it happens on a regular basis.

When they finally get around to bottling the milk ( I say "bottling and not producing" because it is the same milk just labeled differently) I am waiting for, I drive out of the dairy about 6:10 pm. Plus I have extra milk on the trailer that must be put on a different truck. Needless to say, I was not a happy camper. I arrived back at the dairy after 3am and after finishing fueling and doing paper work it was 4 am when I made it home.

The week just went down hill from there. Every day it was something until Friday when I really lost it and told everyone what I thought about the whole situation. Most of the time I try to "grin and bare it". On Friday I told them I was going to "grin and bare it" and when I did they could kiss what I was baring. They took it all in stride because they knew I had every right to be upset.

We are 2 drivers short and I knew this wasn't the best time to ask for a vacation because of that fact. Well one of our drivers is on vacation for 2 weeks. When I said something about it, I as given this explanation. "He does the kind of run we can put anyone on, even a new hire." The answer did not sit well with me.

We hire ON-SITE MOBILE WASHING to wash our truck and trailers on Saturdays. They do a terrible job at best. After they "washed" my truck, this is how it looked.
The passenger side mirror was not touched (never is). The frame was not washed. If is wasn't painted white, it did not get washed.
A clean truck is more than an image issue. It is also a maintenance issue. If you look at the last photo, you will see what looks like a small mushroom. That is the "vent " for one of the rearends. When the gears turn inside the rearend it builds up pressure and that pressure is released thru the vent . When it get stopped up from road grime the pressure has to go somewhere so it blows an axle seal. That's $$$'s plus down time.

OK, enough of this. Would someone help me down, I'm getting dizzy up here.

Old friends

Since living in the motorhome I have had my main tool boxes in storage and just making do with a small tool box that I can carry around behind the seat.

This weekend I measured my large "top box" of my set and found it will fit under the fiberglass tonneau cover on my truck

The tools in my main tool boxes were used to make my living for many years. When you opened the boxes you did not find rows and rows of one brand of tools but an assortment that I had collected over my life time.

As I was cleaning and caressing my old friends ( many that I have not fondled in years), they began to speak and boy did we have a wonderful reunion. Several that were in pristine condition had little to say. Others really had a story to tell.

From the screwdrivers with orange paint overspray on them from holding the dash of my 1947 Ford street rod, to the ground down 1/2" socket I modified for more clearance, on and on they talked and I listened to the stories they were telling.

Every tool with a gouge, nick, bend had a story. Like the "broken" 3/8" ratchet that couldn't bring itself to leave the tool box even though it knew I would never have it repaired. To the 1/2 boxend wrench that still laughs about the day the battery exploded in my face ( he only laughed after he knew I was not hurt and only had my face stinging from the acid).

My jumper cables reminded me of the "jerk" electrician that charged a service charge to drive to my house but threw a fit when I charged him a service charge ( about 1/4 his rate) to come to his house to boost his pickup after he left his lights on.

Then another spoke up and said, "Yes, but remember the retired school teacher that included a jar of homemade jam or jelly everytime she paid her bill, and what about the old black man that wouldn't let anyone work on his car but "Mr. Sam".

True friends they are and I am pleased to have them back in my life, but you know how it is. You have your favorite knife in the kitchen that might not be the "correct" knife for the job at hand but you dig thro the drawer until to find it.

Truth, always funnier than fiction

We had a little family get-to-gather at my sister-in-law's house on Sunday. It was great to see all my brother's family that could make it.

All the usual stuff took place and a great time was has by all.

My sister-in-law invited a female friend from her church to attend and we all enjoyed Mrs. Russell's company. Helen asked Mrs. Russell to tell the story of her trip and the lost luggage.

Mrs. Russell's luggage was lost along with several other passengers. Someone came around getting information to try to find the luggage. The man asked one gentleman his man and the man said "Gary Cooper", the next man's name was "John Wayne", then the somewhat perplexed man said to her, "and I guess you must be Marilyn Monroe!"

She said , "No, I am Jane Russell". Miss Jane said everyone had a good laugh.

B & B and Lazy Daze

I guess you think I am going to tell you about goofing off in a Bed & Breakfast. No, what I am going to tell you about is the reason we went to Wisconsin on vacation.

A few years ago we were down at Camden, Ar. to grab a burger in a shopping center that has several fast food joints and a Wal-Mart. As we entered the parking lot, I spotted a Lazy Daze motorhome. They are one of the top rated class c motorhomes make. They are built in one factory in Montclair, Ca. They have no dealers and you can only buy a new one at the factory. You have to place an order and wait several months until yours is built. They produce only what is on order. Needless to say there are very few to be seen in the south.

It is sitting in the parking lot and the driver is looking at a map. You know I want to look the rig over, so I walk up and ask if I can help him with directions. We chat a little and I ask if I can peak inside his Lazy Daze ( can't imagine me being so bold, hehe). He says "sure" and motions for me to bring my wife.

Inside we learn they are Beckie & Bernie and they live and travel full-time in this 26.5ft. motorhome.











He has retired from FORD where he assembled Ford Rangers ( so if you had one with problems, we knew who to blame)at the Minneapolis-St.Paul plant. They sold their home in Wyoming, Mn. and hit the road. They had been to California and were heading back to Wisconsin (where they own a lot on a lake) for the summer.

We exchanged contact information and vowed to stay in touch. I called them a few days later to check on their progress and we have been friends ever since. They go out west every winter and when they are heading home, they will drive out of their way to stop and see us. After several such visits we told them we would try to get up to Wisconsin to see them.

Judy's family reunion was being held in central Missouri, so it gave us the perfect opportunity to drive on to see B&B. It was a great vacation and good to see Beckie and Bernie in their neck of the woods. Without having them to visit, I doubt I ever would have made it to Wisconsin.

September Book Review

The Good Life, by Scott and Helen Nearing . This book takes the principles of Walden, by Henry David Thoreau, to heart .

What? You haven't read Walden, shame on you.

In The Good Life you are getting two of Scott and Helen's books, Living the Good Life and Continuing the Good Life.

Scott and Helen were educators and in 1932 at the height of the Great Depression moved from New York City to a run-down farm in Vermont, hoping to live a simple life. The Good Life chronicles their adventure in great detail. From telling how to build with stone, to raising a garden in an 85 day growing season ( and eating year round from the garden with very little canning and no refrigerator) , to stumbling unto their cash crop from their Maple trees. Doing all of this with only laboring for half of their time. They believed half of ones life should be devoted to leisure.

In Continuing the Good Live, Scott and Helen were at the age when most people are thinking about retirement, move from Vermont to Maine and start over. Their place in Vermont had become so popular ( from Scott's writings) that they thought of it as a "zoo".

Scott and Helen have almost a "cult following" in the back to nature community.

Sign

How do you park your vehicle at work? Suppose you park in such a way that when you come out and get in to leave you never see the back of your vehicle. Maybe you pull up to the sidewalk , get out, walk around the front and when you get off work you come down the sidewalk and get back in your vehicle and drive home. In this case, you would never see the back of your vehicle.

The reason I brought this up is a sign I saw taped to the tailgate of a pickup yesterday as I was leaving Little Rock. This was a homemade sign on white poster board paper and it was duct taped to the tailgate of a S-10 Chevy pickup. The sign used a magic marker and the words were hap-hazardly written. Now I may be wrong but I think if the driver of the S-10 had written this message he would have used "block letters" to show he really wanted it read.

My take on it is that a worker was playing a trick on him and he didn't know it was back there for everyone to read. The message on the sign is not important. If "he" put it there that is fine but if he didn't then I am sure he will not be a "happy camper" when he sees it.

Just a note about my "links"; I have Zac in France ( my son's blog about his adventure) and Sam's life story (self explanatory) feel free to check them out and comment. One more note. You may not want to go to my "life story" sight is you are "prudish" as I tell it like it is and not "sugar-coat" it.

No more mini-vans

There soon will no more mini-vans in the United States. Everyday on the interstate I see mini-vans pulling mini-vans heading for Mexico. I would guess I see over a hundred on any given trip.

I guess every Mexican is going into the "taxi" business.

I also saw these two rigs traveling in close proximity,











I didn't receive any "free samples" from either.

Sister

Vivian is my only remaining sibling. I came from a large family but being the baby, very few of friends knew I had brothers and sisters. Vivian will be 76 years old in December and we have never lived in the same town except for a brief period when we came back from California and stayed in one of their "sharecropper houses" ( her husband owned a farm ) until my dad could get his SS check started.

Her health is failing a little and she is in a "nursing home" by her own choice. She knows she needs full time care ( more like full time supervision ). She has taken a spill or two lately and is afraid to be by herself. Two of her daughters live close to her an another lives just a few miles away. She is in great hands with the girls and I have little to worry about. Loving daughters are such a blessing for her. We had a great visit and I plan to return soon. It is over 100 miles one way. I never get 2 days off in a row and it is hard to just run down there as I need my rest between my 12 to 14 hour days. Just not as young as I used to be.

Kid Update

Zac just called for Le mans. He is unpacked and has bought groceries for the apartment. The store is right across the street.

He was out walking when he called. It is 7 hours later there. I'll try not to bore my non-family readers so I will get it go for now.

I read this today

How can this be happening? If he overpaid by $10,000, they wouldn't give his money back.
http://www.newschannel5.com/content/investigates/20762.asp

At the very least he should keep the truck until the law decides. Put me on the jury and he keeps the truck and gets big money for "pain and suffering".

Plain and simple, the dealership "stole" this truck when they took it back.

The usual disclaimer; "Your opinion may vary."

Gloomy day

We have been needing rain for quite some time and finally received a little today. Day after day with no rain and I have been complaining.

This morning we had rain and patchy fog. Not dense fog but just enough to make the day "gloomy".

So in my usual fashion. I complain because it is not bright and shiny. I needed the sun to help with my "gloomy mood".

My son left for France and his year of teaching and my saddened heart really needed a nice day to cheer it up.

But on a lighter note. There must be a "Bus Conversion" rally starting or just finishing because I must have seen 12 to 15 rigs on I-30 heading east. They were all high dollar rigs even though some were 1970's model buses.

All in a days work

I can post pictures again thanks to Pea. Here is the post on her blog.http://peascorner.blogspot.com/2006/08/uploading-pictures-update-on-ross.html . Hopes this helps anyone else having problems. Watch her though, I offered her a hug or a box of chocolates and she asked for both.




My boss called before I was supposed to go to work ( that ain't never a good sign ) and after the usual bs we have for each other, he comes up with this little ditty.

He says, "On your way to Texarkana, I need you to go by Crossett".

On the map Little Rock is "1" and Texarkana is "3" and if you follow the red I-30 line you can see it is a straight shot. Crossett is "2" and somehow I don't think it is "on my way to Texarkana".

The loading crew had left a pallet (45 cases or 180 gallons) of milk off the trailer that went to the Crossett Wal-Mart store. I get the pleasure of driving a little out of my way on 2 lane roads to deliver it.

Everything went smoothly and the store people were great ( that is usually not the case with Wallyworld stores) to work with and had me out in about 15 minutes. Just check the temperature of the milk and roll it off the truck.

It has been some time since I drove hwy 82 so I was enjoying my renewal with the route. I was hoping to get a picture of the sign at the Lewisville Chevy dealership but it had gone out of business. It's one of those things that has to be seen ( and if you are old enough ) to get a laugh out of you. The sign had Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, and the name of the owner. It looked like this.

CHEVROLET
OLDSMOBILE
HUDSON

Not very amusing in print but the sign made me smile every time I saw it. It made me want to stop and try to buy a HUDSON HORNET. Probably would have gotten a some strange looks from a young car salesman. Youth is truly wasted on the young.

Since I had started my day earlier than usual I arrived at Texarkana about my normal time. All I had to do was unload about half the milk off the trailer onto a city delivery truck and swap out the trailer with the rest of the milk for the empty trailer that was there.

No, no, things are never that simple when you are having "one of those days". After loading the city delivery truck I noticed the trailers refer was acting funny. So rather than risk it not cooling properly overnight, I get to unload the rest of it onto the trailer I was supposed to bring back.

When the day is over you just look back and thing, " Heck, it wasn't that bad".

Only 2 wheels

As I continue to have trouble posting pictures I will post a "old draft" that I had saved. This was written before I bought my Fiero. I can only afford one toy at a time.

The first scooter I was ever on was a 1955 Vespa. My
friend in Ukiah, Ca. took me for a spin around the block and I knew I was hooked for life.

After we moved to Arkansas the most popular scooter
was the Cushman Eagle. It has a 2-speed transmission and would go about 60 mph. This was before Honda made its mark.




Being a poor boy , my first scooter was a 1953 Cushman
Highlander without the fancy seat cover. I paid $30 for it. Old and ugly but I was riding. It was very worn out and only lasted 3 or 4 months. But it just reaffirmed my love for 2-wheelers.



My mom could not drive (as posted 4/30 ) so she purchased a nearly new
Allstate mo-ped for us and that was our "car". As I recall we paid $99 and with the interest at the bank, the total was $102. She would get on the back "sidesaddle" and off we would go. We would go anywhere we wanted in about a 20 mile radius of home. I carried a second sparkplug with me as a 2-cycle engine loves to foul plugs. As soon as it quit, out came the plug and replaced with the spare. So some as I was home I would clean the fouled plug to have as my spare.

The little mo-ped would only run about 31 mph but it would do it all day long and with as big a load as it would carry. I once had 5 boys on it. One on the handle bars, one on the gas tank, me standing on the pedals, one on the seat and on the rear luggage rack ( boys will be boys ), still 31 mph.
It "WOULD" do one thing the faster Cushmans could not do. WHEELIES ! Yes, wheelies. I could lift the front tire and ride. Very impressive in the day.

Sundays we would go to church and on days we bought groceries, she would ride to the store on the bike and ride home in the delivery truck that brought the groceries to the house.

She loved to fish and one time she caught a bass that weighted about 5 pounds and on the way home she was not strong enough to hold it up and when we arrived home about 3 inches of its tail was gone from dragging the ground.

After that I owned several motorcycles and I bought
my last one in 1984. It was a like new Wineberry colored 1983 Honda Goldwing Aspencade. At the time it was the top of the line touring motorcycle. Am/Fm, intercom, and cb. Mine was this color with lots of chrome extras. I rode it for 11 years and put 82,000 miles on it. I road it west to California, east to West Virginia and south in Georgia. Never once did it let me down.
My wife was having difficulty with her knees and it was getting to be a struggle for her to get on it. The last time we rode we hit a St. Bernard dog. It killed the dog and almost wrecked us. When I got home I sold it to a friend of mine.

Shortly after selling the 'wing, I broke my tailbone and thought my riding days were over. It has never quit bothering me. Lately it is doing better and I have considered buying another bike.
Not wanting a heavy bike, I have been looking at the
Honda Reflex. With gas prices it is looking better and better. I started my cycle riding with a scooter and would not mind ending on one. Motorcycles are great but there is something about a scooter that takes one back to their childhood.



I found all the pictures on the internet but they are of the same bikes like I owned. Isn't the internet wonderful?

Rednecks

If you look up "Redneck" in the dictionary you would find a color picture of the 2 guys in the muddy, beatup, jacked up, and multi-colored pickup truck I saw setting in the right-of-way of I-30 this week. This pair was straight out of the movie "Deliverance".

These redneck white boys were not breaking any laws ( with the possible exception of being illegally parked). What they were doing made me rethink my opinion of the situation.

It 100+ degrees and they are changing the flat tire for an elderly black couple. Not something you see a lot in the south. Looks can be very deceiving.

p.s., is anyone esle having trouble loading pictures?

End of an era

This week marks the first week in 10 years my son has not attended the University of Arkansas.

He has had a great run. 2 majors, 2 minors, and 2 masters. Not bad considering his "gene pool".

He will be heading to Le Mans, France to teach at the University for a year.

Sorry for the "bragging", but that is what parents do.

Zest for life

The automobile market in Little Rock is dominated by two or three companies that has several dealerships to try to cover the whole market. Car ads are all you hear on the radio.

Crain Automotive Group's ads are quite annoying as they think that "yelling" will get your attention. They do it for every one of their dealerships. Reminds me of the 60's when the ads for drag racing had the slogan, "SUNDAY, SUNDAY, SUNDAY", yelled at you.

Don't yell at me and then except me to make a purchase from you.

In 1960 we were living in Calpella, Ca. and we bought soap in a bag at the grocery store. In the bag was several bars of unwrapped soap bars in three colors, white (coconut), yellow (vanilla), and light purple (lavenda or lilac). They smelled so good when you first opened the bag and I always grabbed the yellow bars first, then the white, and finally the light purple. Hey, a pre-teenage boy has a image to keep up.

Imagine may surprise when I went to the post office and along with the letters was a sample bar of ZEST soap.


I could not believe a company could "waste" so much money sending out free samples of soap. Dumbest thing I had ever witnessed in all my (12) years.

I loved the soap and thought when I was old enough to buy my own soap it was what I wanted to purchase.

I have now been a loyal ZEST soap user for about 40 years. Now that is the way to advertise.

A rich man's greed?

Vilonia, Ar. is just a wide spot on hwy 64 that is a bedroom community for Little Rock and Conway. The only businesses in town front the highway. Truly a wide-spot in the road. It has a large school for the population of the town because of the school bus routes.

Ar. hwy 107 is a hilly, narrow, curvey 2 lane road with no shoulders that leads from Little Rock to Vilonia. This is a very busy road in the mornings as people travel to their jobs in Little Rock. About 3 miles south of Vilonia there is a housing development being built on otherwise near useless hilly land. The development is for more upscale homes. All that I can see from the highway are 2 story in the 3500 to 5000s.f. range ( just a guess on my part ).

The man developing the land has sold Vilonia School District land that is undesirable for a home. It lies between the highway and a hill so there would be no view from a home. Vilonia plans to place its elementary school 3 miles out of town on this land.

This spot is at the bottom of a steep hill that often receives ice in the winter. In my opinion this is a tragedy waiting to happen.

Vilonia School District bought the land for $10. Hey, the rich guy has to have a price to calculate his tax writeoff. Plus he hopes it will jump start his land sales. Nice little concept. How can the school board put students at risk over money. Seems someone is in the developers pocket.

I'm just glad the only day I have to drive this road with my "big rig" is Saturdays.

Just my luck

I have driven the Fiero to work several days as I continue to work on it. It runs great and I am enjoying it.

Judy's brother and his wife came over so I started the Fiero and moved it to make room for all the vehicles. It was the first time they had seen the little car so I decided to give the brother-in-law a ride to impress him with it power and how great it runs.

We get in and I start it and move a few feet and it dies. That's not to unusual for a carburetored car that is cold. I start it again and pull out of the drive-way and just as we go about 100 feet and over the crest of a small ridge, it dies again and will not start.

I do not hear the electric fuel pump running so I know it will not start. I don't think he was too impressed with pushing it back up the hill to the drive-way.

I checked the fuel pump with a test light and both the hot and ground are working but the pump will not work.

The next day I need to let it roll further down the drive and when I put the key in to unlock the steering wheel I hear the fuel pump and now it starts great. I drove around awhile and killed it several times and it starts right up. I think it just does not like my brother-in-law. Well, really I think I need to see how many amps it is pulling to determine if it is going bad.

It's your fault, and mine

It's a "throw away" world that we live in. We have helped make it that way. We do not take care of things the way our parents did. Remember your dad washing his shovel and drying it before he put it away. He probably only owned that one shovel his whole life. He didn't even have to replace the handle because he didn't use it for a "prybar" and he wiped it down with the same "oily" rag that he used when he serviced his pickup and then he put it in the shed out of the weather.

"Now wait a minute", you say. How does not taking care of things lead to poorer quality when new. It's very simple. When you shop for something that requires you to take care of it like a lawnmower you say to yourself, "I will not pay that price for something that will not last as long as it should". The manufacturer in turn will have to lessen the quality to meet the price you are willing to pay.


So you buy the new lawnmower and take it home knowing full well it will not last.



It is a "lawnmower" and not a "bushhog" but what the heck you abuse it anyway. It will cut the tall stuff if a run the engine at full throttle.




When you are finished for the day you will leave it just like it was when you climbed off it. Probably even leave it outside. Oh, it will be OK after all it has a hood and who really wants to wash the grass clippings from under the deck on a lawnmower that will only last 2 or 3 years.

See you were right. These things just will not last. You know yours is a lemon because your neighbor's mower looks as new as it did the first time he cleaned and serviced it before putting it away 15 years ago. He has the same brand so that proves they were made better, right.

A refrigerator is a different story. Very little owner maintenance is required (meaning you can't destroy it), so you think they are built as well as ever.

I am not saying you should buy the most expensive product you can find because it should be built better but what I am saying is no matter what you buy, if you do not take care of it then you are not getting your moneys worth out of it.

August book review

Hey Mom, Can I Ride My Bike Across America?: Five Kids Meet Their Country by John S. Boettner John and his wife taking 5 teenagers on a bike trip across America. These are not 17 and 18 year olds. One boy only 12 and the other 4 are 13 and 14 years old. One of the 13 year old girls is so small she has to ride a bike with 24" wheels as opposed to the normal 26" size.

They have a trip to remember all their lives. The story is about more than just the "ride" but about "small town America". These kids are from California so it is a real eye opening adventure for them.

I was truly amazed at these young kids and in awe of John and his wife for being responsible for 5 kids for over three months.

Let me at them!

While traveling down the interstate, I observed a minivan that was having trouble maintaining a straight line. It was rocking back and forth and the driver was applying the brake to get it under control.


The closer I got to it the more concerned I was about the condition of this minivan. I was afraid it had a wheel about to come off or a piece of its suspension broken. I took several minutes to catch it.

As I approached I could see in the back window. The problem was three large kids "rough-housing". As I go around the driver is still hitting the brake to maintain control but is doing nothing about the kids that could cause a wreck at any time. She is just driving and puffing on a cigarette.

I wanted to stop and remedy the situation.

I don't under stand parents that will not make their kids behave.

I'll get right on that!

We have had our motorhome for seven years and changed several things to make it more "user friendly" for us.

One of the first things we noticed was the kitchen cabinet under the sink did not have a silverware drawer. When you opened the cabinet door there were three plastic ( almost like dish pans ) drawers on plastic runners that pulled out and on top of those was a flat shelf for a silverware tray. The silverware tray spot was very dark and we just sort of felt our way for anything that was in the back. It had no back so things would get shoved off.

I said. " That will be one of the first things I change". Well true to my word "I got right on it", meaning I finally fixed it this week. Hey, at least I got "round 2 it".
I did not stain it because it is hidden when the door is closed plus I didn't want to turn it into another dark hole. Seems as I get older I can not get enough light on anything.

The pictures make it look unlevel but it is not. It has full extention slides rated at 100 pounds. I built it out of 1/2" plywood, with 1/4" poplar dividers and the front out of a scrap piece of 3/4" white pine. We are enjoying this little update. It's nothing special but sometimes the little things make the biggest improvements.

11 years and counting

I have been with Coleman Dairy 11 years this week. My friend Robin thought it might be a good job for me.

Robin and I used to drive trucks hauling wood chips and sawdust. A female friend from his church got him a job here and he did the same for me. I was 47 years old at the time and he was just a "puppy".

This job was what I had been looking for but could not find in the small town where I was living. It had above average pay, health insurance, and a 401k. Things that I needed even if it meant driving 67 miles one-way to Little Rock.

Robin had been working at the dairy about 6 weeks when I was hired and he was the one that trained me as I would be taking over the run he had been on since being hired. One night on our run I said, "Just give me 15 years on this job and I can retire". He said he would like 25 years. As it turned out he stayed a couple of years bought his own truck and quit.

A couple months after I was hired my supervisor hired his wife's first cousin. Thing were going as planned for about three or four years. Then came the news, the dairy lost one of our major customers and layoffs were being handed out. I didn't think they would reach me as there were several with less seniority. Finely the supervisor called the 1st cousin and myself into his office and told us we were being "let go". He then told me if I wanted to transfer into the vault, there was an opening and if he needed a driver he could just transfer me back.

I wanted to pull a Johnny Paycheck but I was just 8 weeks from my anniversary date and that meant 2 weeks vacation pay (at that time it was $600 a week), plus I still felt like this was the job I needed to stick with.

The transfer to the vault meant a rather large pay cut but I accepted it. I would move to the vault in 2 weeks after the last of the Wal-Mart runs were over.

Three days before the transfer, my supervisor calls me in the office and tells me that he has enough runs that he needs to keep the 1st cousin on part time. Imagine that!!

He gave him 3 good runs a week and even though he would be making less money than before, he was still making more money than I even though I was working some overtime. On paper the supervisor could justify it but I about had a stroke.

The 1st cousin has cows and it is "haying season" and he only wanted to work 3 days a week. Amazing how that worked out. After about 3 months and his farm didn't require his time, he found another job. Funny after his departure those extra runs that he was needed for (and we still had) was covered by the regular drivers. Imagine that!

The supervisor in the vault and I hit it off and he did everything he could for me as he knew I had been shafted. After 3 weeks he put me spotting trailers on the yard. I was still an unhappy camper but I persevered.

After about 2 years I settled in and was making the most of it. My wife transferred to the Bryant Wal-Mart store and we moved the motorhome to Little Rock and started living full-time in it just ouside the dairy's main gate. I had 125 steps to the time clock.

It worked out well for me as we had started serving Wal-Mart again and I was putting in some long hours.

When my former supervisor asked if I wanted to come back I just told him I HAD a job. With the overtime I was now making as much as the truck drivers.

Three years ago we built a new plant and when we moved I transferred back to being a truck driver. My former supervisor has now retired. The former supervisor and I seemed to get along but it was like we were "oil and water".

The Coleman brothers are really great to work for and with. They really care for their employees and even though they don't own the plant anymore, they still work here and do what ever is right for their people.

So after 11 years what do I think of my decision to stay.













The lemonade tastes mighty sweet. I think I am better off today than I would have been if I had quit.

As I get closer to retirement and this latest buyout is still shaking out, I wonder if I can say the same thing in 3 or 4 years or if I will finally say "enough is enough".

It made me smile

Friday didn't start of very well. The temp was about 100f when I left Little Rock headed to Hooks, Tx. . About 2 hours into my run I blow a tire on my back "pup" trailer down at Hope, Ar. .

Thankfully I had my cell phone or it would have cost me a lot more than the 1 1/2 hours that I lost.
Looney Tire Service does our tires but when we are that far away from Little Rock then Looney calls someone closer to us to handle the job.
GCR Tire Company in Texarkana was called and a nice guy named "Charlie" drove the 30+ miles with a new (recap) trailer tire. Not only did he smash his finger, he smashed it with the part of the carcass that had steel showing. Smashed finger and stuck with the steel cable. It hurts just thinking about it. He was a trooper and finished the job and I was on my way. All things consider, an hour and a half wasn't too bad.

It was dark on my way home and even though I have a "birds eyeview" into passing cars, there is not much to see unless their interior light is on.

A mini-van passed and since it was dark inside the DVD player really was bright.

There playing on the screen was Sylvester and Tweety Bird. If you see something like that then you have to smile. It made my hard day seem a lost less stressful. I don't understand the "crap" they call cartoons today. I guess I am just too "old school".
Looney Tire Service and Looney Tunes Cartoon all in the same day. Weird don't you think?

For those that might be interested, I updated my Sam's Fiero blog. It's a reverse blog so any updates are always on the bottom.

T-bucket day

I often see several motorcycles or streetrods traveling together as a group. Wednesday in about an hour driving time I saw 3 T-buckets.








For those who don't know. A T-bucket is a hotrod loosely based on a Model T Ford roadster.

All 3 T-buckets were on trailers. They were not traveling together as they were over 25 miles apart. I did not see any other streetrods on the road Wednesday.

I can only guess there was some type T-bucket meet somewhere. I have attended several streetrod meets over the years but never have I seen an all T-bucket meet before.

Cell phone

Monday when I left for work I didn't remember to take my cell phone. My car charger had quit and I had it on the home charger.

For the first 18 years of my life we never had a home phone. We used the neighbors phone on the rare occasion we had to place a call.

On my wanderings as a teenager I don't remember if I even had a "contact number" with me as I traveled and I was too young for an ID. Not sure how anyone would have figured out who I was if I could not tell them. I'm sure mom made me take something. I just do not remember.

I survived 50 plus years without a cell phone. So why did I feel "naked" without it on Monday.

The usual things popped in my head. What if I need to contact someone from work about my load or what if I have truck trouble. Or maybe I get hurt at work again and no one will be around to help. Luckily everything went without a hitch.

I want to think I am an independent person but I was unnerved by not having my cell phone. I'm not sure I like that.


On a different note.
Work is progressing on the Fiero. For those interested watch for "update" on the "Sam's Fiero" link.

Busy week

I have been so busy this week I have not had a chance to play with my "little toy",hey, watch it, watch it, you know I was talking about my blue car.

We have a driver on vacation and I am running extra runs with week. By tomorrow night I will have about 70 hours in 6 days. The extra work is not as bad as having someone in the truck with me for 3 days straight. After riding all the time by myself it is a little disconcerting to have a rider.

If you have ever left your watch at home you realize how many times you look at it. That's the way with the mirror on the passengers side. I glance at it a thousand times a day and is strange with I see a person over there. Every time he moved my perifial vision would do a number on me.

The extra money will be nice because my wife says I have to earn enough to put back what I spend on the #*%+#&* thing I call a car in the driveway. She didn't say that in as many words, but we all know wifes "scream" the loudest when they don't say a word.

I also received a new book from paperbackswap that is needing read. Well that is about all the time I have for tonight.

BIG HEAD, I'm a star!

Our friends we went to see in Ws. took us to Hayward, Ws. to see this outlandish place. Words can not describe the grounds of the museum.



This fiberglass fish is 143 feet long and 45 feet high.







You can walk up the stairs inside and stand in its mouth and have a great view.





While I was standing in the mouth I was interviewed Jim Seida of MSNBC.com. Here is the link to the interview http://msnbc.com/modules/take3/july/ then click on "roadside attractions", when the map comes up, you click on the arrow that is in the upper right side. That will take you to the interview. I hope you can get it to play. My son can hear it fine but for some reason it will not play for us.

I have used "the bobbers" and the "fawns" but will show the inside of the museum when I have more time.
I promise not to stick my nose too high in the air, but this might cause it to tilt just a little.

"Don't leave home without it"

That was a very popular catch phrase for a credit card. It started me to thinking and you know how dangerous that can be.

What we "don't leave home without" or more simply, what we always have with us really defines who we are.

I have been carrying something in my front pocket for over 35 years. Seven days a week in my front pocket no matter what I am wearing. If it has a front pocket then I am carrying it, no exceptions. It is just part of who I am.

When I first started working on cars, they all have points and condensers. For you youngsters, that was how the spark plugs received their spark. There never seems to be a uniform size for the nut on the point set. Not just a difference in car makes but also in difference brands of the points. They made a kit that had 5 various size small wrenches to fit the nuts. Way to much trouble to carry around all day.

I wanted something I could have in my pocket without having to go to my tool box all the time.

I bought a 4 inch CRESCENT wrench. I capitalized CRESCENT because that is the brand name and not the
nomenclature of it. Ask some to borrow an "adjustable wrench" and they might not know what you are talking about but ask for a "crescent wrench" and everyone knows. The CRESCENT is the standard all others are judged by.
I lost the first wrench and my son (then very young) gave me another as a present. My original wrench appeared again and I can't honestly say which of the 2 that I now carry. Either way this tool has been in my pocket for 25 (the present) or 35 (my original) years.










These photos show the size of this little tool. It's not a "toy tool" that some carry but a serious mechanics tool.









I can't say that in 35 years this CRESCENT has saved my life but it has saved me from walking numerous times. I seldom go a week without using it for something.
I can use it on a nut up 1/2 inch, as a small hammer ( many a jar lid have been picked into submission), and as a tool for forming shapes in plyable materials. I have used it to shape coat hangers to unlock doors more times than I can count.
A sharp angle can be formed in something by putting it in the "jaws" and bending. Passing it thru the round hole in the other end and bends can be made in the middle.
This tool is just who I am.
When they but me 6 feet under, I hope this little CRESCENT goes with me. If I decide I don't like it down there then I know "me and my CRESCENT" can get out. I know that will not be the case. I know my son with have to keep it because " this is my dad".

Better lucky than good

"Numbers" fasincate me but I guess you have figured that out by now. Here is one of the reasons why.

If you are in the stock market in any form or fashion then you know the internet has some wonderful tools to keep track of your investments.
I use http://finance.yahoo.com/ to keep track of prices and it also has up to date news on the stocks you have in your portfolios. You can set up as many portfolios as you want and name them anything. They are all "make believe" but they can mirror your real investments if you like.

You can track stocks or mutual funds that are publicly traded. If you have a 401k at work then some or all of your investment choices can be tracked.
I track my 401k, Judy's IRA and our personal brokerage account.

About 2 months ago I bought some Cascade Natural Gas Corp (CGC) stock. It pays about 4.5% dividend. I figured if I can make about 6% profit after commissions in a short period of time I would sell it and not wait to collect 4.5% over a year.

About 2 weeks ago I entered a "limit order to sell" of $21.75 ( limit order means I will not take less than said amount). It is a "good till cancel" order, meaning I can cancel at any time or leave it in place for 30 days. Heck, you already know all this.
Friday it closed at $21.46 and I'm thinking it might get sold today.

Over the weekend it was announced the company was being sold. When the market opened this morning CGC opened for $25.25 and "bang" that is the price I received. How often do you get 15% above your asking price for anything. Sometimes it just pays to be lucky.

Car update

Part 1
The e-bay add reads:

This is a 1985 Pontiac Fiero SE. It has a 2.8 liter V-6 with a 4 speed transmission. It is a rust free southern car. The Fiero runs and drives good. Car has new 16 inch tires. New holley carb. It has a new Acell distributor plugs and wires. The body is straight with no major dings or dents. The interior is in great shape for its age. Odometer shows 85000 miles but could be 185000 I am not sure. Things that need attention are as follows. Paint is dull could use buffing or repainted. Parking brake cable is broke. AC is not working all hooked up just not working. Engine has minor leaks due to age. Clutch safety switch only works part of the time. This would make a great first car, or a good project car. Very light and Quick. Ask any questions before bidding as I may have missed a detail important to you. Happy Bidding.

Runs good, drives good, and new tires. Since I want a project and it is close enough to drive home, I bid on it and win.
We agree I can pick it up on the 4th and it just happens to be one of our cooler days ( no a/c, remember ).

I round the corner and think, " I have seen this car on TV". You know the commercial where they pull the most oxidized and dull car they can find in the junk yard and proceed to demonstrate their Super Duper best ever car polish on a spot and the spot looks better than new. This car has as much shine as concrete.

Upon closer inspection I was disappointed to discover this was not the TV car because it did not have any shiney spots.

Everything was as stated in the add. Just didn't expect it to be quite this dull. I think I can bring the paint back enough to make a daily driver. The inside is very nice for its age. This is after all just something to keep me busy.
Did I ever tell you "that sleep is way over rated".
So with the drivers side window already down, I hit the switch on the console and lower the passenger side window and off we go.
It starts to rain on the way home and I raise the passenger window but leave mine down.


I can't believe how well it runs, drives and rides. We make it home without any problems and the rain has stopped for now.
BTW, it has a remote starter switch to start it because the key does not always crank it.
For not much more than the price of the new parts , it seems like an OK deal. Anything that run is worth what I paid and the fact that it is cute is just a bonus. I can't wait to start tinkering on it.


Part 2= Just too funny

For this part you have to know a little something about me.

I'm a "car guy", been a car guy all my life. For over 25 year I lived and breathed automobiles. Even though I have not made a living turning wrenches for nearly 20 years. I have in the past worked for a Ford dealership, an independent garage, and owned a service station and shop. So I know my way around a tool box.

Now the story.

Upon arriving home I hit the button for the drivers window and nothing happens. The other one works fine. So I do what any red-blooded male would do. I hit the button even harder ( that never works, so why do we do it), nothing.

Has to be the switch. So I take apart the console and find there is not even a connector plug on the button. I take the plug off the other button and attach the wires ( after I expose the ends) to it and still nothing.

Thinking the very worst of the man I bought the car from I proceed to look at the ad on e-bay again. Sure enough the window in the add is rolled up.

I call to ask how this could be and received his voice mail. Being a kind and gentle person ( a little sarcasm here) I just said we made it home alright and thanked him again.
I really need to get the window up as rain is moving our way. I try pulling on the window thanking it might be off its track. Nada.

The only way to raise it is to take off the door panel and do it manually. GM handles are held on with a C clip. Very easy to remove with a little tool that just happens to be with most of my tools in a storage building 60 miles south. Hey, before I had that tool I have been known to use a screw driver to do the job but you run the risk of damaging the door panel.

Still it has to be done. The rain is starting slowly but surely. I try taking the retaining screws off the door panel hoping to gain enough room without having to take off the handle. Then I notice that the panel has not been off from the top. Still wondering how this guy could have pulled off getting the window open. So the only access will have to be made from the bottom of the panel and that means the handle "will" have to come off. I try turning it hoping to get a better position to remove the C-clip.

Damn, the window moved. Yes the drivers side door

has a manual crank. I have never felt so stupid in my life. When I told Judy she said the expression on my face was priceless. Nearly a week later and she is still laughing about it.

Mush

Yesterday as I was leaving town I spotted a man on the frontage road walking beside a grocery shopping cart. He was walking beside it because the cart had a very large plastic bag ( large as in sofa or mattress type) filled with aluminum cans. The bag was sticking off of the cart over the head of the man. The only way it was staying in the cart at all was the fact the man was keeping it from falling out.

The funny part was he was just walking beside and not actually pushing the cart even though he was heading up a hill. The had 3 large mongrel dogs leashed to the cart doing the pulling. Doesn't sound nearly as funny as seeing it.

p.s. Did I ever tell you I think long legs, short skirts and convertible Miatas are a great combo? Thanks to the honey in the red one. Nice

Baby it seems long tonight

When I refer to my "run" I am talking about the trip I make in the milk truck I drive. This is just standard trucking lingo.

Some say I only work about half the time and they could be right. Lets see; 24 hours in a day divided by 1/2= 12 hours. That is about right but most of the time it works out closer to 14 hours. That's the legal limit for a driver to work in a 24 hour period. I say "24 hour period" because if I said "day" most people would think "midnight to midnight" or the standard day.

Our (D.O.T. drivers) 24 hour day is just that. 24 continuous hours even if takes in part of two different days. If I start at 10am Tuesday then my 24 hour day last until 10 am Wednesday. Really a pretty simple concept once you get used to it.


For the last couple of years I have been working a daytime run. Leaving about 6 am pulling a single 48ft. trailer.
Just your usual tractor/trailer combination. Tractor is what a truck that pulls a trailer is called. When you pull the same type trailer you get accustomed to the overall length of your rig.

On my new run I work the night shift. I leave about noon and finish in the night. But the big difference is I am pulling two 28 ft. trailers. They are also known a "pup trailers".

The two 28 ft. trailers and the dolly that connects them have a combined length of over 60 ft. That is a 25 % increase in trailer length.

When you look in the mirrors you have and entirely different look. They can sure seem long after not pulling them in awhile.

New Toy

I just purchased this little Fiero on E-bay. I will go to Hot Springs on Tuesday to pick it up.

I will post more pictures and give my evaluations of it when I get it home. It is a V-6 with a 4-speed.

I think I just mentioned "being young and reckless, again". Maybe I am just "old and stupid".

I have never even sat in a Fiero but it sounds like a solid little car that might be fun to play with.

June, 2006 book

On the first of each month I will post a book that I have enjoyed reading. Some you will have heard of and others you will not.



The first is Into the Wild, by Jon Krahauer. A true story about a young man from a well-to-do family that hitchhiked to Alaska in April 1992 and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. His name was Christopher Johnson McCandless. He had given $25,000 in savings to charity, abandoned his car and most of his possessions, burned all the cash in his wallet, and invented a new life for himself. Four months later, his decomposed body was found by a moose hunter.

You will not be able to put this book down. You know the out come but the writer does an excellent job of detailing the events that led to this tragedy. Some things still go unanswered. Hope you will check it out. Pardon the pun.