Getting on toward harvest and 16 hour days, 7 days a week. Just one of those things but it's fine.

I am surprised to hear that my friend Harold has been ill. Wishing him the best and sending strong thoughts his way. He is a dear, sweet man and helped me more than I can say in those first few weeks Ratchet was OTR.

{{{{{HUGS}}}}}, dear Jack.

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Ratchet and I were talking about the guys he drives with. They're a mixed lot, he and 3 others are former OTR guys, the rest are farmer's kids or local boys.

He's noticed that the former OTR drivers don't waste any time loading, unloading or on the road. The other guys take a lot of time to chat with each other at the terminals or have a cup of coffee with office personnel or whatnot.

No particular point to this but I suppose it does kind of illustrate the difference between those Out-There drivers and the local boys.

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This summer has been crazy. Between the floods earlier, bizarre weather, adolescents and so forth, I am worn down to a nubbin.

The Herd goes back to school next week and I am wishing it was this week.

It's either been blazing hot or cold and rainy. Poor tomatoes are suffering from the swings in weather but we will get a few, at least.

Ratchet is driving ag locally. He chose that rather than a higher paying job because he doesn't want to be gone all the time. He's just glad to have a job!

Eldest son is deployed until December. His wife is teaching this summer and starts back at the university in a couple of weeks. She's looking at doctoral positions and they expect to move sometime in the next year or so.

Grandies are starting school next week. It's sure weird to think of them being old enough to do that but time passes quickly.

Nothing new going on, really. We just keep on going in the hope that things will settle down.

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I know for a fact people are.

Two weeks ago, after discovering bald tires on the trailer, having the windshield wipers quit in a bad thunderstorm, the front seal on the engine almost out and a cracked exhaust manifold (none of which the owner would fix), Ratchet took the rig back to the yard.

Walked in, handed the dispatcher they keys and said, "sayonara."

Hasn't looked back. His choice has been to either go back to driving locally or do some other kind of driving job and he's been focusing on that. He's been negotiating with a small o/o to haul grain but is concerned about the lack of benefits and the price of gas. (It's an hour drive, one way, to the job.) He had a second interview with a family-owned Minnesota based company (not Schwan's)  this morning and, as long as their insurance carrier accepts him, he starts the 9th of June.

The potential job is right up his alley, too. It requires independent thought and planning, ability find your way around out in the boonies, keeping all equipment in top-notch working order and very clean, almost obsessive safety awareness, excellent people-skills, all of which are his strong points and were a big problem for his former employer.

I think people are crazy because that same former employer and the dispatcher have been begging him to come back and drive for them. Now, really, why would he do that?

Especially since they didn't give a hoot when he first quit. Evidently there aren't as many talented, safe and reliable drivers running around the area as they first thought.

sheesh.

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Soaring birds, carrion-eaters, graceful in flight. Dipping, floating.

Wind child strokes pond's surface, riffles spreading.

Clouds build, massing.

Peepers sotto voce, chorus muted.

Raucous geese, cries stilled.

Wind child, tired, calms.

They who soar, flee the thunder.

Clouds, grey, frowning.

Rumbling, rolling, kettle drumming skyward.

Patter drops of water falling, slowly first.

Wind child rouses, gathers life, drawing strength.

Tall trees whipping, Wind child's breath.

Pond roiling, mirrors sky.

Before the storm.

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It's a beautiful day. Light breeze, bright sun, warm, aaaahhhhhhh.

Haven't started my ashtray on fire this morning.

Bank account is just fine which is a miraculous occurance.

Kids healthy.

Animals fine.

So we're having a good day, indeed.

Truck in the shop. Ratchet ended up with a flat tire so it turns out to be a good thing that he had to drop.

Been nice having him frittering around here, too. He's rebuilding a trailer for a friend and is enjoying getting out and doing some manual labor with saws and things. Right now he is at an elderly gentleman's place to help him figure out why the trunk of his car won't shut. He's a nice old boy that I've known all my life but he is showing signs of advancing Alzheimer's. I suspect the trunk was open but he hit a switch inside the car and the lock shut. I don't suppose it will be any big deal to fix. I hope.

We'll go over later to get the truck then he'll bring it back here. Leaves early tomorrow morning.

The only thing he has to do is rewire that electrical outlet that blew out last night. It isn't like I can't do it, really! He just insists on doing it himself. I told him that maybe I ought to call an electrician and he looked at me like I'd lost my mind. LOL (i really hate messing with electricity. really hate it.)

Ratchet sat around yesterday and did nothing at all, which is just fine. He needed a mental break and I guess sitting in front of the tv does that.

Gotta admit that is something I simply do not understand. I start getting "itchy" after sitting in front of the set for about 10 minutes. Can't tell you when the last time I sat through a whole show would be. Not to speak of sitting for 2 hours to watch a movie start to finish. I have "seen" lots and lots of movies but couldn't tell you which one was which because I've only seen snippets of them. In this kind of weather I would much rather be outside, at the very least sitting on the deck looking at the river, with a cold one and my feet up.

Not getting much of anything accomplised. This is turning out to be the norm for the day before he gets back on the road. It's as if I am "on hold" until I find out what needs to be done and when it needs to be done. So, I end up frittering around the house and yard, playing on the computer, doing nothing much at all. Then, when I have the word, it's off and running, full speed, usually with a long list of things that have to be purchased, or done, or calls to make, or routing or low-bridge lookups or something or other.

The day he leaves I usually end up collapsing.

I'm just darned glad the kids are nearly grown (even though they make me nuts.) They do their own laundry, keep their own schedules (mostly) and, if need be, can cook their own food. They have been really good about filling in around here and not giving me a lot of guff about rules and stuff. I think they might be a bit more perpicacious than I give them credit for. They leave notes if they go in the morning before I'm up. Call if they will be late or their schedule changes, stay out of my way if I'm running around trying to detour Ratchet or finding addresses or phone numbers or letting him vent.

All in all, they're a darned good bunch. I give Ratchet 90% of th credit for that, too. Just so you know...

He's a good man, better than most people would ever have given him credit for. I'm tremendously proud of him. Besides, he's cute.

He's also a much nicer , kinder and patient person than I am.

Now to figure out something for dinner...

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Went to bed at 7 p.m and just woke up .

The sun is finally shining which makes everyting much nicer, stll cold but that's OK.

Prom Kid got home from after-prom around 7:30 this morning... have no idea what time DS2 and 3 got home. Since they are trustworthy I don't worry about it.

It's really, really wonderful to have kids around that are, for the most part, trustworthy. I can go to bed way early and know they will be back when they should be back. SS is even opening up and finally remembering to call or leave notes. He's also figured out that it is much better for him if he doesn't play stupid kid games with the Old Lady. (things tend to get ugly...) Only time I have a problem with him is when he has been at his mother's. (maybe it's not such a bad things that she doesn't seem to care whether she sees him or not, sad as I find that.)

Evidently the moving went well yesterday even though some idiot woman rearended DS2 in Ratchet's truck. Doesn't seem to be any visible damage, though. *whew* She took off before the kid could call the cops, though, and he couldn't get her plates.

I have had "Roll On" by Alabama stuck in my head for about 2 weeks. Weird...

Ratchet is sitting at a dock, waiting to get unloaded. It's monotonous for him but will be getting expensive for the receiver. They get penalized 60 bucks an hour for wasting his time. I know that people don't like working Sundays, but geeze Louise, folks! He has a pickup today and then heads back north. How about he keeps something that vaguely resembles a schedule? Suppose this will be one of those call dispatch, who calls broker, who calls receiver. *sigh*

In light of the amount of time the man spends sitting in that truck, I have been looking for televisions. The one we have in the bedroom is too big and heavy. I suppose I will end up spending a chunk of change on a flat-screen. Then he can take the dvd player out of the rv so he will have something to do while sitting.

Was looking at 12-volt mikes but he doesn't want to go to the trouble of wiring one up in the truck he has now. The fleet is getting 3 new ones so everyone will move up a few notches. His current one may end up passed on to the next rookie or be mothballed. It's just about at the end of it's working life and he will be glad to have a newer one.

The last driver was so fat that they had to take the passenger seat out so he could get around inside the cab. He also wasn't real interested in personal hygeine. Ratchet's a nut about that kind of thing and is fussing about getting the cab cleaned out and, maybe, disinfected. (no kidding...) Only problem with that is, by the time he gets off the road, he doesn't want to bring it home and spend 2 days cleaning it. He just wants OUT!

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Man, am I tired... Ratchet is fine, getting a bit tired, too, but he will be pulling off for the night soon. Hope he has something good to eat and sleeps as well as can be expected. He forgot his shower shoes so he won't be getting clean. At least, not very clean.

Been shopping, delivering kids, picking stuff up for kids, getting new shoes, ordering software and a GPS and bought memory for the laptop and am ready to get plain-old meatloaf around for dinner.

Haven't slept well for the last 2 nights, back bothering badly and there is no way to get comfortable.

DS2 has taken truckmobile to help DIL move, SS has gone to prom, DS3 is heading over to a friend's for a couple of hours, that leaves me, the cats and the beaglie to entertain ourselves.

Can sleep be considered entertainment? Dog and both cats are out like lights, what am I doing awake?

I dislike being this tired. Brain simply will not work, feels like it should be 9 pm even though it is only 4...

Suppose that baked taters and green beans will be fine for dinner, too. The least amount of work is the best amount of work for this old girl currently.

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yeah, Muse!

Rock on...

Ratchet will be leaving Friday around 7 pm.

This experience has made a new man of him and I will always be thankful for his finding out that he can do it.

However this turns out, I love him to bits and will always take the Atlas and truck stop guide wherever I go.

o, for now, I suppose I should log off and go entertain my man...

nite, all!

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