" To Hat or Not To Hat...!!!! "

Anyone that knows me, or even if you have only seen pictures of me you know that I sometimes wear a Cowboy hat, not that I am one, and it is BLACK. It is what I call my attitude hat. It may represent me being happy, I do have those moments, or it could be because I am....well a little not so happy. But the main thing I am trying to impress upon you is that the Hat is BLACK !!

Now, I said all that because of my son Virgil. We were able to get with him and his lovely family during the Christmas holidays. We exchanged gifts and all were happy. It is so hard to buy for people when you don't get to see them for months at a time. During the visit and the many conversations that evolved so many topics as we have not seen them for over a year and there was a lot of catching up to do. Anyway, Virgil said something about a Duster, the coat not the car, that he got and I said that I had always wanted to get one but never really had the money for one when I was thinking of it. It was like Thomas Edison re-born, his face lit up as the light bulbs in his head came to life. Hey, Cattleya (his wife), guess what Dad likes? He said he always wanted a Duster like mine. She said "Great, now we know what we can get him"! My son, like myself, likes black.My son, not like myself, is pretty buff and a little taller and heavier than me. He likes black. Did I already say that? Well, I don't care because it is important to this story.

For my Birthday they bought me a Duster? Well, they thought they did. What came was a Waist Coat. A very nice one, and it was Large and it was Brown. Again, I am a medium and well I like BLACK !!!!!

I called him and he asked how I liked the coat and I said that it was a very nice coat and that it was Brown and that it was a Waist coat and that it was large and that I was very happy that he had bought it for me. He said "WHAT", it is not suppose to be a Waist coat it is suppose to be a Duster and that it is suppose to be Black.

I said...nope!! he said to send it back to the shipper and that they would have to exchange it because that was not what he ordered. I said..OK !! Oh, by the way, this coat is Large, it is kind of big. He said that they run big and did not know what size to get. I asked him what size he got, thinking that it would be large and he said a medium. A Medium? Virgil, you are bigger then I am what made you think that a large would fit me if it did not fit you....then there was a lot of good humor cutting each other down for a few minutes..I love that kid.

We called the shipper and was told to put it back in the bag it came in and to tape it up and send it back via UPS. We did as we were told and just like Elvis Presley's song "Return to sender" it came right back the very next day. UPS said that the package had been open, DUH, and that they could not return it to the shipper.

Ring Ring Ring, hello Virgil? Guess what, UPS won't take it. More phone calls to the shipper. Our sister leaves the package on the back porch, and in a day or two it is gone. Please God tell me UPS picked it up.

Ring Ring Ring, hello Virgil? The package has been picked up. They call the shipper and the shipper has the returned coat. They now have to reorder the coat, Duster----Medium----Black. Okay, got it, we will ship it to your Dad via U S Postal.

Excelsior, The package has come. It is a small box that looks like it may hold a shirt not a coat. But I open it and amazingly it is a Duster. I get it unfolded and it is a Medium and it fits, told you so Virgil. And it is B......rown. Crap. It is a very dark Brown and I grab my Hat because I am really hoping upon all hopes that perhaps it is really Black and not Brown. Hell no, it is sssooooooo Brown. Now I am beside myself on what to do. If I send it back then the kids will have to go through the re-ordering thing again, and I really don't want that. If I keep it, then I will have to buy another hat. Oh Me..Oh MY..!!!!!!

Well, I think that I am going to keep the Brown Duster, I am afraid that if I send it back I just may get a Pink TUTU instead of the Right Coat, the Right Size and the Right Color. So To Hat or Not to Hat was the question and I have answered it to the best of my knowledge and that is my final answer.

You all be safe. Later, Brad
'

Can you spell...D U M B ?

Well, I really don't know where to start. The stupidity never ceases to amaze me. It is like all the comedians say..."I CANT MAKE THIS STUFF UP". I loose it pretty much on a daily basis because of it. I know, it does not do any good to let it get to me, but for some reason I cannot help myself. I know not only because it wares me out but because my lovely wife Ruth Ann will in no uncertain terms tell me I am making an ass of myself. I really do owe my life to her...she has let me live.

To start with, I guess I will start with the fast food industry. I will not pick anyone in particular because they are all about the same. Almost the same menu, almost the same smells, almost the same taste and for certain the same type of employees. Where in the hell do these people come from? If you are lucky enough to find the order taker an English speaking person then at least you got that going for you. As you know, or if you have not read another bog or don't know us_____we are Brad, Ruth Ann and Baby Girl (our alternative child, our Min-Pin)____so when the order is placed it covers all three of us. Ruth Ann has the only normal order____ double cheese burger, fries and ranch dressing. Me, don't quite so normal but not hard____two cheese burgers with nothing on them and a _______here it comes, wait for it.........."WILL THAT BE TWO CHEESE BURGERS WITH NOTHING ON THEM? DO YOU WANT CHEESE ON THEM?......no, I want to pay extra for the hamburgers and just call them cheese burgers...dumb-ass....and give me a small fry. Then............"SO THAT IS TWO CHEESE BURGERS WITH NOTHING ON THEM EXCEPT THE CHEESE, RIGHT"? Right, now......"WILL THERE BE ANYTHING ELSE"?....Y---E----S, I also want two hamburgers with nothing on them, not even a bun, it is for our dog.."DO YOU WANT CHEESE ON THEM"?...I said nothing, no cheese, no ketchup, no mustard, no lettuce, no pickle and no bun. Put them in a little container or wrap them in paper I don't care just don't put anything on them, it is for the dog and the dog get pissed when it as to eat around all that crap. They read it back and after a few adjustments they place the order. During the time it is being prepared the order taker is telling the food builder ( I don't know what else to call the people behind the line, they are not cooks) how to fill my order, and then there is the food sliding down that metal troughs and being bagged by the order taker. I have to remind them to put the ranch dressing in the bag. I peer into the bag and count, people..you have to at least count to make sure the quantity is at least right.
There are enough packages and so off I go to deliver the feast to my awaiting family. We pull our bounty from the bags and unwrap our mundane super. Yea, Ruth Ann has a complete and right order. Next it is Baby Girl, they have put her food in a plastic covered bowl, oh how special she is. But alas, her dinner is right only in the part that there are two hamburger patties in the bowl. You ask, how could they mess this up...oh, please let me inform you. The two patties are resting on top of a leaf of lettuce,and did they leave them naked (with nothing on them)? NO!!!! They have decided to decorate them not with just ketchup but with added flair, mustard also. Baby Girl just looks at it and rolls her eyes then looks at me as if to say.."You know that I am going to eat your food, I don't care what you do with this crap"!!! I want to go back inside and wipe the condiments off on there counter and let them know who and what I think they are, but I don't..because I am such a people person. Ruth Ann reverses the problem with Baby Girls food by wiping off the goo on the burgers, throwing away the leafy green yuck and puts the bowl on the floor and Baby Girl looks up at her and I swear throws her a kiss and then inhales her food. I look at mine and am very surprised that they got it right. I take a bite and Baby Girl is barking and bouncing off my leg begging for my food.

Sooooooo, now let get to the jobby thingy. We have delivered in Aurora,IL and was then dispatched on a load picking up in the Chicago area at a UPS facility, we get to Willowbrook,IL and the load cancels. So we set there waiting to see what our wonderers travel planner is going to come up with next. Now, this is the 4th and we are suppose to be home on the 5th, 600 miles away. We are told to go to Palatine,IL and drop our empty trailer at a UPS facility. That load is going to York,PA. Nope, we are not going to take it, we are just going to give up our trailer and someone else will come and get the load. HHHMMMMMmmm..very, very astute. So we sit another couple of hours. Now they want us to go to Hodgkin,IL....you guessed it...to pick up an empty trailer...where you ask..why at an UPS facility. "ARE WE HAVING FUN YET??????" So off we go again. We get the empty trailer and they send us the load information. It is a Dial Tile load, heavy. It is going to Edgerton,MD....nope, not WV. And it does not pick-up till in the morning and then delivers on the 9th. We get the load and after weighing it three times to get the axles right we are off. We get to Perrysburg,OH. they tell us that they want us to take the load to Columbus,OH and drop it and pick-up a load going to VA, not WV. Needless to say, I have pretty much had enough of this BS and started to voice my views of it. We get abut 50 miles from the place they want us to drop the load and are told that they changed their minds. Now they want us to take it home and deliver it when we come back out from thee house. There is much discussion on the safety of the load while we are home. We live in a very small town and park right in front of the house. We are told that they will try to find another driver to pick-up the load and deliver it.

YEA, we are at home, late, but at home. The next day, I decide to do the taxes and have everything out and I am working on them. The telephone rings and it is dispatch telling us that there will be a driver picking up this load. Ruth Ann is tell dispatch on where the driver is to drop his empty till he comes up and picks up the load because there is no where to put two trailers in front of the house even long enough to switch out. All is good. Now the truck stop is in Jane Lew,WV and we live in Lost Creek,WV....5 miles apart. We are right alongside of I-79 and you can plainly see our house and the truck a trailer. I can stand on the front porch and throw a rock onto the highway, we are close to the highway. I told you all that so that you can have a better picture. Truck stop is at the 105 mile marker and we are at the 110 mile marker.

The driver calls, and it is like talking to one of the fast food order takers, and with deciphering what he is saying he may or may not be here till tomorrow. We don't care, whenever. He gets in about 8 PM and calls us from the truck stop. We say, great. Now drop your trailer and come to get this one and we will go back and get the empty after you leave with the loaded one because there is not enough room till you do. No, he says....dispatch said he cannot drop till we are there to pick-up the empty trailer. Well...I am just overly delighted with this and want to shout with joy.....who am I kidding, I shout alright...but not with joy. I am in
the middle of doing the taxes, and oh yeah....mid-afternoon there has been a truck wreck on the south bound side of I-79 around the 108 mile marker. Yep, in between us and the truck stop. Now, there is another way to the truck stop and that is by the old highway that runs right along side of I-79. I is a two lane twisty road. We take it all the time but the problem is that now there is traffic on it and the only way for me to get turned around and head back is to go to the next exit north of here. I take off and in no certain way am I a happy camper. I get up to the next exit and get turned back south. The traffic from the 110 to the 108 mile markers are at a dead stop and have been that way since the accident. I get to talking to another driver behind be and tell him that I am going to go around this and he can follow me if he wanted to. He says okay. I am about to get off at the 110 mile marker when I notice a pickup backing up the shoulder trying to get to that same exit. I have to slow down a little faster then I would have so that I am prepared for whatever little driving skill that the pickup may try. I warn the driver behind me of what is going on. The pickup is now in the wedge of the highway and exit ramp but stays put till we get by. Anyway, I make it down to the truck stop and the driver that was following me thanked me for leading him down that way. I change trailers with the driver that had been waiting for me and head home. Now it is very dark and there is little light when I get back to the house for me to see what I am doing. But, I get parked and as I walk up the drive-way I notice a pickup. I go inside and Ruth Ann introduces me to a woman she has known forever but had not seen in many years. We talk and after awhile the woman mentions that she was in that back up on the highway and had already gone by the 100 exit. You guessed it, she was the one I met at the ramp. Small world

So, here it is Saturday. The load is gone, we have an empty trailer. The taxes are done and the Fed. and State both owe us. Ruth Ann went to the eye doctor and got glasses. One of our sisters came by for a visit. I am sitting here at my bar and having a Martini. I am writing because I want to entertain all my friends.

You all be safe. Till later....Brad

Isn't trucking fun ??? !!!!!!

Once again the day drifts by as we set in the truck waiting to go pick-up another load. We made it to New York state but not with out our never ending miles of little horrors. When they decided to free us from Los Angeles, and oh yeah, we now have our IFTA sticker, and headed us to Mablevale, AR. It was cold and windy, but the roads were good. We got to Bushland, TX and we switched out driving. It was my turn. Ruth Ann went in to get a few things at the Love's Truck Stop and then when she came back she took Baby Girl out for her potty break, Baby Girls not Ruth Anns. I finished up my log and Ruth Ann and Baby Girl got back in and off we go. After about 40 miles Ruth Ann come to the realization that she no longer has her glasses. We pull over and search everywhere, and I mean everywhere from the top of the fuel tanks, to the bottom of the trash can. From under the seats and down Ruth Ann's blouse..hhhhhmmmmmm...better take another look down there to make sure....lol....but to our dismay, they are not to be found. Ruth Ann calls the truck stop and they said they would go look. We debate on going back but with reluctance we continue on with the trip. But both of us are not happy with that decision and decide to turn around and go back. We have now driven 50 miles from the truck stop. On the way back Ruth Ann call the truck stop again and they say that they looked but found no glasses. When we get there, there is a truck parked in the spot we was parked in. This did not set well in either of our minds. Ruth Ann goes to the passengers side of the truck and low and behold, there are her glasses, right where they fell off her blouses neck line as she put Baby Girl back in the truck. The only difference now is that they are in a handy dandy storable size. Yep, both lens in many pieces and the frames all bent. She picks up a few lens pieces and the frame and stores them in a sandwich bag for future whatever. Off we go again and we deliver in Mablevale,AR without anymore problems.

Our next pick-up is in St James, MO. about 300 miles north of us. Off we go on yet another fantastic journey. Ruth Ann is driving and she is on Hwy 63 in Missouri. I wake up and pull the curtains open only to find that perhaps I am blind because I can see nothing out the windshield. Oh, I forgot to put my glasses on. There, that should be better...nope....it only made it worst because now I can see that I cant see. Crap. The windshield is iced over and the wipers are caked with the stuff. We are only doing 15 mph and cant see were we are going. It is a two lane road and there is no shoulder and no where to pull off. And of course, we are the leader of the parade. There are a bunch cars and trucks behind us that can see where they are going and are getting rather upset with us...They should have left earlier. After what seemed like hours we come upon a gas station that has a couple of trucks in it. Ruth Ann, I want to make something very clear right now, has done a fantastic job getting us here, her only means of knowing that we was still on the highway was the center rumble strip and the birm rumble strip that we bounce back and forth off of. Anyway, we turned to pull into the gas station lot not really knowing where the drive was. As we pulled in, there was a Walmart truck that was going to come out but had already jacked-knifed and was stuck. We pulled down and onto the lot to only find out that we did not know how to get around the station to the back. At the same time we was wondering, another USXpress truck pulled down behind us and a CFI truck was ready to turn in behind him. The only thing that was missing was the Indians because we had the wagons circled. It was still snowing like crazy. I got out and walked almost knee deep in snow up the other drive way and made my way around back. I came back and with great..if you remember the last time I had to do this, displeasure drug out a couple of chains and got them on. I stopped and counted my fingers, felt my head for blood, and looked to make sure my feet were on the ground. Everything was alright and I had to ask myself WHY. Anyway, we tried to get going but to no avail. After many many many tries, I was able to get off the lot and then around back only to be blocked by 3 other trucks. The hell with it, we are spending the night. A tow truck came and got Walmart out, then the USXpress truck had to use him because now he was stuck. He got out and left. The trucks that were in front of us got out and left. We still had the chains on and decided to try and go. We were about 35 miles from Rolla, Mo where I-44 is and the highway we needed, So, off we went. When we got to Rolla, I pulled off on the on ramp and took the $$@@%%$#^ chains off and put them away. We made it to St James, MO. and got our load then drove a few miles to Cuba, MO. and spent the night as we were both exhausted from our fun filled day. So now here we are in Liverpool,NY picking up a Fed Ex load tonight going to Newark,NJ. Wow, a whole 242 miles. Boy, we are in the money now. We are suppose to be home on the 5th and OMG, I can hardly wait. You all be safe. Later, Brad

"What country is this???"

Jes?..Can I hlp jew?? What? My name is not Jes and I am not a jew. Oh I get it, I am at a fast food counter and I am now going to try to order something from someone that does not either know very good English or just refuses to use it.

I was in a Pilot truck stop the other day doing something that is so easy and requires the minutest use of the brain. I pulled the truck on the CAT scale and then went in to get the ticket, While on the scale I was asked for the truck number and I gave it and then was told to come to get the ticket. See how easy this sounds...."NOT". Now the stupidity starts. There are two women, no I am not putting down women so calm down, behind the counter. There are two lines each with 10 people in them, I know because I counted them. Now there is 11 in one because I am in it....but as the story of my life goes, it is the wrong one and the other one is moving faster. Anyway, after a good 15 minutes I reach the front of the line and get ready to pay the $9.00. Jes, can I hlp Jew? It is not only fast food places that hire these people. I say yes, I want to get my scale ticket. Jour what? Jew want a scale ticket? Yes, I want my scale ticket. Oh sir, I m sory, I cnt do that. Jes have to go to the other lady to do that. I say, ARE YOU FRIGGIN,(not the real word) ME, I JUST SPENT 15 FRIGGIN (again, not the real word) IN THIS LINE AND NOW YOU TELL ME I HAVE TO DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN????!!!!!!!!!???!!???? Jes, I m new and don't no how to do it...LOOK, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS TAKE THE DAMM TICKET OUT OF THE MACHINE, PUT THE COMPANY NAME ON IT AND PUT THE TRAILER NUMBER ON AND TAKE MY FRIGGIN MONEY..ANY FRIGGEN CHILD CAN DO IT, EVEN A MEXICAN. I m sory, I cnt hlp you...

Nope, I did not wait in the other line, nor did they get my money. We left and went to another truck stop and scaled the load and I went inside and managed to do this extremely hard transaction with amazingly ease.


I am so tired of having to work with incompetence and this so called free trade, free right to work, free open boarders bull that I cannot see straight. Call me what you will but the way I see it we have literally screwed ourselves out of jobs and homes.

Free country my ass. It used to be that we had a say in what was what. Now, if you are not a minority you are a minority. What this country needs is a swift kick in the ass. We need to close our borders, If you want to be an American, then you need to file your papers, go to immigrant classes, and be sworn in. And guess what, we speak ENGLISH here. Learn it or get out. If I wanted to speak a different language, it would be because I was going to a foreign country and wanted to be able to communicate. Get it, a different country. This is America, I am a American, I speak English...learn it.

I think also that we should cut back on the export and import business. Grow it, build it here then eat it and buy it here. I feel that this would make us solvent again. Helping our own is what we should do. I feel sorry for those in other countries but our products and our money should be applied to our own. The goverment spends billions of dollars each day. I thin we should have a say in that matter. Perhaps we should work for the goverment, they have all the money. Wait, they wor for us, that IS our money, hey dammit, I want some of my money to pay these bills. United we stand until it is time to stand up for what is ours. WE THE PEOPLE
demand our country, rights and voice back again. Democrate, Republican or what ever, this is our country and if you are not n American and are here for more ten just a short vacation then please, get the hell, and come back again thank you

Another thing...this war crap really mystifies me. We are at war, with the enemy. They kill and maim us and we do the same to them. What the hell is this..

WE ARE GOING TO REBUILD YOUR COUNTRY crap? How about all the lives, the wounded, the destruction of our equipment that they destroyed and harmed. Not even an "I am sorry". Bullshit, rebuild their country my ass.

HHHHMMMmmmmmm...guess Brad is having a bad day. No, not really, just that this stuff really gets to me and I get really tired of it. Like this company we work for. Our IFTA permits are due on the truck by the 1st of March. We told them a few weeks ago to send them to our terminal in Olive Branch,MS. When we got there, the Fed Ex truck had not arrived yet so we waited there most of the day. It was getting late and we had to drive about 350 miles to pick-up our next load and we had to leave. About an hour latter we got a message that the Fed Ex had come. We, I , sent the terminal a message saying that we were to far away now and for them to please send it to Colton,CA, another one of our terminals as that is where we would be next. Guess what, when we got to the Colton area we called and nope, there was no Fed Ex there for us, oh, Ruth Ann had also called the main Office and told them that we would be in Colton and to make sure it was sent there. Now it is two weeks latter and it is now the 25th of Feb. We went thru this ordeal again on the way back out here, to Colton, and then when I called Colton I was told...ready for it...nope, not here. I called Olive Branch and you guessed it, they are still there. Ruth Ann called the main office and told them where we were again and they said that they would send it and that it would be here tomorrow..yeah, I really believe that. But here we are sitting not making any money waiting on them.

Oh, while we sit in California, you cannot idle your truck so you pay for IdleAire. For 24 hours of that service it cost $65.00 . If you go to the yard you cannot idle there either and with Baby Girl and both of us in a non-running truck..well it is just not the best of things. Yes, there is a terminal you can go in, people..not pets. IdleAire has a thing you put in your window that allows you to have electric outlets, phone outlets and data ports along with your own air and heat, so you pay and pay and pay and you do not get re-reimburse.

And then to top it all off I was an asshole yesterday..all day yesterday and really bad lastnight..yep, I am telling on myself, and now I have to figure out how to get back in my wife's graces. If I called myself an asshole then you better believe that I was. I guess if you want to take sides I could not blame you because if I had a chance I would take her side also. I could say I am sorry, but I say that a lot..I can be hard to live with at times...so if I put it in writing and the whole world..well anyone who reads this...will see it. I am so sorry for being me Ruth Ann, please forgive me, I Love you very much.

I will close with these last words...................2 $$@$#####@^&*((*&&^^^$%%#%##@@$$%%%....there, that should take care of it for awhile.

" O...M...G "

Well, here it is, a beautiful sunny day, a little chilly but what the heck, it is winter after all. We just left Nevada and are now in California headed to Porterville, CA to deliver. We are taking our time and enjoying the ride and scenery as we have lots of time. We come to one of the highways that are on our route and it says that trucks of a certain length are not advised, but we are from WV and are used to twisty roads and since we are routed that way... venture on. No big deal, yep..had a couple tight turns but no problems. Now we are at Lake Isabella,CA and it is gorgeous. Big lake surrounded by mountains and it has a cute little town. This is where we pick up a different highway, HIGHWAY???, more like someone's driveway. As soon as you turn onto it you are going up an 11% grade with "S" turns and switchbacks and it says for the next 14 miles. The truck must have read the sign also because all of a sudden it did not want to deal with it anymore and we had just got started. On up, up, up we go and then a sign reads.."Winter Conditions May Exist". HHHMMmmmm,well like I said, it is winter..so onward travelers, onward. Every once in awhile, there is some snow and ice on the road but we have no problems..hehehe, this is going to be a cake walk...(Never ever never say that)...We are now but 2 miles from the top, 2 miles and 50 miles from delivery. The truck must know that because I can hear the RPM's going up and the truck is getting all excited and huffing and puffing and even dancing.....wait a minute...the truck is not going faster, just the engine, and that huffing and puff sound is really the transmission changing gears back and forth and the dancing is us sliding side to side and backwards.. we are on snow and ice about 100 feet for dry pavement..."OMG."..we have lost traction and are lo longer going forward...."HOLY CRAP"....we are going backwards....(remember me mentioning that it is a 14 mile hill with "S" turns and switchbacks and oh yeah 11% GRADE?????) and the friggin brakes are of no use....think think think....try to jack-knife more then you already are and put the back of the trailer into the snow bank on the mountain side. Alas, we are stopped with the rear doors of the trailer in the snow bank and the tractor jacked a little into the middle of the road but not enough to block traffic, oh yeah, during this fun ride backwards the passenger side bumper was able to stop BEFORE we did, and now has ridded its self of extra weight like braces, brackets and some useless plastic. Okay, I have stopped peeing my pants and was able to pry my hands from the steering wheel. I need to get out and view the situation. Just as soon as my feet hit the snowy icy pavement they decided the view would be much better if they were above my head and they take flight and my butt makes a nose dive for the frozen earth...wwwwweeeeeeeee...oh just fun...BAM...not so funny..I get up and scold my feet for their prank....perhaps I should not have been so harsh with them as they retaliated and did it again a little later. We carry chains because we have to, it is the law in some states, but we do not use them. If it is bad enough to put them on then it is bad enough not to go anywhere. But here we are, in a very bad situation and I am going to have to put these #Q@$#%^$$#@ things on. Now the fun begins, while trying to get them out of the basket and bags they are in I have managed to bloody most of my knuckles, the tops of my hands and my fore arms, now I have a long sleeve shirt, a heavy coat and thick gloves on so I am not sure how all these wounds came about, oh yeah..I also broke 5 finger nails. But I get two chains out and as I am putting them on the tires...OUCH %%$#@&*&$#@#@$$#@ my head my head my head, the bottom of the trailer is really friggin hard..dammit...as I stand-up I punch the side of the trailer...OUCH....@##@#$%^%$##@ the friggin side of the trailer is hard also. Anyway, I have the chains on the tires and Ruth Ann now has to give it just a little gas so that the end of the chains will rotate around so I can secure them. Yea, I have them all hooked up. So now I climb back in the truck and very easily try, notice I said try, to get up the hill. The truck starts to move then..the truck makes these wired sounds "Nope,I am not gonna go no where cause I did not wanna come up here to begin with !!!"..and we don't. I get back out..remember what I said about the retaliation feet..well there I am again looking at the sky. I get back up and check out the chains..CRAP, broke one...get it off and now I got to dig out another one when I catch movement out of the corner of my eye..I turn and see that the Calvary has arrived...a CHP officer is walking my way. He says...What's going on? OMG I wish I had a sign right then so I could have said that I was in the area and wanted to install a new ride for the kids....here's your sign. But I thought better of that and told him that well, we were stuck and that one of my chains broke and we lost traction. He said yeah, but what are you doing up here...again, I thought about another sign thing..but knew I should not. I said we are headed to Porterville and that this is the way the company told us to come. He said NAY NAY, driver, no trucks over 65 feet in length are allowed on this highway ever, we are 75 feet, then the words..."LET ME HAVE YOUR DRIVER LICENCSE, MEDICAL CARD AND TRUCK REGISTRATION". CRAP, I know what that means. He did say for me to continue what I was doing...lucky for him he did not say to continue what I was thinking....Anyway, got a new chain on and low and behold...nope, it broke also. I am now ready to have war with the world and everything and everyone in it when he, the CHP, comes back and see's or feel's the raging maniac within me and kindly says now Sir, this does not go against your license. and that he is sure that the company will pay the fine as it is their fault for sending us this way and hands me the ticket..Oh thank you sir, I will send this into the company..ggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. As it turns out he can see that we are in a position that is going to take more than chains and he leaves and goes and gets a road crew. They plow and throw some sand and hook their grader to us and pull us up to the cleared spot in the road, 100 feet, where we can make a "U" turn. They give us the thumbs up and I think laugh as they turn away. The CHP said that he would follow us and make sure we were okay, If he is so worried about us why doesn't he drive the damn truck down the mountain and let us drive his car?. So we start down, now we have an automatic transmission which means it is crap. We have Jake brakes but they only work in 6th or 7th gear at a faster speed then dead turtle, which is the speed I plan on taking. I put it in 1st gear and lock it in and start off, the RPM's go from 0 to 2500 in a heart beat, the engine is screaming, and I think I can make out the words it is saying.."WHAT THE F--- ARE YOU DOING TO ME????" I simply reply, better you than hot brakes. We drive, if that is what you want to call it, for about 2 miles that took nearly 30 minutes and get to dry pavement. I pull over to the side in a little pull off area and the CHP pulls up along side of us and said that we should be okay now for the rest of the way down, I get out and take the three chains I have on off and we continue the rest of the way down. We take the route that the CHP told us to take and 90 miles later we are on the back side of the mountain we were on and still 20 miles from delivery. Remember that when we where almost to the top we were but 50 miles from delivery? But we made it and all is well. The next day we put the truck in the shop to get the bumper replaced and also to fix a leaking windshield, nothing to do with the mountain. The bumper parts have be ordered so the company says to forget the bumper for now but to go ahead and fix the windshield. While they are taking the window out they break it and now it has to be ordered. So here we sit in a motel not making any money because some stupid computer programmer that has put a routing program together for us to follow has has (Politically Correct phrase) made love to us...think about it, think about it...aahhhh, I think you got it. Have I ever mentioned WHAT A GREAT LIFE A TRUCKERS LIFE IS ?????
AMEN !!!

oooOOOOOOCCCCCHHHHHHHH

Well here is it the day after the BD and nothing has changed. Lets see, got up and came downstairs and had my first cup of coffee as I try to focus my eyes on the screen on my pc. So far so good. My lovely sister Wanda came out and brought her dog, a very very happy dog that wants to show it's love by jumping into your chest. Oh yeah, did I mention that the dog is a small horse and weights about the same. Some how I kept my footing and survived. The next little item is to go to the Post Office. I jump into the car and turn the key....nothing. Crap!! Get Wanda's keys and go to the Post Office. Oh, if you do not already know, the Post Office is my Xanadu. I arrive to retrieve my bounty only to find that they have changed their hours and there is 45 minutes to wait. I go back home and jump start our car off Wanda's. I wait the allotted time and go back to the Post Office and retrieve our mail..yeaaaa!!!

Next is to bring the dirty laundry in from the truck, which I do and about have a heart attack carrying all that grime down out of the truck into the house and up the stairs.

Now, for the main event. We have a new truck and with all we carry I must make a shelf to hold it all. I climb up and down and in and out till I have all but one, mind you ONE screw left to put in and the job is done. Did I mention that I only had one screw left to insert into the wood? The wood puts up a fight, the drill is at max RPM, the screw is trying to penetrate, the body and arm is pushing with intent. Then, for no reason that I can think of, the drill bit decides it has had enough and jumps out of the screw head, did I mention that my arm and body was pushing hard on the drill?, and it leapt to its death bringing the drill , arm, body with it. Oh, fear not, it did not accomplish its suicidal death because my thumb broke its fall. Drill still engaged and bit still spinning and yet my thumb was able to stop all this rushing force..oooOOOOOOCCCCCCHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhh. The drill was no longer a drill, it was now a ##$#@%^&**%$#@#$. Blood gushing, thumb throbbing I make my way out of the truck and into the house....RUTH ANN!!! RUTH ANN!!! get me the peroxide and bandaids.

Peroxided and bandaided, I return to the scene of the crime and with determination, put the last screw in the wood....screw by the screw I screw the screw and it was good and they all said amen.

Once again..All about ME

Well.....here it is, another birthday....ugh..well not really ugh, I don't feel any older and as Ruth Ann will quickly tell you, I don't act any older either. I refuse to get old or be or act old. I have always said that age is but a state of mind. It is not a nice day outside but in the house it is warm and cozy and I can smell the beans n ham coming from the kitchen. I have gotten a few presents, more then I deserve I am sure, and they are fantastic ones. See, if you would have come here you would also be able to enjoy my bounty, but NNNOOOOO...you had to work, or lived in another state...yeah yeah yeah...lol....really, I do wish my family and friends could be here, it is very scary with all these candles flaming...lol,

Anyway, I wont bother you anymore with this BD stuff.


Happy Birthday to me...Happy Birthday to me...I get to eat, drink and play with all my stuff..Happy Birthday to ME !!!!!!! .