Troublesome times are here...

The joke is that is the song you select when you are announcing new elders. For me it is a reminder to be will rooted, grounded in faith; while the winds blow around. At 4:11 my time today, the phone rang. "Dad I am getting kicked out of where I am, can I take you up on the offer to ride with you?" I laid out two basic ground rules: no smoking on the truck and no illegal substances on the truck. I am checked by border patrol frequently plus subject to DOT inspection at anytime. For him there are the three goals (Know that God loves you, Know your parents love you, Have a direction in life when you get off the truck); however, there truly is a fourth goal that underlies everything: truth, honesty, bottom line is trust. May I yield to God's wisdom and His grace to remain strongly rooted yet able to bend with the jostling of life. May our prodigal truly come home. Once he is on the truck, I will certainly request the prayers of the prayer warriors. May God use this as a time of healing for the tongue wagers.

Winter is cheaper for me than summer time. It was 100 in Laredo yesterday, it is only 94 right now. I was attempting to sleep for a while since last night was such a mess for sleeping, but I need the truck running to keep the AC on. Usually I would be driving at this time of the day so that would not be so bad, I can sleep with just the windows open and my little fan blowing if it is below 75. But 94? Where is my hammock!

Seguin,TX

I left Hammond,LA early this morning, arriving in Houston,TX early. They unloaded quickly; however, the QC would not work since I was under a roof. I emailed Dallas expecting to be directed to Dallas. No. It is pick up a load of chicken in Seguin,TX to be delivered to Delores,TX which is just outside of Laredo. They are not ready to load my trailer until 9PM so I will not be able to leave until around 4AM. It was supposed to deliver at 5:30 but it ain't goin' to make!

Tonight's menu is Top Ramen with canned asparagus. It tastes better than it sounds!

From cooking gourmet type meals to boiling water to heat top ramen. We are making progress now.

Hulu

On the internet is a method of watching TV, documentaries or old movies called Hulu. Had full bars, 3G in Hammond,LA so I watched Liar, Liar and then a documentary on Mr Warmth. When you only see the stage man, it is hard to imagine him and Bob Newhart as such good friends. They and their wives have traveled the world.

Traveling this morning listened to three sermons on the radio. Also heard the beginning of a church service. It was congregation vs organ. The organ won.

The signs are up indicating Target and other shopping venues; however, basically the only shopping available near I-12 at exit 40, is Dillards and Sears. The others are all still under construction. It was a good walk anyway.

When I arrived, I walked across the road to the Pilot Truck stop because they had an Arby's. While walking I was passed by two drivers coming from the Pilot walking toward their trucks with 12 packs. It was not soda. Petro did not sell beer; however, they have the larger parking space. So park and walk.

I pray that the time at the Dallas yard is quick, so I can be on my way home for at least a day to see Paula, the boys, and especially to see Jean. It has been along time since I have seen her.

Strange day

Last night at 11:38 PM my cell phone rings. It is someone from Dallas calling. They are concerned about a driver they cannot get to answer his QualComm. They are debating about asking me to drive the 23 miles down the road to discover whatever about this driver. We discuss the options; however, Dallas decides to leave it.

The phone rang this morning at 5:42AM. Dallas calling wanting me to check on the driver. At 6AM I leave Crazy Ed's and arrive at Charleston,TN. As I am going up the ramp I observe a Stevens truck going down the ramp to enter the freeway. I search both truck stops and sure enough the truck I saw driving away was the driver they were concerned about. Crazy day.

I am done driving for the day. It is 80 here in Meridian,MS. Clouds are gone. Wish I had a hammock to hang underneath the trailer to enjoy the cool breeze. But I think a better investment will be a cooler and The Wavebox. The wavebox is a portable microwave, which would certainly provide more choices. I just need to not invest in tow trucks!

The driver's from yesterday's news of accidents had 15 & 16 years of experience driving for Stevens. Both having less than 2 seconds following distance in blizzard conditions. One wrecked in WY the other in TX. Pride goeth before a fall is the short version of what else was written on the QC. As opposed to the country music song, "Lord it's hard to be humble when your perfect in every way;" I just look in the mirror and am instantly reminded that I am nothing more than a sinner saved by Grace. May I ever strive to discover how to be useful in His Kingdom.

Niota,TN

I set the alarm this morning, although I did not need to set it. I have until Monday at 2PM to arrive in Houston,TX so I have plenty of time. My 70 hour clock will run low for one day, then I will gain 11 hours on Monday when I need it. So drive through TN to hopefully make it to Meridian, MS tomorrow. It is a short drive (355 miles); however, the weather has possible tornado warnings for the edge of where I will be driving. So I guess it is a day of listening to the radio, especially local stations for warnings. Two "very senior drivers" working for Stevens were involved in accidents in the past two days. Both were driving in blizzards, when they should have simply parked the truck. It did not read like anyone was seriously injured; however, there was extensive property damage. May I ever remain humble without God needing to remind me to be humble.

I am at Crazy Ed's truck stop in Niota,TN. The truck stop portion of the building is run down, almost creepy; however, the restaurant side is very clean. The meal was okay; however, I do not like corn with pearl onions. My taste buds are still protesting! I will probably set the alarm for the morning, but again, actual departure time may vary. I will check the news to make sure where the active part of the storm is in relation to my driving before I depart.

Is it still an accident?

Blah, blah, turn right on Leggett (turn right at the blue bridge.) Unfortunately it was 149th ave not Leggett. The trailer rode up on the abutment of the bridge and lifted the right side of the drive axles off the ground. Needless to say it would not back up and thank the good Lord it would not go forward! (If I went forward about 3 more inches I would have partially topped the trailer) So call 911, call Stevens Road Rescue and wait. The trailer was so high in the air on the right side you could stand under the trailer without bending! NYPD never even asked to see my CDL. No police report was filed, no citation. Another thank the good Lord! The tow truck hooked onto the trailer, lifted it up and it fill to the ground. No damage to the bridge, the truck or the trailer. Back onto the road, drive the short distance to Hunts Point Market. Make my deliveries slightly late; however, I get the privilege of spending the night here at Hunts Point. I have a load out of here p/u NJ heading for Houston,TX. It was about time for me to head to Dallas. Now we will have something to discuss!

A magical 3

Drove 632 miles today, not a record but still very crazy. 1st: Driving down the freeway in my lane being passed by a small box truck. I am aware of the truck; however, my brain sad look at the mirror. As I did he swerved away from hitting my trailer by mere inches. When he passed he was still texting or whatever on his cell phone. 2nd: In PA they have some rest stops also designated as weigh stations. They are usually closed; however, today, they had one open. I drove in and drove out, but there were many trucks pulled over because it was not a weigh test. They were checking paper work and doing drug tests. I was running legal so that was not the issue. The issue for me was time. The lot was full so all of us arriving at that time simply kept driving. 3rd: I arrived at Mifflinville, PA; Love's Travel Center, at 1:15 PM and was parked by 1:17PM. My 11 hour clock expired at 1:15PM.

I am about 130 miles from where I deliver in the Bronx tomorrow. I will leave around midnight since there is parking at Hunt's Point if I arrive early. This will allow me to take it easy once I start crossing the George Washington Bridge.

Change the clock

Because of leaving Denver at 2 AM and the load was ready in Holcomb,KS when I arrived, it has forced me to stay on the after midnight run mode. I left Salina,KS this morning and am now in Clayton,IN. A drive of 625 miles. I need to drive almost that far tomorrow to set myself into position to deliver at Hunts Point in the Bronx. Driving across the Geo. Washington Bridge into NYC area with a 53' trailer sounds like more fun than I should be allowed to have!

Drove KS-156 from Garden City, KS to I-70, two lane road through the farm/heartland of America. Slightly rolling hills, sometimes no trees on the horizon either. A man on the side of the road answering natures call. Some things you don't do into the wind, no trees... I'll leave it there.

I had a weird dream the other night. I normally do not remember dreaming at all in the morning nor are my dreams wild visions if I remember them. This one was an exception. It involved angels, demons and a church.

Above me were demons; however, immediately at my back was an angel. He wielded a sword that the demons at bay, but the angel also had a large bore weapon; however, it had no ammo. As I went to church everyone looked the same: demons overhead with an angel at their back. As the congregation met the demons formed a geodesic dome over the whole congregation. We all worshipped and then left with our demons still following us around. I then realized I was dragging a large case filled with ammo. But the ammo would not fit the weapon my angel was carrying. It was then I realized the ammo I had was for someone else's angel to use, someone else had the ammo I needed for my angel to use. It was a wild dream to get me a simple message: bear ye one another's burdens.

Close one

Drove from Las Vegas to I-80 across WY to Denver,CO on one tank of fuel. I supposed to fuel up again in Wamsutter,WY but I did not have time this morning while driving from Little America,WY to Denver. That tripped started at 3 AM and I made it with 15 minutes to spare to the Safeway warehouse. The bigger part of the close one was the early driving on I-80. I was being passed by two semis going about 70 mph when suddenly you could see the deer on the freeway. They did what they were supposed to which is not slow down, I was further back and hit the brakes. The one deer that was most vulnerable to being hit figured it out at the last second, jumped, turned around and ran across my lane. The truck had hit it "lightly" as you could see tufts of hair floating down in the air. You could see no visible damage to the one deer and the rest of them ran back off the road. Spring is in the air so it is time for migration once again.

Right title, wrong lyrics

Alone again naturally... is the state of trucking tonight. Received a load to Denver,CO that was picking up fruit in the southern central valley. They then changed the first pick to a place at exit 3 on Hwy 99. Off on crazy fun.

Due to illness, my own, I was not able to visit my grandmother, nor were Paula and I able to attend an event on Saturday. I would hope not to repeat that episode of illness anytime soon!

It was wonderful to attend church without thinking of the truck. An extreme added blessing was being taken to lunch to have adult conversation. We even had Charlie in our midst to a nice sit down restaurant. It breaks your heart to think one of your children would choose homelessness over a better life, but that is where he is now.

Jesse saw the Army recruiter on Monday, while I headed to Lodi to spend $120 plus dollars. $34 went to the state of California for a new license since I added HazMat to my license and the other to the TSA and who ever they hire to process my finger prints to obtain the HazMat license. All the expenses keep reoccurring ever time I renew. What a great racket.

I am at exit 39 on Hwy 99, it says Bakersfield, but it is the north end of Bakersfield.

Due to my illness the truck never was cleaned over the weekend and it will not be cleaned tonight either.

Little America

This is an interesting little stop on the highway in Flagstaff,AZ. Little America chain is at two locations on I-80 in WY, but I have never stopped. Tonight we are stopped at Little America in Flagstaff. It is a nice clean place. One that I will certainly attempt to patronize in the future.

I am hoping Jesse will wake up soon. He went to bed a little after we started this morning at 6 AM and it is now almost 8PM my time. I am getting hungry.

Note to self: Do not eat at the Petro in Amarillo,TX! Let us just say I may have made it further than the 571 miles I drove today had it not been for two emergency potty stops.

Reading Randy's blog today, reminds me of the many ads about preventing crime. If you put your stuff in your car, someone breaks in and steals it, it is your fault. How ludicrous! It is so extremely sad that we have gotten to this point in our society. It is the same mentality of the women raped in the Middle East who is then whipped for the crime.

Going Home

We arrived in San Antonio,TX on time, then left late the next morning for delivery in Fort Worth. After that delivery, we were given a pick up in Garland at Kraft heading for Stockton,CA!

It has been very crazy the past few days. Whether it is delivering California beef to Texas or driving like a mad dog to get every where.

The desert is starting to bloom so it will be nice to see that on our drive through CA on 40/15/58.

The wind today was fierce near Amarillo. Very thankful I was not sent up here to pick up a meat load with an empty trailer. I do not think I would have made it all the way.

Embracing God's time for all events is not always easy since sometimes there is the stubbornness, of the person.

I asked Jesse to write about his experiences on the truck, (hopefully the positive ones!), intending to share them with Charlie. I really desire Charlie to understand what being on the truck is all about. I pray Jesse is able to sell it better than I. It is also for my learning.

Test on Monday for HazMat endorsement. Pray for quick passage so I do not need to retake the exam at a later date.

Repeating theme

SoCal to Brawley to TX. Been there, done that, doing it again. Arrived yesterday in Carson,CA from Kingman,AZ. Received a message on the QC wondering if I could make it in time. We arrived almost 2 hours before the delivery time. We were fortunate that we were allowed to drive right in and be unloaded. We are stuck in Ontario,CA for the day and will begin the Brawley to TX trip tomorrow. Should have one more load after that with Jesse in the truck. Of all the things I will miss about him, messing up my bed will not be it!

The desert is green and some plants are in bloom. Hope some more will be in bloom in the travels tomorrow.

How much crow did Paul have to eat as a teenager? I mean he may have been wrong but never in doubt, so I wonder how much crow he had to eat? I have had several platters of it myself, slowly learning that keeping my mouth shut early will prevent platters of unwanted crow later. Sometimes platters are left warming for you for a later date, sometimes served cold with feathers still attached almost as soon as the words left your mouth. For the hard nosed dogmatic, you simply pray the serving will come sooner rather than later so they can learn the lessons that God is teaching.

Buggy whips of the 21st century

We rushed a load that was due at 5:15 AM from Salt Lake City,UT to Cheyenne,WY. They gave me a fuel stop; however, I declined, therefore this trip was pure profit. Which is a good thing! So we are now sitting at the Flying J in Cheyenne. I was in the truck checking the QualComm and noticed the windmills in the distance. These are the super large ones, some of which are imported from Holland. So I was thinking if the world is still running around 100 years from now, those windmills will simply be standing as eyesores if they are still standing.

100 years from now, how many buggy whips will I have passed on? How many of the truths of God will I have passed on? I know, not directly, but in the lives I was allowed to touch.

It is cold outside, so I am working in the truck stop on the computer rather than spend my time in the truck. It is a Clint Eastwood marathon on the TV which is OK; however, the smoking is not good. I asked Jesse to find a church for us to attend today. He looked it up incorrectly, but it didn't matter. There are no churches within walking distance of where we are today.