A Literary Masterpiece Binds the World Under One Sun

This blog post has hit me upside the head today. I have to take a closer look at my character and see that I am failing

The World’s Top 10 Best Images of Curious Cats With Their Heads Stuck

Well folks, yesterday was a long day of deadheading for Joe and I. We are going to Mississippi for our next set of trucks. I had a chance to catch up on some of my blog reading.

Today I’m going to share a blog with you that I get a kick out of. This guys blog, Russell Deasley’s Top 10, is one I think I HAVE to pass on. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Leslie

Harvest time in Nebraska.

The golden fields of corn and soybeans are being harvested this week. Some fields seem to go on for as far as the eye can see.

Field after field, a lone harvester is out in their combine – or whatever the equipment is called.

The harvested corn crops are taken to a grain elevator by trucks that had loaded in the field alongside the harvester.

Here is a closer view of the “corn dock” with a massive pyramid of corn kernels.

On an odd occasion we encounter a grain bin pulled by a tractor on the state roads we had been hurtling along until we come upon this.

Since I’ve not had the opportunity to ride in one of these humongous harvesters I have to take the word of others.

These machines come with full cab heat and air conditioning, CD Radio combo, and a computerized guidance system.

I wonder if the guidance system is as annoying as our Garmins can be.

“In one mile turn sharply left”. Failing to follow directions do they get a string of “Recalculating. Recalculating. Recalculating.” Followed by “When possible, make a U-Turn”.

We have older model Garmins that have not been updated. Many of the roads off the highway have been rerouted and our Garmins think we are driving through open fields where there are no roads. The “Recalculating” gets very tiresome.

When you think of it, utter a prayer of thanks to our lonely hard working farmers as they toil away long hours out in the middle of no where.

Leslie

Oil changes are a must in 2009 and earlier Class 8 trucks.

The trucks Joe and I are taking to auction are bank repos.

Proper maintenance of these Class 8 semi trucks is extremely important for an Owner/Operator. Maintenance of these vehicles, although costly, can keep a driver on the road longer and making money for the owner.

Case in point. Oil changes to Class 8 trucks.

With the federal regulations on carbon emissions, mandated by the EPA guidelines, the truck manufacturers have built in systems to the engines to almost totally eliminate carbon particulates being spewed in the air.

The exhaust system has a complicated mechanism that puts diesel fuel into the super heated exhaust to burn up carbon that has accumulated in the filter housing. That is one of the measures taken in carbon elimination.

The other is in the oil system of the engine. Carbon particulates somehow get into the engine oil and are trapped into the oil filter as the oil moves through the engine. Confusing to me so I’ve probably lost you all. I know I’m lost.

Okay, now to the reason for this post on necessary oil changes. When the carbon particles build up in the oil and clog the filter the engine shuts down. To protect itself from further damage the engine ceases to run until the oil and filter gets changed.

That is what happened to me a couple days ago when I got stranded beside the road and had to call for a wrecker.

I rode with Joe back to the Peterbilt dealership to await the arrival of my trucks being towed in. Once the oil and filter were changed the truck has been running like a champ.

The expense for passenger vehicle oil and filter changes run from $29 to $49. The expense for a semi truck oil and filter change is $250.

The tow charge to get my truck back to the dealership 15 miles was $250. The cost for the diagnostic then oil and filter change was $308.84.

If you are in the trucking industry and have a 2009 and newer truck it would be my recommendation to have regular scheduled oil and filter changes done on the truck that is feeding your family and keeping a roof over their head, as well as paying you to do your job.

Just a little something to think about.

Leslie

Spies are everywhere.

This is Team Leader. Get ready. The target is in position. Don’t lose sight of him.

Roger that Team Leader, this is Ears and I am recording the target.

Team Leader, Ears, this is Tracker. I have visual contact with the target and am following his every move.

Well done Ears and Tracker. Team Leader out.

Per your requests for barns, my friends. These are the pitiful few barns I saw in my travels across Kansas today. Maybe there will be more to be seen tomorrow.

Leslie

Peterbilts driven past their limits.

Here I sit beside the road. Just 15 miles north of Springfield, Missouri.

Joe and I were in Strafford, Missouri yesterday morning to get two running Peterbilts going to the auction in South Sioux City, Nebraska.

We shuttled the two Peterbilts to Springfield, Missouri where the two “Dead” trucks were waiting for us at the Peterbilt Dealership.

Both of these trucks had to be moved into position for us by use of a forklift.

The blue truck had a headlight popped out from the socket.

A few strips of Gorilla brand duck tape will hold it for the trip to auction.

Took us all day to get hooked up with all the shenanigans.

Leaving the hotel this morning to head for the auction site in Nebraska my oil pressure gauge went from 40 psi to 20 psi within 15 miles of the hotel. Now I get to be towed back to Springfield.

Yesterday’s SNAFU – “Situation Normal All Fouled Up” has turned into today’s TARFU – “Things Are Really Fouled Up”. Before I go and jinx myself I’ll just be grateful things have not escalated to FUBAR – “Fouled Up Beyond All Repair” status.

Now we are going back to the Peterbilt Dealership to get my boom off and stored on Joe’s trailer. We might make it to Nebraska to deliver Joe’s trucks by tomorrow in time for the auction.

All righty folks….Are we having fun yet?

Leslie

The strange people one sees standing on corners.

With Jim in the hospital and Joe frantically trying to keep up the work of two people I asked if he needed me back out for a while. He knows this is not where I want to be but sometimes it is just necessary to “Put the Big Girl Panties” on and suck it up.

Dependable Transport made it possible by renting a car for me to drive out to meet Joe. I left Oklahoma City just after noon and made the drive to Springfield, Missouri.

I arrived at the hotel Joe had reserved a room for us in. He hadn’t eaten all day and it was his wish to go get something to eat first.

Poor guy. He has been messing around with bank repos all day long. Waiting for someone to find keys. Waiting for someone to jump start the trucks. Waiting for someone to figure out how to stop a truck from honking incessantly because he doesn’t know the code for the security feature.

His plan was to have my two trucks hooked up and ready to go except for the inspection. Plans, in this job, have a way of not panning out.

Tomorrow I will drop the rental car at the airport in Springfield then go with Joe to see, exactly, what I have gotten myself into.

On the bright side…..I need to purchase adhesive rolls for my big ATG Gun. I can do that from the road and it will be waiting for me when I get home. Around Thanksgiving

Have a great night everyone.

UPDATE – Man Down! Maday! Man Down!

The mystery of Jim’s ailment has been diagnosed.  Jim has “Cellulitis“.  Most probably thanks to Joe badgering Jim to tell the doctors about a couple of spider bites Joe has had from the trucks they have been in.  Joe pressured Jim to ask the doctors if this problem with his leg could be from a cut or a bite that got infected.  Jim did as Joe asked and further tests were run on Jim’s affected leg.

According to Joe, who passed this information to me from Jim, the high white blood cell count and the blistered skin running the length of Jim’s leg were indicators of Cellulitis.  The Doctors were geared for DVT, Deep Vein Thrombosis, when Jim arrived at the hospital requesting testing to be done for blood clots in his leg.  Finding no supporting indicators for DVT through all the testing they did, it seems the Doctors were lead down a different path when Jim told them of a possible bite infection.

Seems that this is one of those times when a patient being proactive with his/her health care leads to a quicker diagnosis.  Or when you have a friend who badgers you into making Doctors take a look at something different as a root cause.  Joe can be a badger when he sets his mind to it 😀

Jim had been given a broad spectrum antibiotic which was not having the desired affect on his condition.  Once the Doctors began testing for a bacterial skin infection they changed the prescribed antibiotic treatment and are having better results.

So, it seems that Jim had been bitten by a spider or a bug of some kind – even quit possibly scraped his skin on some dirty broken piece of equipment at one of the locations the two had been when moving the box trailers to auction sites.

Once the skin had been broken, either by the bite or by Jim scratching the affected area with his fingernails, the bacteria burrowed its way under his skin and had worked its way up his leg from the shin to nearly his butt cheek.

With the medical part well in hand and Jim’s condition getting better the next part of his dilemma was the logistics.  How was Jim going to get home?  That problem has been solved by one of his sons.  Jim will be flying from Omaha, Nebraska to Dallas, Texas on Monday where he will be met by his son in Dallas.  Jim will stay at his son’s home during the week long bed rest with daily Doctor visits.  The following Sunday, Jim’s son will drive him to our home in Oklahoma so Jim can get his pickup truck and then drive home to Paragould, Arkansas for the remainder of his recovery time.  Jim’s son will be home on a mini vacation that week of Jim’s recovery then the son has to return to work on the next Monday.  His son does a lot of work away from home and the trip to Oklahoma will be on  his way to his next job.

Are you totally confused now?  I am, but I think I can muddle through the fact that Jim has a place to begin the recuperating period then also has a way to come and get his pickup and finally make his way home.

And now that the crisis has been averted, Joe and I need to have a talk about me briefly coming back out of retirement to finish the year, or at least until Jim is capable of resuming working with Joe.

Leslie

Man down! Mayday! Man Down!

Our friend, Jim.

Jim is currently in the hospital in Omaha, Nebraska.  Far from home, family, and his personal vehicle to even get home to recuperate.  Doctors tell him he was lucky to get in as quickly as he did.  Any later and he would have lost a leg.

Let me rewind here, since it has been a long time for a regular posting to this blog.

Jim left his home in Paragould, Arkansas in the wee hours of September 22nd and arrived at our home in Norman, Oklahoma by mid afternoon that same day.  He had a 10 hour drive just to get here.

The original working plan would see Joe and Jim leaving on September 25th with the pickup and trailer deadheading to Phoenix, Arizona to shuttle four trucks bound for the auction in Las Vegas, Nevada.  They had over 50 trucks to move from Phoenix to Las Vegas.  Things changed rather quickly and the two men headed off in the opposite direction.

On September 25th Joe and Jim, did in fact, leave here as planned.  However, they left in a rental car bound for Sellersburg, Indiana which is located near Louisville, Kentucky where they would leave the rental car.  From Sellersburg they would each take a tractor trailer combination to an auction site in Peoria, Illinois.

Having delivered the tractor trailers to Peoria they had to take a taxi to another rental car agency in Peoria and drive to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania  where they would be getting trucks from a Penske truck rental agency to begin moving box trailers around the Pittsburgh and Bath areas of Pennsylvania to another auction site in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania.  These two guys shuttled back and forth from Pittsburgh to Burgettstown and Bath to Burgettstown from September 28th through October 6th.

Another rental car brought them from Bath, Pennsylvania to Peoria, Illinois where they would each take a truck bound for Los Alamitos, California.  On the way to California they would swing by home here and hook the trucks up to Joe’s trailer.  Then they would finally arrive in Phoenix to begin moving the trucks they had originally been dispatched to do.  The trucks from Phoenix to Las Vegas.

Well….as usual there was a problem.  The two men made it from Peoria, Illinois to Springfield, Illinois before both of the trucks had to be left at a Kenworth shop in Springfield.  One with an engine oil problem and the other with and intermittent engine shut down problem.

Another rental car was acquired in Springfield, Illinois and the two men headed for our home to regroup.  They arrived the evening of October 12th.  The Phoenix to Las Vegas trucks were still a possibility and plans were to leave home for Phoenix.  Keep in the back of  your mind that Jim’s personal vehicle has been in our driveway since he arrived on September 22nd.

Once again, plans changed.  Joe and Jim were now dispatched to Strafford, Missouri to take four trucks to South Sioux City, Nebraska and left here on October 15th.  After delivering in South Sioux City they would have a deadhead return to Strafford, Missouri and four more trucks to be taken to South Sioux City once again.

The morning the two guys left here, October 15th,  Jim had arrived at our home wearing short pants.  Joe noticed some odd swelling  and bumpiness on the shin area of one of Jim’s legs.  Joe commented about it and asked if Jim was having any pain.  No pain, and Jim didn’t notice it much.

The two guys left here and drove our pickup and trailer to Strafford, Missouri to get their assigned trucks.  The hook up process took over four hours because it had been a long time since Jim had done this work and he had never done the boom part of the job.  My part of the job.  There were some mechanical problems with the trucks.  Jim’s turn signals didn’t work and the air fairings of the back truck had to be removed.  They were damaged so badly by a previous driver there was no way the fairings could be properly secured.  Even with our boards and straps the fairings would still flop around and worry the retaining bolts from their anchor spots on the rear cab tearing huge holes in the fiberglass composition of the sleeper body.  The two guys found a hotel room near Strafford and would have to await the work to be done before they could safely leave.

It was not until the next afternoon, October 16th, they would be ready to leave for South Sioux City, Nebraska.  Jim had made a passing comment to Joe that his leg was bothering him.  They both chalked that up to Jim not having worked this hard in six years.  Climbing like a monkey up and down on these trucks to get them ready  to move.

On October 17th they delivered the four trucks in Nebraska and were beginning the deadhead back to Missouri for the next set.  Joe had noticed that Jim’s leg was looking even worse and he had commented that Jim needed to get to a hospital and have it looked at.

That evening they arrived in Omaha, Nebraska and Jim was taken, by Joe,  to the emergency room of the VA hospital.  Joe had commented that Jim had to have the leg looked at and be checked out for possible blood clots in the veins.  DVT or Deep Vein Thrombosis was likely in Joe’s opinion.  He ought to know, we had a bought of that with Joe a few years back.

Jim was subjected to a round of testing.  Blood samples taken, which showed his white blood cell count was too high indicating a raging infection somewhere in his body.  He was taken to have a sonogram done of his leg which cleared him of any blood clot worries in his leg.  He was taken for a CT Scan with a dye to check his heart and lungs for any blood clots.  None were found.

The doctors are confounded by Jim and his presenting of a swollen leg that now has a line of blisters running the length of whichever leg it is that is in question.  The seriousness of this physical problem was brought home to Jim when his team of doctors told  him his leg would have been removed had he not come in as soon as he did.

The logistic problems that Jim faces are many.  He has been instructed to get home and be in bed for the next two weeks.  He will be sent packing with an IV drip assembly connecting five bags of various liquid medicinal stuff he will have to leave attached to himself for the two week period.  There is not an airport in Paragould, Arkansas so flying from Omaha to Paragould is out of the question.  His personal vehicle is well over 300 miles from his location to our home in Oklahoma.  If he manages a flight from Omaha to Oklahoma City and I pick him up at the airport he will still have a 10 hour drive back home.  Once home he will have to make daily visits to his doctor in Paragould to be monitored there.

To add further worry on Jim’s mind he is so bummed over these events he is positive he will have lost this job in Drive-Away on top of everything else.  On a bright note, Jim has been assured via Joe and Dependable Transport, his job will be waiting for him once he fully recuperates.

As for my Joe.  He is back to being the sole road warrior in this family.  In a fit of panic and at a low point mentally my poor Joe had asked me what it would take to get me out of retirement.  That may be something I will have to consider in the coming weeks.  Right now I am in the midst of getting the bookkeeping and accounting work caught up on.  I have managed to work my way through January to April since I’ve been  home.  I’m working on May and should have it knocked out in the next couple days.  There is still well over two more weeks before I catch up to September and begin October.  By that time we will be starting November and Joe will be considering shutting down for Thanksgiving and taking off December.

Aside from my paperwork in the mornings, house cleaning in the early afternoon, I am getting time in my craft room in the late afternoon and early evenings.  If you would like to see what I have been up to you can check out my crafting blog at Message In A Fold to see the greeting cards I’ve made.

Now, having you all caught up on the adventures of Drive-Away for this family it is time for me to get back to my paperwork.

Jim, if  you are reading this post.  I’m sorry that you are ill and in hospital.  You are being well cared for there and I am glad you will remain intact.  Call me when you have your traveling plans figured out or if you need me to do anything for  you in getting your plans started.  Together we will get this figured out for you so you can get home and be fussed over by your friend, Mellavie, who will take good care of you.

Have a wonderful day everyone.

Leslie

Gasp! Stickers?! In a Franklin Covey planner?

Indeed.  Stickers in my Franklin Covey planner.

I don’t have a clue what “Sharpening the Saw” means….yet.  I have the book – The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – and I have begun reading it.

I have been playing with my craft stash the past couple days.  AFTER I do a four to five hour stint at the paperwork.  So in honor of having January in the can and February well on the way….here is what I have been playing around with.

This type of planner has been my mainstay for the past seven years.  It is slim and fits in my portfolio.

Month on two pages was all I really needed to keep track of where we were on any given day.  You see, for our accountant he needs to know how many DAYS Joe and I were away from home each month.

Now for the Franklin Covey monthly planner and January 2013.  Border stickers, a birthday cake for the only birthday person in January, cool arrow and bracket stickers gifted to me by my friend Shelly, and some Washi Tape.

At a glance I can see when we were home that month.  Looks like we spent quite a bit of time at home.  The yellow and black border sticker is used to designated home time.  There are no other notations on those days.  I really like the arrow and bracket stickers.  Think I got a bit carried away with them 🙂

A set of birthday stickers I’ve had for many, many, years included four strips of very thin red lines.  I used this sticker to highlight the days we picked up trucks.

I also used the thin red border around my notations for days out and deadhead miles for the month.

The “Notes” section of the planner are very useful to me.  Track the days we deadheaded as well as the miles traveled to the pick up location.

I worked on February’s pages last night.

This was fun, digging around in my sticker stash for some appropriate stickers.  Two birthdays in February, and a bright border sticker to designate the days home.  Also I used some purple arrow and bracket stickers from my friend, Shelly, for time home.

We got snowed and iced in February 8, 9, and 10 in Wyoming.  The highways were sheets of ice.  Joe and I opted to stay in the hotel for those extra days instead of taking a chance on causing a wreck.  I found some really old icicle stickers for those days.

Today I got the February business receipts entered.  Tomorrow I will enter the personal stuff for February and reconcile all the checking accounts.  Then I think I will get to work on the mileage books I have started.  They have been under my “press” for the past couple days.

The pages have been copied, cut, and assembled for four books.

I started the cover of one of the books this afternoon.  Encountered creative block and will have to let this work itself out in my brain.  I have a border embossing folder from Tim Holtz.  It is a tire impression.

I really like this image of an older woman driving and want to use it on the cover of this book.  Things are just not working out that way right now.

Maybe I’ll get an idea tomorrow on what to do with this one.  I’m thinking I need some yellow or some kind of a bright patterned paper behind the image.  You’ll see the results when I can get it figured out.

I’m making progress on getting my house cleaned as well.  One room at a time and one week at a time.  I’ve got my hours filled with stuff to do while Joe is away in Pennsylvania.

Okay, that’s enough “Foolishness” for one day.

Leslie