Keep onTruckin'?

What is happening to the industry in this country? Last week we heard that "Arrow Trucking" Company closed it's doors. The manner in which they did this was so very sad. The company pulled the fuel cards (the method in which drivers that worked for them purchased fuel) on 1600 trucks! This left 1600 drivers stranded wherever they happened to be. With freight, or without freight, these trucks with drivers could only go as far as the fuel already in their truck tanks would allow them to go. Right before Christmas! Leaving drivers stranded.

It would appear that TMC Trucking will be the next to fall. Schneider already left Seville, Ohio with the exception of using their lot on Rt. 3 for storage.

Freight rates are dropping and loads are scarce.
Tuesday, Tim drove back from the area around Yonkers, New York empty..no return load.
He was paid $77 as a fuel allowance. At the rate of consumption our Kenworth uses, Tim is lucky to get good fuel mileage. He gets 7 miles per gallon. Figure the mileage from Valley City, to Canton to pick up the load, then drive to Yonkers then turn around and come back.

Today he goes to Cleveland and then to somewhere in Pa. It will take 3 hours to load and tarp, drive to Pa. Untarp, unload, turn around and come back empty.

Not good!

That's what friends are for!

My friend, Shirley Nowak called me this morning.She sounded
in distress, and her voice was not very audible. "I need your
help" she said. "I've fallen on my porch outside"
"I'll be right there" I said.
She called back and told me she had Kaiser Heath HMO coverage and she had just called Kaiser and made an appointment for this morning at 11:30 a.m.


I hurried and got dressed and whizzed out the door. As I got partway there, I received a phone call from Brian, an EMT. "We are taking her to the emergency room at Medina, meet us there." She had called "911" before I could get there. Good thing!

So I drove over there and arrived about 10:00 a.m. I sat with her until 2:15 when I was allowed to take her home. Some bruises and a torn off fingernail (they sutured it back, hopefully the acrylic nail covering the actual fingernail will hold it in place, and the nail will seed itself and grow a new nail out. They were concerned that she had been coughing
since Friday and was not any better. Exrays showed nothing substantial like breaks or fractures
however, they wanted to put her on antibiotics for the respiratory problem.

I went back to her house and got her coat, hat and more substantial footwear and brought
it back to the hospital for her to wear home. Then I drove to Kaiser in Strongsville to get her prescription filled, and then got her something to eat.

All in all, a pretty productive day for me. A sigh of relief when we found nothing serious.
Her son in Kentucky called her and insisted that he could come up and stay with her, and even drive her to Ky. so they could take care of her. "No thanks" she said. "I am fine here, I have Judy"!

When I was leaving her house she said "Thank you and maybe I
can do the same for you sometime".
"No thanks, I said, I'm not interested in falling and calling for help".

I think I will pass on that one!

(photo above is of Shirley receiving an award from the Arabian Horse Association at the National Championship Show in Albuqurque a couple of years ago as she was inducted into the
"Arabian Judges Hall of Fame")

Run don't walk!

Sarah took Daniel and me to the movies yesterday. Now

you must understand, I am not a "movie theater movie goer" so it is not an everyday thing.

Although I do love the movies, and always have I don't normally go because Tim is gone so much of the time and I don't like going alone. I have taken Daniel to see some children's movies but to date, my theater time is very limited.

In a couple of words "I loved it!" It was one of the most wonderful movies I have ever seen. I smiled, and smiled and smiled. I tapped my foot to the tunes and smiled some more. Daniel was frightened at one scene, but other than that, he fully enjoyed it too.

A must see, for kids of any age, especially if you love New Orleans, Jazz, humor, and a great story!

To my movie buff friends...don't let the title keep you away from this one!

Sometimes change is not good!

This would be just my luck!

A 54 year old woman had a heart attack and was taken to the hospital.

While on the operating table she had a near death experience. Seeing God she asked "Is my time up?" God said, "No, you have another 43 years, 2 months and 8 days to live." Upon recovery, the woman decided to stay in the hospital and have a face-lift, liposuction, breast implants and a tummy tuck. She even had someone come in and change her hair colour and brighten her teeth! Since she had so much more time to live, she figured she might as well make the most of it.

After her last operation, she was released from the hospital. While crossing the street on her way home, she was killed by an ambulance.

Arriving in front of God, she demanded, "I thought you said I had another 43 years? Why didn't you pull me from out of the path of the ambulance?"

God replied: "I didn't bloody recognize you."

The newest Christmas tradition

On Christmas morning we went to Traci and Nathan's for Christmas Brunch.
Traci's family including her Uncle Jack all gather for a family gift exchange and lots of food and beverages.

Spiral sliced ham and all the trimmings are a delightful way to start the day. Traci has special white and silver trimmed Christmas dishes that are used to try and pile all the plenty on!

A beautiful and bounty filled spread intermingled with lots of Christmas greetings, smiles and hugs.

Thank you Traci for all of the effort and for including us in your special morning.

What's great also...we don't have to get up before dawn!

Photo at right of Traci and her Mom, Elsie Purdum, replete with reindeer antlers.

Out of my mind...back in five minutes!

· I don’t suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it.

· Some people are alive only because it’s illegal to kill them.

· I used to have a handle on life, but it broke.

· Don’t take life too seriously; No one gets out alive.

· You’re just jealous because the voices only talk to me.

· Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.

· Earth is the insane asylum for the universe.

· I’m not a complete idiot -- Some parts are just missing.

· Out of my mind. Back in five minutes.

· NyQuil, the stuffy, sneezy, why-the-heck-is-the-room-spinning medicine.

· God must love stupid people; He made so many.

· The gene pool could use a little chlorine.

· Consciousness: That annoying time between naps.

· Ever stop to think, and forget to start again?

· Being ‘over the hill’ is much better than being under it!

· Wrinkled was not one of the things I wanted to be when I grew up.

· Procrastinate Now!

· I have a degree in Liberal Arts; Do you want fries with that?

· A hangover is the wrath of grapes.

· A journey of a thousand miles begins with a cash advance.

· Stupidity is not a handicap. Park elsewhere!

· They call it PMS because Mad Cow Disease was already taken.

· He who dies with the most toys is nonetheless DEAD.

· A picture is worth a thousand words, but it uses up three thousand times the memory.

· Ham and eggs....A day’s work for a chicken, a lifetime commitment for a pig.

· The trouble with life is there’s no background music.

· The original point and click interface was a Smith & Wesson.

· I smile because I don’t know what the hell is going on.

Appreciate every single thing you have. Life is too short and friends are too few!

A Wish for a Happy New Year to My Family and Friends!

In the coming New Year 2010, may you

always remember...

When life hands you Lemons,

ask for Tequila and Salt and call me over!

Good friends are like stars..........

You don't always see them,

But you know they are always there.

"Whenever God Closes One Door He Always Opens Another,

...even though

Sometimes it's Hell in the Hallway"!