September 26 – October 1, 2021

Sunday, September 26, 2021

It was great to be in church today! I love the atmosphere, the anointing, the presence of the Lord, the music, and hearing everyone praising the Lord and Worshipping out loud. And, of course,, I love the messages! I get more than my share of the swearing, dirty jokes, and worldly mindset all week! All of them nice guys and gals, but it gets heavy after a while. It is just so uplifting to be in a worship atmosphere! Woohoo! I love it!

I always try to be at least 20 minutes early to any church I visit, so I can meet people before it starts. I also sit as far to the front as I can, because that tends to be where the most alive people sit! LOL

Today, a man and his family sat down next to me. He introduced himself, and asked if I was new. His name is Steve, and he was very interested in what I do, and how the Lord called me into it. So he asked me a lot of questions before the worship started.

This Pastor is great at giving illustrations. Today, he was discussing the fact that we have a new mind in Christ Jesus, and the old way of thinking has passed away. “Oh, yea?” He says, “Then why do I still think in the old carnal way sometimes?” My Dad used to call it “Stinkin’ thinkin'”! LOL

So he rolls out an old TV with rabbit ears, and explains how that worked for years as an analog TV. It ran pretty well on an analog signal. Then came digital TVs that ran on digital cable signals. In order for the analog TV to run on a digital signal, they gave you a converter box. Remember those? Your analog TV could still run on either as long as the box was connected for digital. Well, then everything changed a few years back, and all signals became digital only. Because of that, you either had to go out and buy a new TV, or permanently attach a box to your analpg one for all channels.  He equated that to our conversion to the New Mind in Christ Jesus. God gave us a “box” that converts us to the new mind (digital signal). HOWEVER, if the enemy, or our carnal mind pulls out an old VHS tape, plugs it in, and starts playing that analog tape, we can still live in the old mind sometimes (stinkin’ thinkin’!) WE HAVE THE POWER TO DECIDE if we will play that analog signal or not!  Pretty simple, right? I really like the down to earth illustrations.

After the service, Steve began to ask more questions, and wanted a tour of my van, too! I left and went grocery shopping. When I returned, Steve called and asked if I would like to join his family for a pork chop BBQ supper. He assured me it would be Keto friendly, as his wife has been on that diet for several years now.  SURE! I had a wonderful evening!

He and his wife have 11 children, ranging from 12 to 30 years old. Several are married and live in other states, but they are all serving the Lord. I think 5 live at home, and were there for supper. They have their own family ministry, and for the last 7 years have gotten more and more involved with the Operation Christmas Child run by Samaritan’ Purse! Their first year, they made up 37 boxes, and 100 the second. Now it is a year-long project they work together on, and are on track to make 3,000 boxes this year!! Just their family. For instance, the 15 year old daughter takes donations all year of old tee shirts and sheets. She has crates and crates full of them. She spends all her available time cutting them all into strips, and weaving them together into jump ropes, and has made 2,600 so far this year. She will easily meet her goal of 3,000 so every box will have one! Two of the older ones have jobs, and donate all their income after expenses to the project. The mother works full time on it all year, and when she finds greatly reduced pricing on something, she sends out a group text to all 11, and between them all, enough is deposited electronically into the account so she can buy it. This year a local store donated 3,000 little trucks and cars for their goal. They said they will be praying for the Lord to open the door there at Samaritan’s Pirse for me, it that is His will for my next step. How cool is THAT! What a wonderful day! We will meet again for sure!

Monday, September 27, 2021

Today was a day to catch up. I did some meal prep for the road, like cutting up the rotisserie chicken I bought yesterday into meals, and diced up the onions and peppers. I caught up on recording invoices, receipts, and downloaded dash cam footage for the blog. I edited it, caught up on the blogs, uploaded pics and video to the blog. I took some shots for the trucking company of their yard for organizational purposes,

then put all my recent shots of their trucks onto their server to be used in advertising and promotional literature. Then, when everyone had left, I used their wash bay to wash my van, knowing I wouldn’t be in anyone’s way. I reconciled some bank statements, after supper, and went to bed. The weather has been very nice! Low 70’s during the day, and low 50’s at night. Once the daytime temps drop a little, it will be perfect to me!

Tuesday, September 28, 2021

I slept in! After I made brunch and caught up on some bank statements, I got a call from the office. Could I run and do a site survey in Minneapolis this afternoon, and then High Pole the load in tomorrow? Sure!

A generator was loaded yesterday in Wisconsin, but they can not take it into the city until dark. The permit states that it must be brought in only between 10PM and 5AM. So they will bring it in to the yard today, and park. We will leave tomorrow at 3 AM to take it in and park at the site before 5 AM.

I drove the route in to the city, and arrived at the site and parked beside the job trailer before 4 PM.

I met with the job supervisor, and walked the site to the concrete pad where the new generator will sit.

This is a new bus garage for the city, and this will be a back up generator in case the power fails. My job is to make sure there will be no surprises when the truck gets there. I need to be sure he can get in, under the crane, out, shrunk up, and off the site with no issues. This is a shorter rig (7 axles, instead of 13) and only 14′ wide instead of our usual 15-16′ because it is a smaller generator.

Then I walked across the street and met with the Fire Captain. We decided that the best place for us to park the truck and trailer from when we arrive (before 5 AM) to when the crane is ready for us to pull in (which could be 8 or 9 AM since the crane is not even arriving until morning) was right there along that curb, across from the fire starion, where that white shuttle van is in the picture below.

Then I called in to the owner, and gave him my report. We should be fine. My intension was to get back, have supper, and go to bed by 5 PM, because I will get up at 1:30 tomorrow morning so I can meet at the truck by 2:30 and leave at 3:00. But I got caught in rush hour traffic, waited for a very long train, and had to top off my fuel. I made supper, and was in bed just after 7 PM.

Wednesday, September 29,2021

I was up, and drove around ro the opposite side of the building where the truck was, just before 2:30. The steerman and driver were already there. Because I knew it would be so dark, I had set up my High Poles, signs, and flags last night, so I was also ready. We decided to leave early. It was 2:45 AM when we pulled out. Traffic was light, so we were there, 57 miles away, by 4:15, and parked as planned, across from the fire station.

I had agreed to stay there with them, and help with traffic as they backed the truck into the site and under the crane, but the crane didn’t even arrive on site until 8 AM!! I called Eddie, who I was scheduled to leave the shop with as steerman, and he said he was running behind, so would call me an hour or so before he needed me. So I stayed with them, and made both the driver and the steerman an egg, cheese, onion, pepper, and smoked turkey wrap for breakfast, right there beside the truck

Eddie called at 9:30, and the crane still was not set up, so we knew the guys would have to be on their own. They thanked me for breakfast, and I left. Because of construction, I was delayed, but we were ready to pull out by 11AM.

We drove the 300+ miles into Fall River WI, and made it there by 6:30 PM. We began to stretch the trailer out to 15’6″ when a hydraulic line blew, shooting hot hydraulic fluid 4′ in the air, and giving Eddie a shower! Yuk! It was dark by the time we figured out a way to rob a line from somewhere else on the trailer, and get things to work, but that caused another leak, so we shut down, and will have to finish in the morning.

Eddie had planned to stay at the truck stop in his truck, but changed and booked hotel so he could get cleaned up better. We got him unhooked, and bother drove off at about 8:40 PM. I bought my favorite hamburger at my favorite burger place (Culver’s) and drove to the campground. I backed in to my site, next to a family of 3 enjoying a campfire. It was very quiet, and I felt badly becoming the center of attention. but I ate my supper, and went right to bed by 10PM. I set the alarm for 4 AM.

Thursday, September 30, 2021

I felt bad, but was extremely quiet as I gently snapped my doors open and shut while unplugging and getting ready to leave. Once I knew I was ready, I turned the van on, and drove right out at 4:40 AM. I was at the truck before 5, and Eddie wasn’t there, so a layed down on my couch to wait for him. Suddenly, I heard the pony motor start up, so I popped up, and there was Eddie! I looked at my watch, and it was almost 8 AM! LOL He knew I’d had a long day yesterday so had snuck out and fixed the line without me!! So I went out, and helped him finish expanding the trailer, and we backed in to load by 9:30.

The next truck arrived at 10, and those two guys helped us.

We pulled out, fully loaded, felt covered, tarps on, 500 bungees on, and chained down at noon. I was exhausted, so as the second truck backed in, I made a quick roll-up sandwich,

and then went in to help. The third truck rolled up within an hour, so those two guys joined in the help load. As a result, we got him out, fully loaded by 3 PM.

The third one backed in, and we got him loaded, and he pulled out just before 6PM.

I was now triple exhausted, and felt so dirty after crawling on the ground to reach under three trucks and hook up bungees, and dealing with those dirty tarps, so I stopped at the truck stop, and took a shower, and topped off my tank before driving to the campground. BUT, because we loaded all three trucks today, we have tomorrow completely off. The permit called for us to do a huge 3 hour detour around a construction site. If we wait and leave Saturday, the site will be cleaned up, and we can avoid the detour. So that is what we are going to do!

I fried some pulled pork with onions and peppers, and added green beans. Boy, was that good!

I was in bed by 9:30.

Friday, October 1, 2021

I slept in again! 12 hours of sleep before I woke up at 9:30! I needed it!

First, I made up my invoice for yesterday’s morning job to the bus garage, because I already had an email asking for it as soon as possible. These drivers get paid a percentage of what the load makes. They don’t know what the load has made until all expenses of that load are paid. That includes my bill – and this is Friday, So I know they wanted to include this job on that driver’s pay today.

Then I had a good talk with Annalou. She is up in Massachusetts for the Pilgrim weekend celebration. I had wanted to get there, but have already taken so much time off this year, I did not request to get off again. However, my grandson Seth will cover for me on helping to film the production! He has his Aviation license, has been certified by the town, and is now insured. This will be his first time in a professional production, and I am so very proud of him!!

I made brunch again, and since my neighbors left for a bit, I took a few shots of my campsite.

I took my chair down to the shade with a nice breeze, and spent the afternoon writing this blog. Yes, these blogs are extremely time consuming. In fact, if you are still reading them, and enjoy them, please make a comment, or send me an email. I enjoy writing them, but each one takes several hours to write, and hours to edit video, and well over an hour just to upload it all to the web site and insert in. So I’m happy to do them, but if only one or two are reading them, perhaps I will re-evaluate it.

At one point, the family next door all went out on their kiaks and surf boards together.

When I was caught up, I came inside for one of my favorite snacks. Peanut butter and green olives! I’ve talked about that before, and wonder if any of you have actually tried it. I have loved it for as long as I can remember!

For supper, I fried up some more pulled pork, crunchy like bacon bits, and made a Pulled Pork Double Cheese Pizza! It was very good!

I finished this blog after supper,, and went to bed by 8. I’ll be up at 4:30 so I can shower and be at the truck just before 6. Sunrise is at 7, and we can roll a half hour before that. We will leave for Los Lunas, just south of Albuquerque New Mexico again!