Modern Technology

Yellville, AR. 38 degrees and sunny

As I write this I am relegated to using Cactus Jack's laptop. Mine is fried!

Four days ago I signed on as usual and there was an update for Flash player and several Windows updates so I put them in one at a time. At that point my time was short because I had appointments so I shut my laptop down and went about my business. That evening I turned it on and it was doing all sorts of weird things. After about 10 minutes it said it could not start up. I repeated this procedure about 10 times, each time getting madder and madder. The next day I did the same thing. It made me think of "doing the same thing over and over expecting different results"!

After 2 days I decided to take the common sense suggestion from C.J. to take it to the computer man in town. He had it for 1 day and since we had to go get hay yesterday we stopped in to check if he had looked at it. The bad news was my hard drive is fried. I wanted to cry.

The computer guy said I could just buy a new one (since this *is* 4 years old) or for 150.00 he would put in a new hard drive and I would have a new *old* computer. So........logic says ditch it and buy a new one except for 1 minor detail. On my computer is just about every picture I have taken in the past 4 years plus the ones I have scanned in. Besides that, I have a lot of documents and forms that we use for trucking that I periodically have to print out. The key here is that C.J. has been telling me to back up all this stuff for years now and I have just blown it off. NOW I have to listen to the "I told you so". Oh well, I would do no less to him.

The computer guy said there was a very slim to none chance he might be able to recover my files, he said sometimes it happens. So......I decided for 150.00 I'll try it in hopes that this incident falls under the heading of "God protects babies and STUPID PEOPLE". The best that can happen is I have a new hard drive AND my files, the worst is that I have a new hard drive and a new empty palette to start anew. If the latter is the case, I will give the new, old laptop to our grandson and order new a brand spanking new one...bigger, faster, better!

Lesson learned......Back up your shit so your ready when *Shit Happens!*

Happy Trails

A Day in My Life

You have to be ready for anything!

Before I begin, I have to set the scene so you can get a good understanding of the emotional trauma I went through a few days ago.

Our truck is a 2007 Freightliner Columbia hi-rise. We have had it since new and have outfitted it to fit our life on the road. Inside you will find a large sleeper area. We have 2 bunk size, stacked beds and plenty of head room to stand up and step around. We have 2 ceiling to floor wall mounted cabinets with shelves for clothes, food and anything we may need to store. One unit is split with a space in the middle so we can set our microwave on it. Inside that cabinet underneath is a real refrigerator with a small freezer so we can have drinks or food that needs to be cold.

Other things we have that are a life line for truckers are, C.B., trucker's map, truck stop book, an air suspension gauge (tells weight on drive tires for load balancing) privacy curtains that wrap around the front and side windows so no one can see inside you truck while you are stopped and most importantly our truck is totally automatic so there is no stick shift sticking out of the floor. It is the ultimate in modern comfort and convenience. Now the story..............

The transport truck.........One 2008 Freighliner Columbia mid-roof 70 inch sleeper economy version (means stripped down)

Last week our safety dept. asked Jack and I if we could transport a truck from our Springfield, Mo. terminal to our Springfield, Oh. terminal. Thinking this would be no issue since we are both seasoned drivers, we told them it would be no problem. They in turn said they would get us loads going the same way so we could travel together and I would not need to haul bedding and a set of clothes etc. into the extra truck. To skip all the minor details, as most things go, it did not work out that way.

I got into the transport truck to get ready to leave just to discover there on the floor was a dreaded *stick shift*. Let's see.....it's only been about 5 years since I drove one ,so I figured I'd only have to grind the gears about half a day to get refreshed. Then, I had to get 1 set of clothes as it was only a 2 day trip. OH WAIT......no storage, no cabinets....well where in the #%* do I hang my clothes? Must be from that tiny hook mounted on the ceiling in the corner of the sleeper. I threw 1 pillow and a blanket in for sleeping as of course the issue of traveling with Jack fell through due to the fact that my load had to leave now and his was not on the yard yet. So with a peck goodbye from Jack I shoved that truck into gear and off I went. Shift, grind, shift, shift, grind, oh whatever.................. Once rolling, things went along well. 10 minutes into the trip Jack called to see how it was going and to see if I was OK..........WHATEVER! He called several hours later to say he was 3 hrs behind me. OK, that's good but I can't stop as I have to get to the truck stop near my delivery so I can get my break.

I get to the truck stop and get parked. This truck is not equipped with an APU so I had to let it idle so I would have heat. I am tying up my logs when all of a sudden my truck shuts down after 5 minutes. *OH NO YOU DIDN'T JUST SHUT DOWN!!!" Before our company went all owner operator they took all the company trucks and set them to idle only 5 minutes and then shut down because some of the drivers refused to use the APU and were wasting fuel. ONE THING HERE...this truck didn't have an APU and it was 16 degrees outside. Now what? I remembered a few of the trucks were set to shut down but you could override it by starting the truck and setting the idle up......I tried it, it worked. Now I am just plain tired and my arm hurt from shifting so I just need to get into my sleep shirt and go to bed. I get up to close the privacy curtains and realize...NO PRIVACY CURTAINS...screammmmmmmmmmmmmmm! I have the lights off but there no sleeper area to stand in. I have to stand in the front between the seats to change clothes and all the truck stop bright lights are reflecting inside. At this point I just threw up my arms removed my shoes and fell into bed with my clothes on and fell asleep from sheer exhaustion.

At 04:00 the alarm goes off, I put my shoes on and head to my receiver 10 miles down the road. All goes well there. Thank you Lord! It is still early and I do not have another load yet so I head back to the truck stop and catchup on a bit more sleep.

At 08:00 my qualcom beeps with a new load. I go to grab for my map and realize there is no map and I have no load locks which is required for the next load. Just then Jack calls to see how my delivery went. I tell him what's up and he says he is just west of the Indianapolis circle, I am just south of it. We agree to meet just north of the circle at a Pilot truck stop. We visit for 5 minutes, he gives me 2 of the load locks off our truck, I go in and buy a map book and off we both go. He will deliver his load and then head to Springfield, Ohio and I will pick up a load and take it to that terminal to drop and to leave the transport truck there and then Jack and I can depart on our truck.

I get to the terminal at 18:00 and he arrives at 22:30. We load all my things back into our truck. We chat for about an hour. I get a cold drink from our fridge. I make a hot dog in the microwave. Jack closes our privacy curtains. I stand and stretch in our roomy truck. I fall into my familiar bed. Jack leans over from the top bunk and says " Glad to be home?" I didn't hear......I was already out.

In our job we have to be ready for anything. Most days are good but every once in awhile you need to put on the hat, strap on the guns, throw the extra ammo over the shoulder and stand ready!

It's an exhausting job but someone has to do it.

Happy Trails!

Does a chicken know it's dead if its head is missing?

I have been thinking lately about getting chickens. They are great for eggs and meat and do a great job of ridding the yard of ticks and chiggers. Thinking of this reminded me of an earlier time in my life.

I was about 6 years old. My folks rented a farm from the farmer down the road. Dad was a truck driver and mom stayed home with us kids. The closest thing to work she did was help the farmer sometimes by driving the tractor. We lived in a big old two story farm house. We had no indoor plumbing. Just a hand pump at the kitchen sink. We heated water in a galvanized bucket on the wood stove. We bathed in a large round tub in the kitchen by the stove. No indoor toilet either. We had an outhouse. However, at some point we must have came into some money because we got a chemical toilet for in the house. We were uptown now! We only used the downstairs as there was no heat upstairs and it stayed locked during the winter. In the summer we played up there and when chicken time came my folks put an incubator up there and hatched baby chicks. They were so cute and yellow and fuzzy. When they were old enough they went out to the coop. We also raised rabbits for meat. (Yuck) Now comes the day when other things happen besides collecting the eggs.

My parent had these close friends. We called them Aunt Fran and Uncle Everett. They came over one day for dinner. What I didn't know was that the murdering was about to begin. That day I got my first lesson on how to kill chickens. You can imagine to a 6 year old this might be quite unnerving. Dad and uncle Everett were really into this killing thing as they each had their own style. They went behind the coop but I could still see them. Daddy just grabbed the neck and pulled their head off...OH HOW AWFUL! Uncle Everett however, had a bit more style. He'd just hold them by their head and swing them round and round till their head came off. YIKES, OH NO! I had seen enough and headed back around the corner to my mom and aunt Fran. Meanwhile, there was killing going on there too but at least the two ladies did it with a bit more class. They had a stump with 2 nails in the top. They put the chickens head between the nails, rested their foot lightly on the head so the chicken could not pull away and WAM! Down came the axe. Much more humane. Then they would just throw the chicken down and go on to the next.

Now comes the question...does a chicken know it's dead if it's head is missing? It was at one of those times that I was walking by and WAM, down came the axe, the chicken was tossed and as it hit the ground it popped up and started running...yes....I said running, straight toward me. I started screaming and about that time the chicken ran right between my legs, blood squirting up out of it's neck and right up the front and back of my nice white 1 piece jumper shorts. It's a wonder I wasn't traumatized for life. Now it is just plain funny.

So, as I ponder on whether to get chickens and can I kill them for food, I keep wondering if that crazed chicken will make a reappearance.

OH.....and the question? Well, after all these years I'm still not sure.

Happy Trails!

A Man of Many Faces

(Dunkirk, NY Temp. 28 degrees Snow on ground but roads are clear)

We have this friend. I'll call him Mark the Mischievous. He and his wonderful wife Vivi are the salt of the earth. They have been our dear friends for many years now. He, like us is a seasoned truck driver. He travels alone. We have yet to convince him to get a pet on the truck to help break up the boredom. As a result of this, he has to resort to all sorts of things to pass the time. He is by far one of the best pranksters we have met. I think he spends all of his time thinking of pranks to pull on his friends. Some are quite outrageous.

Example; He once called Vivi and told her very seriously that all his toe nails fell off. Now Vivi, bless her heart, is an easy mark and she immediately became alarmed and wanted to know why this happened, told him he must get to a doctor etc. He let this poor woman think he was serious for some time. Finally, he told her the truth and she was so furious with him she didn't speak to him for 3 days. He'd call home and the phone would just ring but no one would answer. Do you think he would learn? Oh no! One never knows what to expect from him. I tell you this because this week he was up to something again.

CJ and I were driving along when his phone bings letting us know there is a text msg. CJ opens it, looks at it and it is a picture of someone we do not recognize. CJ looks at me and says "who is that?" I say " it was sent to you, how should I know." (Here's your sign!) Upon further inspection we see it came from MM. Low and behold he decided to grow a beard. EGAD!! Last time it was a mustache. CJ likes it. Me...I'm on the fence yet. But it was funny! Everyday is a circus with Mark the Mischievous. He has a great time with CJ because he too is an easy mark. MM gets over on him almost every time. Me...not so much. You know the old saying, "You can't bullshit a bullshitter."

Thank you MM for being our friend and for bringing laughter to our life. (We love you too Vivi!)

Happy Trails

Quote

I just seen the cutest quote: Thank you Imogen..and you don't even drive a *big* truck.

It's not far to everywhere,
You just take a shortcut and your there!

The Beginning

(Binghamton, NY Temp 21 degrees Snow flurries)

I was prompted to write this blog after discussing with Cactus Jack, my wonderful other half, the great humor we have in our life with our animals. One thing lead to another and we realized how much we could share on all levels of life so here I am.

A bit of history to start would be in order. Jack and I are both truckers. We met in 1994 working for the same company and a year later we decided to see where life took us. Here we are 16 years later. Over those years we have teamed, gone solo with our own trucks and now we have come full circle and are a team again. I however, am semi-retired. I now go out on the truck about every other month or every two months and run with Jack for about two months. Life is good now. We finally have time to enjoy our beautiful home here in north central Arkansas, right in the middle of the Ozark Mountains.

We have a live-in care taker whom I will call *Chuckie Chopper.* We call him that because wood is his passion. At any given time you can find him chopping, cutting, or working with wood. He takes care of our place and all our critters while CJ and I are on the road. When I am home he takes care of all the maintanance and hard jobs. The really great part of this is that CC is a retired truck driver. Therefore, when Jack and I want time off together *old Chopper* lays down his hammer and saw, hops into our truck and runs it for a few weeks so we can relax at home and the truck is still producing. How great is that?

Happy Trails