Long Couple of Weeks

Got call at 7am Monday Nov. 23rd from my brother Charlie, Mom and wife Pat all within 10 mins that Dad had just passed away. I was 30 minutes from my delivery in Laredo. Had to get with terminal to get routed to the house which is not easy. They won't just deadhead you 400 miles to the house for anything, life of a trucker. Had to pick up a load Monday afternoon and take all the way to Dallas to drop it on the yard there for someone else to deliver. I left Laredo and made it to San Antonio Monday night and was out of hours. I left there at 4:30am Tuesday and drove straight through to Dallas and dropped the load at 9am. Picked up an empty trailer and made the 3 hour drive home. I got home at 1pm Tuesday.

We loaded up the pickup and I showered and hit the road at 3pm. Went to town to pickup a prescription for Pat and headed out to Athens, TN for the funeral. They got it set for 8pm Wednesday night so I would have time to get there and the grave side ceremony on Thursday morning, Thanksgiving Day. I drove straight through getting to Athens around 7am Wednesday. Eastanalle Baptist Church fixed lunch for the family at 1pm. We had private viewing around 3pm. The visitation that night at 6pm to 8pm with the services afterwards. I got to bed at 10:30pm after having been up 42 hours. Slept pretty good. I remember having the cell phone in my hand setting the alarm so I could get up early and found it laying under me the next morning. We had the graveside that morning at 10am and then lunch at Calhoun's Methodist Church at noon.

We left Friday afternoon headed home. Got to Meridian, MS spending the night there. Got home Saturday at 3pm or so. Crashed pretty soon afterward.

Spent the rest of the week trying to finish the living room to the point I could at least get it painted. Did that and got some trim up. Next time in need to get the flooring down, finish the trim and work on taxes. Yep that time again. Since I only get 4 days a month at home I have to get early start.

Went to Houston on Saturday the 5th to eat lunch with grand kids. Then back home and watched Alabama get by Florida. Hated that. Don't like either but like Alabama less. Then the Texas/Nebraska game. That was a good one and what a defensive battle. See if Texas can pull off an upset of Alabama next.

Left home on Sunday Dec. 6th, my birthday, picking up a load in Kilgore going to Lexington, KY. Load of aluminum jar lids going to Smuckers. Then a load Monday night out of just south of Lexington going up to Terre Haute, IN which I delivered at 9am this morning. Only had 2 pallets to deliver to Kelloggs there.

Then they gave me a load from Terre Haute going to Omaha, NE. Bummer because a blizzard coming through there. I got up just west of Davenport, IA and the roads were ice and snow covered and night time, and temperature dropped to 30 degrees and I parked it. Still have 300 miles to go and it won't be fun tomorrow. Will still be snowing and wind gusts up to 45 mph which means blowing snow. Temperature will be down in the teens too. Probably 8 to 10 hours to get over there if can get there at all. We will see tomorrow.