A Little Progress

Last week was really interesting. I found out my Fit for Duty report had a typographical error in my favor. Sounds like the making of a lawsuit doesn't it. My Union's Airline Rep received an amended report and sent a copy to SWA. I heard Friday afternoon it will be Tuesday before we get a reply. I got an offer from the corporate jet company 10 minutes from my house. Just two days after I dropped off a resume, the Director of Maintenance called to set up an interview. He gave me until last Friday to decide if I wanted a position as a Lead Mechanic. I decided to decline the offer and told him all about SWA when I talked to him on Friday. He told me Lead Mechanics don't grown on trees and to call him if my situation with SWA changes. So I have an "out" if SWA continues to treat me wrong. He was inquiring about how much money I spent driving to and from work. I told him I around $400 a month and made a comment about diesel fuel prices. He then said if I came to work there, I could become a dog. I asked.....DOG? He told me it stands for Diesel Owners Group. The company has unlimited fuel that is sumped out of the jets and can not be reused. The employees with diesel vehicles use it. So he takes what he needs and adds additives. He hasn't bought diesel in four years. Just another fringe benefit!

Yesterday afternoon I decided to burn the large pile of stumps I had accumulated. While the fire was getting going, I gave the 6520 her needed grease job. While greasing the hydraulic pump pulley, I noticed the fan belt was a little loose. I drug out my metric tools and in a few minutes had it adjusted. Booger came up and wanted some attention, so I tried to get him to pose for a few photos. Luke came out to snap a few pictures and then he was gone. Luke gives me a hand when I need him, but usually he is inside doing his gaming thing. He is going to be a computer game programmer, so I don't hassle him about not helping me more. The fire had burned down enough to work it a little, so I deployed the backhoe's thumb to carefully position and drop the stumps and logs in the flame. This is dirty stinky work, as the backhoe bucket and thumb still picks up ash and dirt, which envelopes me and the Mahindra with a change of wind. But I still have to pick up the small roots and unburnt wood by hand to feed the fire in between pushing the pile smaller with the loader bucket. I worked the burn pile until dusk. I did manage to get a few photos of the of the burn pile, Booger, and the Big Red Beast. Check out the photos I uploaded. Anyway, the fire was glowing well by dusk and gave off an eerie Halloween glow.



Right after the photo session at dusk, I gave the Big Red Beast her needed rinse off. After the rinse off I swapped out the 6520's valve stem caps. My Mahindra salesman and friend at Top Flight Equipment, gave them to me. They were pink, so guess he could not sale them. I painted them Mahindra Red. Just another way to accessorize the Big Red Beast.

Tuesday evening Dad called and told me he was taking Mom to the Emergency Room because she was dizzy. Bless her heart, I knew it was nothing. I told Dad to call from the ER. He forgot to do that. Around 11:00 I called to see if they were still there. They were. I drove down to find Mom getting a EKG and Dad just sitting and waiting. Mom was ready to leave and go to Jack in the Box! The doctor didn't find anything wrong. My Grandma would do the same thing. She could worry herself sick. I waited around to make sure Dad drove home okay. Imagine my surprise when he drove better at 1:30 in the morning then during the day!

Rebecca sent me 4 different Graduation photo poses and asked which I thought best. We went through this two weeks ago, but none turned out to her liking. She called the other night asking how to clean the windshield on her truck above the windshield wipers. She stated the car wash doesn't do that area well. I laughed and told her to find a drive through car wash that has a courtesy brush and bucket of soapy water and explained what all to scrub. She then commented she is too short. I then said to take the truck to a full service wash. I hung up upon hearing her favorite saying...........I'm gonna charge it. Stop back later to hear more about Me, Booger, and the Big Red Beast.

hugs, Brandi

Paying Full Price

Okay, my root canal is almost history. Tomorrow I get a permanent plug installed in the hole in my crown. The root canal was painless. I wish he did my dental work instead of my dentist. I almost went to sleep. Since I had two crowns already this year, my insurance only paid 1/2 the price of the root canal. Now tomorrow, I pay full price to get the plug. I am glad the next crown can wait to January.

I got the permanent filling for the root canal this morning. $118 dollars for 9 minutes work! I got a call from my union representative last night asking me why I did not bid in the annual bid for crews and days off in 2008. I got the dates mixed up and thought it was in two weeks. Now, instead of working in the hangar on semi clean aircraft with weekends off, I will get to work on the planes that sit all night at the terminal gates out in the weather. I'm too old for that. Oh yeah, my days off will be in the middle of the week. But that could all change between now and then and I can get awarded another bid that will get me back in the hangar on another crew or even on my old crew. I can pray for it anyway! On the bright side, it will open the door up to unlimited overtime. If I want it.

I forgot about the annual bid because I was worried about taking a 2nd Fit for Duty test, as I was told Tuesday morning I did not score well enough on the first one. Southwest Airlines says I didn't score well enough on the first one. If I don't do better on this test, I will have to take a transfer to another department and not be a mechanic. Most likely with a huge cut in pay. I have been an aircraft mechanic for 29 years. I don't know if I would like a transfer out of maintenance. My daughter, Rebecca, says take my retirement money and run. So I tested the job market waters by dropping my resume off at a company just 10 minutes from work. Just 18 hours after dropping off the resume, I got a call for an interview. I am not sure which direction to go. So I have to keep an open mind.



I did get out yesterday afternoon for a couple of hours and get some seat time on my Big Red Beast, the 6520. I had some stacked, unsplit firewood that rotted. So I finally decided to get rid of the bad wood and dumped it on my burn pile. I wanted to do more work out there, but the ground is still too wet from the other day's rain. Stop back later to see what is going on with Brandi, Booger, and the Big Red Beast. Also, check out the pics I've put up. And please, don't mention the Arizona Diamondbacks to me. Sadness prevails.

hugs, Brandi

Fall, Playoffs, and Toothaches

Okay, I am still waiting to hear from my manager about when I can return to work. More time off, but with more stress. Last week I acquired a toothache and thought it was an already filled tooth that was waiting for a crown. It got to hurting so much I could touch it and it would hurt. That is when I got a flashlight and looked. It wasn't the tooth with the filling, but the crown beside it. My dentist stated I needed a root canal. Great, here I am waiting to return to work and now this. What will go wrong next? I get to wait the long Columbus Day weekend before I can get the root canal. Talk about a long wait.

I should say what will happen next. Not what will go wrong next. We finally got rain, over 2 & 1/2 inches of it the other day. My Bermuda grass seed was just poking out of the soil when it hit. I have no idea how much got washed away. However, the drainage in that area worked great. I only had a few standing puddles after the rain stopped. Also, I was able to get out there after the rain stopped and see exactly how much water was flowing through the area. That will help a lot when I select the final site for the pond. Booger was there with me and he was excited about playing in the water. It has been so dry here I was almost to the point of giving him a bath! I didn't get a chance to disc the Bermuda grass seed under. I had spread it out over freshly graded and leveled ground, so I was hoping it would germinate from the surface, which it did. I have access to a disc, but didn't feel like driving about 40 miles with my toothache only to return it that same 40 miles the next day. I did try to make a drag out of the roll of concrete reinforcing wire that will be used in the barn center floor, chained to my Mahindra's loader bucket. It didn't work as I envisioned and I just let the seed grow as it laid.

Now that fall is creeping our way, the deer have been out at night eating the corn I put out. With the Harvest moon they came out every morning around 1 A.M. I know the time because Booger loves to just stay on the porch and bark into the darkness until I open the door and give him a "Scooby snack". My squirrel and bird feeder is falling apart, so it is time to build another one. My Flickers have not been seen. I first mistook these Flickers as Woodpeckers. My friend, Sara, straightened me out on this. Some Flickers fly south for the winter. So I need to find out what type of Flickers are coming up to my bird feeder. Getting a good photo of a Flicker has been fleeting. I have one, but is fuzzy as it was through the kitchen window and screen.
Wow, I had my root canal this morning. I am feeling a lot better and ready to get back outside and work! My Endodontist, Dr. Brad Mize, performed the rootcanal with less trauma then my dentist does just filling a cavity. He is awesome. So tomorrow is a new day with a temporary plug in my crown! Now I'm counting down 10 days to a permanent plug.
With me being off work and having a toothache, I did get to watch the Cubs make the playoffs. The Houston Astros didn't go anywhere this year, so I could root for the Chicago Cubs. I couldn't believe the Cubs lost three straight games to the Diamondbacks. That was sad, as next to the Astros, the Cubs are my favorite team. I don't watch much baseball throughout the season, but love to watch the playoffs and the World Series. So the Cubs are out. Who to root for now? The Diamondbacks? The Rockies? Stop back soon, and check out the pics I've put up.

hugs, Brandi

What Will Happen Next

Well, I am glad that I didn't buy a new truck. They wouldn't give me what I wanted for my 2002 Ram 2500 diesel. They offered me about $4000 less than what I owed. So, I took this as a sign to keep what I had. It is amazing how nice the sales people can be until you say their offer is too low. So they go back and huddle again and raise their offer $200 dollars. They knew how much I owed. It just baffles me how they attempt to make you feel great, while seeing how much you want a new vehicle. I mean, how dumb do I look? Okay, I am a blonde. I will give them that. But at least I know a bad deal when I see one. I leave while I keep telling them I will be back next year.

I went back for the final time to the company doctor. I told him that the orthopedic surgeon gave me the green light to return to work. So now I have both doctors saying I can return to work. But my manager tells me over the phone I will need to take a Fit for Duty test before returning to work. Now I am concerned. He said, don't worry, We'll pay you. So I am still off and tomorrow morning is the test. I am confident I will pass the test, but what will happen next?

The test was a lot easier than I thought. I was told I did better than average on all aspects of the test. But my blood pressure was higher than normal. Stress will do that. Yeah, I'm stressed out over not being back at work! My manager will let me know more tomorrow. Hopefully I will be back to work next week. The doctor even mistook me for a Flight Attendant. He asked how my injury happened and I told him I hit my knee on a seat armrest. He countered with........"What, you had a unruly passenger?" That is when I explained I am a mechanic and we were at the hangar with no passengers on board. Wow, and I was worried?

My parents can stress me out also. I walked into their kitchen the other day and caught Dad writing checks. The bank sent them to his address and not mine. I finally convinced him to give me all the checks. Not only do I need to watch them close, but I need to watch the bank close also. For some reason, the address for the statements keeps changing also. I have never known the officers of my bank. But I know the officers in Dad's bank on a first name basis. Dad and I will be heading to Lowe's Home Center tomorrow. We will be buying him and Mom a new backdoor and frame. I have talked to my neighbor about trading his remodeling skills for my 6520 and my developing tractor skills. He needs land cleared for a pad to build his remodeling warehouse and work shop. Mom and Dad have a hand full of projects that I will gladly trade tractor seat time for a rfixed up house. Otherwise, I would be hammering on their house instead of burning diesel in my Mahindra. I will take the Mahindra over a hammer any day.

I did get the windshield question answered on Rebecca's truck. We will have to bring the truck back here for the new windshield. I called Rebecca and asked when she will be back in town. She says for Thanksgiving. I guess it is just as well to wait a while. She will probably get the new windshield chipped right after the replacement. That's how it works, right? While I was at the Dodge dealer, I picked up a new fuel filter for my truck. I know the filter replacement well enough now that the truck doesn't even miss when I crank it up for a leak check. Not only that, but I don't even spill any diesel. That's the big thing these days. I don't need to be reported to the EPA.

I did find out that my ML275 loader can lift so much weight, it will cause the Ag tires on front of my 6520 to go flat. Now I learn the Industrial tread tire will support all the weight I will ever lift, but the Ag tires are under rated for the weight my Mahindra can lift. But my Ag tires give me more ground clearance. I heard having liquid filled tires would support the weight better. So I bought an air/water adapter to fill the front tires with liquid, but that extra weight just in the front tires will put my trailer over gross weight. So now I guess I need a "new" bigger trailer to go with that Ram 3500 I need. Oh well, a girl can dream! Y'all stop back later to see if I am back to work.

hugs, Brandi

Change of Routine

Maybe this time next week my routine will be back to normal. I hurt my knee at work and have been off for a few weeks. This is bad in itself, but I work nights and having to go to physical therapy three days a week and the doctor once a week, I have not had the best of sleep. I have been getting up when normally I would be going to bed. Today, I was cleared by the Orthopedic surgeon to go back to work. So now I wait to get released for work by the company doctor. Which will be good, as I have been restricted from climbing ladders or kneeing. So the barn siding has been on hold, along with getting the center section ready for concrete pouring. All I have been doing is pampering my 6520.



Since it quit raining everyday a few weeks ago, I was able to clear more stumps and create a crude drainage ditch system to help my low area drain. Some day soon, I will start on the pond. I just need a good dry spell to help. We didn't have it this summer. I can hardly wait to start digging. I need to contact my county extension agent to pick his brain on any legal items I have missed. I don't have any plans or drawings on the pond, as it is all in my head. In Texas you can either have a stock tank or you can have a pond. Both are the same thing, but the use of the water tells what it is. A stock tank is mainly used for watering cows. But I learned how to fish with a cane pole in my Uncle's stock tanks. A pond doesn't have cows muddying it up and is usually for fishing or just looks. I will have it fenced off and an overflow pipe filling a water trough for the horses. I will have ducks too, so I will call my pond a Duck Pond. Dad raised Mallard ducks when I was little and I always thought they were the coolest thing on two feet.

Well, I hate to say it, but the new truck bug bit me while helping my daughter find her graduation present. I have been at the Dodge dealer on and off all week. I got to drive a Ram 3500 Quad cab long bed with the 6.7 liter Cummins diesel and the six speed automatic transmission for three days this week. I love the truck and want one. But I have been reading online forums about all the new exhaust emissions the truck has and how often these trucks are returning to the dealership with problematic "bugs". So I hesitate about buying one as I do not want to have a new truck with dealer "weaning" problems. Maybe next year! So I hope the aftermarket folks can get up to speed on modifications for increasing the MPG. I got 16.1 miles per gallon on the overhead meter while driving with a city/highway mix of 30 to 70.

I am still looking for a dependable maid for my aging parents. I am thinking of just once a week, after the house gets a good cleaning. Today I met with the home health care nurse. Home Health Care will be coming out once a week to take Mom and Dad's blood pressure and Dad's blood sugar levels. They will also come out 2-3 times a week to help Mom with her personal hygiene needs. Mom and Dad are so close to needing a nursing home. But as long as Dad can drive his car, I want them to be in their own home. Dad is 86. His Dad lived on the farm alone and drove 1 mile to town until he was 92. So it might be awhile longer that Dad can drive. I have checked into assisted living, but Mom & Dad (we) cannot afford those costs. It tugs my heart to see them going down slowly like this. Myself, I plan on staying busy and having therapy on my 6520! Stop in later to see what is keeping me busy.

Oh yeah...after having Rebecca's truck for a week, I took it to the dealer for the windshield chip repair. Well, I was informed the chip has been repaired once and could not be repaired again. Then they said they will be replacing the windshield. Thank you Lord. I told Rebecca this when I took her truck back to her as I needed my truck with it's gooseneck hitch over the weekend. I also told her she had to bring it home for the windshield replacement, as I will be back at work and won't have the time. Her response................."Can the dealer here in Austin change it?" That question hasn't been answered by my dealer, as the used car sales manager is on vacation! I hope your vacation goes well.

hugs, Brandi

Kids and Cars

What is it about a parent worrying while their kid travels? My daughter was traveling home last weekend from college. I was outside working, wondering when she was going to arrive. I finally took a break and went in the house. Calling her cell phone, I got her voice mail. I left a message and headed back out. Just as I started the Mahindra, Luke caught my attention with the phone in his hand. Just as I thought, it was Rebecca. She was going through Brenham and her transmission started acting up...again. I told her not to worry and that we would take it to the shop. She made it home okay.

Monday, we both had doctor's appointments. In between the appointments, we took the car to the repair shop. After explaining what the old Nissan was doing, the repair manager stated my worst fear. He said it was going to need a transmission rebuild and that model Altima was around $2900. I could not see putting that much money in a 14 year old car, so we left the car there and started looking for her college graduation present. She graduates this December. She wanted a pickup. She wanted my Ram 2500 diesel! Luke does also! I have always disliked going through car buying protocols. You know, the sales routine, followed by meeting the Sales Manager routine, with a close by the finance guy. Followed about by the salesman going back and forth to his managers office, all the while keeping Rebecca's car keys. But I reminded myself Rebecca was learning here. Since it was getting dark, I told them we needed to leave as I was getting hungry. I asked for the car keys. They asked if we would like to take the Ram home. Rebecca asked me, Can we do that? I told her we could and that it is just a way to make us come back. We came back the next day after driving the truck to two other used car lots. Things have changed. It used to be just credit life insurance they would pitch at you, but now it is gap insurance, family care insurance, along with an extended warranty and some type of disability insurance. The terms were within our budget, but now I had to wade through all these extras. So we signed on the dotted line and drove home. Rebecca is back in Austin now with her "new" Blue 2003 Dodge Ram 1500 4 door and already has called about not being able to backup just once. Good thing I got the 12 month drive train warranty!
It has rained here a little the last few days. Just enough to keep me from working outside. At least the swampy area is cleared enough and mowed that now it should drain better, thanks to the loader bucket on the Big Red Beast. Sunday I will go to Austin and pick up Rebecca's truck to bring back and have the windshield fixed, along with repairing her computer desk while there. Anyway, I will use any excuse to see her! After all, she is my baby. When she was in elementary school, she gave herself the nickname of Booster. She got it from a Band Booster sticker. So she is my Boo!



Wow, Labor weekend is here. That is always a special weekend here as Dad's birthday is the 2nd and Mom's birthday is the 3rd. So it will be ice cream cake time again. Other then me coming over, they don't want anything. Seems the older they get, the more they ask me to come over. Which I want to do, but working nights and on the place each weekend, I feel short of time. Now when it is pretty outside, I call and ask them to come over. Mom has dementia and really likes to get away from home frequently. Then they get here and Mom is ready to leave and go home. I have taken over their finances now. That was a big deal for me at first. Here I had listened to them for 40 something years and did what they said. Now I had to tell them what was what with their finances. I asked my aunts and uncle who took care of Grandpa Williams' finance. My Uncle Carlos, up in Oklahoma, told me my Uncle Woody did. Great, he is gone! I wanted to pick his brain. But I have survived through 4 months now of doing their bills.

I have been remembering to put corn out for the wildlife. Every day around 12:30 two does come up to browse. They sure are pretty, but the pair of hawks are my favorite. They are out after each time I mow. That reminds me, I need to get outside and see if the elusive flying squirrel is out. We only see a quick glimpse of her.

So Monday is Labor Day. I plan on being with Mom and Dad. I wished I could work on my barn. But I can not knee or climb ladders right now. I pray your Labor Day weekend is as you would like it. Stop back here later to see what else is going on at CheyennePaints Ranch.

hugs, Brandi

Going West

I have always loved the wide open places of Texas. I don't know why. Maybe it is the good times I had at my Grandparent's farm in Higgins, Texas. Each time I would leave their farm, no matter how old I was, I cried. Even the last time. Well, the last time was when my Uncle Woody died. He owned a boot shop in Higgins. He later moved the shop to Canadian. In 1988, we almost moved up to Higgins. I was going to work in the boot shop and learn how to make boots. I already knew how to repair boots, as each summer I couldn't wait to get to the boot shop on Dad's one week vacation. Uncle Woody would pay my brother and I in hats, boots, and belts. I really fit in repairing boots, as I was left handed and Uncle Woody was also. That helped as he had some left handed leather working tools. He also showed me how to rope, as Dad was right handed and I got everything backwards watching him rope.



Rebecca and I went to West Texas for a week of stress free rest. It was a fast 3 day road trip. It was short because she just got out of her summer semester at UT Austin and she is working. She is now visiting my ex. She starts her final semester on the 29th. Luke stayed home and fed Booger and my ferrets and his cat, Milo. Anyway, we visited Ft. Davis National Historic Site, Davis Mountains State Park & Indian Lodge and McDonald's Observatory.



We also took a side trip to the towns of Marfa, Alpine, and Marathon. All nice places to retire! The closest Mahindra dealer is in Midland, 138 miles away from Ft. Davis. We also visited Rocksprings in the Hill Country. I do plan on buying property south of Rocksprings, some day. The closest Mahindra dealer is a little closer, just 125 miles. It is a little mountainous south of Rocksprings. Well, at least enough for a Texan. Goats and Sheep excel here, but we did see a few cattle and horse ranches. I think it would be fun to raise a few Longhorns out there. Tropical Storm Erin changed some of our plans, as just driving is no fun in the rain. So we spent the last day of vacation around Austin and fixing up Rebecca's apartment. She moved in two weeks ago, but she has been studying the whole time since for final exams. Boxes were still everywhere. She took me to the new designer mall. We just window shopped. After all, why would I spent $600 for a pair of shoes? I have spent that on boots, but the boots will last 10 times longer than a pair of shoes. Besides, boots never go out of style.

Looks like the upper Texas coast will be spared by Hurricane Dean. I was beginning to get concerned. With Hurricane Rita two years ago, I spent a day securing my house and then another day at Mom and Dad's. Dad's house is better than my mobile home to ride out a storm. But Mom and Dad need more help now. They don't like their routine to be upset. I also didn't have a generator then. Now I have a diesel generator for power outages. Only problem is it is so heavy, I use the backhoe on the 6520 to move it in and out of my workshop. I have been meaning to hook up a power transfer box for it. I will have to see about that this week. We didn't get any rain to speak of from Tropical Storm Erin. My gully is still dry. Anyway, I need to sign off now, as it is movie time. Y'all stop back in later to see how we weathered Hurricane Dean.

hugs, Brandi