Up at 7 am but can’t go anywhere until 8 when the clock runs out.   I will be glad to leave Texas and this heat behind.  It was 109 yesterday in Waco and already 99 this morning.  Of course, I can’t think Mississippi will be any better.   

Here are the sweaters for Lindsey and Abby I have crocheted.   I didn’t get a picture of the one I knitted for Maddie but will of the one I am working on for Sadie.   I like having time to get back in to my crafts.    

This is Abby’s.  

  
This is Lindsey’s.  

  
You can’t see the patterns well but I did a scallop stitch on Abby’s and a rotating single, double, triple, on Lindsey’s.  Lindsey’s is real open and lacy.  

Well since we got held up all of our appointments were pushed to tomorrow which means a lot of sitting around today.  Greg has a tire on the tractor that is looking weird so going to go by a tire store since we have time.   Got a used tire put on and since we are in Jackson Mississippi where the KLLM terminal is we are going by there to get gas since its cheaper and a truck wash.  Too bad we just did laundry because the machines are free at the terminal.  

Sheewwww.  Did I mention the heat?   It’s 96 here in the middle of Mississippi.   I feel like a soggy magnolia.   

Well we decided to stay at the terminal anyway.   Might as well do what little laundry we have and get a free shower.   I think you could probably take three in this heat and still need one.  

DG:  Things are quiet at the terminal. Not like a truck stop where trucks are coming and going all night and there is always someone parked beside you with a refer so there is double the noise from those running all night. Although I hear nothing once I’m asleep it’s nice to know things are quiet. 

Tomorrow will be a short day. Two stops in the morning with the final destination 209 miles away and not due till Thursday morning.  

Had to buy a tire today. Had to get a used one as a new one would have too much more tread than than the one beside it and it’s not good to do that. 

All in all a good day. Hope all are well. 

Good night and God bless.  

5 am and waiting on gate to open so we can get our truck unloaded.   We got to a dock about 6 which isn’t bad.   They started working on it pretty quick so hopefully it won’t take long. 

I can’t believe today marks six months.   What an adventure it has been too.   Can’t wait to see what the next six months bring.  

Well, I think I know why we haven’t been to California yet.   While sitting here another driver came over and said “hey, I saw where one of the KLLM trucks got burned up in those wildfires out in California”.  We hadn’t heard so looked it up online and sure enough, the fire crossed the highway out there and burned several cars and trucks to pieces.   God has been so great in keeping us away from bad weather, tornadoes, heavy snow and even shootings.   We had just come through Chattanooga, Tennessee just a little while before that horrible mess down there.    I guess we will get to California when the timing is just right.  
http://www.truthandaction.org/california-wildfires-jump-highway-setting-trapped-cars-ablaze-evacuations-ordered/2/

On our way to Waco, Texas to get our load.   Meat processing plant again.  Uuggghhhh  But at least it’s a drop and hook so we should be in and out rather quick.   

Had to stop and get the trailer washed out on the way.   Can’t mix cookie crumbs and meat.   Of course I had to pee when we stopped.  Never miss an opportunity!   This is a prime example of some of the bathrooms in these places.   Men are so gross and they don’t think that maybe a woman might use it after them.   This was mostly wet floor and a fairly clean toilet but some of these places are just gross.   
  
The trailer wash out was across from a cotton field.   The cotton goes back as far as you can see.   It’s flowering now which means it will soon be harvested.    

Our pick up was at Cargill, the meat processing plant, but this time it’s turkey.   Turkeys in Texas.   Wouldn’t have thought of that one.   When we drive in there are three open trucks full of cages with live turkeys.   Then you see an area where they are taking them and hanging them upside down on hooks.   I went in to the bathroom and saw the room where the headless, featherless birds were going around being washed.    They must recycle the water in the toilets because it had a bit of an odor and was hot.  Lovely place and feathers everywhere.  

7:25 and we are finally leaving shipper.   7 1/2 hours to halfway fill our trailer.    Now we are almost out of time so won’t get far.  

I managed to get Lindsey’s sweater done though.   So the time wasn’t wasted.   Greg got some sleep he needed.    

Waco Texas is really pretty.  Lots of trees and farmland. 

Found a Pilot out in the middle of nowhere, Tyler Texas, and we have stopped for the night.   On to Jackson, Mississippi in the am.  

Goodnight y’all

God bless,

Up and on the road at 7 am.  Heading to oklahoma then Texas.  

DG:  Fuel stop in Anna, TX after a short drive through Oklahoma. Really like Oklahoma.  You can still see remnants of early settlement and imagine it the way it was before it was settled. I guess that’s true of a lot of our country as it is really not that old compared to other countries.  I think I could live in Oklahoma. On second thought, I believe it is too far from an ocean for me. Although they do have very large lakes. 

Annie – stopped in Arlington for the night.  Just a few minutes from Grand Prairie and Docs house.    He is picking us up to have dinner with him and Sherrie.   So excited! 

DG:  Mmmmm, grilled on the grill chicken, green beans. home made potato salad and home made salsa. Delicious. A big thank you to Sherry and Doc Cornell for their gracious hospitality and wonderful dinner. God bless them. 

Back at the truck catching a few Z’s before our unload in the morning. Won’t know where we’re going next until this trailer is empty. Will let you know tomorrow.

Good night and God bless. 

Up at 6 am.  Heading to Arlington, Texas with a truck load of chips ahoy cookies and Oreos. Ever since we started our diet we have had nothing but sweets in the trailer.   Good thing there is a seal on it! 

Drove through illinois and Missouri.   Going through oklahoma and Texas tomorrow.   It is so hot even the weather channel is putting out a heat advisory for the area. 

We have stopped at a Flying J for the night so we could do laundry and take a shower.   

DG:  The truck has been running pretty much nonstop for days as we rarely shut it off so we can keep the ac on keeping things cool.  It has been really hot the past few days. 

Stopped around 5:00 pm due to clock restrictions but I was about ready to call it a day anyway. 541 miles is a good day’s worth of driving. 

The sky is really beautiful tonight as the moon, Jupiter and Venus do their dance. Clouds with the setting sun behind them gives off a brilliant glow that literally will take your breath. 

Well, night has come, sleep is near and as I contemplate the day’s events I find myself still amazed at the landscape of this wonderful country. We are so blessed and it is my prayer that Americans everywhere never forget that and give thanks continuously for the blessings God has bestowed on our great nation. 
Good night and God bless. 

2:45 am.   So glad I don’t have to drive!  Greg seems wide awake and ready to go though which is a good thing. 

6:45 Got our load delivered on time.   Now we have to go to Portage, Indiana to pick up a load to take to Aurora illinois to drop that load and pick up another load going to Arlington, Texas.   

Stopped at the first place to get the trailer.  Greg parked and then asked me if I wanted to go to the bathroom while we were here to save a stop later on.   Always a good idea in my case.   Anyway, I go to get out and see the great parking job he did.  I asked him if he wanted me to swim or walk on water?  His response – you don’t swim that well just walk on water.    Yes he is still alive.   Actually in his defense the parking lot was like this all over no matter where he would have parked.   

Pulled in to the Loves at about 4 pm.   Out of time so have to stop.   

Greg was through here, Dwight Illinois, and found a good little pizza place so we decided to eat there for supper.   It’s been a week since we ate “real food” so we decided we would be ok if we split a 10 inch and a salad.  We filled up on salad so we didn’t eat all the pizza.  Had a slice left over which is unusual.  It was pretty good pizza.  Thin crust which we like.   

I don’t know if you can see Precious or not in this picture.   She is the funniest dog.   She will not go to the bathroom if she thinks we can see her.   She will go as far away as she can or hide behind a tree or garbage can.   I’ve never seen a bashful dog before.   

  
The corn has grown a lot in two months.  We watched it be planted and now it’s over 6 feet tall.  It is everywhere.   

  
DG:  They’ve had some really bad weather in Illinois lately and we have been blessed to have missed it all.  It rained a little this afternoon but nothing bad. A lot of fields we pass are flooded and crops are ruined but from the looks of things there will be no shortage of corn. 

Good night and God bless. 

Up at 6 and headed to illinois again.  This time we have 27,000 pounds of Hubba Bubba bubble gum and those gum tape rolls the kids all like.    The smell is very pleasant outside the truck.   Smells like a bubble gum factory.  Haha 

A beautiful foggy morning in the Tennesse mountains.   

DG:  Short day.  Had only five hours on the clock. That means an early stop and an even earlier start in the morning.  With about four hours to go and a 7:00 am delivery time, well, you can do the math. We will be getting up not in the morning, but the middle of the night. 
Good night and God bless. 

Boy what a night and morning already.   We pulled in to a TA truck stop last night because Greg needs to get maintenance done on the truck, such as oil change and filters, etc. and usually the good thing about TA’s is they can do it at night while you sleep and you don’t lose any time on your clock but Bubba and his buddy Doofus run the night shift here in Atlanta so that’s when the problems began.  First off they were busy and could fit us in about 1 to 1:30 am.  They took Gregs number 3 times and apparently had never heard the name Greg before because Bubba asked him 3 times what his name was too.   So – They will “call us when they are ready for us”. Good.  No problem we will get a couple hours of sleep and then take the truck over to them.   Needless to say, no call came and I told Greg to call them.  “Nah, they are just busy they will call us when they Are ready”.  Ok.  Back to sleep.   5:30 still no call.   Greg please call and see what’s going on.   No they are just busy.   See how this went?   Anyway, he finally decided to call and the lady who answered the phone said we weren’t on the list but she would go check and see when they could get us in.  30 minutes.  Great!  By the way, she says, Bubba said he tried to call you at 1:15 this morning.   Uh no he didn’t.  We were awake at that time and we have no missed calls on the phone.  She says “that’s odd.  I have been hearing that a lot lately”!   Anyway, we head over and Bubba has decided to take another truck in front of us for some reason – did we just not call?- so it’s going to be another hour.   “They will call us”.    We know this because Bubba isn’t working on anyone’s truck but standing at the counter laughing and talking to another trucker.   Guess he gets paid by the hour not the job.   Anyway, back to the truck.    So the lady calls us back in about an hour and says they are ready for us.    Another guy came out to talk to Greg about what oil he wanted and stuff.  Guess bubba and doofus went home.  Finally – all set.  Wait and wait.   Guy #3 comes back to the window and says he can’t change the oil or do the maintenance because whoever did it last time torqued the drain plug on the FIBERGLASS fuel pan and he is worried if he pulls any harder he will bust the FIBERGLASS fuel pan.  Fiberglass in a semi trackter?   Who thinks of these things.   So now it is 9:30 and we have to head to the KLLM repair shop fortunately here in Atlanta and let them work on it.   

DG: And God comes through once again. Apparently we were not supposed to have the work done at TA.  KLLM shop had no trouble getting the plug out and the entire service will be cheaper than at TA. Life is so much less stressful when God is in charge. 

So we are waiting at the Morrow terminal, in the shade, writing on the blog. There is a nice breeze blowing. Another gift from our Heavenly Father. Otherwise the heat would be unbearable. 

Shouldn’t be much longer now. We should have time to get to our pick up with a little traveling time left on the clock. It will be an early stop which means we will be on the road early in the morning. 600+ mile trip to deliver by 9:00 am on Friday. 

Annie – Finally got on the move but only a little bit of time left on the clock.   We stopped at a Loves truck stop to weigh the load and trucks were piled high so we couldn’t stay there for the night.  Found a Flying J outside Dalton, Georgia to stop.   Pretty packed but had a few spots open.    Went in and got a shower.   Sitting out in the Georgia heat for three hours while they worked on the truck we worked up quite a sweat.  Now time to eat some dinner and turn in.   

DG: Snuggled in after a shower and dinner. Sleep comes easy these days as the hours of focussed concentration required to steer these behemoths down the road at highway speeds is a daunting task. This job is much more physically demanding than I first thought. But I do believe I am getting better at it. 

Long day tomorrow as we journey back north to Illinois. 

Good night and God bless. 

Up at 6:45 and ready to head south.  Not really looking forward to the weather in Georgia if it’s 95 in Illinois.   The humidity is so awful you can’t hardly go out.

DG:  We are way ahead on our loads as the one we just dropped off wasn’t due until six am in the morning.  Well that makes us look efficient but now we are waiting as I guess they weren’t prepared for us to be that early. Okay though as I need a preventive maintenance service so will get that done tonight. That will be good for another 20,000 miles. 

We are just south of Atlanta sitting through a big storm. God has been very good about keeping us out of the bad weather. 

That’s it for now. Good night and God bless. 

Up early only to not go anywhere just yet.  Horrible looking clouds and then it poured the rain and lightening.   Decided to sit tight a bit and see what happens.   

Arrived at the Wrigley warehouse outside of Chicago.   Very minty place.  Almost overhelming but after the meat packing places I will take this any day!   

DG: 43000 pounds of skittles were delivered.  Big boxes of them.  Then on to Nestle for 41000 pounds of Baby Ruth bars. We picked a good time to start our diet, huh.  

The road was clear for most of the way.  We are in southern Illinois stopping for the night. Three large truck stops at this exit, every one of them overflowing with big rigs.  Still amazed at the amount of freight moved on the highways every day of the year.  

Saw probably the most amazing sunset we have ever seen.  Dark clouds formed a line about 100 feet thick and 100 feet above the horizon.  In the space below the clouds and above the horizon was golden sunlight, very bright and above the clouds reaching clear across the sky we’re golden rays of varying thicknesses.  It truly looked as if the throne of God was behind the veil of dark clouds that highlighted the brightness of His glory.

A heavenly note upon which to say good night and God bless.

Ok.  Promise to do better today.  I literally had a lazy day yesterday and just got caught up on some TV and put my feet up.   

This morning we are in the middle of Missouri.   It is really a beautiful state.  Everything is all green and lots of rolling hills. 

DG:  And lots of corn. She didn’t tell you about the corn. Why do we need so much corn?  It’s everywhere. 

Now we are in Romeoville, IL. Just outside of Chicago. Have a five pm delivery tomorrow but we are going to try to move that to five am so we can get in to our next assignment. 

Stop at an independent truck stop. They are always interesting.  This has a huge parking lot, we are in the middle of an industrial area surrounded by warehouses and other businesses.  A very crowded area but the guy that owns this property has a gold mine. Showers, lounge, restaurant and big souvenir store. Interesting.  

Annie – The salad bar needs some serious help.   Lettuce, cucumbers, onions, tomatoes and radishes.  Nothing else.   No fat free dressing. I had a bowl of lettuce and a few cucumbers.   Lol. 

We did get a shower which is always nice.    You don’t realize how nice it is to have easy access to a bathroom until you don’t.   

Well, turning in.   Got an early start in the morning.   Goodnight y’all.