Farm shopping, Chase, Seth

Mama and Grandpa went truck shopping yesterday and found one that met almost all the qualifications Grandpa has outlined for us. I went with the two of them after I got home to see it and I have to admit I was very impressed. Grandpa has one lingering question about the manufacture of the diesel engine in the truck – a 6.0 liter made in 2005. He will do some more research before we make any final considerations, but it is a strong contender.


As we went for a test drive, Mama sat in the back seat of the crew cab. At first she was excited about all the room. She stretched her legs out across the seat to prove her point, but as I started to drive on the freeway she said rather emphatically, “Okay, I can’t ride in this all the way to Florida.” It is a one ton truck and it rides like a one ton truck. I think with all the stuff we normally bring on our trips I could not put enough weight in the truck to smooth out the ride. (A minor technicality.)

They also went to investigate the price of metal siding to recover the 22x70 steel frame that is on the property. It was once a very large shop but the wind had relentlessly stripped it of its corrugated metal skin over the years. Much work is needed to put it back into use, but the pipe frame is in solid shape. I was surprised that the price of covering it once again is about half of what I originally expected.

Chase seems to be enjoying his new job. He worked a grueling two hours yesterday and is faced with enduring double those hours today. Mama and he were talking about the free meals – that subject is of great interest to her – and she wondered if the employees got burned out on the food after a while. To my surprise, Chase had asked and found that in fact that was the case. I am not sure how long it takes to achieve burnout, but he is not there yet and Mama is sure not to get there for several months.

Seth made it home to West Virginia. He left Sunday morning in his car – Grandpa finished the necessary repairs on Saturday – and got in safely Monday afternoon. Mama and I thought he was up for more of a challenge than he proved capable of in studying to get his GED. I am sure we gave the effort our best shot. I am not convinced that he did, but I am sure at some point that he will succeed. He just has to want it more than anything else and he is not there yet.

The drought here is as crippling as the flooding seven hundred miles to the east of us. It is a shame there is no way to share.