Thursday morning

Good morning! Have you seen the radar? Wow, looks like we could have a bit of wet day ahead. I like the rain, so I'm good. Well, the ambulance run has been postponed, due to Marc Tindall's wife having emergency surgery this week. She's recovering well - that's the main thing. I have a feeling there are going to be lots of phone calls and correspondence today. I will keep you posted. Flexible. That's the word. Flexible.

Wasn't yesterday a beautiful day? I started my day in Bryantsville. We loaded a semi with pallets of corn. I believe each pallet has around 30 bags on it, and the bags weigh roughly 60 pounds each. So how many pounds on a pallet? (Stop whining about story problems!) That's right, about 1800 pounds per pallet, which is close to a ton. I weigh, depending on the day and hydration levels, between 155 and 159. Do you see where this is going?

When I arrive at Bryantsville, I discover that I am the youngest guy there by far. I am 52 (for a few more days). The hardest job of the day is ramming a pallet jack into the pallets and then, by hand of course, moving the pallet jack, loaded with the nearly 1 ton of corn on it, onto the semi, which includes going uphill over a little ramp. I think it was my first attempt that led to my downfall. Literally. The floor was slick and I am light and the pallets are not. I engaged one and tried to back it up. The next thing I know, I am on the hard concrete floor with tingly fingers. I had fallen--hard--on my elbow. It was embarrassing and painful. I had to have help getting up.

About that time, a hero walks in! A young man, a man of experience, a man capable of maneuvering a ton of material on a pallet jack. Earl Wilson. Earl loaded the load, while I, with my sore elbow and tingly fingers, wrapped the pallets with plastic. I am known as the rapper. Well, they probably mean wrapper, but I kinda like the edgier "rapper," which fits more my personality and singing ability.  Anyway, the load got loaded, my fingers returned to normal, and everything is fine.

The rest of the day was filled by all kinds of fun (ha ha). Speaking of fun, my class last night was good. We talked about suffering. I think we learned that "chicks dig scars." The women in the class were not so sure about that. I'm not sure I can work that phrase into the sermon, but I'll see if I can.

Maybe I will post some serious thoughts about suffering later on, as they develop and turn into words?