Calex Express....My New Home!

Same here my friend. Be safe and I'll look for you Wednesday at Kenly.

 

Sorry Carlo, I'll be on my way to Wilmington NC to get my first drop off at midnight.

 

At the motel while my truck is in the shop. I dropped my trailer at the consignee last night, went to the Petro and had supper with Tom then called it a night. I woke up this morning at 6am then brought my truck with it's laundry list of repairs to the yard. First order of business was a service. Then it spent the rest of the day in the shop. One thing that needed to be addressed was my fifth wheel wouldn't slide. So the first thing the shop did was replace the fifth wheel. They also replaced my fan hub, and a host of other issues. It will be done tomorrow. Tonight I get to relax in a hotel.

 

I'm home. Got here about 6pm. I was gone 6 days and it felt like a month. The nice thing though was everything on my write up list was fixed including a few things the shop found. I love when a plan works out the way it should. I needed to get my truck serviced and fixed so that was the reason why I left out Friday night. I spent my time off in Pittston instead of home, but it was well worth it. No complaints from me. I want to say thanks to the shop, and especially Scott who worked on my truck for 2 day's. This was only the second time since I started this run back in July that I haven't spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the house.

Now for a little story about my Yellow Lab Honey. She had surgery last month to remove a benign growth on her rib cage. 65 stitches, a 6 inch incision and weekly visits to the Vet for a month and she was good as new. My wife took her last Friday to the Vet for a final check-up. We got the green light for her to swim in the pool, run after her ball and to do anything she wanted. Let's just say, this dog is all muscle, she is the picture of health, even while bandaged up she wanted to play. When my wife got home I woke up and Honey brought me her ball to go outside and play with her. I did. I threw it once and she was off like a jet. Did this three more times and on the 4th throw she ran after the ball and half way to it she stopped, yelped and came back to me running on 3 legs. I took her inside, sat her down and saw her left rear leg buckled up.

We ran her back to the Vet and after the x-rays came back found out she tore the ACL ligament in her knee joint. I had to leave but we scheduled the surgery for tomorrow morning. She's been on pain pills and hopping around the whole week I've been gone. Last months surgery cost us $2000 and tomorrow's surgery is $2500. I got home tonight and was greeted by both my Labs, he was his joyful happy self, she was not looking to good. My wife said she's been hopping on 3 legs the whole time I was gone, but has eaten fine and is getting use to 3 legs. I was told that there will be an almost immediate turn around after the surgery. The real hard part is the physical therapy she will need to go through. It's just so heart breaking seeing her like this.

 

After a very long weekend of no sleep and babysitting my Yellow Lab that had her ACL surgery, I'm ready to leave early in the morning. I need to deadhead to our customer in Griffin Ga for a drop and hook. It's going to Queens NY but I'm taking it to Pittston and dropping it Tuesday night so I can get my run back to Florida.

I put in for vacation time last week. I get 2 weeks now and will leave Pittston on December 19, be empty on the 21st, spend Christmas home with the family and leave on our 11 night cruise the 31st. We get back on the 11th of January and I'll be back out on the 14th. Both my wife and I have earned this vacation this year. Here's one of the little things that I am able to have here, this is now the third vacation I have taken and had my truck parked here by the house. It sure beats getting home then back on my dime, plus the way Christmas falls this year I will utilize all my time and not miss any of my runs.

As for Thanksgiving, The worst case scenario is I'll be home at 6pm Thanksgiving like always, or the best case is the NY Times is shipping a day early and I'll be home Wednesday at 6pm, which means I'll need to leave out this Friday like I did last week. It isn't my call, I'll just have to wait and find out. Hopefully I'll know by Friday.

 

Happy Veterans Day to all past and present Veterans. May God Bless you and all you've sacrificed.