Imbalance

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Got schmacked good out of the gate this morning. Finally got a family member into the alcohol treatment facility. It's 200 miles out in the sticks. That, combined with perhaps a hint of actual willingness, might induce the person in question to stick it out. Time will tell.

It's not an isolated story. Lots of people and families have to deal with alcoholism and much worse. We're pulling for a good outcome and know it's not guaranteed.

We also know it could be a terrible outcome, and if that's the way it works out we'll grieve and take it day by day.

It's all part of the big adventure.

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In the middle of checking cows I got a text about a buyer of the '47 ford pickup. It was kind of a rush deal getting all the paperwork arranged, title and bill of sale, and getting the pickup fired up and ready to go.

It went down the road just after 2 p.m. with a happy new owner at the helm. His grandpa had one just like it and he has fond memories of summertime rides with a man he loved but is long gone. It's a nice thing and I suspect Dad is glad it went to this particular new home. I know I am.

Then the '48 International KB-5 got a solid bite.

I had a bit more time to get paperwork together as the buyer won't be here until tomorrow. Farmer from over by the North Platte River northeast of us. I suspect that'll be a good home too.

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A freezing drizzle set in last evening and conditions were ideal for the formation of black ice. When I went to town shortly after sunset I was slipping all over the place in 4WD at 30 mph. Not a fun experience. The Canada Standard defroster on the ranger handled the ice fine and I was able to see better than most I think.

The town fire whistle blew on and off most of the night. The RFD, Law Enforcement, and EMS had a busy time of it with lots of wrecks on I-80.

It was still quite slick this morning but the temp came up and the sun came out off and on and the ice went away.

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Took the Chevy 3500 in for service and to diagnose a tail light problem the other day. Unfortunately the news sucked; mice have destroyed the under hood fuse box and a good deal of the wiring. So more expense. Tie rods need replaced too. It's always something but that's the way of life on the ranch. It's a good pickup and we need it more than we need the relatively small pile of cash it's gonna take to put things right.

On the upside Mom's car is nearly ready to come home after a complete-to-the-bare-metal teardown to demouse that thing. Needed a completely new Environmental Control System and lots of wiring and hoses replaced as well as a good bleach scrubbing. Insurance will cover all but the deductible of the $10K bill.

Good lessons learned. One of those is that just because Dad was Dad doesn't mean it was a good idea to ignore an ongoing mouse problem for years. All of us humans have feet of clay, and none of us are immune from the stupids. Especially those of us who are certain we're immune.

Again, all part of the adventure.

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It was a gorgeous sunset but I didn't get any pics. This evening a brother showed up with a certified expert friend and they plan to shingle exactly one-half of the chicken house this weekend. The project gets an E for effort and is welcome, lord knows I'm not gonna shingle the damme thing.

Speaking of chickens, the hens continue to lay like crazy. Maybe our scheme of lights on a timer to simulate longer days is working. More likely it's the excellent diet they get; scratch grains and layer feed and Mom's daily "treat" of leftovers. They're without a doubt the best fed chickens in the land, and we reap the bounty of many, many farm fresh eggs. It's an ongoing adventure.

And that's all I'm good for today, now that most of today is behind me.

Be well and enjoy the blessings of Liberty.