Journal for April of 2003

01 April 2003.............Tuesday I begin this day, at 12:01amMST, on duty, at Calence. I started off by doing the Modem testing for Desert Schools, Novastar, Skymall. I worked on "Work Benches", Dog pen.

02 April 2003.............Wednesday Happy Birthday to David I met Marilee at Home Depot in Chandler and we purchased a new Air Compressor. Our previous Air Compressor had worn out and quit.

03 April 2003...............Thursday When I got off from work, at 8:30amMST, I went to Harbor Freight Tool and bought an Air Nibler for about $16.00. It works great. I also got some Air Comressor Oil. When I got home I put the oil into the Compressor and got it going, for the first time. It works Great. I filled the Propane Bottles and bought a couple bales of hay.

04 April 2003.............Friday Today is three(3) years I have now been with Calence. I use the Case Tractor and put a couple culverts into the ditch, in preperation for irrrigation.

05 April 2003......Saturday Marilee and I go get 10 bales of hay. We watch Conference at 10am and at 2pm. David and I go to Priestood Meeting at 6pm, including the tailgate party before hand.

06 April 2003............Sunday We watch and love Conference today I felt very badly today. Hard to explain but I was under a great deal of stress...........everything was wrong, it seemed.

07 April 2003.............Monday Marilee and I were using the Case Tractor today, ripping the pasture so it will take water better, when the Tractor broke! The Right Lower Arm of the "Three Point" hookup to the scraper, broke loose at the tractor end. The socket of the ball and socket, simply popped open [IT WAS LOUD] and the ball came out. Thankfully I had the experience and presence of mind to STOP IMMEDIATLY, so there was no further damage done. I removed the arm and the ball and took them to Bingham in Casa Grande. They found the part number for the ball and socket to be D51336 but they will require a week to get one. I then went to "Green Manufacturing" and talked to Ira and learned that when I get a ball and socket he can weld it in for about $20.00. I called the tractor owner, Chris Cole, told him about this outage. Chris suggested I try the Case Dealer in Coolidge. I did so and they do have ball and sockets BUT not the right size for this tractor. Since this is an "Industrial" Tractor, they are not allowed to order parts for it. I called Bingham Equipment in Mesa and they also will take a week to get one but told me to call Falcon Power in Phoenix because they have the part I need. I called Falcon Power and they now have the part waiting for me, at 27th Ave. and McDowell. I will pick it up when I get off from work, tomorrow.

08 April 2003...............Tuesday When I got off work, at Calence, I drove to "Falcom Power" 27th Ave. and McDowell. I purchased the needed Ball/Socket and a 1" Pin and a new Grease Zerk. I drove to Casa Grande, Green Manufacturing, Ira, and had him weld the new Ball/Socket onto the Control Arm. When I got home, I then installed the repaired control arm and got the tractor working. Only problems left, at this time, are getting grease into the u-joints and into the front axel pivot.

09 April 2003...................Wednesday Liberation of Iraq What a sight this morning, as the News Media, in Iraq, just let the cameras roll. Hundreds of Iraqi's, in Bagdad, running around shouting "Thank you Mr. Bush" and "No Sadam", then taking a sledge hammer and hammereing on the monument of Sadam Hussein. This statue is big. The pedastal it sits on must be at least 20 feet high. The Iraqi's hammered and hammered on the pedastal, making a hole in it. Then some climbed up on the statue and put a rope around it's neck. Finally they asked the American's for help, so we backed up one of out tow vehicles to the statue and the Iraqi's/American's tied a big rope aroung the statue and pulled it from it's pedastal. Then the Iraqi's broke it apart and started dragging the head through the streets of Bagdad. Thank you Mr. Bush

10 April 2003 ................. Thursday I mounted the Thermostatic Control, for our Evap. Cooler, on the East Inside Wall of the house. I took more pictures of the Case Tractor and our Z71 Flag.

14 April 2003...........Monday Tim came to visit today. He brought with him: Amber, Amy, Angela, Austin. I loved it! First of all we walked over to Hannah Road to see the dead horse. Shag died there, several months ago, and she is still quite a drawing card, because people like to walk over and see the dead horse> Then we saddled Blase and they got started riding her. I then saddled and bridled Orion. I took some of the grandkids with me and we pulled Orion around the big field with the Z71 pickup. After awhile we stopped and changed grandchildren, then pulled Orion some more. When Orion was good and tired, I got on him and began to ride him around. We had a great time riding and playing and talking. Tim had pulled his trailer, with a lot of bikes on it, so some of the people rode bikes. Amanda brought DJ over and he rode on Blase for awhile. It was the first time that DJ has ever ridden a horse. The Grandkids like the lunch I fixed for them and that made me feel good. When I asked the children about their mother, Amber answered "She's not that bad"

15 April 2003........Tuesday At 11:35pmMST, I was at work at Calence, I received a call from Marilee. She has just gotten off from work at Desert Samaratin Hospital, and is heading for him in Eloy, AZ "Paradise".

16 April 2003 ....... Wednesday On the way home, I visited Dr. Ammann, to get the results of the blood tests that were done, some time back. I am NOT diabetic and I am NOT anemic. Dr. Ammann does want the tests to be run again, just to be sure. Marilee is about half way done putting up the fence on the east side of the parking lot. It looks good. We drag the West Dog Pen over by the East Dog Pen in preparation for making them all one dog pen. We put in a new tarp and new culvert plugs, in preparation for irrigation on Friday.

18 April 2003...............Friday Marilee drove to Tucson and brought back Levi and Bridgette. At Noon we got 2 hours of water at 2cfs. That was not enough to do any good. Should have gotten 3 hours at 2cfs.

19 April 2003.............Saturday Trevor came and began to put tile into our bathroom shower today. It looks great. In the after noon and evening we had a lot of family and friends over for fun and food. For Fun we took turns firing the shotgun at clay pidgeons AND rode the horses, Orion and Blase. We build a big bonfire and then ate and visited for hours and hours. Attending were all of Keith/LaRee's family and a lot of Kevin/Ginny's family. Also there were David's friends, Andres, Rachel, Ashley. We had Levi and Bridgette up from Tucson.

20 April 2003.............Sunday My loving wife, Marilee, starts off her day by taking Levi back to Tucson. Bridgette is staying with us this week. My heart was broken when Bridgette informed me that she is NOT going to church today. Oh how I wish I could help Bridgette understand and believe the importance of regular church attendance. David and I did our Hometeaching today and it went very well. Today Marilee taught the Gospel Doctrine Class and what an outstanding job she did. She helped the Adults of the Arizona City Ward get the spirit so they could understand the message of the day.

21 April 2003.............Monday New Puppies today At about 3pmMST, Onyx, our female Black Lab/Golden Retreiver, started having puppies. By the time I left for work, at 9pm she had had 8 puppies. 6 on them were black and two were brown. Marilee and Bridgette did a lot of work on the interior of the house, today. Mudding and sanding a finishing and texturing. Looks a lot better now. For supper we had Chinese food from "Big Wa". For FHE we counted puppies.

22 April 2003..........Tuesday Irrigation today. This time we got 2cfs for 4 hours and that worked out really well. But I did not get much sleep and I am soooo tired. The news came out today that the United Nations/Kofi Annan/Hans Blix, France, Germany, Russia, Iraq's Saddam Hussein, have been making a ton of money on the Iraqi "Oil for Food" program, over the last 10 years or so [while the Iraqi people, who were supposed to benefit, were doing without]. That explains why they so strongly opposed the war to take down Saddam Hussein and why they now, so strongly oppose lifting the sanctions against Iraq, which no longer have any meaning. You see, if the Sanctions are lifted, that renders the "Oil for Food" program, irrelevant, and the cash flow to United Nations/Kofi Annan/Hans Blix, France, Germany, Russia......STOPS. Onyx and her 8 puppies seem to be doing just fine. Marilee and Bridgette Marilee, worked hard getting the inside of our house finished. It is looking better and better, by the hour!

23 April 2003 ................... Wednesday I went to Dr. Ammann and he diagnose me with labrinthitis....infection of the innner ear. That is why the room spins around me, whenever I lay down on the bed, which makes me feel sick to my stomach.

24 April 2003...........Thursday I never got to see Marilee, at all, today. We are just to busy. I got a much needed haircut today.

25 April 2003.........Friday I just [6:45amMST] tried to call my wife @ 520-560-8116 and received a message that that number is no longer in service. Almost immedietly after that I received a call from my wife, Marilee, calling me from work, at Desert Samaratin Hospital. I told her about the message that I had just received and she verified that number has been shut down. Marilee is very tired and we are looking forward to seeing each other this evening, after no see for about 3 days now.

27 April 2003............Sunday Today, Melissa, David, Marilee, Wendell, talk in Sacrement meeting. Then Marilee teaches the Sunday School Class and I teach the High Priest's Quorum.

28 April 2003...........Monday This evening we had a "Dual" Birthday Dinner, for Marilee and Levi. Marilee's BD was yesterday, 27 April 2003, Levi's BD is tomorrow, 29 April 2003.

29 April 2003...................Tuesday I had CAIDD turn on the water at 8amMST today. I know it takes 2 hours for it to reach my land so I had plenty of time to get off work at 8:30amMST, drive home, change clothes, eat a bite and be out there when the water began to run onto Our land. This worked well and I did a good jog of getting everything irrigated. I heared one of the Puppies "barking" today. They were born on Monday the 21st. I enjoyed a nice supper of Hamburgers with Marilee, David, Melissa, then I went to work at Calence, getting gas, in Casa Grande, down to$1.59 now at ARCO.

30 April 2003.................Wednesday When I counted the Puppies, today, there were only seven(7)? I do not know what happened to the eight one? I never saw any of my family today. Nobody there when I got home from work and nobody there all day and nobody there when I left for work......

Last Edited: 27 October 2003 by Wendell [3 Days till Retirement]