8,000 miles

We have put nearly 8,000 miles on this new truck in the past 9 days. Yeah, we be busy.
I ran my hours down to 6 minutes this past Tuesday night. We got separate rooms at the Super 8, in Columbia, SC on Wednesday. It was the least pleasing motel I had stayed in in recent memory, but I emerged refreshed all the same. There were panhandlers a plenty on that neighborhood also. My, my my. These were career liar panhandlers. I made on of them song the ABCs to get a few of my dollars. My co-driver gave another panhandler some money in exchange for the promise of a DVD that he was going to come back from his room with. This fella claimed that he needed just $10 to be allowed back into his motel room to get his things. He had a persuasive sob story about having a wife and child with him, blah, blah, blah. He never returned with J's movie. As we were leaving the following day, there that bum was! He was trying to hustle another driver with the same sappy sob story! Pardon me if I seem demanding and slightly cruel to the less fortunate - many or most of these panhandlers are liars, sluggards, and drug addicts. My cynicism is well-founded after all I've witnessed these past ten years.
My dad is back on Springfield. He had been away for about a month. I'm sure my mom is fully loving his presence in their house again. His life revolves around doctor visits in the Shawnee and Oklahoma City area. His heart issues continue to dog him. His experiences in the medical system are none to be envied. The practice of medicine is just that: practice. They are still practicing, and haven't got it figured out. The medical establishment seems more like a racket than anything that's how I see it. Anyway, my dad and brother are back home. Dad's cousin drove him to Big Cabin, Oklahoma - the halfway point. Regina picked him up there, driving him the rest of the way home. My grandpa had her drive his car for the trip, with himself and little Forest tagging along for the ride. With the downpour of rain, she was the only capable driver among them all. I'm so glad she is able and willing to help out.
My dad will return to Shawnee before I return home. We are staying out on the road a little longer than usual, intending to be back in Nixa/Springfield on the 30th of this month.