New Bike

Tonight we were at the store picking up a few things including some doggy treats for Sonnie, my friends dog that I am feeding through the end of the week.  This is a dog that I am fairly certain I wrote about previously, several months ago now I'm sure.  She does not like me.  I don't like that she doesn't like me as she is mean as can be when I go into their back yard to take care of her.  I don't much enjoy it and don't trust turning my back towards her.  Hopefully we can butter her up with some dog treats. 

Anyway, Jack has been talking about getting a new bike as he has grown out of his other one.  It is 6 years old at this point.  I guess it is time.  So anyway, he asked if he could have my bike last night and it was a bit big for him.  He ended up slamming a pedal into his leg and cut it open somewhere.  The bike is just a bit big for him and it is old and has a few issues.  Anyway, the new bike might be just about as high but it has a lower top bar of the frame.  Well, he was excited and I feel pretty good because we got it on clearance.  Should be a great bike.  Now I need to find one for Natty.  I think Andy is in good shape at the moment.  Nothing quite as exciting as a new bike.  Okay maybe a few things but bikes are very exciting when you are a kid. 

The Floors

I started working on the floors today.  Managed to make some pretty good progress this morning before going in to work.  Made more progress this evening though I don't think I got quite as much done.  There were a few hangups and I was sharing time with another project on the computer.  I managed to get over 2/3rds of the room done.  That is good.  It looks good.  I am happy with it.  Laminate flooring is a pretty fantastic product.  It's almost like laying down sod.  Anyway, good times.  My knees are killing me and I will rub holes in them soon enough, the joys of flooring. 

Thoughts on Marriage

On Friday the Supreme Court made a ruling legalizing gay marriage through out the United States.  My daughter asked what my feelings were on the matter.  I have pondered that question since then and have written the following in answer to her question.

We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. 

That is the second line of the Declaration of Independence and was later used by Lincoln in the Gettysburg Address.  According to Wikipedia it has been called one of the best known sentences in the English language, containing  the most potent and consequential words in American history.  The passage came to represent the moral standard to which the Unites States should strive.  I remember being in South Africa when all people were given the opportunity to vote and recognizing what a blessing that was to the people.  Growing up in America I just expected all people to have that right and when I found that certain people in South Africa were denied that right it was a pleasure to see their excitement when that right was granted. 

I am not a gay rights advocate.  I don't believe that men should marry other men or that women should marry other women.  I do believe that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children. That children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity and that the family is the fundamental unit of society (The Family A Proclamation to the World). 

That said I am a human rights advocate and believe that all men are indeed created equal.  That all men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights including Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.  All men, whatever their sexual orientation may be, are created equal.  So though I don't support gay marriage I do support mans equality and mans ability to choose for himself.  I am free to choose to believe that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God.  I am grateful for my freedom and ability to choose.  There are those who believe differently than I do and I respect their beliefs and their choices.  They are theirs to make.  Taking away their agency or their ability to chose how they want to live is not part of Gods plan.  No, I believe it was Satan that wanted to eliminate mans ability to chose for himself.  What someone else chooses to do or not do has no bearing on how I chose to live my life or in whom I place my faith.  The 11th Article of Faith says "we claim the privilege of worshiping almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience and allow all men that same privilege, let them worship how, where or what they may".  


And so all men are created equal and have the ability to chose for themselves and to worship how they want to worship.  Sometimes it is hard when someone chooses to live a life with a different set of standards then your own.  Does it make them a bad person?  No.  Does God suddenly love them less?  No.  We are all children of a loving Heavenly Father who loves us regardless of the choices that we make.  Our job is to learn to love all men regardless of the differences we may have.  I believe my responsibility is to be an example of the believers, not in a loud or boisterous manner but in quiet and loving ways.  To be an influence for good through gentle persuasion and kindness. 

I applaud human rights.  I am grateful for the right to worship how I see fit and to believe how I believe. I am grateful others are afforded that same opportunity.  I hope I can be tolerant of those whose lifestyles differ from my own and I hope they can be tolerant of me.  I know that God loves each of his children, even those who are democrats, so I can try my best to love them too.  You will not find me putting a rainbow over my profile picture or dancing in the streets on behalf of gay people.  I do however celebrate freedom and the rights of all people.      

Firewood from the Fire Road

This morning Jack and I made out way up Cedar Mountain and headed out to the Thorley property as part of a service project with the Elder's Quorum to obtain firewood for ward members who otherwise could not go and get it.  We did this a couple of times last year with lots of trees to be cut and loaded.  This time we were planning to go up and load wood that had already been cut and split.  It sounded to good to be true and, well, it was.  Out of our 4 vehicles that went up only one brought a chainsaw.  I looked at my saw this morning when we were leaving and almost put it in the truck but decided that would be unnecessary because the wood would already be cut.  There were two guys up there with the group that I think was supposed to do the project and they came over and started cutting with their saws so it didn't end up being all that bad and we are certainly grateful to the Thorley family for allowing us to gather wood there.  I am sure they are happy to have us gather wood also as there are many, many trees in the area. 

To make things fun and interesting there was a mountain bike race happening today on the Fire Road.  That happens to be the road that goes to the Thorley property.  In fact it runs right through their property, they have thousands of acres.  Anyway, it made for a slow trip.  When we got to the project other cars were talking about being sworn at and yelled at by the bikers.  We didn't experience any of that.  Of course we had the windows up and were jamming out to some Neil Diamond.  Who has time to hear complaining bikers when Neil Diamond is on the radio?  Everyone managed to survive though I was concerned about some of the race crew members for violent jerking actions they were make with their arms and their very angry disposition.  Wow!  I did recommend that next time we avoid going up during the middle of a bike race.  We should also avoid going up when the cowboys are bringing the cattle off the mountain.  That makes for slow travel as well. 

4 AM

Remember 8 years ago when Hillary Clinton was running those ads about the phone ringing at 3 AM at the White House and who you want to take that call?  I sure do.  I didn't want her taking the calls then and I still don't want her taking the calls now and I sure as heck don't want to be taking those calls myself.  Enter Jack.  So it was actually an hour later than the Clinton commercial when Jack rolled into my room.  Technically he walked into the room.  He was wide awake.  He decided he wanted to come and lay down in my room instead of his.  It wasn't but a few minutes later, you know, right when your drifting off to sleep again, and he pipes up that he wants to go and play a game on the computer.  I said no and I also said he needed to be quiet and go back to bed.  He then decided to slide out of my bed and go back into his room.  There he entertained himself for a while until finally he could not stand it any longer and he ventured off to the computer and started playing.  That is all fine and well except that he didn't get to bed last night until midnight.  An 11 year old boy with 4 hours of sleep is not a good thing.  We headed into the Brick House a little before 10 and I grabbed the calendar and took care of a few other things and headed home.  I went about working on the schedule for the month of July and Jack went outside for a bit.  He came in after a while and laid on the couch.  I hoped he would take a nap and eventually he passed out.  I let him sleep for a bit over 3 hours and carried on with the scheduling.  I don't know that this is a sleep pattern I want him to get into.  It is certainly not a sleep pattern I want to get into though I do love a good nap in the afternoon or evening now and again. 

Scout Work To Do

I've got some work to do with Jack and his scouting.  We are a little over two months into the 11 year old scouts and he has earned his Tenderfoot badge.  That is great.  I am happy with that progress.  I am a little concerned because his leader, Kaden, is going to be released and the guy that replaced me a couple of months ago has not been consistent in attending.  We worked hard on getting this program running smooth and helping the boys to progress as they prepare to turn 12.  Right now there isn't a scout meeting scheduled for the next month.  There is the opportunity to go up and spend a night at camp when the deacons attend scout camp next month but that is it.  That makes me nervous.  I attended the meeting today so we could have two deep leadership for the boys.  Lindon, the other boy attending, is moving next week and that leaves Jack as the only one.  Late next month we will have another boy turn 11 but that is all we have for now.  Anyhow, I told Jack that he and I will be spending some time working on scouts together.  I want to help him get through his First Class by the time he turns 12 and moves up.  I'm fairly confident we can do it.  I will just have to schedule a regular scout meeting with Jack and work on the requirements with him.  Hopefully whoever replaces Kaden will pick it up and run with it and I won't feel like everything we worked towards just dropped off.  I hope I am not sounding negative here.  I really want things to be successful and want to see these boys progress.  We had some great success with the boys who came consistently because we were consistent.  I really hope it continues.  Anyway, Jack has left his mark on the patrol as they changed their name from the TARDIS patrol to the Wildcats.  The wildcats is in reference to F4F Wildcat fighter jet from World War II.  They have a new patrol flag and yell to go along with the name.  Very cool. 

The Brow Raise

I opened the door to the office today to check on Jack and see how he was doing.  He was fine.  He then asked if he could have some chicken strips and said "make sure you don't forget the ketchup".  As he is instructing me to forget not the ketchup he starts raising and lowering is eyebrows in rapid succession.  I don't think I have ever seen him do that before.  I laughed.  Tonight when we were sitting down for scriptures he starts talking to me about something, I don't even recall what it was probably because I was too distracted by the brow raising that he had going on.  I while ago it was the constant snapping, today it is raising and lowering the eye brows.  Perhaps he will combine the two in the future.  I love being a dad.  It brings great joy to my life. 

Night Walks

I added a new element to our nightly routine this week and I believe we will continue it on.  A couple of weeks back Jack and I went for a late night walk.  It was good.  We began again last night.  We walked up to the high school and hit the track.  He would only agree to one lap around the track last night so it was a little short but tonight he agreed to two.  He had his scooter and I did the old run/walk thing.  It was great.  Tomorrow night we will go for three laps or maybe I can convince Jack that we doubled our distance so we should double again.  I might not get to pull that one over on him but we will give it a try.  The night walks are good and it allows me to get out and about and to make sure I'm getting Jack out and about.  I still park long distances from store entries and race him back to the car after shopping.  That is always fun.  Anyhow, night walks are good times.

Projects

I'm making progress on a couple of projects that I have been working on.  The sprinklers in the front yard are done and working quite well.  I guess they are almost done with two things left to do.  It is good and makes watering the yard so much easier and more effective.  That allows me to be just about ready to lay down the sod where I took out the old apple tree and replace some sod on the edges  and by the big front window.  I am excited about that.  Moving some dirt to build up some low spots and we are almost there.  I need to get some good old fashioned manure to mix into the top soil along with a little fertilizer and we should be ready for the sod.  I don't know if that is needed but it is what I have always done when laying sod and it has been successful so I am doing it again.  I am a creature of habit.  Anyhow, that should be fun and something I want to complete this week.  I also spent a little time on some mud work on some walls in the basement.  I had redone a wall a year ago and was not happy with how some of it turned out so I made some fixes to it today.  Have some sanding to do down there and then some painting to knock out.  The ceiling in the future exercise room as well as the walls in there and then the walls in the family room.  Jack's train room will also need some paint and some wall work done but that is storing a few things right now so it will be completed later but not too much later.  I need to also pick up the flooring for down there.  I want to get that going and done preferably this week as well so I can get baseboards done next week.  So much to do, so little time.  

He Always Says

Happy Father's Day all you fabulous fathers out there.  I got to enjoy having one of my children home this father's day as big Jack opted to stay in Cedar this summer.  There we were in Sacrament Meeting and I was excited for the primary to get up and sing their special musical number for fathers knowing that big Jack would represent.  I'm So Glad When Daddy Comes Home would be ringing out loud and clear.  Well, it rang out but not with big Jack joining in.  I knew it was a long shot as that is one of those things that is a bit disorderly and loud that he simply cannot handle.  No worries. 

I did get treated to a tie, well a paper tie that was on a paper bag that contained a cupcake that I had Jack eat on my behalf.  The tie had some questions on the inside and the children filled in the answers.  Third question or comment in the tie of fatherly insight was He Always Says.  I was excited to see what pearls of wisdom I have shared that have impacted my sons life in the most meaningful of ways.  His answer... Turkey Tits!  Yes, you read that right.  I would like to thank Bob Wiley of What About Bob fame for this classic.  This is a Bill Murray character and a fantastic movie and yes, I do say Turkey Tits!  I don't know that I always use this particular expression but clearly it has burned into Jack's mind. 

To add to this fun Jack did not write the answers - he is a bit anti handwriting.  He got help from Sister Garfield in the ward.  After he gave me the package and I began reading through the tie of fatherly insight I looked up and saw Sister Garfield walking in the hall.  She was looking at Jack and I and was smiling.  I'm sure she got a good laugh. It was pretty funny. 

So there you have it Turkey Tits!  It is probably a real good thing I don't continue quoting from that portion of the movie or numb nuts might have been the answer or perhaps vulture vomit.  I could go on but there is really no reason to write rat dick suck nut in this blog post.  Oh, I'm sorry, it just slipped out. 

The Arch, The Temple and Fathers Day Fondue

This morning Jack and I went hiking with the Ellsworth family.  They invited us to hike Ash Down Gorge with them.  That happens to be one of my favorite hikes complete with slot canyon action and constant water flow.  I love it.  Jack quite enjoyed it as well and we certainly had fun with Morgan and family.  Good times.  We didn't get all the way back but we did get to see Flanagan's Arch.  It is quite the site.  I actually was trying to post this blog via my phone with a picture of Jack pointing to the arch but after writing the blog it would not publish.  Mobile blogger is pretty irritating sometimes but that is another story.  I want to go back to this hike with the kids and get them back to Tom's Thumb and the waterfalls.  Very pretty. 

I made a run down to the Temple this afternoon.  That is always a good thing.  I love to go and participate in Temple work and to enjoy the spirit that resides there. 

I managed to get back to Cedar in time for the first Father's Day Fondue party.  Who doesn't enjoy fondue?  I'm sure there are plenty of folks who do not.  Apparently there is something not quite right with those folks.  Fondue is a favorite and having it for Fathers Day is easily a tradition I could support. 

Well, my apologies for the lack of a picture.  I don't quite know how to fix blogger for mobile.  Anyhow, great day, grateful for it. 

Done

The front yard sprinklers are done, well mostly done.  I thought I had a 1/4 spray sprinkler but had only 1/2's and 3/4's.  So I have a temporary hear in at the moment but soon enough it will be replaced.  I also managed to finish it before midnight tonight so that is also good.  It is wonderful to have it done.  Jack asked if we were starting on the backyard tomorrow.  Nope!  I've actually got the floors in the basement as well as a little painting to get done down there.  The backyard is going to wait.  That doesn't make me feel bad at all.  Actually, it would be wonderful to get the back feeling good.

Had a fabulous little water fight with Jack tonight.  He was very excited about purchasing a water gun.  He selected the Outlaw which is a pump gun.  He did pretty well with it.  I didn't get a gun, just used these soaker things.  They worked out okay.  It was a fun time.

Looks like we're heading up to hit the Ash Down Gorge hike tomorrow with Morgan and his family.  That sounds great.  Excited to go.

Well, I'm pretty well done this evening.  Yes my goose is cooked, my dogs are barking.  It is time to let it go and sleep.  With that, today is done! 

The Back, It Hurts!

It has been a rough little bit on the back.  Ripping out carpets and digging trenches have done a bit of a number on the back.  It actually is at this point where it needs to pop but I can't get it to pop and that is irritating.  I can get some of it to pop but there is a part in the upper middle of the back that just isn't being agreeable and it is pretty uncomfortable. I have found in the last few years that the morning time is becoming much less comfortable.  Getting out of bed and getting moving for the day isn't quite as easy as it once was.  The body is stiff and things need to warm up a bit and get loose.  I guess that is life at 41 for some people.  And so I keep doing my push ups and sit ups and dips and whatever to keep myself strong.  I am not all that strong but I try to keep my muscles working so that I can use them for good and that I can feel better.  Well, not much to say.  Just keeping busy with summer projects and trying to keep Jack entertained.  That can sometimes be a challenge

A Tired One

I was up late last night and then up early this morning.  Well, not super early but before 7 AM.  After a few hours I was starting to feel the lack of sleep coming on.  I kept going.  There was no time to stop, too much to do.  We went just about everywhere today, everyone of my regular stops anyway plus a couple of others.  The breakfast buffet is underway and there were some things we learned this morning as we ran through set up and getting a feel for things that will be pretty helpful.  We are going to make use of the salad bar much more effectively.  I had to make an adjustment to the sneeze guard by raising it up 5 or 6 inches from where it was sitting.  I needed some gas piping and some paint to make some extensions but managed to get it all done.  The sneeze guard is now riding a bit higher and that really opens the bar up.  I think it will make things much easier to access in the salad bar itself and it will certainly allow us to do what we need to with the breakfast buffet. 

An update on last nights post, I did finish by installing the right sprinkler heads today and when I tested it everything was perfect.  It performed exactly as I planned it and that is pretty dang exciting. Well, there was some fine tuning of the heads but they gave the coverage I was looking for.  Happy about that.  With that I gave myself the green light on the other half of the front yard.  I didn't do much with that green light but when we got home later I took the shovel to the grass and took out a stretch of grass where I will be trenching.  The trenching shovel and go right through the grass but in back filling today I thought the areas where I had pre-cleared the grass for trenching went a lot easier than the stretch that I left grassy.  Anyhow, we'll get to trenching tomorrow.  I can't pull another sprinkler system by headlamp tonight. 

Adventures in Sprinkler Systems

Last night I had a wild hair and started digging the trench I had been planning on to run some sprinklers.  I used to have a great shovel that was built for that express purpose.  It has somehow disappeared.  After trying to dig the trench with a flat head shovel, a hoe, a pick axe and a little cultivator I finally broke down, went to the home depot and purchased a new trenching shovel.  It was a solid $28 and change.  I am so cheap that it was very hard for me to want to make that purchase but I did.  It was dark when we got home from the store but I did a little digging and quite liked the shovel.  It is nice to have the right tool for the job. 

This morning I went out and finished the trench for one of the lines I am putting in.  It went well and I would have loved to continue but I had to go to work and so the work was postponed until later.  I decided to pick up some supplies for my simple system idea and, after a few other things that had to be taken care of I started installing the run. It was about 10 when I got started but why not install sprinklers by the light of a head lamp?  It worked.  I ran a test on the line with a little assistance from Jack and it looked good.  I think my design is going to work.  That is a relief.  I was concerned about pressure but I believe we are okay there. 

I find a certain amount of satisfaction working with pvc, glue, dirt, water and all the other things that come in to play with sprinklers.  It can certainly be adventurous and, well, wet.  Who doesn't like that? 

Dad, Write this Down!

We had a family home evening lesson tonight on God being a God of miracles.  After reading a great article about miracles with Jack we discussed a few things we liked about it.  A few minutes later Jack said "Dad, write this down.  I've go something to say".  I asked if I should type it.  He said "No, just write it down on paper first and then you can type it".  Who can argue with this boy?  I got paper and pen and was at the ready.  Here is his message:

Though we don't think He's there, He's always there and He's ready to take immediate action to help us be guided to faith and to also cast out doubt and cultivate faith.

I wasn't very lucky when I was a child.  I was born with autism even though I didn't know it for a while.  But I managed to push through the school years at South Elementary and I'm always happy to say that His church is the true church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ amen.  

Jack then said

It isn't very long but I might share that on the next Fast Sunday.

I said it doesn't matter how long it is if that is what he wants to share that is great.  Expecting him to continue to share some great insight I listened with pen ready as he continued.

Hey dad, first things first.  I need to figure out how they built the F86 Saber so I can figure out how they put the cockpit over the air intake for the jet engine but more importantly, we need to get more melatonin.  And by the way dad, the P51 Mustang might be fast but before it the P47 Thunderbolt comes out to play.

We'll take the golden nuggets of testimony in the middle of a conversation on World War II aircraft.  And might I just say how lucky I am as a father to have a son born with autism and how lucky I am as a father to have two other beautiful children who love this boy as well.  It is an interesting thing to observe the blessings that come into our lives through our children and how those children are uniquely suited for one another.  I would love to report that life is always smooth sailing but it is not.  We have some rough days and some really rough days but we have lives filled with wonderful moments, tremendous blessings and a multitude of miracles. Certainly there is great wisdom in remembering what Jack said about Heavenly Father always being there, ready to take immediate action to hep us be guided to faith, to cast out doubt and cultivate faith.  Life isn't always easy but it is a joyous adventure and I am grateful for these beautiful people I get to share it with. 
 

Finding Joy

There is a young family that I home teach and I've worried about them now and again.  I guess as a home teacher you should worry about your families.  Anyway, I worried about them some.  I've only been there home teacher for a few months now.  Well, they blessed their baby last week and that was fantastic.  This week I was visiting with Jake Whetman about our new teacher orientation that he is working on and I saw him standing in the foyer.  When we were done conversing and had chatted a bit with a couple other brothers I went over to talk to this brother.  We had a good visit.  His wife was sitting in one of the comfy chairs with their newest little man and all was good.  I noticed that this brother was holding the Ezra Taft Benson manual and I asked if he was going to be teaching today.  He said he was, that he had just been called to be the week two instructor in Elders Quorum.  I was filled with joy when I heard that not because it meant I would now be released from that calling, I loved teaching those lessons, but because it gave him an opportunity to be involved and to receive the blessings of that calling.  Truly a wonderful thing.  I was happy to attend Elders today and to participate in that lesson.  He did a great job.  I am excited for him and his family.  When you see others have an opportunity to serve in callings that you know will be a blessing in their lives it is a wonderful thing.  I found great joy in that and I look forward to learning from him.  

Hot Water, Feels So Good

Perhaps my little problem at the Home Depot yesterday was a blessing in disguise.  I went in to Peterson Plumbing here in town and was working on the water heater.  They weren't positive they had the short, 40 Gallon, Natural Gas water heater but they thought they might have one.  The employee that was going to check asked me a question before he walked to the back about the venting.  I said it was all vented and did one of these and out the wall (I made a ninety degree turning motion as I said one of these).  He said, "Oh it does one of these" with a smile and a laugh.  I said yeah, a 90 and out the wall.  Continuing to smile and laugh he looked at the big boss and said "hey, it does one of these".  I'm thinking he's mocking me, somehow there is a joke that I am not aware of.  Then he tells me it is a direct vent and those units run at least $1000. more than the standard unit.  Um, that is not a good thing. Dropping $1500 on a water heater was not my idea of a good time, and oh, there is more.  Some other special kit you have to buy to go with it.  Well, I had the thought with last nights problems that I could convert over to electric.  There was a 220 plug in the room for the dryer but I have a gas dryer so the power is just sitting in there unused.  So I began exploring those options.  I ended up getting a 50 gallon tank for just over $300.  I was pretty pleased with that.  Saving $1200 plus by converting to electric was okay with me.  I am not excited about the additional cost on my electric bill but I don't think the additional operational costs will come up to $1200 any time soon. 

I also decided to convert the oven to gas since I have the extra line and can easily stub out a gas line in the kitchen.  Just so happens that I helped my neighbor move out a perfectly good gas oven a couple weeks ago as he upgraded theirs for his wife.  There is nothing wrong with the old one. I called to see if he still had it.  He does.  I asked if he wanted to sell it.  He said for me I can have it.  Score.  I love cooking over gas much more than electric so there you go.  What a bargain. 

The installation wasn't all that bad.  The hardest part was getting the old one out.  I had the water shut off to the house, well the main water line in the house was shut off.  Somehow water was continuing to flow.  I had undone the water connections on the unit and the cold was fine but the hot kept running, which was quite strange.  I thought maybe the pipes were just draining and it would stop.  Not so.  I had to keep working so I was getting drenched by this water running and was trying to get the other unit out.  It was a nightmare.  The vent was no small task.  That direct vent thing is not messing around and had some rod going all the way through the unit.  The sheet metal vent was just a covering on the outside.  There was a thick metal vent on the inside that tied to the outside cover.  It was nuts.  I managed to get it out finally, still getting water dumped all over me from the hot line.  I finally rigged something up to get the water out of the house using a vacuum extender.  It worked.  Then I turned and looked at some piping for a water softener.  There was no water softener and the lines had a bypass with an open valve.  I decided to see if that was the problem.  It was.  I still don't know how it was as the main line to the house was shut off.  Anyway, the water stopped flowing and I was able to work without a water fall. 

There was a big hole in the wall of the house that I had to seal up.  Inside the house I put in some drywall and did the mud work on it.  It looks pretty good.  At the same time I removed the wiring to the dryer outlet, removed the outlet itself and closed up that hole in the wall.  The water heater gets wired directly.  That wasn't all too difficult to do.  Fortunately everything came together just fine on my first water heater installation.  There were a few tricky steps here or there but ultimately we got it done.  The big test came an hour or so later when I turned on the shower and enjoyed some wonderful hot water.  Now I'll go to work on stubbing in a gas line for the oven and make that change. Always something to do. I'm still in the middle of all the other projects I mentioned a few nights ago.  Fun. 

What the What?

I found a water heater online this morning in an ad from the Home Depot.  I went in to the local store to see if they had one.  I found many that were the tall water heaters.  I need a short water heater.  They had a number of electric water heaters that were short.  Finally on the end of the row of water heaters three shelves up I spotted the water heater I needed.  It was perfect.  There were two of them.  I got some help and found that the price was even better for this unit than what was listed online.  I was even happier.  I was ready to buy but asked if the unit could be transported laying down.  The gentlemen I was speaking with said they ship standing up and they don't recommend laying them down.  No problem.  I told him I would be back later to get it.  He said they would have it on a cart ready for me. I said it would be sometime after 5.  All seemed well.  I got there just before 7 this evening and must have been forgotten. No movement of the water heaters.  No big deal, I'm sure he just got busy and forgot about it.  I wasn't sweating anything, they probably have a lot of people that say they will be back and never pitch.  The aisle was a ghost town however and help was not easily found.  A gal came walking down and I gave her the look like I needed help and she was very helpful.  She got everything rolling and suddenly I am at the check out with a water heater on the stock picker waiting for me to pay to load it on the truck.  The wonderful gal at the check out went and scanned the bar code to ring it up.  Denied!  This unit was on a recall and could not be sold.  Are you serious?  I certainly didn't freak out about it cause what would that do?  It was just a bummer that I thought I was in business and was looking forward to installing this thing and having a nice hot shower.  No such luck.  They did show that they had one more unit in the size that I needed, different model than the recall, somewhere in the store.  They looked but it could not be found.  The helpful gal who organized all my assistance saw me walking by the service desk and asked if everything got taken care of.  I told her we were out of luck.  She asked if I would like to look at special order stuff and so we did.  She found the original one that I was looking at online and said they could have it shipped to the store between the 29th of June and the 2nd of July.  I don't know if I can hold out that long.  I certainly appreciated all the help at the Home Depot and know they were doing what they could.  Bummer that there is not enough space for the taller units because they had a huge selection of those.  The only other bummer was that it was now 8:30 at night and there were no other options open for a hot water heater.  Tomorrow morning we will try again at the other plumbing supply stores in town and hopefully we will have a bit of better luck. 

Water Heater Down!

Late this evening I had emptied the dishwasher and was going to load it up.  I had turned on the water and was awaiting some heat and nothing came.  When I checked the water heater there was no flame and no hot water.  That is not a recipe for greatness.  That is a brutal recipe and we will do everything we can to get the water heater functioning.  Wow, I am tired.  Must go to bed. 

Sparks Fly!

I enjoy doing a little electrical work here or there.  I am usually pretty good about cutting power and making sure things are not live while I am working on them.  Such was the case today when I was changing out some light fixtures at work.  There was a light fixture that has never worked since we've been in the place and I had surrounding bulbs go out on other fixtures and decided we needed to replace the one.  Everything was going well except that this particular light was apparently an emergency light and got power from an additional source.  I really don't know how it all works, all I know is that when I cut power I tested power and there was nothing going through my main lines so I cut them loose.  All was good until I was pulling down the fixture and a tight squeeze against the other fixture stripped a red wire that I didn't see and sent some sparks flying.  I did not do a dramatic back flip off the ladder or anything too jumpy but those sparks flying at you will wake you up quick.  No shock took place and it was all pretty quick.  I'll know what to look for next time when it comes to an emergency light.  I ended up with a few challenges and had to replace another fixture but all is up and operational.  It is quite bright now in the back half of the kitchen. 

Projects

I am in the middle of a couple of projects here at home and sometimes it's hard to get focused on just one.  I've got the yard project going and a plan to install some sprinklers as well as lay down some sod in some areas that are suffering a bit.  I've got two rooms to paint.  I've got the carpet downstairs to remove and new flooring to install.  I've got baseboard throughout the house that needs to be installed.  I've got a dining table that needs to be refinished.  I've got furniture that either needs to be sold or donated.  I've got a bathroom cabinet that needs to be replaced.  I've got a little roof planned on the side of the house to create an area where I can store equipment and bikes and keep them safe from the elements.  I would also like to design a shed that will replace the playhouse and I would like to move the fire pit and do a new design that I saw on the internet that looked excellent.  While I'm at that I might as well build a pit for roasting and a brick oven for making pizzas.  Yep, there are a few projects to be done.  Many of those projects are long term.  The pressing ones are the yard/sprinkler/sod project, the flooring in the basement and the two rooms that need to be redone.  Once the flooring is done the baseboards need to be done.  One day at a time.  Worked in the yard a bit today and started clearing out the family room downstairs and pulled back a bit of carpet.  Making progress I guess. 

The Branches

So quite some time ago I trimmed up the trees and and shrubs and rose bushes at the Brick House.  I had put things in piles and was going to try and load it all up in the trailer and bring it home and put it in my pile for the city clean up.  I didn't ever get that done.  Didn't get it done for the city clean up and didn't ever get around to cleaning it up.  Today was a day for clearing those branches.  I put quite a bit in the dumpster and then went home and got the trailer.  The dumpster was half full and I needed to preserve some space for the trash over the next few days.  I filled the trailer and then trimmed a couple of additional trees and loaded those on top as well.  There was a lot more there then I thought.  It is gone now.  That is good.  I did manage to poke and scratch myself on these old pine needles and prickly things.  Never fun to have those things fall in your shoe and mercilessly stab you in the foot.  I did manage to stick a splinter into my right index finger pretty good.  I had on gloves but they were no match for these pokies.  When I was done I took off the gloves and could feel this thing in my finger.  I tried to pinch it out, squeeze it out, pull it out, but nothing was going.  I left it a lone for a few hours and then when I got home I got the tweezers and went to work.  I thought it would be a small thing.  It was probably a quarter of an inch long.  That was not feeling good but it feels great now.  I was pretty surprised by how long it actually was.  It was one of those that liked to remind you it was there.  Every time I reached into my pocket it would rub my shorts and throb a bit.  Stuff like that.  Anyhow, no big deal.  The branches are gone, the grounds are looking better and now it is time to call it a night. 

Recovering

I was completely out, well almost completely out last night so didn't get to say much about the amazing day before I was gone.  I will touch on the weekend a bit tonight.

It was a marathon weekend with our Vegas visit.  Lots of fun.  We had the graduation ceremony on Friday and a wonderful dinner afterwards.  Jack and I visited the airport and watched some planes take off and land and then we had some late night bowling on Friday.  Well, that lead to not a lot of sleep on Friday night as we were up and off to Mount Charleston to assist on an Eagle Project for Clayton.  That was a good time right there.  We almost hit a horse or a rogue horse as Jack called it when it trotted off a mountain and onto the road right in front of us.  Actually there were two but the other was a length behind so we didn't exactly have to swerve around it.  The fact that we were there had no bearing on that horse.  Anyway we cleared it somehow.  The Eagle Project was at the church owned girls camp up there called Camp Stimpson I believe.  What an awesome camp.  The project was installing solar panels on the kitchen area so as to allow the camp to eliminate the need for a generator and save a bunch on fuel over the duration of the summer. It was pretty cool.  There was a zip line being worked on also and Jack was determined to go on it.  Fortunately he was given that opportunity. 

Later we went and met with my friend Liz and Jack got to meet her English Bulldog Mia.  That boy was in heaven.  We went over to the park and played a bit and just walked around and then got to see Mia do some tricks for her special doggy treats, ice cubes.  Awesome.  It was a good visit and Jack got a big kick out of Mia.  Liz had a picture on the fridge of a bulldog farting on a dandelion and the flower blowing out from the wind.  Jack thought is was absolutely hilarious and laughed at it several times. 

We then made our way to Cashman Field to watch a Las Vegas 51's game.  This was Jack's first baseball game and it was a good way to start.  The 51's started the game with a home run.  Later they had a grand slam home run.  It was pretty awesome.  The game was moving pretty slow and we didn't get to the 7th inning stretch for two and a half hours.  Jack was ready and had practiced Take Me Out to the Ball Game several times.  It took a second for him to hear the song but then he belted it out with some gusto.  It was fantastic.  Liz came to the game with us and we all had a good time.  We took Liz home after Jack's performance and then we hit the road for home.  It was 11 before we got on the road and didn't make it to Cedar until 2.  I was exhausted.  Thinking about it this evening I can't remember much about the drive.  I had a Reacher novel going and that kept my mind going but I must have been way focused on it and the road because I don't remember much else about the drive. 

Today I was in a training meeting early, then church and finally a Stake General Priesthood Meeting.  I did catch a little nap between church and the priesthood meeting.  That was nice.  Without it I probably would have slept through the meeting.  Anyhow, good day, uplifting day.  A good day to recover a bit.  Now it's time for bed and then time to get after it tomorrow. 

Amazing Day

So much to say.  It was a marathon of a day.  It is 2 AM and I am passing out.  Will write tomorrow.

Oh Bowler

We are down in Law Vegas tonight.  We came down for Mariens graduation.  Wow! It was at the Thomas and Mack and it was busy.  After a while Jack was starting to struggle with the noise.  We left the seating area of the arena and walked around a bit then had a seat and Jack almost enjoyed a salty pretzel.  The salt was a bit much.  Anyways, glad we could make it for graduation. 

Jack and I are staying the night at the South Point Hotel.  They have a bowling alley here and Jack was excited to play.  We went for it and had a great time.   We probably need to go bowling more often.

Service Project

We were notified last night that one of our home teaching families was in need of some assistance with their yard.  Well, that is exciting.  I love a bit of yard work.  Kaden sent me a message that the 11 year old scouts would help as a service project.  Perfect.  Jack and I loaded up a few things in the trailer and headed over at 6.  We went for it.  There were weeds that were easily up to my waist if not higher.  It was a bit crazy and it killed my allergies but we got it done.  Jack did a great job raking the fallen grass and bagging it up.  I was impressed with his work.  Sometimes he likes to find reasons not to work but I guess because it was scouts it was okay to dig in.  I like that.  It was a good service project and the family was very appreciative.  

Wednesday Walk

So my post from last night failed to post.  I did it on my cell phone and that has happened a few times in the past.  It is a real pain in the backside.  Anyhow, here is a brief synopsis.

Jack and I went out for a hike again this evening.  We headed up the canyon and I was going to take him up around the red mountain at the mouth of the canyon.  He decided when we got there that he would rather go walk the Canyon trail that comes up into the mouth of the canyon.  So we climbed back in the car and drove down to that.  It is a paved path so the rugged hiking doesn't quite happen but we had a good time.  I tried to convince him to make it a loop and come back down the dirt trail that ties into the road by the water towers on the south side of the canyon.  He wasn't having any.  No problem.  We did find that they had signs identifying different trees and plant life.  It appears to be the perfect hike for a new scout that is working on their Identifying 10 Plants requirement.  Too bad Jack and I did that on our hike last week.  We could have made that a lot easier.  Not that it was hard and it certainly kept us looking around and observing our surroundings. 

Anyway, fun night out walking around. 

Adjusting

Over the past few summers I have had the ultimate in freedom with the kids up in Alaska with their mom.  This year Jack did not go.  That changes things a bit for me.  I no longer have the ability to work all day and not worry about anything because it is just me.  I can't go catch a late movie at the theater, the laundry is still here, the house still needs to be cleaned and their is at least one other mouth to feed that is particularly picky.  I am going to have to drag this fella away from electronics which is hard because when I am at work he is there watching videos on the computer.  When I am at home I am trying to work on projects around the house and he is on the computer.  Got some adjusting to do cause I can't do this routine all summer.  We did go fly a kite this morning and that was great, also had him practice his push ups for scouts.  I've got to get him doing more. 

Tying Shoes

Jack is 11 years old.  He doesn't tie his own shoes.  In fact we don't get him shoes that require tying because he simply refuses to do it.  I'm sure it is a motor function with the hands that frustrates him tremendously.  I decided the other day that it is time for him to bite the bullet.  I tried with some of my boots that we could just stand behind and go through the process.  He watched intently and then it was his turn.  He held the laces for a second and then said no way and left.  Well, it is time regardless so I talked to him about getting some shoes for hiking that would require him learning how to tie.  We picked up a pair tonight and we went to work.  We both took a shoe in our laps and he followed my lead.  As he is not used to the process there were some struggles but he stuck with it.  He wanted to quit a few times but I just kept encouraging.  Well, together we got it done.  I gave him high fives and expressed some serious excitement about his accomplishment.  We tried again.  I told him he would eventually need to tie the shoe while it was on his foot.  He decided to put it on his foot right then.  I told him that was probably a very good idea because it would make it much more difficult for him to throw the shoe across the room when he got frustrated.  He thought that was hilarious.  We got through it again with a little less help.  We tried again and accomplished it again with even less help from me.  For the final attempt of the night I kept my hands clear of the laces.  He went through the steps we were following and he got it done.  I continued to show my excitement and positive reinforcement for his efforts.  We will try again tomorrow.  I realize that 11 is pretty old to learn how to tie a shoe.  Perhaps this could have been learned earlier in life but we were dealing with other issues that were a little heavier than tying a shoe.  I am not an expert on autism I just do my best to help my son and my other children progress at their pace and in their way.  The coping skills that Jack has developed over the last several years are phenomenal and I am happy to watch him press forward through things that have traditionally been a great struggle.  Tying shoes, a mountain that has become a mole hill.  We'll get past it.