Did the new picture throw you for a loop?

I figured I might as well show you what I really look like.

Where to begin…

Friday, the church spent the day adapting the garage area of the parsonage at the new church property to hold service there until the new sanctuary is built. This included patching, painting, and my favorite, hanging six – count ’em – six ceiling fans, four where no electrical existed. This meant running new power from an existing light fixture. In the attic. Well, more of a crawlspace above the garage, than an actual attic, but there was loose cellulose insulation, rough timbers, no headroom, and lots of dust. I loved it. Meeting a challenge of this type head on and conquering it is so darn satisfying. Plus, the fans look really good. We start meeting in the parsonage the first Sunday in January.

Saturday – out to a potential client’s home, to measure for an entertainment center. She has a picture of what the model home looked like, so I can base my drawings on that. Talk eventually got around to pricing, and in the back of my mind I’m in the neighborhood of fifteen, maybe sixteen hundred, depending on the wood and color selection. I asked her if she had a budget figure she had been kicking around, and she cringes a little when she says the words “maybe a thousand?” Keeping my best business face on (similar to my poker face, but I haven’t used my poker face since I quit gambling many, many moons ago…) I say “Well, I’ll take a look at materials, and I’ll be able to give you an estimate on Tuesday or Wednesday, OK?” My gut feeling is that the materials alone will be around 750, so the profit line may be a bit too thin there…

After the estimate visit, I go back to the house I’ve been working on (the one that belongs to the parents of my friends) and the hall bath is ready for paint, a vanity, and the toilet to be reinstalled. Have I mentioned how much I love plumbing? No? Hmmm… must be a reason for that. The vanity was all of eighteen inches wide (this is a small bathroom, in a bungalow in a very tony neighborhood. the parents have lived here for over thirty years, and the area dollared up considerably since they bought their little house. we are pretty sure that when it sells, it will be a tear down, so there are no walls being moved in this remodel) and little ol’ me has to stick head and shoulders inside to connect the fixtures. I’m not bragging, but my shoulders are a bit more than eighteen inches wide. Once I’m squeezed in there, I have to maneuver my arms to turn the wrench. After thirteen and a half years under the sink, I finally manage to get out and turn the water on – to discover that the hot water line washer is no longer viable. After mopping up, I get to squeeze back under and try again. Success on the second attempt, and it’s on the the toilet.

I don’t know if you’ve ever removed and replaced a toilet in your life; I really don’t wish that kind of work on anyone. Helpful hint – while the toilet is off the pipe, place a rag or wad of paper towels in the opening to keep -uhm- things from surprising you, the least of which is the odour emanating from an active sewer line.

Anyway – during the removal process, before the tile floor went down, it was discovered that the feed valve for the toilet was defective. OK, it leaked when in any position except full on. When you are planning on removing the line, this present a problem, since you can’t have the water flowing while trying to tile the floor or paint the walls. Kinda defeats the purpose. The line was capped, and replacement parts for the valve were searched for. Remember, this is an older house, and the plumbing hasn’t exactly aged gracefully. The end result was a replacement valve scabbed onto the old feed output, with a brass cap on the old valve housing. Any other solution would have involved “sweating” pipes and “cutting” pipes and “replacing” joints – did I mention how much I love plumbing? No? Well, there’s still a reason for that.

I think I am pretty much finished with that project, and the final invoice was presented. Good to know there is money coming in.

Sunday – church in the morning, at the present facility. After church, TMBWitW and I head for the Land of Red Aprons (as opposed to orange – I don’t like the land of orange aprons, and only go there when absolutely necessary. like when the local Lowe’s burns to the ground. which hasn’t happened, explaining why we were at the Land of Red Aprons.) to pick up a few pieces of backyard foliage. By a few, I mean about 33 Italian Cypress, two Golden Arbovitae, two Italian Stone Pine, and two Chinese Elms. Yes, it’s fall in Phoenix, which means it’s planting time! After seven years with no shade in the back yard, it’s time to get some trees growing. Slight glitch develops – a friend calls, and begs me to help him during his last week with my former route. Since I know the vendors, and the route, I figure why not – plus, he’s meeting me at the base of the route, so I don’t need to go all the way to the dock. And the pay is very good. The hours – still in the middle of the night, but I am able to get home in time for TMBWitW to get to work. Now, I just need to get in the back yard and start planting some trees so they can start rooting in. This might be a long week. I’ll post pictures!

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

Now, this is funny, I don’t care who you are…

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

So much to write about, and so little time…

MEG has been feeling under the weather – slight congestion, so when she sleeps it’s in fits and starts, and she usually wakes up coughing.

I’ve got my flight to Florida scheduled, and a rental car for hauling the files back with me reserved. I arrive in Tampa on January 14th, at 6pm. The plan is to spend the 15th with my aunt and uncle, then drive back to Phoenix. It’s still not too late to let me know where to stop for a “People and Places” entry for my travel notes…

There was a lady and her son, who were camping over the Thanksgiving weekend, who were involved in a single vehicle crash on their way home. The vehicle landed down a slope, away from the road. The Mom was trapped inside, the son managed to get out but then was too scared/injured to go anywhere for help. An illegal invader happened by, and first tried to help the Mom (she passed away from her injuries) and stayed with the boy until help arrived. The media is trying to play up the fact that this Good Samaritan is proof that not all illegals are criminals, ignoring the fact that all illegals are federal criminals the moment they set foot on US soil without permission… Yes, he was compassionate, and yes, he did the right thing by helping others selflessly, but he is still in the country without permission. Sure, streamline his application, but have him step back to his own country while it is being processed. Once he is here LEGALLY, then celebrate his heroics and his acts of selflessness. Until then, while he remains here, he is a criminal who helped a human in need.

Did you catch the debate last night? I didn’t. I had a young lady to take care of and a chance to talk to my wife once MEG fell asleep. I wasn’t going to miss that for a bunch of clueless politicians trying to score brownie points.

Hope you are having a good week. Please visit the blogs in my blogroll and the blogrolls down below.

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

After I had posted my somewhat weekly reminder to Wear Red on Friday and Support Our Troops, I got an e-mail from a reader. She would rather not share her e-mail address, which I respect, so here goes:

=+=+=+=
On Nov 25, 2007 9:58 PM, wrote:

“We must impeach, convict, and punish the bushkid and his cohorts, posthumously if necessary, because it is the only way to redeem Our National Soul.

Sheeler for Senate “Impeach Bush”

Mrs.B
=+=+=+=

I checked out the link – it leads to an anti-republican site. I would have said democrat site, but even they don’t really hate the administration that much, do they? (also note they say the ‘regime’ is ‘never-illegitimate’. does no one proofread what they write anymore? anyone? anyone? beuller?) And if they do, how can they claim they are the voice of America? They are only the voice of the 33% of registered voters who bothered to show up last time around.

I am going to put this one to bed – the “Blue on Friday” movement is an obvious ploy to get everyone to wear blue for one reason, but another is underlying the movement. I will NOT take this opportunity to point out how this is a very apt analogy to how the democrats have been trying to run the country, nor will use this opportunity as a cheap shot at how any democrat presidential candidate may try to operate in the future. [cough]hillary[cough]

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

I recently received this e-mail, dated 11/08/2007:
=+=+=+=
Blue Fridays.
Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing blue every Friday. The reason? Americans who support our troops used to be called the ‘silent majority’ We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for God, country and home in record breaking numbers. We are not organized, boisterous or overbearing. Many Americans, like you, me and all our friends, simply want to recognize that the vast majority of America supports our troops. Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts this Friday — and continues each and every Friday until the troops all come home, sending a deafening message that … every red-blooded American who supports our men and women afar, will wear something blue.

By word of mouth, press, TV — let’s make the United States on every Friday a sea of blue much like a homecoming football game in the bleachers. If every one of us who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, coworkers, friends, and family, it will not be long before the USA is covered in BLUE and it will let our troops know the once ‘silent’ majority is on their side more than ever, certainly more than the media lets on.

The first thing a soldier says when asked ‘What can we do to make things better for you?’ is …’We need your support and your prayers.’ Let’s get the word out and lead with class and dignity, by example, and wear something blue every Friday.

IF YOU AGREE — THEN SEND THIS ON.
IF YOU COULDN’T CARE LESS — THEN HIT THE DELETE BUTTON.
IT IS YOUR CHOICE.
WE LIVE IN THE LAND OF THE FREE, ONLY BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE
=+=+=+=

Well, I was rather surprised. I’ve been advocating the wearing of RED since I ran across Sues. She supplies red shirts with the logo to wear red, and the slim line of profit goes into her attempts at providing comfort items for the troops – shaving items, personal hygiene, etc. – and has been for some time.

Over on snopes.com, there is an appeal to wear red, which seems to have originated in Canada. Oddly enough, the wording is identical to the e-mail plea I received, with the exception of the color, and dated 2005.

Seems to me that red trumps blue in this case.

I’m wearing Rolling Thunder today. Which one are YOU wearing?

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!