tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15759678975744197202024-03-13T14:46:38.423-04:00Shawn's BlogUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger505125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575967897574419720.post-25947630440933575992017-04-25T11:35:00.001-04:002018-02-16T13:45:40.422-05:00It's A Small World<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Yeah, I know it's been a while but here we are so let's move on...<br />
<br />
Last summer I was walking Mocha, on her leash, in the field area between the townhouses in our development and the single family houses. A family was about a hundred yards away with their dog - off leash. The dog spots us and comes racing towards us. No biggie - dogs do that. He was much smaller than Mocha and after the customary sniffing, he suddenly jumped at her and started biting! I was trying to pull Mocha away but it was on! The owner ran up full of apologies and we went on our way. The next week, we were back in the field - and so was the guy and his dog. Again off leash. He saw us coming and tried to grab his dog but it took off and was running our way. This time, I gave Mocha lots of slack - she was going to defend herself. Sure enough, after a few sniffs, that dog went nuts trying to bite Mocha's neck! She is so big and hairy that he did no damage and pretty quickly, the owner was there pulling it off Mocha. But I was mad! One time is forgivable - two times and you have a pattern. I told the guy he better get control of his dog and get it on a leash like the law requires. He was full of apologies again and off we went. I bought a container of pepper spray and keep it on the leash now and I talked to a friend who lives in the townhouses and knows the owner - I told him to tell the guy that next time, the dog is getting sprayed and I am calling the police.<br />
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When I got in the neighborhood yesterday, there were a lot of, "Lost Cat" posters put up on the light poles. I did my daily review of the game cam footage and saw a cat strolling by that looked a lot like the cat in the posters. So I called the number and got the owner's email address and sent him some pictures and videos from the cam. He confirmed it was his cat. He said he would come over with some cat food and I grabbed my live animal trap to set out. We met in the driveway and headed out back. As we were walking, he asked me if I was the guy that walked my dog in the field? I said, yes I was and he said he was the guy with the "crazy dog." Well, how about that?! Of all people to have lost their cats... It was awkward for a moment or two but we shook hands and went about our business of setting the trap while he called for it. (The story has a happy ending - the cat showed up on camera again last night but avoided the trap and made its way home safe and sound.)<br />
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The older I get, the smaller the world becomes....Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575967897574419720.post-33242110409146290152016-09-11T09:18:00.000-04:002016-09-11T09:18:24.111-04:00I Shutter To Think About It<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Yesterday, Lucie was at an all day scrap-booking event so I thought I would create a project and paint the faded house shutters. Rather than going through the hassle of taking them down, painting them, and putting them back up, I thought I could just tape them off, put some paper around, and spray paint them in place. Lesson learned... It was WICKED humid but I was in the shade and it wasn't hard work. I could reach the bottom windows on the step ladder but the upper windows required a lot of up and down climbing. The smaller bathroom window was a story in and of itself - I couldn't reach it from the ladder so I wound up contorting myself out through it. Plenty of neighbors out and about so they all got a good show. Anyway, as the day went on, I could feel myself getting more and more tired. I was drinking lots of water and taking breaks - but the only cold water from the garage fridge was carbonated. And that came back to haunt me. I finally got it done, but had to cancel dinner plans with friends because I was throwing up... ha! The heat, carbonated water, and twisting out the bathroom window all added up to a bit of a breakdown. A cold shower helped a little but the bigger problem came later in the evening when the leg cramps literally kicked in. That was rough. Lucie came home and got me some Gatorade, Jell-O and chicken noodle soup. I started feeling better pretty quick but those cramps were killer. Feeling good today but my legs feel like I ran a marathon. The shutters look great tho! (Left=before / right = after)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575967897574419720.post-87716958204589477132016-07-15T15:39:00.000-04:002016-07-15T15:39:40.066-04:00Doing Unto Others<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I was in line at the grocery store today and the woman ahead of me realized, as she was paying, that she didn't have enough money in her account. Just barely. She had to put back a loaf of bread. I told the cashier to put it with my stuff and I would buy it. Of course the lady was very grateful but I told her I had been where she was and all was good. Then I tried to lighten the moment by joking that I hoped that loaf of bread didn't cost $20! She said it was just two dollars and the cashier finished ringing her up. Oddly enough, for some "strange" reason, the cashier told her that she in fact had extra money on her account (I think it was an EBT card). How much? $2! So the woman was able to buy her own bread, thanked me again, and went on her way. When it was my turn to pay, the cashier said that because I was patient while she worked with the woman, she was giving me a $5 credit. Not expected, not needed, and not my intention - but I felt God was smiling on me...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575967897574419720.post-12210332271567251212016-06-06T20:07:00.000-04:002016-06-06T20:07:01.640-04:00Mr. FixIt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It has been a busy few days fixing all sorts of stuff - or at least trying too.<br />
<br />
Here we have the vacuum -<br />
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We never could get the replacement filter to fit properly. But that didn't stop me from shoving one in and carrying on with the job. We thought maybe it was generic filters not fitting right but after buying the name brand one, we found that one didn't fit either. So off to Wal-Mart I went to look at their floor model. Took it apart and took a picture and came home. Eureka (pun intended) - the bottom of a previous filter was stuck in the housing. Yanked that out with a pair of pliers and the new one popped right in. <br />
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The on-going issue, that may very well beat me, is air bubbles in the return jet to the pool - but only when the solar valve is open and only when the valve that diverts the water between the stairs and the wall jets is in a particular position. I replaced O rings and swapped valves and tightened everything that could be tightened - still got the pesky bubbles. They don't hurt anything but somewhere, somehow, air is getting sucked in. On a positive, pool related note, I did manage to move the solar sensor to the top roof near the panels and that seems to really be helping in terms of valve opening and closing. Season high of 81º today and Mocha and spent some time in there together.<br />
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Today I was on the elliptical and noticed this wet spot on the floor coming from the AC unit:<br />
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Not good. Called our AC guy and texted him a picture. He called me right back and told me to check the condensation drain pipes that come off the unit and basically dump into a hole in the floor. When I lifted them up, a big plug of dirt and debris blew out and condensation began flowing freely. That was an easy one.<br />
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And finally, one of the solar powered driveway markers wouldn't light up anymore. They are just basically a re-chargeable battery, solar panel and LED light. So tonight I took that apart and found a tiny wire had become unsoldered. That was another quick and easy (and free!) fix.<br />
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So it has been busy but overall everything has been either fixable or inconsequential. And I can live with that...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575967897574419720.post-26765274677446086622016-06-03T12:07:00.001-04:002016-06-03T12:07:23.101-04:00Ashleigh Graduation 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It was a long and expensive time coming but Ashleigh graduated on May 19, 2016. We were so proud. She is on her way!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575967897574419720.post-1569209973436239942016-05-28T15:01:00.000-04:002016-07-15T15:03:21.398-04:00Ashleigh Wedding, May 28, 2016<br />
No words needed.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575967897574419720.post-1738077238900126232016-05-20T14:58:00.000-04:002016-07-15T14:59:43.274-04:00Ashleigh Graduation, May 20, 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575967897574419720.post-24370555160303793402016-03-31T22:45:00.000-04:002016-03-31T22:45:05.981-04:00Can't Argue With The Doctor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today I went to a gastric surgeon for a consult for a colonoscopy. Just routine. That doctor's office also performed the gastric band surgery for weight loss. While I was waiting in the lobby, I was reviewing their height and weight chart and was pleased to see that I am only "obese" which above "over-weight" but below "severely obese" and "morbidly obese." With that on my mind, I went into the meeting with the doc. He was great and as we were talking, I said, " Hey Doc - while you're in there, how about slipping on one of those bands?" He told me that I didn't need one! That coming from a doctor who sells and "installs" the bands. Have to trust the doctor. So I stopped at Dunkin Donuts on the way home to celebrate the good news...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575967897574419720.post-41867310262551332802016-03-12T12:45:00.001-05:002016-03-12T12:45:36.644-05:00Come On Baby, Light My Basement<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The other day I was at Costco and saw they had LED replacement lights for fluorescent fixtures. We have one hanging over the ping pong table in the basement but it buzzes while it is on and doesn't put out a whole lot of light. So I thought the LED replacement lights would solve both problems. (They were about half the price of buying a whole new LED fixture and bulbs.) So I went home and popped in the bulbs. WOW! Super white light but, as usual, nothing is easy. The buzz was still there. Did some research and found the buzzing comes from an old-style magnetic ballast in the fixture. The newer electronic ballast alone costs a couple of dollars more than an entire new fixture with the electronic ballast installed. Lucie said she was happy with the brighter light and could continue to live with the buzz. Not me. I ran to Home Depot, grabbed a replacement fixture and put it up. Installed the LED bulbs and.... nothing. They wouldn't light up. I called the bulb manufacturer and they said their bulbs just weren't compatible with all fixtures. So I took the fixture back and decided to spend a couple extra dollars, keep the old fixture, but change out the ballast. That did not go anywhere nearly as easily as I thought and when I was done, sparks were flying. Uninstalled the new ballast and threw out the old fixture. Returned the ballast to Home Depot and went to Walmart for a new fixture. Opened the box and the fixture looked like it had been dragged down the road - all dented and a big piece was not connected. Ugh. I tried it anyway but the new LED bulbs wouldn't work (regular fluorescent ones did though). Took that back. Went to Lowes and got a new fixture. This time, I got middle-of-the-road success: two LED lights together would not work but one LED and one old-style fluorescent tube worked. And it was silent. So we have more light and no buzz. I guess I will call that an improvement.<br />
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On a brighter (ha!) note, after one of my trips to Home Depot, I noticed my ATM card was missing. They have the new style readers where you have to insert the card and I was sure I had left it in the reader at the self-checkout. So I raced back (I hadn't left the shopping center parking lot yet) and went to the checkout lane I was last at. Someone else was checking out - with their own card. The attendant said she hadn't seen my card but another worker said someone just turned an ATM card in to the service desk. (The person said they found it in the parking lot.) So I went there and sure enough - there it was! Whew. God bless that soul.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575967897574419720.post-19429029008140397022016-03-02T07:51:00.000-05:002016-03-02T07:51:36.624-05:00I Called It<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I blogged the other day about flushing the hot
water heater. This was the last
sentence: </span><span style="background: #FFF3DB; color: #29303b; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">My only
fear is some of the sediment might have been holding the thing together and now
it will fall apart. Time will tell I guess.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Guess what…?
Ever since I flushed the hot water heater, I heard water trickling near
it but I thought it was probably always there and I just never noticed. Yesterday I noticed that the sump pump had
pumped – it RARELY does. So I grabbed a
flashlight and went down and looked over the water heater really good. The top pressure valve is hooked to a copper
pipe that runs across the top and down the back side of the heater to the French
drain. Sure enough, it was trickling
right out in a pretty steady stream. Fortunately
it says online that the valve is pretty cheap and easy to replace. It also said if it hasn’t been opened in a
while (I had to open it to vent the tank to drain it), sometimes dirt or
corrosion gets in there and prevents it from completely closing. So I rapped it a few times with a hammer,
opened and closed it and finally opened the bottom drain for a few seconds. That seemed to “bleed” it – air wooshed out
before the water. I closed the bottom
drain and the drip immediately stopped. Just
checked it now after the morning showers (and all night) – no drips, drain dry,
and the sump pump had not pumped all nights.
Whew!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575967897574419720.post-11769928972090615252016-02-23T17:25:00.000-05:002016-02-23T17:25:39.099-05:00Water Heater Flushing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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At least today I was. (Not really sure what a "bucket filler" is - I hope it isn't something bad!) My friend had to replace his water heater and during his research, he found that about twice a year, we are supposed to drain and flush our hot water heater. We have been here about 19 years so I guess I am 38 flushes behind... It was a dreary and rainy day today so I figured I would give it a shot. It is pretty simple - turn off the power to the heater, shut off the water feed, drain, re-fill, re-power, shampoo, rinse, repeat. The problem is, the water heater is in the basement and the drain spigot is right at the bottom of the tank. No way I could run a garden hose up the stairs to drain it that way (not enough pressure) and my pool pump doesn't have the right inlet to help. So I just attached a garden hose to the spigot and put the other end in my 5 gallon wet/dry vacuum tank that I brought down. I figured with a 65 gallon tank, I would only have to lug up 5 gallons 13 times... Of course the hose was at least 75 feet all coiled up so it took forever for the bucket to fill. Had to be a better way. Out to the shed I went and sure enough, I had kept the old washer machine hoses. Perfect! Hooked one up and I was doing the bucket brigade pretty quickly. Overall, it was a pretty uneventful experience. I didn't spill a bucket down the stairs, the tank re-filled (and didn't leak), and my shower afterward was nice and warm. My only fear is some of the sediment might have been holding the thing together and now it will fall apart. Time will tell I guess.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575967897574419720.post-79675311749868091092016-02-21T16:00:00.001-05:002016-02-21T16:00:23.055-05:00Texas Treat<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Lucie was on a crafting project today so after church I went to lunch at Texas Roadhouse with some friends. There was hardly anyone there (surprisingly) but it took a really long time for our food to arrive. Which was OK since we had a lot of catching up to do. When the food was brought out, the waitress asked us to cut open our steaks and be sure they were cooked properly. I had asked for mine to be cooked "medium" but it was clearly well-done. I showed the girl but I said I was fine and didn't want to wait for another one. It really was OK. Well, 2 minutes later the manager arrived and asked if I had a problem with the steak. I told her I sort of did but I didn't want to be "that guy" that complains about his food. The manager was fantastic and agreed that my steak was way over-cooked and she would get me another. She also said she would do a little something for my bill. That was very generous and nice but I was fine - it is for sure I was going to eat that steak anyway! A few minutes later, out comes ANOTHER whole complete meal! Not just the steak but the ribs and potato too! That was really too much and I was very grateful. Clearly that was coming home with me in a doggie bag (but not for the doggie!) so we finished our meal and the waitress brought our check. Dang if the manager hadn't credited the entire cost of my meal (and second one too!). Super nice and way beyond. I checked with my friends to be sure I didn't have any type of attitude and they confirmed I didn't - it was just a manager who understands good customer service! You know we'll be back!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575967897574419720.post-26892849170048802822016-02-12T15:00:00.000-05:002016-02-12T15:00:21.333-05:00Taxing Time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Tax time is upon us again and as usual, I do the family taxes (using Turbo Tax). It went pretty straightforward for Ashleigh and Elliott although I had to do non-resident taxes for Maryland and Massachusetts for them. No problem - all done, filed, and refunds on the way. Not so easy for Lucie and I. (Every year we question how we, both with Master's Degrees, struggle with doing our taxes...) We didn't get a certain form from Boston College and even though it was explained to me why not, I still didn't get it - cognitively or literally. So I pressed on without it and got the return done. This past year, the utility company Lucie used to work for liquidated its pension plan and we were forced to take a distribution. It wasn't a whole lot and was an unexpected little surprise. But nothing is free; we paid the 20% federal tax up front but got hit with an ADDITIONAL 10% penalty for early withdrawal. I tried to call the utility and went to their website for some filing advice but both were shut down. Again, it wasn't a whole lot of money but it was just enough to push us to having to pay in instead of getting a refund. Turbo Tax has a nice feature that shows a running calculation of your federal and state balance as you go but both federal and state were in the negative - and I hadn't even started the state yet! When I finished the federal part, I was really discouraged about having to pay both. So I told God that if we needed to pay in, He needed to help us out. This morning I sat down to do the state portion and got to that same section about the early withdrawal penalty. Yet there was a big difference. In Delaware, there is no penalty on early withdrawal if the money is used for our or the kids' education. Well it certainly was used for their education! Even after significant scholarships, they have a balance to pay. So I reported that the distribution was used for their education and was very happy to see that calculation on the screen started rolling like the big wheel on The Price is Right. Not only did it roll up to the positive (refund), it was enough to cover the federal debt we owed! Never saw that coming. But isn't that the way with God?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575967897574419720.post-22096052921786501762015-12-31T17:23:00.000-05:002016-01-01T10:32:13.269-05:00Endings And Beginnings And Some Things Never Change<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KPvYowKJyZ0/VoWpE_LjZbI/AAAAAAAAEwM/TcRMfxBEnKo/s1600/Britni%2BCollage%2BPictures%2B20151.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KPvYowKJyZ0/VoWpE_LjZbI/AAAAAAAAEwM/TcRMfxBEnKo/s400/Britni%2BCollage%2BPictures%2B20151.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="color: #1f497d;"> </span><br />
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<span style="clear:; ;">We had to say goodbye to Britni the Beagle
today. She has been with us almost 13 years. She stopped eating a few days ago,
had difficulty getting around, wasn’t socializing anymore and was just fading
fast. We took her to the vet who said she was bleeding internally and there was
no real hope for her. She was aggravating, annoying, stubborn, disobedient and
an overall pain in the neck. But she was family. And we loved her. And we will
miss her.</span><span style="clear:;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UetovFJAI18/VoWp4g3imVI/AAAAAAAAEwk/hswrdLgNhOU/s1600/Ashleigh%2Band%2BDavid%2BEngaged.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UetovFJAI18/VoWp4g3imVI/AAAAAAAAEwk/hswrdLgNhOU/s200/Ashleigh%2Band%2BDavid%2BEngaged.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W8pbubrP3uA/VoWps5v7ZAI/AAAAAAAAEwY/MoGQI8w8A6M/s1600/Ashleigh%2BEngagement%2BRing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W8pbubrP3uA/VoWps5v7ZAI/AAAAAAAAEwY/MoGQI8w8A6M/s200/Ashleigh%2BEngagement%2BRing.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="clear: ;">But as her life has ended, a new life for Ashleigh is beginning soon. She is engaged now and will be married in 2016. Her fiance is a great guy and he did the "right" thing by coming to Lucie and I and asking for our blessing. Classy move. They are a natural together and we know they will be fine. </span></div>
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<span style="clear: color: #141823; ">And as far as some things never change, I played basketball with Elliott today. Haven't played in about a year. Hit my first shot, hit my last shot, hit some in between, missed some in between. But overall I held my own and didn't embarrass Elliott or myself. Still got it. For now.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575967897574419720.post-68361141995166779882015-11-02T17:33:00.000-05:002015-11-02T17:33:16.143-05:00Knocking It Out Of The Park<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Just a quick update (I need to MAKE time to update this more often...): Elliott has been quick the young traveler to and from Philadelphia for internship interviews. Lots of travel experiences and he is learning time management like never before. Anyway, today was his last interview. This morning before he went to the interview, Lucie was praying that all would go well and that whatever interview questions came his way, he would be calm and "knock them out of the park." As is his custom, Elliott wrote a recap of the interview in an email he sent to Lucie and I. In this interview, he was presented a case study to analyze and comment on. After he was done, the interviewer said he did great and that he, "knocked it out of the park." How great is that! I told him to remember this for those times when he thinks God hasn't heard his prayers. God is in the details.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575967897574419720.post-91160114422072246152015-09-22T19:39:00.001-04:002015-09-22T19:39:15.253-04:00If It's THAT Important, Put TWO Of Them In!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What you see here is Crankshaft Position Sensor, which, according to Wikipedia, "...is the most important sensor in modern day engines. When it fails, there is a chance the engine will not start, or cut out while running." Ain't that the truth... There we were in the Pathfinder, just over halfway to Newfie Fun Days in Maine, when at XX mph (pleading the 5th here), there is a wicked hesitation and both the Check Engine and Service Engine Soon lights flashed on (and then back off). For the next 4 hours, anytime we got up over 60 mph, the car would hesitate and shudder. I had to keep looking for shoulders to bail out on if necessary and landmarks to tell our would-be rescuers where we were. Meanwhile, Lucie called the Nissan dealer in Portsmouth, NH and set up a Saturday appointment. We finally got to Maine and the next morning I took it into the dealer. Thank God we didn't stall out in the middle of the highway! This $49 piece was the culprit. They finally found one at the last possible place, handed me the keys to a 2015 Pathfinder, and told me to have a good time but be back by 4. So we got to have a great time at Newfie Fun Days, ride around in a new car, and get the old Pathfinder squared away. Lucie wasn't sure if she was going to be able to go with me. Can't imagine how we would have made it if she hadn't gone!<br /><br />Now, if that part is the most important sensor, why aren't there two installed and a back-up?! At least a governor that drops the engine to 15 mph so you can limp off the road! The shuddering was the worst going uphill. Imagine if I was in a lane with no shoulder (which was often the case) and that thing completely died? Yikes...<br /><br />Mocha picked up a skin infection which is causing some issues down in her privates. Took her to the vet and they are treating it. Should be no big deal. She is down 18 pounds from June and they are concerned about that. Not me. She hardly ate for weeks after her surgery but her appetite has come back stronger than ever and we are being strict with her diet. She will be fine.<br /><br />Meanwhile at work, I have been going to NYC once or twice a week meeting with the new boss and working on some projects. He and I are due to meet next week to discuss my role going forward in the company. Should be interesting...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575967897574419720.post-21238216678839418122015-08-08T11:29:00.000-04:002015-08-08T11:29:00.919-04:00Windows, Walking and Work<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It has been quite a week. There has been some movement at the senior leadership level at my work which made me feel a bit vulnerable. We had a meeting with the company owner last Monday and he asked me if work stress was causing my beard to turn white. So I told him that recent departures of the company president and two VPs made me feel vulnerable. He looked me in the eye and said he would be very mad if he heard I had dusted off my resume. He even made the time to send me a personal email the next day with words of encouragement and future engagement. So that settles that...!<br />
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Got the free update to Windows 10. Installed without a hitch but I had to tweak a few things. Overall it was pretty good although Microsoft continues the trend of taking away our ability to control some things (updates are now forced upon us and installed automatically, etc.). I suppose it is progress. Certainly can't fight it.<br />
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Meanwhile, it has been just over 3 weeks since Mocha's surgery. Her appetite is just starting to come back. We take short walks in the evening now. Still no stairs and I have to keep her calm in case she gets a notion to run. She can't do that till she hits the 8 week mark. But she is coming along. Here is a video:<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575967897574419720.post-32007574858444115552015-07-15T12:46:00.001-04:002015-07-15T12:46:57.703-04:00Mocha Repair<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Back on May 1, Mocha suddenly came up lame. VERY difficult to walk and was favoring her right rear leg. Off to the vet we went where she was diagnosed with a bad sprain. Time went on and she would have good days and bad days. We went back to the vet and got more meds but she still was struggling. Finally, our vet referred her to a specialist. This morning we took her in and she is having surgery soon to repair her CCL (the dog version of the human knee ACL tear). Meanwhile, in anticipation of the bad news, I took a crack at making a ramp for her over the back stairs. Got some plywood and a 2x4 from Home Depot, had them cut it up for me, slapped it together, and made what Ashleigh called, "Frankenstein stairs." Got an old piece of carpet and it doesn't look bad!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575967897574419720.post-39353316734128817832015-06-21T16:52:00.000-04:002015-06-21T16:52:17.982-04:00Picking Up The Pieces Of My Broken Pump<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This morning I went and flicked on the switch to the pool pump. Fired up like normal. For about 5 seconds. Then it shut off. All done. Motor burned out. I checked the switch and breakers but it was toast. Can't have a pool without a pump so I did some quick research and found the replacement pump I needed online with free overnight delivery. Elliott and I went out after church and did some local shopping anyway to put our hands on one and ask some installation questions. Had to talk to an electrician friend too. I ordered the pump and then went out to take out the old one. Not so fast. There is an electrical connection of course and an intake and output pipe. Got the electrical part disconnected (it really was fried in there) and got the output pipe disconnected with no problem. But nothing is easy. The intake pipe SHOULD have unscrewed at the big grey pipe connector you see above. Nope. I broke one tool trying to get it apart and was afraid I would damage the underground piping or the black valve (above). As you can see, the pipe was pretty much destroyed as was the coupling. So I came inside and watched some videos. Everyone in the videos just takes a hacksaw and cuts the pipe, then re-plumbs it. Seemed like a plan to me. 45 seconds later the pipe was cut and now I am bringing my bag of broken pieces to Home Depot to try and re-create it. I will re-plumb it so when the new pump comes, I can just screw it together and fire it up. Sure....<br />
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Oh, and Happy Father's Day to me.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575967897574419720.post-45296812996562230692015-06-20T16:15:00.000-04:002015-06-20T16:15:04.294-04:00Shear Boredom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Been awhile since my last post but not a whole lot has happened. Still waiting to see how that last vague post works out but I am choosing not to worry. It is work related and I would be as bad as the Israelites wandering in the desert if I didn't learn from the last time. So on I go.<br />
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Looks like the only way to fix the pool (see March 21st post) is to pull up the liner and fix the bottom. The liner is 11 years old and they have a lifespan of about 15 years so I might as well get the whole thing done. For now, it is not leaking too much but I keep a close eye on it and patch it as necessary. It should hold out until the Fall when I close it down. Got one estimate (ouch!) - waiting for two others. <br />
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Got the Financial Award notifications for A&E for their Fall semesters. Ashleigh changed her major so she is going for another year - which means her 4 year scholarship dried up. But we were approved for a low interest loan so she is all paid up. We can worry about paying that back another day. She is working in MD at a hospital that is affiliated with her school so she has a good foot in the door for full time employment when she graduates. She is living down near there at her boyfriend's mother's house. That is working out really well. Elliott got the same award as previous years but tuition went up but we got a loan for that too and he will be fine. He is pounding out his online classes (needs the credit hours for the CPA exam) and working and playing a lot of tennis. <br />
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Lucie is in Colombia finishing up a missions trip and visiting family. Really having a good time connecting with family members she has either never seen or hasn't seen in 40 years. We text when she gets a WiFi signal but she is fine. She comes home Tuesday.<br />
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A couple of weeks ago, Lucie and I went to my work annual seminar at their HQ in Miami. Lucie got to visit some family there while I was in sessions and we had dinner on the beach one night. The seminar ended on Friday but we stayed with friends until Sunday. (The company paid for me to fly down of course and the room at The Palms Resort and Spa on the beach. I used some Southwest points and Lucie got to fly down for $11...). Had a really great time with friends eating out on the water, going to the movies, and walking around South Beach.<br />
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Had a good birthday last weekend. A&E were home so we went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner and had a little party with some friends the next night. The family got me (or will get me) a package to drive around a NASCAR track. I am no NASCAR fan but I really want to drive one of those cars. Looks like we can schedule that for August.<br />
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Very boring here. Elliott comes and goes and Ashleigh came home for half of the weekend. She is at the beach today. I went out and did some yard work today in the tropical rainforest (so humid!) and jumped straight into the pool after. The mower was falling apart and leaving parts in the yard (no more self-propel option now) and the shears in the picture above literally fell apart in my hands. I went to replace them and saw they are guaranteed for life. Took this picture and filed a claim - let's see how this goes.<br />
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Overall, all is good. Waiting to see what happens next...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575967897574419720.post-15032433056408409542015-05-26T20:33:00.000-04:002015-05-26T20:33:22.554-04:00The God Who Created The Universe Out Of Nothing Can Certainly Handle ThisThat's all I have to say. For now...<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575967897574419720.post-674272306592692882015-05-11T20:43:00.000-04:002015-05-11T20:43:27.197-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Just a quick story today of how God managed something in a way I never saw coming. I do have to admit that I am getting better at anticipating the unusual solution to my problems though. And He came through again... Elliott is taking some online classes this summer at the local community college so he can earn his CPA quicker from Boston College. He did his research and today we headed over to actually register for the classes. We went in, he picked out the ones he wanted, we got registered, and then headed over to the Business Office (which is a nice way of saying, the Cashier's Office...). I actually was not prepared to make any payments today so the nice lady told us we could just log on and make an online payment Friday. I have been praying about how to pay for these classes and did not want to get yet another loan. For the past week or so, I have been logging on to the BC site to see what financial aid Elliott was getting for next year. While looking at his bill, I had noticed he actually had a surplus amount. That was very unusual as BC is exacting when it comes to loans, grants and awards - they usually calculate the costs very closely. As we started to leave the community college, I was reminded of that surplus. Wouldn't you know it was almost exactly the amount needed to cover his summer classes? We got home, applied for a refund from BC, and the money should be electronically deposited into our account by the end of the week. Never saw that one coming...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575967897574419720.post-27301891089238878162015-04-10T15:39:00.001-04:002015-04-10T15:39:13.247-04:00Never Saw That Coming<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It has been a pretty busy week with all sorts of unusual activities. Mostly good, some challenging, all requiring me to stop and think about how to proceed. One thing I am trying to learn is stop a bit quicker - before I start getting stressed and nervous - and ask God to help. Many times I think I have exhausted all of my options, and I probably have exhausted all of MY options. Invariably, the plan and approach I think of, if I have a plan or approach, is not how it actually works out. And when it works out (after a lot of prayer), it works out in a way I never saw coming and in a way much better than I could have thought of. <br />
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Without going into specifics, I had two challenges this week where my standard resources were not available and I had nowhere to turn to get these particular jobs done. Out of the blue, I got a call from someone affiliated with one of those resources who said that not only could he help me out with one of the issues, he could handle the other one as well! Perfect. And that was just one of the week's challenges. <br />
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God knows I have enough past experiences to reference. Now it is just a matter of moving them up in the memory priority list...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575967897574419720.post-5551578887517182222015-03-21T16:14:00.001-04:002015-03-21T16:14:34.878-04:00But Where Did The Water Go?!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IHIokUw5gcI/VQ3Mx6Da0DI/AAAAAAAAD4M/Wzi3KY8oat8/s1600/Pool%2BWinter%2BDrain%2BProblem%2B0315%2BCollage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IHIokUw5gcI/VQ3Mx6Da0DI/AAAAAAAAD4M/Wzi3KY8oat8/s1600/Pool%2BWinter%2BDrain%2BProblem%2B0315%2BCollage.jpg" height="155" width="400" /></a></div>
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A couple of weeks ago I took a look at the pool through the mesh cover and my heart sank straight to the bottom. The first two pictures in the top row were what I saw: 9 inches of standing water (there should be 5 feet) and the liner falling in. Never before has this happened and I didn't know what to do. I pulled the cover back, threw on my hip waders and jumped in expecting the worst. I looked around for a tear, hole, or leak - something that would explain what happened. For some reason I never even looked under (through) the cover this year to see how it was doing. Sometimes in winters past, I would need to drop a submersible pump in and pump out the excess water. Never has there been a decrease in the water level. I grabbed a garden hose and slowly started to re-fill it. Googled and researched and contacted the local pool company - no explanation could be found. We are talking about 10,000 gallons disappearing without a trace. Over the next few days, the pool re-filled, the liner smoothed out, and not a drop has leaked (see last picture, bottom row, for current status). I haven't opened the pool so the water has not been filtered nor the bottom vacuumed. I have welcomed any and all explanations and theories but none, well, none really hold water. (The pool liner still has some silt in it but I have swept it all over and turned on the pool light at night looking for any indication of leakage. Nothing.) We have heard stories of Jesus performing miracles at the Pool of Bethesda. Now I can tell the story of the miracle at the Hale pool.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575967897574419720.post-63574342609927363532015-02-27T10:33:00.000-05:002015-02-27T10:33:22.201-05:00Needs & Wants<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vpIcFRweHds/VPCNsTaKOfI/AAAAAAAADoI/rfOCIKUzkSE/s1600/thing-your-character-needs-vs-the-thing-your-character-wants-copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vpIcFRweHds/VPCNsTaKOfI/AAAAAAAADoI/rfOCIKUzkSE/s1600/thing-your-character-needs-vs-the-thing-your-character-wants-copy.jpg" height="204" width="320" /></a></div>
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If you look back through my posts, you will see several
instances where I documented how God had come through and met our needs. Sometimes at the last minute (or so it
seemed) but it always worked out. Lately
I have been noticing how He gives us some “wants” too. A few months ago, I saw on the Acura Owner’s
forum that people were changing their license plate bulbs to LEDs. Makes the plate show up whiter and brighter
and looks pretty cool. But each bulb
(there are two), were about $10 each!
That is an extravagance we don’t need.
So I filed it away in my mind and went about my business. Wouldn’t you know that about two weeks ago,
in my daily “super special electronics sale” email, there was a set of TWO LED
bulbs on sale for $3.99 including shipping?!
Ha ha I thanked God and bought
them (and they look great!).<o:p></o:p></div>
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I have to be respectful to the Creator of the universe, but
at the same time, I often think of Him as “one of the guys” who feels what we
feel and knows what it is like to have wants – as frivolous and unnecessary as
they may be.<o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0