Life Altering Event

I have recently met and made a new friend and I have been sharing stories. I used to be a bit embarrassed by the story I am about to tell, but, hey it's part of who I am... I thought I had this story on this blog, but it's not here, but on another website, so here it is - for those who haven't heard it..

It’s been nearly 40 years since I graduated from High School and I suppose I’m like a lot of people who ponder the life I’ve lived, the choices I’ve made, and the lessons I’ve learned. Upon reflection – one of Life’s Lessons I learned is that we are never aware of the ramifications of the choices we make in life, because we simply cannot see into the future. To illustrate...

After graduation, I decided that I was going to attend a private school (name not released in case they’re still mad at me – as you will learn), one which was expensive, and perhaps out of my reach financially. I was going to be a theatre major, get a fine arts degree, go to New York and then on to Hollywood, fame and fortune. I ignored the advice of my parents, who suggested that a junior college closer to home, would be a better choice. To heck with parental advice, I was now an adult! I went to the private school, majored in theatre, and was prepared to make my mark on the world.

Trouble started almost immediately when I rebelled against taking a “regular” gym class. I thought I was done with that ... I ended up signing up for ballet – something recommended by my counselor. Ballet didn’t turn out too bad – it was a class filled with 10 women and 2 men. This fed right into my other majors in college, wine and women. I excelled...

One Friday evening, while I was studying the “wine” part of my education, I ended up consuming an excessive amount of vodka. This led to my acquiring a box of Tide; why, I have no idea, but I found myself standing in front of the college’s very colorful fountain. There were water sprays, and different colored lights – it was so inviting.

I discovered that an entire box of Tide makes a nifty bubble bath – it was a warm evening, the bubbles were inviting, so, I stripped down and jumped in ... most would think that this was my biggest mistake, but no! After my nice bubble bath, I walked around campus au naturel and introduced myself to the couples who were sitting on the benches. This was still not my biggest mistake!

The biggest mistake came when I introduced myself to the local campus security person. That was the mistake that changed my life.

He invited me, okay, took me, to his office and called the local police. To my good fortune, the policeman who showed up was the brother of a friend of mine, so he escorted me back to the dorms with the admonition about never, ever, doing something that stupid again.

Little did I know that my “bath” would affect the entire rest of my life. It was 1970, and the school authorities invited me to leave the school. As a result, I lost my student deferment from the draft. It wasn’t too long before I won the only lottery I ever won – the draft lottery! I was drafted, but I fooled them -- I joined the Navy.

That one bubble bath, that one moment, that one box of Tide, put me on a path which saw me completing 30 years in the Navy – who knew?!

Mini-Easel

As I was unpacking from our shopping trip to Hobby Lobby I asked my wife what she was going to use this cute little plate holder, easel for? She said, That's not mine. You got that."

"No I didn't.."

"Yes, you did 'cause I didn't."

"I didn't, and if you didn't who did?"

She thought a minute, "I bet it was that lady standing next to me and she put it in our basket."

Guess we now have a new "mini-easel".

At least there was NO ASSEMBLY required...

Hobby Lobby Easel With NO Instructions

Those who really know me are aware of my mechanical abilities (they suck). I feel comfortable inside your computer, but "some assembly required" scares the bejeebers out of me. At any rate, I've been looking for a simple easel and found one at Hobby Lobby. It also said, "assembly required", but really, how tough could an easel be?

We got the easel home, opened the package and looked for directions. Directions? Where are the directions? Perhaps they're printed on the back of the label? No - there are NO directions. So, if anybody else buys this product and discovers there are no directions, here are a few hints...

#1 - lay the legs on the floor. Each leg consists of 2 parts. The with the "cap" on it is the bottom. Place the parts so that the round part is facing toward you and and the "little shelf" it makes is also in front. Do this 3 times... (3 legs).



Assembly the legs and then using a longer screw hook them together as illustrated in the above photo.

What comes next took a while and I had to call upon an engineer's daughter (my wife) to assist in figuring this out. She also excels at putting together puzzels where puzzles give me a headache. At any rate, we had 2 pieces of wood left - each with a hole in the middle. We tried to line up those holes every which way with no success and then - we (she) discovered that the two pieces that form the shelf are placed on the outside of the legs and the other one behind the legs. Then you use the long bolt "thingy" (technical term) with the loop at the end to connect the two pieces together and you then clip the chain to the loop as seen in the next 2 illustrations.

And, now a finished easel. I almost want to go out and buy another one just so I can put it together with ease...

Alter or Altar?

Alter or Altar - why the world needs proofreaders...

The Curve

If you have been reading my posts you will remember that several weeks ago I was talking about the past, the present and "curves". I didn't say what the curve was - I was coy - but, here is the rest of the story...

In 2003 I was contacted by a high school classmate with whom I graduated from high school with in 1969. She was trying to get together a mailing list and database to facilitate re-connecting with our high school classmates. Our Class president was in the final stages of cancer and she wanted to let as many people know as she could. She envisioned a website where we could post information.

She was looking for somone to put together a website. Now, I had the ability, but did not volunteer that information real quick. After a couple of weeks I finally confessed - and in 2003 our Class Website was born - http://www.ifhs69.com/ It has been a labor of love. We have re-connected and made new friends.

I don't quite remember how it happened, but before too long there were 4 core members who helped feed information, run ads in the Iowa Falls paper to generate web traffic, and provide information for newsletters. Other classmates mailed in donations to help with the website, others sent in pictures and newspaper clipping from when we were in school. Mothers also called and let me know where their kids were because they heard we were looking for them. And, friends, and realtives of classmates also called. I have heard from, or received emails from, around the country. I have even received calls and letters from other classes around the country that wanted to know how to do what it is we do... One thing led to another and suddenly our little group "morphed" into the 40th Reunion Planning Committee. It has been fun, challenging at times, but fun. So, I hear you saying, "so what, what about it..?" Neat story - but, so?

Well - a couple of weeks ago I was contacted by the Des Moines Register in regards to our class reunion. The Register is interested in doing a multi-media project that focuses on an Iowa high school reunion. They like the idea of 1969 because it was an interesting, pivotal year. They like the idea of Iowa Falls because of its size, relatively close proximity to Des Moines, and they like our IFHS Class of 1969 because our class is on the ball in terms of planning. They see a lot of possibilities with multi-media storytelling and have assigned a reporter and photographer to meet with us and record our reunion. They recently did a “Buddy Holly Remembered project, http://data.desmoinesregister.com/holly/index.php and our high school reunion project would be similar.

They are planning to show how the class of 1969 dispersed across the nation and globe after graduation and they envision a rollover map that would bring up our yearbook and current photos with thumbnail bios. There would also be video interviews with members of the class. And, of course, they would showcase ’69 culture (TV, music, sports, news events, etc.) The project has been approved by the senior staff of the Register [it means they agreed to devote the time and resources] and they believe that it’s a cool project that would resonate with many Iowans.

A bit of history
One of the senior editors at the register wanted to do a story on a 1969 Iowa Class Reunion and went to the internet to do research – he landed on our website. He was intrigued by not only our website, but with our planning and the fact we are going to hold the reunion in the old high school. The editor assigned a reporter who contacted me about doing a feature story and I met with her for 3 hours yesterday.

There will be a feature story before the reunion and then another story after the reunion along with a newly designed interactive web site featuring our class and our reunion. It is my sincere hope that classmates who have not decided whether or not to attend, reconsider and join us for what promises to be a memorable reunion. We're in the process of sending out a newsletter to let everyone know what's happening.

Who would have thought that 6 years ago that by building a website and keeping it going would lead to the Des Moines Register doing a story about our town, our class and our reunion? Life is truly amazing - sometimes weird, but amazing notheless.

Let the little children come...do not hinder them

My wife and I go to an Episcopal Church and we have a young priest who is serving the parish. We really love his enthusiam and energy. He races in triathalons - something I can't even imagine. My triathalon would consist of trying to eat ice cream, chocolate brownies and a cheesburger at the same time...

At any rate the following conversation was heard in church a couple of weeks ago:

The priests wife was trying to reason with a rather talkative 3 year old, "Be quiet...stop talking we're in church."

"Daddy's talking..."

"Daddy's the priest..., now sh-h-h-"

A couple of minutes later the reasoning went out to the hallway where I assume reason prevailed. Some people seemed to be be bothered if kids make noises in church, but they are the life blood of any church or organization. They are curious, filled with love and enthusiam, and brighten most everybody's day. So, if the 3 year old wants to start preaching early, I say go for it!!

A Quick Post

I have a quick post which contains an important message - "...if you get up in the middle of the night to take a Zantac for your heartburn - turn the light on to make sure it is a Zantac and not a Dulcolax, and do not say to yourself, ' if 1 is good 2 is better...!!'"

Enough said...

New Math AGAIN

My wife and I had lunch at a Burger King yesterday and the new math has struck again. The young lady was having difficulties with her register, her manager, and a customer and along I come wanting to order lunch. My bill was $10.25 and I gave her a $20 bill. She took the change out of the drawer looked at it - made a feeble attempt to count it back - gave up and wadded up the cash and put it in my hand. I simply stuck it in my pocket. This morning I was sorting my pockets and counted out the money in my pocket and it was $14.75. Burger King was the only place I went and according to my math I should have had $9.75 in my pocket. I often wonder if they have any "change counting back" training any more. I can't tell you the last time someone actually counted change back, "25, 50, 75, makes eleven, twelve, thirteen fourteen, fifteen and five makes twenty."

I will put my $5.00 windfall in the collection plate this morning - thank you Burger King.

Frog

The year before my wife graduated from high school (don't even think I'm going to say the year)... she acquired a concrete frog. The frog stayed with her through the rest of high school, her trip off to college, the 17 years of her first marriage and 23 years of our marriage. This was an outdoor frog - he wasn't house broken.

The frog lived in Iowa, Florida, Rhode Island, Illinois, Louisiana, California and Minnesota. He weathered cold, ice, snow, 2 hurricanes, 1.5 earthquakes and the brutality of movers, but, our home was not home without the concrete frog sitting by the front door. Last year - the cold, snow and ice finally took their toll and when the snow cleared all that was left was a crumbled bit of concrete.

Two of our grandkids thought that the frog should have a burial, so they buried what was left of the frog in a flower bed and used a brick for a headstone (above photo). Katharine gave a beautiful eulogy for the frog which ended, "... I hope he goes to hell...".

"Katharine" her brother yelled, "Grandma she said a bad word." When Grandma inquired about why she would say such a thing, Katharine said, "I couldn't spell heaven...".

Yesterday while at Target we came upon a frog (unpainted) which looked exactly like the recently deceased and buried frog. The frog was purchased and we tromped off to Lowe's Hardware to buy frog paint. The guy at the paint counter got a chuckle over the story and said he had never been asked to pick out paint for a frog.

Here is our newest addition...

... maybe he'll last as long as the last frog.

One Bad Dude

Continuing my story from yesterday - My dad was not a racist, but was uneducated in relation to race. He carried images in his head that he obtained from living life in a white community in rural Iowa. He had not been exposed to people who were different from him. He also had the images that television and newspaper put in his head that white people should fear black people.

Jump into the future (from 1969) about 18 years. I was living in Minneapolis, MN and working for an urban ministry, Midwest Challenge, in the their book division and I had an assignment to interview Ted Jefferson. Ted had lived a life of crime culminating in a first degree murder conviction. He had recently written a book outlining his life story and how God had intervened in his life. He had been paroled (unheard of for a first degree murder conviction) and was running a half-way house in North Minneapolis.

On the weekend I had scheduled the interview my folks came to town to visit and I asked my dad if he'd like to come along. He agreed. As we were nearing our destination it was apparent to my dad that we were driving in an African-American part of town. As we entered the house where the interview was going to be, my dad became visibly nervous. We sat down at a kitchen table with several African American males who had all been convicted of some felony. By this time I imagine my dad was about to pee his pants. I imagine he thought that we were going to be beaten, robbed and killed at any moment. And, then... Ted walked in...

Ted was a compassionate Christian filled with love and concern for his fellow man and was dedicated to helping others. He quickly made my dad feel at ease as he shared his story and his vision. He gave my dad an autographed copy of his latest book and I know it had a lasting impression on him as he spoke of it often. I can see my dad back in Iowa Falls at the morning coffee club telling the others about how he met this "bad dude" in Minneapolis and lived to tell the story.

My dad has been gone nearly 11 years and I regret we did not visit more. Ted has since passed on and perhaps he, my dad and Bob Tate are all having a good time in heaven - singing and telling stories. It's a pleasant thought for me.

Bob Tate

Life is weird sometimes and every now and then throws a curve, provides a bit of information about the past and teases you with the future. This week has had all of those elements.

The Present: I took a photo Wednesday night http://rallenhillproject365.blogspot.com/2009/03/cross.html that shows the beauty of this planet on which we live.

The Past: During my senior year in high school in Iowa Falls, Iowa, the local Junior College, Ellsworth College put on a musical, the name escapes me at the moment, however one of the leads was a young black man, Bob Tate, who had a gorgeous tenor voice. Through the theatre program at the high school I had the opportunity to meet him, and we became friends of sort. One day, I called my Mom and asked if I could bring a friend home for supper. No problem. We walked in and I could see the shock in my folk’s face, or a least my Dad, who evidently had some pre-conceived racial ideas. It was tense all through supper. Bob then noticed the piano in the living room and asked if he could play. My Dad (reluctantly) agreed. You could see my Dad’s attitude and demeanor change as Bob played the piano. He made those keys sing... My Dad, also a tenor and a pianist, was put at ease and the rest of the night was spent singing around the piano.

Over the years I have often wondered what ever happened to Bob Tate after he left Iowa Falls. I knew he was from Waterloo, but never made a effort to find out. There was always next week.

This week I ran out of next weeks. His obituary was in the paper this week. He was 62 and had spent his life as a church musician. I regret not looking him up. He was instrumental in changing my Dad’s attitude about race (I have another story to tell about that – but that will have to be at a later time). He was also a friend to me.

What did I learn this week? - don't wait until next week to tell someone you appreciate what they do, who they are and that you care for them. There just may not be a next week...

The Curve and the Future: Let's just say, for the moment, "Life is interesting!"

Whacky World

It seems that every day you hear some new "bad"news about the economy, "... we're in a recession...", "... cost of goods are going up...", "... unemployment is rising..." and a lot of other gloomy predictions. I don't wish to downplay these concerns, but I do believe that fear begets fear. As the "gloomy" predictions continue people start thinking, "...m-m-m-m-m maybe they're right..." and they start to change their behavior.

Some behavior is good to change - save more, spend less on credit, and plan your financial future. I know first hand that people are changing their behavior. In my little (and it is little) corner of the world of finance, people are saving more (my deposits are up) and are spending less (loans down a bit). Economists will say that these are the signs of a recession - I say they're signs of people waking up and paying attention.

I grow tired of the gloom and doom. "6% unemployment..." Why can't they say, "94% of Americans are employed.". Perhaps good news is not news...

If you have good news- please, put it in a comment to this Post...

Have a great day!!!

Remember the New Water Heater?

My wife and I got home from work at about 5:30 last night. We were scurrying around opening mail, and fixing something to eat before going to chime and choir practice at the church. My wife opened the Culligan Bill and said, "$60? When did they deliver salt?" I didn't know so I went to the basement to see if there had been salt delivered. I looked in the container and it was filled with salt... that's the end of that [I thought].

As I was walking away I noticed my feet were wet, "Shit... where's that coming from?" [Recall that we've recently had a failed sump pump, clogged drain and a new water heater.] I started looking for the source of the water. It seemed to come from the direction of the new water heater... , "Crap..." Then I saw it - a little stream of water shooting out from where one of the copper pipes was soldered. I had no idea how long it had been leaking - but judging from the water it had been a couple of days at least.

A quick call to the plumber resulted in a plumber showing up within 30 minutes [I was impressed] - he fixed the leak and said they guarantee their work and there would be no charge. He indicated that it is uncommon for this to happen, but on occasion a soldered joint fails. That didn't comfort me since all I saw was a big puddle of water (again)!!

I am thankful that the Culligan Bill was $60 because it sent me to the basement. Who knows how long it would have been before we discovered the leak?

Now my question is this - can I send him a bill for the time and energy I spent mopping up water - again? Probably not... at least I knew right where the mop and bucket were...

A Day Well Spent

The seminar I attended yesterday was filled with information. I love to attend these as you meet people with the same interests (and the same toys). I picked up some suggestions and ideas, and even learned of some additional capabilities of my camera. It was a day well spent.

As a side note: The Canon Guy has the perfect job - he gets to play with the newest, the best, and most expensive camera equipment!!! I had some serious lens envy going...

Discovery Day

I'm going to a Canon Discovery today in Cedar Rapids. (I got up in plenty of time [5:12 AM]). PhotoPro, a camera store in Cedar Rapids is sponsoring the day and it sounds interesting. It is a day of discovery of your camera. There are tons of options in the camera, and I know I don't come close to using the camera to the fullest extent I can.

There is a school of thought that says post processing should be kept at a minimum (working with Photoshop or other editing programs). As a matter of fact in photographic competitions there are rules regarding post processing. Photographers may perform enhancements and modifications of the image that could have been done at the time the image was taken, but that do not change the original truth of the image, e.g. cropping, and flipping the image are acceptable, adding or removing elements is not.

All major brand DSLR's have picture style settings that control color, contrast, sharpness, and saturation. And, all of these can be done in the camera. What I want to learn today is more about controlling the image in the camera with limited post picture taking processing. There are times when you need to "fix" a picture. I have frequently had only seconds to take a picture of a moving subject or the "right moment" before it was gone. there was no time to "tune" the camera to all of the appropriate setting of ISO, aperture, or picture style. It was a shoot right NOW moment or miss it. In that case, a little post processing is OK.

In competitions there should be a creative category where you can process all you want - and I like that category also.

Condolences

Imagine for a moment that you wake up - there's a nip in the air as the temperature outside hovers near zero. You are looking forward to that hot shower to not only take the chill off, but to warm you up and get the blood flowing - only to discover that sometime in the middle of the night the hot water heater died.

It had been a good hot water heater, faithful in performing its duties of providing hot water for the household for at least 20 years. It shall be missed...

I don't know what it is about my basement these days - clogged drain, dead sump pump, flood, and now the water heater. The furnace was replaced a couple of years ago so we're OK there... I won't say anything about the washer and dryer (shhhhhh)...

I'll be home awhile today as the plumbers can't pinpoint a time other than, "...between the hours of 8:00 and Noon...maybe early afternoon." Here I am...

Well, late morning didn't work...here's hoping early afternoon will...

1:23 PM Plumber guy is here...

2:45 PM New water Heater has joined the family - here's to a LONG and HEALTHY life...

Blessed or Cursed?

Another early morning - it seems that my internal alarm clock is outa wack and frequently goes off at weird hours - like "I'm awake now!!" On the plus side I'm getting a lot more done each day - on the down side - my internal engine shuts down quickly about 10:00 PM or so each nite. So I'm inclined to think it's a blessing - perhaps next time I'll actually go to the grocery store in the wee hours and see who else is up?!?

A Favorite Place to Take Pictures

I visited one of my favorite picture taking places to take some additional photos. It was a beautiful winter day, sun out, temperatures about 30 degrees and no wind. My 365 Project is One a Day and I end up taking a lot of photos. I thought I'd post a couple here...the Cedar River in Cedar Falls, Iowa

The Perfect Storm

A Winter snow melt can be a good thing, OR, it can combine with other events and cause a perfect storm.

I was looking for a picture and couldn't find what I was looking for so I decided to look in the basement. When I got to the foot of the stairs it became readily apparent that we had a problem, as there was a puddle of water at the foot of the steps. We typically don't have a puddle at the foot of the stairs so that's how I perceived we had a problem. I took a couple of more steps into the basement and discovered, not a puddle, but a lake (no fish). My first thought was that since we had just gotten a humidifier added to the furnace perhaps the water line broke. No, m-m-m-m-m, that wasn't it. Then, perhaps the water heater finally gave it up...no, that wasn't it either. I investigated the area of the basement where the sump pump is and discovered the deep end of the lake.

It seems that not only did the sump pump fail, but the drain in the basement also decided it was time to stop working...and the water started filling the basement. Since there was nothing we could do until morning we went to bed hoping the water didn't get worse (deeper). It didn't - it was lower in the morning. We called the Roto Rooter guy and he came and cleaned the drain and the plumber came and replaced the sump pump. So, all that is left is the mess and we're dealing with that...

When my wife called the plumber to schedule a visit she told him that her husband was not handy, but thought we needed a new sump pump. He then asked if I had "jiggled this" or "moved that"... to which she replied, "my husband is not handy that way (true), but if you want a picture taken of the sump pump it would be the best picture ever." (she's a fan of my photography) I think the plumber thought she was insulting me (she wasn't as I am not mechanically inclined) and he wanted to defend a fellow guy... At any rate - I was right we needed a new sump pump.

I couldn't stay home and help with the mess as I had a meeting I had to go to in Des Moines. My mood was not the best as I traveled. I stopped at a rest stop and as I was walking back to the car a $20 bill blew under my foot. My mood perked right up... there was nobody around, so I thank whoever lost it for my evening meal... Too bad it wasn't a couple of $100 bills I could give the plumber.

Physical Training

Every now and then I get an overwhelming nostalgic feeling and miss the Navy. Tonight the feeling came to me while I was walking on a treadmill during one of my 3 times a week workout. I know it's strange...but, some of my fondness memories are when a group of us would gather either before work (6:00 AM [the Navy always has to do stuff before dawn]) or during the afternoon and run physical training. I was never athletic and the run was always a challenge for me, but there were shipmates who stepped up and provided me with motivation and encouragement. Tonight I thought of Ralph, Ray, CDR R., CDR H., Tony, Lisa and others who ran with me.

Strange how time deals with memories - at the time I swore I hated every step of the run, but looking back - it wasn't too bad and the commaraderie made the memory. Thanks all...

PS I've been on the workout plan for 4 weeks and it is getting easier, I have lost 5 lbs and am close to dropping down a waist size...

Angry

This sign hangs on my office wall. I believe it is missing from an awful lot of corporations. I for one am angry to hear that the CEO's and CFO's and managers of the companies who received federal bailout funds (MY tax money and YOUR Tax money) used it to pay exhorbitant bonuses to themselves and their employees. The below photo express' my opinion...

A Sad Commentary

The Stone Barn landmark Southeast of Cedar Falls was built in 1875. I have been driving by it for years (not since 1875 however). I took the above picture a couple of years ago...

When the barn was in its prime there was a small village across the street complete with 3 houses, a church and a school. The city issued a "fix it" or tear it down ticket and the owner reluctantly removed the structure due to insurance and liability issues. The following picture was taken from General Denny Mills Public Picasa Gallery and shows the barn today.














Not quite sure why we can't preserve our history...

I am Naked

I am Naked
Originally uploaded by natureluv

Trying something new - posting to my blog from Flickr. Discovered this photo it intrigued me and I wanted to share. Love the fog...

300 Years

I had a thought today...I have over 11,000 photos in digital format (doesn't include any of my film pictures)..so doing one photo day a day for 365 days I could already post one a day for thirty years. And, since I'm doing one a day now - one just can't shoot one picture - I shoot maybe 10 or 11 (sometimes more) a day, so, if I'm posting 1 day, and taking 11 a day I still would be good for an additional 300 years (posting one a day out of the 11 a day I take). Makes my head hurt - I'd better post one here...














Stained Glass...

0 at Noon

It's supposed to warm up during the day - this was the temperature at noon today - up from a chilly -12 below.
(Click on the photo if you want to see a larger image.)

Knitted Purse

I've had several inquiries about my Yarn Pictures - asking if my wife bought any yarn while I was wondering around Crazy Girls taking pictures. The answer is a resounding YES...

Her skill amazes me and fascinates me at the same time. In my eyes she bought a bunch of colored string hanging from a wall and in 2 days this purse appeared and she is now working on a matching tam (I think that's a hat). She knits while she talks (or talks while she knits), watches television and knits (or knits while watching television) - even knits during the homily at church (yes, the priest knows). She's been knitting so long it's second nature...she's a Crazy Girl!!

Again - New Math

This evening as my wife and I were coming back from working out we stopped at a grocery store to pick up some bread. We observed the following sign attached to a candy display: SALE 2 for a $1. The only problem is that they were clearly marked as selling for .48 cents a piece.

How is $1 on sale?

A New Year

My wife and I have joined a health club sponsored by Covenant Hospital in Waterloo. A most reasonable rate - we qualified for the senior discount -ugh... The goal is to become healthier, lighter and thinner.

Last night was the first night. My body fat was - let's just say the Navy wouldn't like it (it exceeds 22%). The trainer set up a regimen that includes 30 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes on a variety of machines which I'm sure had their beginnings during the Midevil torture times.

So, along with doing a Photo a day for 365 days I am also committing to 3 times a week at the health club. Wish me well and send encouragement!!

Frozen Pipes

Finding a plumber on a day when it was 34 below zero proved difficult. The first plumber we called said - "no way, we're too busy un-freezing pipes." The 2nd place we called said - "We're going out of town, back next week. Good luck" (Seems they missed a good money making opportunity) We then called the Roto Rooter guy and he said he could make it.

He showed up about 5:45 PM and got right to work. Turns out our pipes were frozen. He "rooted" then used a hair dryer and hot water to finish the job. While he was putting everything back together he broke one of the pipes on the garbage disposal. He was apologetic and ran right out to buy a replacement part - no charge. I was so impressed with his work ethic and friendly demeanor (and the fact it was close to 8 at night) I tipped him. (Out of my character). Water runs now and today we'll shop for some insulation. Of course it probably won't be 34 below zero for another 50 years - but, hey, we'll be ready!!

Yuck...

I don't know if it is the 34 degree BELOW Zero weather, or that something has become lodged in our kitchen drain, but I woke up at 5:45 AM to a plugged kitchen drain. Finding a plumber today won't happen because they're all unfreezing pipes around town (it's 34 degrees BELOW Zero). I have plunged repeatedly to no avail. Next step is to buy some drain unplugging stuff and wait...

Check Your Credit Report

I had an article published in the Cedar Valley Business Monthly. If you click on the title of the post it should direct you to the article. If the link is broken leave a comment and I'll post a copy of the article.

Photo Club

Paddle Boat Reflected in the Mississippi















Louisiana Swamp as depicted at the Dubuque River Museum.

I went to a Photo Club Meeting today in Cedar Rapids (Waterloo can't seem to put one together) and entered the above 2 photos in this months competition - the topic was "Reflections". I didn't win or place, but received some votes. The photos that won were excellent photos. I will continue to compete...

Snorkeling in Iowa

Snorkeling in Iowa... (I think alcohol was involved).

A friend sent me this and I laughed so hard I wanted to share. (I don't think this is him - can't tell from the angle).

Beauty of New Snow

We received 4" of new snow last night and it is beautiful outside. Never mind all of the aggravation that goes with a new snow (shoveling, plowing, slipping, sliding, falling down) - it is gorgeous.

As I was taking my wife to work this morning we came across a SUV who had obviously been traveling too fast for the road conditions - hung up on a snow bank. I had my camera with me, but there was no opportunity to pull over and snap a photo. It seems, however, that the majority of vehicles in the ditch and "hung up" on snow banks are SUVs and trucks. I believe it is because the driver's have a false sense of security. They know they have 4 x 4 traction and can "plow" through the snow but seem to forget the stopping part... 4 x 4 or not, vehicles do not stop on a dime on ice. That's my 2 cents worth...(ok maybe a dime.). (Click on the photo to view a larger image.)

Lousy Janitor

I work in a small credit union. When I am asked what I do at the Credit Union I am fond of saying that I am the CEO/CFO and Janitor. It describes the fact that in a small business, you have to do a variety of jobs ranging from financial decisions to taking out the garbage (something I'm sure the CEO of GM does not do.)

At any rate, every time my youngest daughter visits she points out the spider web and dead lady bug in the window and tells me I'm a lousy janitor. I like to tease - so I leave the web and its prey - reminds me that I'm a lousy janitor.

Scissors Take A Ride

This morning was an icy morning - as evidenced by a picture in a prior post. Before we left the house this morning for church I grabbed a pair of scissors from the kitchen (to open the bag of salt) and proceeded to the garage. I opened the bag and sat the scissors on the trunk of my car. I proceeded to cover the driveway in salt. When I finished, back into the house I went.

This evening, a good 12 hours and 15 miles since this morning, we went to pick up my mother-in-law and sister-in-law for a trip to a steak house. When we arrived at their house we needed to put something into the trunk, so I popped the trunk - and, off came a pair of scissors. The same pair of scissors I used to open the bag of salt in the morning. They had been on my trunk from our house to the church, from the church to visit a friend in the hospital, from the hospital to our house and then to pick up folks for supper. It's a wonder that with all the slipping, sliding, bumping and jumping that they didn't fall off- sure glad they didn't fall off and stab a pedestrian. And, best of all - I don't have to buy a new pair!!!

Project 365

I am embarking on a Project 365 - where I will take and upload a new photo every day in 2009. My Project 365 Blog is at: ttp://rallenhillproject365.blogspot.com.

One of my resolutions for 2009 is to pay closer attention to this blog and make many more posts (lucky you).

This photo is the first sunrise of 2009 over Waterloo, Iowa. I couldn't sleep and woke up at 5:00 AM on New Years day - so, since the rest of the house was still asleep (ok, not the house, the people in the house) I decided to go out and about and take some pictures.

Here is another:















I saw this reflection while I was driving, and since there was little to no traffic I stopped and took the picture.

Have a good 2009 filled with joy and happiness.

Ironing Board Pedestrian Accident

I do not know what possessed me to join the masses shopping today - but I ventured out. It was probably the $20 Best Buy Rewards Bonus I received in the mail - they give me $20 I give them $80 - m-m-m-, how does that work?

At any rate, as I was walking past a Bed Bath and Beyond store a woman came out of the door (at a high rate of speed), not looking left, or right, just barged onto the sidewalk. BAM - I got nailed with a glancing blow from her just purchased ironing board. Since we were both walking there was no need to exchange driver's licenses or insurance information - and she was apologetic. I was not injured - so good on so many fronts, can you see the headline if I had been injured, "Pedestrian Ironing Board Accident sends One to the ER", or "The Police are still looking for the lady reposnsible for the hit and run with an ironing board..."

Ok - that's silly - but it did strike me (no pun indended) as humorous when it happened... But, hey, Shoppers - be careful out there...!!

On The Side

My wife and I attended a company christmas party this week and she ordered a dinner salad with the dressing on the side.

Now, I would think most people understand that "on the side" means, "in a little container sitting next to the salad", however, when her salad arrived the dressing was on the salad - albeit on the side of the salad...