Fall is coming to the Ozarks!

Last Sunday afternoon I drove back from Miranda's house, arriving just in time for our weekly family zoom call. It is always good to visit with family and have a gospel discussion with them. After two plus weeks on the road, it was good to return home. While it is nice to be in the comfort and quiet of my own home, sometimes I long for the commotion and activity of little ones in the house.

The grass was starting to get out of control, as was the pasture. So after running on Monday, I mowed most of the yard, but had to raise the deck due to the height of the grass. I was able to finish mowing on Tuesday and then started bush hogging the pasture. After 90 minutes the tractor started going a different direction than I was steering it. Close inspection revealed that the drag link was disconnected; the ball joints popped out of their sockets they were that worn. I did not want to leave the tractor in the middle of the field in tall grass, so I tried to get it the hundred yards close to the barn and cut grass. It did not want to cooperate. I could get the wheels headed in the right direction by lifting the front end with the bucket, but they still insisted in going to the left. Finally I put it in reverse and did a 270 turn, then went forward. I had offset the heading just enough so the tractor ended up where it can be more easily worked on.

I called the nearest John Deere dealer, 48 miles away, and ordered the part. Friday morning it was in and I drove over to pick it up. Unfortunately, it was not the correct item; there are several possibilities and this was not the one. I had taken in the old part and the parts man was able to identify the correct one. I anticipate a call early in the week and I will make another trip to Harrison. Yesterday I tried to remove the ball joint from the steering linkage; it does not want to budge. Getting the right part may be the easy part of this ordeal.

Tuesday I took the truck in to determine the cause of my power steering fluid leak; it had been leaking for a month, but I did not have time to get it corrected before heading west over two weeks ago, so I just kept adding fluid to the reservoir. Used a quart in that time, but it worked. Turned out it was a leaking pressure hose and 90 minutes and less than $100 later, I was heading home.

Wednesday I met with one of my tenants. He has sediment in the water from all faucets, but only after it rains. He had the water department come out to inspect the meter and they said it is not due to the city water lines. So tell me, how do you get dirt and small grass clippings in your water supply with a pressurized system? And only after it rains? My plumber friend with 35 years experience has never seen this phenomena. 

Wednesday Susan and Steve arrived in time for dinner. They will be spending two weeks here. It is nice to have other adults in the home, although I suspect they may get tired of my talking. Steve has already 'changed the oil' in one of my clocks that was slowing down.

Katie had made arrangements with the Memphis Temple to take out her own endowments on Saturday; we were looking forward to being able to attend this momentous event. Then mid week we learned that her brother Aaron was being quarantined due to another student's virus infection. By week's end, Kera, Andy, one of the girls and Aaron were mildly sick. So Katie has rescheduled to later in October.

I have been teaching seminary three weeks now. While it is nice not to have to meet in a classroom, I miss establishing a more personal relationship with the youth. One youth runs cross country; the team had a meet on Thursday, so on Friday I inquired how the meet went; he responded that he did a virtual run in his neighborhood because he was in quarantine due to another student having the virus. So far he is healthy.

The weather here has been marvelous. Night temperatures are in the high 50's or lows 60's. Daytime has been in the 70's until this weekend. According to the weatherman, it will be cooler this next week. I turned the AC off last Sunday evening, and it has been on only a couple of hours since then. I like it!

I spent time this week going through Sandy's office. I was able to organize her desk and discard a lot of stuff. There are 10 file cabinet drawers; I was able to go through half of them. The office looks like a tornado hit it; there are a variety of piles, one is trash, one to burn, one to this child or another. And I need to first go through all the files to determine what to save before I can put the need to keep items away. A lot of discarded items are her writing notes from various conferences and trainings she attended over the years. And then there are files like the voluminous one from the sale of the trailer park over 15 years ago - it went into the burn pile.

Rebecca kindly had a large family picture made from our July reunion (thank you Kendra and Cyrus); where to put it? I like the current family pictures and did not want to replace any of them. So I removed an oil painting that Sandy had purchased 30 years ago and was hanging in the dining room and hung the picture there. I would much rather see family than a seascape!

Life Goes on in Arkansas

 After running on Monday morning, it was back to the bathroom. Miranda drove down and helped grout the tug surround. Rachel and Hailey enjoy playing together, and Hailey misses her cousin when she leaves. Tuesday Deborah mapped out the tile placement for the floor so that the pattern would be repetitive. I was able to get the floor tiles installed in time for dinner.

Wednesday was more of a relaxing day with no major tasks to accomplish. After my run, I was able to do a lot of the small things, like touching up paint, attaching the bath door, installing door trim. Nice not to feel the pressure. Thursday I cut tile for the baseboard and installed it; then grouted the floor; this was more messy than the tub, but the job got accomplished.  I installed the new toilet and finished all the associated tasks so that I could get on the road by noon. The rest of the work is Ian's. He will build a vanity (the space is not a normal size), the plumber will make the final tub connections and such.

Sam's is just around the corner from from Deborah's so I stopped to stock up on non perishables. Then it was onto Miranda's, 30 miles north. Since it was lunch time, and there is a Five Guys on the way, I satiated the need for one of their yummy burgers.

Dan finished work early enough, that we were able to get several sheets of drywall installed in time for dinner. Since the roof is gambrel shaped, it was a bit of a challenge cutting and installing the drywall.

Friday I drove to the local park to run; everything around their house has too many hills and narrow roads. It was a beautiful and cool morning and I had a good run. Miranda stopped there after dropping the boys off for school and was strolling Rachel around, so we jogged together a bit. Then home to finish installing the drywall and taping and mudding.

Saturday was spent on the shed; Dan installed some cedar strip paneling on the back wall while I mudded and sanded the drywall joints. We also jacked up the back end of the shed another six inches to get the floor level. Also replaced some damaged vinyl siding on the house. Then time to clean up and pack my tools.

                                                    

I plan to head home (finally) after home church this afternoon. Teaching seminary requires a better internet continuity than they have here. And there are things waiting for me to do this week. And Susan and Steve will be coming mid week for a visit!

Last Sunday I arrived at Deborah and Ian's house where I have spent the week. Monday was Labor Day, and we did not disappoint. After a shopping spree at Home Depot - I love helping other people spend their money - to purchase drywall, we returned home to continue the bathroom restoration project that they had started. There is a sense of urgency to get this bath operational again; with a family of eight and only one other bathroom available there is the potential for some challenging moments.

Ian installed a vent van, light and speakers in the ceiling. He constructed a pony wall at the front of the tub for a TP holder - and radio control. We installed insulation in the walls and secured the drywall. Then came the process of taping and mudding the seams. This is not my forte; but with patience and time, I can get the walls smooth.

They had chosen 12 inch by 24 inch tile for the tub surround; the larger the tile the more challenging in terms of precision and time to install. I had hoped to get the tub grouted by Saturday, but I didn't get the last tile in place until that morning. I am sure that these tasks are just more time consuming and it is not because I am getting slower!

Miranda drove down with Rachel both Wednesday and Thursday to texture the ceiling and then paint it. It is nice that the two sisters live close enough to visit. Rachel and Hailey had fun playing together.

Here are some before, during and now pictures of the bath project:

After the last tile was in place, I cleaned up the equipment and tub area while Deborah, with the help of Samantha, painted the walls. Of the two paint colors they had chosen, one appeared too dark and the other too light. They opted for the lighter color, but once on the wall, it appeared darker than anticipated. I headed north to meet Dan at a Home Depot near them so he could purchase drywall for his new to him office, which is a 8 foot by 16 foot shed. It is nice to have a truck for these projects. And since there is an Andy's Frozen Custard nearby, we were obligated to stop by to assuage  my hot fudge sundae addiction.

50 years ago this past Saturday, Sandy and I were married in Panorama City, CA. Same church and minister as Steve/Kathy and Sue/Steve. So we had a 50th anniversary celebration yesterday at Miranda's house. Jonathan drove down with three of his children, Andy and most of his family joined us and all of Deborah's family was there for a total of 24 family members. The children had fun running amok in the forested area while the adults visited in a more leisurely fashion. Deborah took over the task of cooking the hot dogs and hamburgers. There were three yummy cheesecakes to enjoy afterwards. I spent the night at Miranda's and will drive back down to Deborah's this afternoon.

Tasks for this week include grouting the tub, installing a tile floor and grouting it. Then my work there should be complete and I will return to Miranda's for a couple of days to help Dan get his office drywalled. We will see how this actually works out!

September Already!

 It is 5 pm Sunday evening and I am sitting outside the bishop's office waiting to be interviewed by a member of the Stake Presidency. He has several temple recommend interviews to conduct first, so I wait. 45 minutes later, after visiting with others there to see him, I finally enter the office and learn the purpose of my interview. It has been necessary to release the couple teaching seminary and that call is extended to me. Immediately my mind races through the implications of this call, and getting up 30 minutes earlier is not one of them. I am committed to spend a week or two assisting Deborah and Ian with a bathroom project and Miranda and Dan with converting a shed into his new office. And what about the Adam's Family October visit, etc, etc. While Mountain Home schools are conducting classes, many have opted to do virtual learning, so seminary is via Zoom for now. As long as those I am visiting have good internet, I should be able to still conduct daily meetings. How soon do I start is my first question; immediately. Because of my current work schedule, I am able to negotiate Friday as my first day. On the drive home the reality of what seminary requires sinks in. But I have learned that by trusting in the Lord, all things are possible.

Class starts at 645 am. I need to learn how to host a Zoom call. Things have changed since I taught seminary over 20 years ago.There are 14 'attending' seminary youth. I taught three of their mother's 20 years ago. I almost feel like I have pulled out of 'teaching seminary retirement'. And off course the big question for me: how long will the restrictions requiring virtual classes last. Because, once they return to the classroom it will be necessary to have two teachers, and I won't be able to depart the area to visit family.

Monday I ran. It is 645 am, the sun is just starting to appear over the horizon; five deer are off to the right 150 yards ahead of me. Four of them cross the road and run into the field. I focus on the road ahead of me and then I catch some peripheral motion on the right. That lone buck appears to be heading directly towards me. By the time it registers that he may be on a collision course with me, he diverts and passes within 25 feet of me. Do deer have a sense of humor? And then it was back to work at the rent house. Got three coats of polyurethane on the hardwood floors and the rigid flooring in the kitchen. Progress!

Tuesday I arrived at the Chamber's house about 630 am. I was there to observe how they conduct seminary classes. In listening to their story, I am saddened by what I hear. They had purchased their 'last home' in Colorado where they had been living; he had retired; live was good. But then her health dictated a move to a better climate. So they moved from their 'last house' to Mountain Home and her health issues were mitigated. Then she had cancer and has recently been undergoing chemo and radiation therapy. And his Parkinson's is complicating his life, making it difficult to occasionally accomplish simple tasks. They are my age.

Home to change into work clothes and then back at the rent house. Started the flooring in the room off the kitchen. I wanted to start in the opposite corner from where I ended in the kitchen. That small voice tried to  persuade me differently; but I ignored it. After 2 plus hours of frustration and having to fight each piece, and only being about 1/2 done, I decided it was time to stop.

Wednesday I returned to the uncooperative floor and listened to that small voice: I pulled up the floor and started in the other corner. It went so much quicker; no frustration. And I got the floor done! I miscalculated when initially measuring the floors and was going to be short; when I discovered this error, Home Depot did not have that item in stock anymore. I took some creative license and managed to get the job done.

Thursday I am at a ward members home by 8 am  to help others from church clean up some of the brush and trees he has cut. Someone had a small chipper, but the group that started the fire accomplished more. Then it was back to the house.

I was up earlier than normal Friday to be ready for my first seminary class. Never been the Zoom host before, but all went well and all 14 youth were in attendance. Class went well. But the best news of the day: I finished at the rent house!  I had hoped to head west to help with the DI (Deborah and Ian) bath remodel in the afternoon, but Ian had to work on Saturday, so I postponed my trip and left Saturday. I did manage to run first before leaving. Dan had purchased a shed when the bought their new house and is in the process of converting it into an office space. My accumulation of building materials over the years includes excess sheet metal used for roofing. I cleaned out my surplus, loading it on the trailer (some pieces were 16 feet long) along with some other items and headed to MD (Miranda and Dans).

Three hours later I was in Bella Vista. Dan, Ethan and I visited the local Lowes so he could buy roofing material and other items for his new office. We had time to get eight sheets of 5/8 plywood on the roof, tack down the tar paper and get started with the shingles before quiting for the day.

This morning I said good bye to Bella Vista and drove the 40 minutes to DI's house in Springdale. Nice that the children live closer together. And I will spend the week here helping get their bathroom operational again. I was able to enjoy 'church' with them at home and participate in their Sunday lesson. 

The week of Work

I was able to run three mornings this week, working on gradually increasing my distance. So far my knee has cooperated. I probably need to have it looked at, but am reluctant since I may not like what they say! Not the best health response I know.

Tuesday I had a dental appointment for regular cleaning and tune up. All is good for another six months. Then on Thursday I saw the dermatologist so he could 'scrap and burn' a spot on my face near my left ear. It was not malignant, but had the possibility to become such. Both offices employed the same health precautions: wear a mask, met at the door, temperature taken, hand sanitizer used.

Wednesday I took a break from working to help a church couple with a ceiling fan installation. They are a little older than me, but his eye sight is so bad, he can't see well enough to attach the screws with any success; oh, and he continues to drive! This is the guy that for 30 years was out helping others, splitting firewood for them, showing up for service projects, helping them move in or out of the area. And now, he can't do any of that and it is difficult for him to ask for help.

The major focus of this week, as has been for the previous two weeks: get this rental house ready to rent again, and soon. And I can finally see some light at the end of a very long tunnel. It is anticipated that I will be done before this week is over.  I spent two full days sanding the living room and one bedroom floor; my knees were ready to go on strike and my back was seconding that demand. So I said enough is enough. Any existing blemishes will just give the floor character.  So tomorrow I will put on a couple of coats of polyurethane and that deed will be done. The plumber came out after I got the tub surround tiled to reconnect the plumbing; while there he discovered that the drain was severely clogged. He had to crawl back under the house and cut the galvanized p-trap to get all the hair cleaned out of the line. Here are some photos of my bath progress:

And the living room floor being sanded:

The bedroom floor is finished!

Things learned this week from local community businessmen:  

    Kelly at the local appliance store shared that appliance manufacturers have trouble obtaining the necessary parts to build their appliances because their suppliers don't have the parts in stock due to the virus. He indicated there is a definite shortage of appliances which has driven prices up. No good deals or sales. Yet in spite of all this, he stated that his business had its best June sales in 47 years, followed by a very profitable July. New home construction has slowed, but people are renovating or remodeling and they are the ones making the purchases. Kelly also remarked that the local new car dealerships have a diminishing inventory - you can tell by they way they park the remaining vehicles in their lots to take up more space.

    Fred from the local tool rental business said home owners were creating most of his business instead of the home builders. Lots of do it yourself projects going on. 

    Chad is a small family owned home builder who also does remodels, is far behind in his work. He can't keep up with the demand for his skills.

    Eric is the manager for the local distribution in our area of a major milk company. They supply milk products to local stores, gas stations, schools, etc. The schools normally maintain a two day supply for the students. Some are concerned that they will get an order in one day, only to have the schools shut down due to the virus. Their major concern this is financial; we paid for something we can't use. Last spring when this happened, the Mountain Home school district gave their food to the local food bank.

Here is a thought from Tad Callister: The Savior's Atonement can be looked at as a series of divine events, that were motivated by an incomprehensible love for each of us. It required a being who was sinless; who had infinite power over the elements—even death; who possessed a boundless capacity to suffer the consequences of all our sins and ailments; and who, in fact, descended beneath it all. This was the mission of Jesus Christ—this was His Atonement. The Atonement of Christ overcame four obstacles: physical death, spiritual death, afflictions and infirmities, weaknesses and imperfections. Without the sacrifice of the Savior, a perfect being with infinite power, there could not be a balance between justice and mercy for the children of God. The Atonement of Christ is like a merciful, spiritual parachute, given to counteract the law of justice which, like gravity against a falling individual, would pull all humankind to an exacting and unforgiving end. Because of His Atonement, the Savior has enabling powers, sometimes referred to as grace, that can help us overcome our weaknesses and imperfections and thus assist us in our pursuit to become more like Him. Christ’s enabling powers can refine—even perfect—us.

16 August 2020 Epistle

My week started off with my semi annual dermatology appointment on Monday morning. He always finds something to burn off; this time just one small spot on my arm. But he did find a suspicious spot near one ear and he took a biopsy of that. He also noted that I have flaky skin around my hair line across the forehead and he  recommended a treatment for that also. Either that or in a few years it can turn malignant and he can cut those spots of. The treatment, what I call the 'blue light special', involves coating that area with a solution, let it penetrate for a period of time, and then turn on the blue light. It is recommended to stay indoors for the next two days since the skin will be overly sensitive to the sun. The results of the biopsy came back; it is benign, but he wants to remove it which will happen later this month. The 'blue light special' will happen later in the fall.

That afternoon  was the Hospice sponsored grief support conference call. Not as effective as meeting in person, but still good to connect with people in similar situations that I know.

Most of this week has been about Rebecca; specifically her rent house. After living there for seven years, the tenant moved. A single mom with three or four children and a couple of ankle biter dogs. She left the house in good shape, except... She wasn't the best house keeper. After seeing the condition of the 7 year old carpet, I joked that she moved because the carpets were so disgusting. No major damage to repair. But once the rugs were pulled, it was obvious two of the three hard wood floors will need to be refinished; the dogs really did a number on them. And there is a two foot by three foot section in the living room floor that was cut out and covered with plywood. How do you match that? I plan to see what is hiding under that spot. My resolution to the problem is use some of the excess hard wood flooring from our house to fill in that spot and hope by sanding it, the new and old will blend in. It has to be better than plywood!

I noticed that the toilet in the master bath was antiquated; I didn't know just how old though until I checked the date stamped on the underside of the lid: 1956! I am impressed that it served well for so long. Knowing that this house would need extensive painting, I invited Katie to come assist me. She came up on Tuesday after her dental appointment. Short story: she will not require surgery to realign her jaw/teeth followed by another 18 months of braces. She is excited! She was able to help on Wednesday and Thursday before heading home. In that time we got all the ceilings and 80% of the walls painted. I was also able to replace dated light fixtures, a toilet and other tasks. 

It is definitely summer; the temperatures are in the 90s; even at 630 am when I went running it was in the low to mid 70's. I come back after 25 minutes dripping wet; then it takes about 30 minutes to cool down enough to shower. 

Arkansas requires mask use in public and the people are mostly compliant. I avoid Walmart - too many people. I find it interesting that sit down restaurants are open with social distancing, but the fast food places are only using the drive thru. And our schools are scheduled to open on 24 August; the local school districts give students the option to attend school in person or at home. I will be following this development closely after what happened in the schools in Georgia.

I end with a quote from Gordon B. Hinckley:“All of us have problems. We face them every day. How grateful I am that we have difficult things to wrestle with. They keep us young, if that is possible! They keep us alive. They keep us going. They keep us humble. They pull us down to our knees to ask the God of Heaven for help in solving them. Be grateful for your problems and know that somehow there will come a solution. Just do the best you can, be sure it is very best. Then leave it in the hands of the Lord.” 

9 August 2020

 It was a busy week of doing...something!

I finished scanning my letters to Sandy during my first WestPac tour in 1975; scanned over 600 pages of letters and cards. It was an amazing journey reliving those special and challenging times of separation. And I continue to marvel at what an amazing wife and mother she was (is).  I am now starting on her letters to me during the 6 month deployment of 1982. Here are three interesting comments from a couple of her first letters to me:

    

    5 September 1982. The previous Thursday I had departed for another six month deployment with my squadron. Due to a last minute change, Sandy and Andy were not able to see me off at the airport as planned. This is what Sandy said:  "I decided that as long as we had the sitter, Andy and I would go out to Swensons. Andy ended up eating a chocolate covered banana...then a strawberry sundae...and then a double scoup cone with cherry vanilla and peach ice cream. Andy ate with gusto! About half way through he suddenly said. 'Hey! I forgot all about Daddy leaving!'"

    "I think the children weren't terribly upset about your leaving because you always leave. After one week, I said one week down 25 more to go. Rebecca replied: 'It's no use counting, Mother!' Why not? 'It's just too long!'"

    Sandy attended a Women's Seminar in Sept 1982 at Church and had this to say: "I think of all these marvelous programs we have for women...and I just can't understand how some people can think that women in the church are somehow underprivileged!"

One of my ongoing goals is to sort through all the bookshelves, desks, dressers and the like to sort through 50 years of accumulation. This process would have been so much simpler with Sandy; but when you think you have years more to live, this isn't a top priority. And when she got sick, our focus was on keeping her alive and comfortable. I tackled her office desk this week. Found enough business cards to wallpaper an entire wall. I am improving in the ability to discard stuff; I am sure there are stories to much of what I throw out, but they don't speak to me. Hope my children appreciate this downsizing so their lives will be simpler when my time comes. I just might leave the garage for them though!

With the corn over 13 feet tall, it requires a ladder to pick the corn; I have been enjoying eating fresh corn on the cob regularly. A friend comes a couple times a week to reduce my tomato and cucumber inventory. I did get the lawn mowed. I find that early morning or late evening is the best time; less dust and it is cooler. This week the temperatures were almost pleasant; it got into the high 50s at night and the mid 80s during the day. It was great running in the mornings. But this weekend we are back into the 90s during the day.

One of Rebecca's tenants moved this weekend. After being there seven years there will be work for me to do. I stopped by yesterday to do a quick inventory; not too bad. Will require painting through out, the carpet in two of the three bedrooms and the living room has to go (do I sand the floors, or overlay with laminate?), and something will need to be done in the bathroom - not sure just what yet.

This week I drove out to Cotter to check on something at another rent house; on the way I noticed the truck's a/c wasn't cooling. Since I pass by my mechanic, I stopped by so they could trouble shoot. After an hour, they determined the cause was the dash control panel. So I returned the next day and they installed a new panel and now all is well. I also checked on the canoes housed across the street from the chapel. They had recently been used by a church member and on the way home, one of the canoes flew off the trailer. Fortunately no accidents or injury were caused by this incident. The canoe fared amazing well; you would never know it was airborne and crash landed at 45 mph. Steps have been taken to ensure this doesn't happen again, if the user uses both tie downs per canoe.

One last item gleaned from the 1975 letters. In December of that year while in the Philippines, I was designated a Helicopter Aircraft Commander (HAC). This is what I had to say about that responsibility:

    "As copilot you aren't responsible if anything happens, even in many cases if it was the copilots error. If you, as copilot, didn't understand a radio transmission you ask the HAC; if you aren't sure of something, you ask the HAC. As HAC, you don't have anyone to turn to." I think I often turned to Sandy, as the HAC for guidance and help... and now I am the HAC. Good thing I have a testimony that Jesus Christ is my Savior and know that He has all the answers. He has certainly been getting a lot of inquiries from me lately...and I have not crashed and burned!