Groovy Sputum

Wired

I have spent considerable amounts of time planning the electrical system of our new home and have decided to go with 2 breaker boxes for my circuits. The first will be a 200 amp panel that will feed the majority of circuits and the second will be a 100 amp panel with essential circuits housed within. My furnace, lights, well, sump pump, and septic aerator are all on this smaller, essential panel. I purchased a back feed safety switch that will allow me to use my generator to run this smaller panel when we have a power outage. The switch will only allow one power source to be active at a time. Either I am drawing from the grid or I am drawing from my generator. The switch won’t allow both. I know the linemen at Ohio Edison will appreciate that!

The other wiring that I have been pondering is the communication, data, and media wiring. Initially, I had thought about running a bunch of Cat6 network cable and RG-6 coax to every room, but as I have considered things more, I am leaning toward not installing any of this. One of the things that Valerie and I look forward to with our new home is a return to a simpler, less complicated life. We also have every intention of having our home be a haven for our children. I am not sure we can accomplish these things if we have tv & internet at the house. Let’s face it, the things of this world are invading every aspect of our culture (one need only try to take your children through the checkout line at Meijer to see what I mean) and I fear for the spiritual and moral development of my children if my own home has evil available at gigabyte speed.

One nice thing about not having media on demand is that hopefully we will be more judicious about choosing what we want to watch rather than having it chosen for us (I am referring to commercials and channel surfing). Nightly tv is already a common activity at the Burton home, but rarely do we watch live broadcasts (the Superbowl this year pretty much set me over the edge in terms of allowing my children to watch commercials anymore). We normally will pop in a DVD of The Waltons or Andy Griffith and enjoy an episode or two. I know it is old fashioned, but it is enjoyable nonetheless.

There are obvious things that will need to be sacrificed, however, if we are not to be a thoughtfully modern wired family. Email, news, research, and blogging will need to be done elsewhere, which obviously will be a bit of an inconvenience. Valerie and I had a short conversation about that, though, and we both agree that a short trip to a wi-fi hot spot (there are several withing a few miles of our home) would allow us to import our email and blog feeds to be read at home and email responses and updates to our personal blogs can be composed offline and simply sent/posted live the next time a connection is made. I know Valerie would probably enjoy her daily trip (read: time alone) to a coffee shop to sip an exotic tea and get her internet fix. It would probably help with time management as well if we had specific times that we were online. As it is now, we are free to surf anytime and many times that turns into all the time. Not good.

The List

Valerie and I celebrated our 10th anniversary on January 2, 2009, with very little fanfare. We did go out to eat, but that was about it. We tossed around the idea of going on a big trip together to a warm place for a week, but we decided not to in light of the fact that we would rather put the money toward finishing the house and getting moved in sooner. We did manage to get away, though, over Valentine’s Day weekend and had a combo celebration for our anniversary & my birthday.

We decided to try out the Mohican State Park Lodge and headed out on Sunday afternoon. On the way, we picked up a $5 bottle of wine & the movie Fireproof at a Wal-Mart. How could we not have a truly romantic getaway with those in tow?

One of the things I decided to do special for Valerie for this weekend was make a list of the first 99 things that popped in my head that I love about Valerie. Hey, it was an anniversary celebration. While I am not going to share all of the things on the list, I will tell you a few:

#25. That you can read a 1385 page novel in 3 ½ hours
#55. That you understand me when I talk about the non-linear relationship between pendulum arm length and oscillation period and could graph this relationship and find its derivatives
#57. That you can spell chrysanthemum and onomatopoeia
#74. That you can make a gourmet meal with Aldi ingredients
#94. Your smile

I called this list 99TILAY (Things I Love About You). I know, it was a cheesy, sappy, and desperate attempt to be romantic, but I discovered something as I compiled it: Valerie was made for me. Seriously, God said to Jesus back in 1976, “Hey, this guy, uh…Luke, he needs a wife. Here’s the specs on what he needs. I know…let’s make her be from Athens County, that would be a hoot!”

I think I have always known that Valerie was designed for me and only me, but I guess after 10 years of marriage, I had somehow relegated that fact to the back of my mind and taken it for granted. What shocked me even more as I made the list is that I didn’t even know many of the things on it when I married Valerie. The question is was she this way when we wed and I am just now seeing it, or did she become these things to me after 12 years of loving me? It’s probably a bit of both, but it really doesn’t matter. I’m just glad that God knew what I needed even before I did and brought her to Lynchburg in 1996. I wonder what my list will look like 10 years from now?

Got ‘Em

The annual mouse migration into mom’s house began a few weeks ago and I promptly laid out the sticky paper traps that my dad had purchased some time ago. These traps are advertised as the “humane” way to get rid of mice. No poison, no painful spring trap, no gross blood. The problem is they don’t work.

So, I purchased an 8 pack of the traditional Victor mouse traps this afternoon and set them before dinner. I put a few in the kitchen, a few in the furnace room, and a few behind a cabinet where I discovered a mouse hole the other day.

I decided to check them before we watched our evening installment of Andy Griffith with the kids and low and behold, I had one. I thought about snapping a photo on Valerie’s new camera (she loves it, by the way), but I figured it was a bit too much for my women kin folk to handle.

I threw that one away, feeling proud that I was able to cheer my wife a bit with a simple act of pest control. She’s not scared of mice, but she does hate the droppings they leave and the thought of them walking on the countertops at night.

After disposing of the mouse, I posted a few Facebook photos from when I was in college, watched some tv with the kids, and decided to check the remaining seven traps before putting the kids to bed. Low and behold, we had another one! I showed the kids (they love that kind of thing…they are like me) and I was barely finished washing my hands when SNAP!…I heard a third trap go.

Needless to say, I am feeling pretty good about my mouse trapping skills right now. I’m kinda’ like a ninja when it comes to killing mice. Awesome. That’s a good word for it, really. Awesome.

What I Gave For Christmas

I can proudly say that I spent WAY more on gifts for my wife, mother, and in-laws this year than I did on my kids. That is saying something in light of the fact that I have 7 children. In previous years, Valerie and I have felt that the kids get too much and don’t appreciate things the way they should because they get too many presents. So, we tried to tone things down a bit this year.

First, I got Valerie a Kodak Z712 IS camera. It is a 2007 model that I got for a VERY good price. I, ahem…SHE, loves it! It is not too big, can act as a point and shoot, but also has the whistles and bells of a higher end camera (with out the price).

Then, we gave a Kodak P720 digital picture frame for both my mother and Valerie’s parents. This was the first year in a long time that we knew immediately that our gift was a hit with Peter: he immediately opened the box, read the manual, and went home and loaded the thing with like 300 pictures.

Like I said, we toned things down a lot for the kids. S has been longing for an American Girl Doll, so it was decided that we would go together with our parents to get her one. That would be her only present this year since it is such a large ticket item.

We got A a sketch book called “The Girl’s Doodle Book” along with a deluxe set of 50 Crayola colored pencils. I wasn’t sure if she would like it, but man, she tells me every day how much she likes it.

S wanted a Webkinz, but not just any Webkinz. He wanted a bat. The problem, however, was that the bat was a special Halloween Webkinz. It pretty much sold out in stores in October, so off to eBay I went. I actually got one for the same price I would have paid at Meijer.

We got N a G.I. Joe motorcycle/action figure set. He pretty much likes anything that S likes, and we figured that they could play with it together.

A is only two, so she has particular tastes. We say a pair of slippers that looked like princess shoes. She wore them for three days straight after she opened them, so I guess they were a hit.

C, our 16 month old, loves books. One in particular he loves is “Brown Bear, Brown Bear”. Our former copy was a traditional paper copy which had been toddlered to death. So, we found a heavy duty board book edition for him. I also gave him a board book copy of “I Love You, Stinky Face”, which is also a hit.

What I Got For Chrismas

My wife saw how desperately I needed a new wallet, so she went to Khol’s (there was a sale!) and gave me a nice bi-fold. I particularly like the fact that it holds 6 cards in independent pockets and it has two separate bill compartments. Very nice.

Valerie also got me “Christmas Vacation” on DVD. I don’t know any guy in America that wouldn’t love that. Then, my mother gave me some money and I ordered “Lost: Season 4″ from Amazon (one click, baby!) and a few compact discs from Best Buy: Nickle Creek’s first album and Brad Paisley’s “Play”. Good stuff.

Someone once told me that contentment is not having what you want, but wanting what you have. I feel very content this Christmas. That’s a good thing.

A Taste Of Christmas

I took a few pictures on Valerie’s new camera to give you a taste of what Christmas was like at the Burton home this year.

October 2008

What a busy month. I worked over at the house nearly every open night and got the inside framed and am nearly ready to start plumbing. Oh, wait. I need to draw an isometric and pull a permit for that. Anyone know how to do that?

My septic went in, too. Actually, that happened in November, but it was early, so it is ok to cheat a bit on this post. I put a few pics in the construction photo gallery if you care to see.

I also received a call from Mount Vernon Nazarene University to teach a night class as an adjunct prof. The interview was way more intense than I had thought it would be, but I got the job and will be teaching Meteorology starting on November 10th. I am excited to see where this may lead. This actually is my second college class that I have taught (the other being Chem 111 for The University of Findlay).

Valerie and I went away to Sauder Village in Archbold, Ohio, for our fall getaway weekend. You can read about it and see pictures on Valerie’s Blog. Very nice to get away for a few days with my love.

Valerie & I also officially joined our church in October. It was mostly a formality, but it was nice to make things official. The same day we joined, I sang in the morning worship service. I have been trying to teach myself piano and decided to share the song “Somewhere In The Middle” by Casting Crowns. It is fairly simple song and I knew it well, but my lyric sheet fell onto the keyboard about 2/3 of the way through the song. Sigh. At least it was from my heart, right?

My new bank (Key Bank) finally ponied up and sent my my free promotional iPod Nano mid month. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! It’s the new 4th gen Nano. Great screen, great construction, very thin. I recommend it as a gift to anyone this Christmas season.

Along with my new iPod, i did a bit of rummaging in mom’s basement and discovered my fathers classical music CD collection. I immediately ripped the entire library into iTunes and have been jamming to Beethoven, Bizet, Gershwin, Grieg, Sor, and Sibelius (to name just a few) ever since.

Oh, and Paul came in to town to catch the OSU/Penn State game. It was a night game and we took the kids down to see the band play prior to kick off. My mom went too, which seemed to be a bit difficult for her. It was her first time being back on campus since dad died. I tried to put myself in her shoes and imagined what it would be like visiting Lynchburg if Valerie were gone. I am sure it would be difficult remembering those precious times early in our relationship. The thing with mom, though, is that the band is nearly unchanged since dad was marching back in the 60’s. Same songs, same uniforms, same formations. Remembering can be good, though, even if it is a sad thing.

Needless to say, I am tired. I have been doing too much and not getting enough done at the same time. Hopefully, the fall/winter weather will force me to slow down a bit. It’s crazy to think, but what am I going to do next spring/summer when the house is done, we are moved, and I have no pet project to work on? I can only dream.

Can I Substitute My Cole Slaw For A Side Of Vinyl?

Valerie is feeling better & baby is sleeping better (only up once at night the last 2 nights!) So, I have been siding the west wing of the house. Only one more side left before we are water tight for the winter!

Recent Outings

I have been trying to get the kids out of the house a bit since the new baby has come home.  I figure that a few hours of peace at home during the day is a good way for Valerie to rest.  I decided to pick some outings that were a bit of a drive in order to give Valerie that much more time alone. 

The first trip was to Mansfield for a few rides on the carousel.  The girls particularly liked this since they were able to get a Webkinz or two with their birthday money from the gift shop there. Afterward, we drove down to Bellville to walk through the Bellville Street Fair and see the animals. On the way, we stopped and picked up a box of Drumbsticks ice cream cones from the Wal*Marts (getting a box of pre-packaged cones is WAY cheaper than stopping at the Tastee-Freez). This trip took about 4 hours.

The second trip was to the Air Force Museum in Dayton. This was a 2 hour drive and called for an in flight movie via my laptop. The kids loved this treat and we blitzed through the museum. I didn’t really stop to read anything, but that is ok. I just like seeing the planes. We went through all 4 hangers in about an hour. I just kept the kids moving. They sat in a few display cockpits and loved looking at all the guns and bombs. Ironically, their favorite part was playing on the playground. Trip time: 6 hours.

Yesterday we went putt-putt golfing. Let’s just say there are no Tigers in the Burton family. I tried to teach them how to swing a putter and proper golf etiquette, but by hole 3, it was pretty much a free for all. We didn’t keep score for obvious reasons, and I fished more balls out of the pond than any one man should have to in a lifetime. My favorite player was N. Each hole he would tee off shuffle board style (the ball would go maybe 3 feet) and he would then pick it up and place it 2 inches from the hole. When he tapped it in, he would send up a huge cheer. Classic. The highlight of the round was watching the kids test the depth of the ponds…with their putters. They must have enjoyed it, because when were done, they reminded me that I have 4 more “kids play free” coupons at home that we need to use. 4 hours for this trip.

Today’s trip was to Old Man’s Cave in the Hocking Hills State Forest. I absolutely love this place and knew the kids would, too, once we got there. Another 2 hour trip called for another movie, and we arrived around lunch time. We ate and headed down into the gorge. It isn’t nearly as big as I remember as a kid, but beautiful still. Well, 10 minutes into our walk, I hear a scream and turn around to see our eldest hunched over swatting at a gazillion bees. As she is just standing there, I immediately run to her, pick her up and run away from the swarm. I stop to swat and notice that the boys are just standing there…near the swarm. They were so memorized by the sight that they didn’t bother to run. I had to yell rather loud to get them away, which is something I don’t like to do. Having a big family draws enough attention and having to yell always draws the, “If you can’t control your kids, you shouldn’t have so many!” looks. Not fun. Anyway, my loud voice reverberating off the gorge walls got them moving and after everyone was safe, I discover that 3 of the 5 of us have been wounded. 8 stings in all. We quickly discovered that no one is allergic to bee sting! In this case, the fear factor was greater than the pain, but it could have been much worse. There were a LOT of bees.

After a few deep breaths and a few hugs, I managed to convince two crying little girls (myself not included) that walking would be the best medicine. We ended up seeing the main cave, but I am afraid that I may never have my children’s company on a hike again. That is what disappoints me the most: having my kids traumatized to the point of never setting foot on a trail again. Time will tell. I am hoping for the best. We would have stayed longer and hiked to Ash Cave, but, well…you know. Trip time: 6 hours.

All in all it has been a fun week and I think Valerie is more rested than she has been after a delivery, so I guess it is mission accomplished. I feel like I’ve been rode hard, though.

Welcome To The World!

Just thought you’d all like to know that #7 made her appearance into the world at 3:42 AM.  We went to the hospital at 1:45, the doctor broke Valerie’s water at 3:15, and with one massive heave-ho (seriously…it was amazing), out she came.  Keep Valerie in your prayers.  She is tired to say the least.

Oh, I almost forgot: 9 lbs. 3 oz. & 20.5 inches long.