Update for the Riveted
My boss texted me right around dinner time, saying that he intends to go to the job site and "make" it open tomorrow. I dunno exactly what he means by that, but I AM ready to get back to work.
We shoveled a lot more snow than expected today...and by "we" I mean Amy and Barrett as well as myself (we own 2 snow shovels, somehow, and so we could rotate). Barrett's high-energy and enthusiasm for helpfulness paid off a lot today; at 10 years old, he's probably more active and supportive and good-natured about work than even I was at that age- so, thanks be to God. We had to clear our driveway, a lot of our street, and the junction where our street meets the main street- the snowplows pushed up a good 1.5-2 feet of snow "blocking" the edge of our street. Kitty litter was used here and there to aid in traction, as the van rides really low the ground and can get "bogged" a bit.
Also, *many* people from the neighborhood across from the main street stopped to "watch" us (to make sure we didn't get stuck) and offer help...one truck driver drove repeatedly over the thickest snow spots to level it out for us, unfortunately that didn't help vehicle movement, but it did make it easier for us to shovel out the snow down to the bare asphalt. As we were finishing up, another truck stopped by to offer to chain us up and "tug us a bit" over the snow; I said if we didn't make it on this try, we'd take him up on his offer. He "blocked" traffic for us as we tried to leap onto the main road- and we made it! The van is certainly not made for this kind of driving but we managed to make it work. I love the supportive nature* that we have of one another in this town, and in Oklahoma in general.
Side note: the van has what is, I guess, an "accelerator cutoff," as in the gas pedal stops working if the van "thinks" you are slipping (on ice, water, etc)...which I am almost sure was what stopped us from initially surmounting the snow from our street to the main street. Yeah, thanks but no thanks automatic non-thinking vehicle system design.
I'm sure you were dying to know, but the dining room lighting was not buzzing when the dimmer was in use. Either that, or my hearing is *substantially* declining. Amy didn't hear it either.
EDIT (on the 18th): Okay, I *can* hear the buzz. Having breakfast early and quietly this morning makes it much more easy to hear. Not sure what I will do about it- but I think it's definitely too loud to ignore, and it's uniform across all levels of dimming (or none!).
We went to Kohl's to pick up some wedding-appropriate clothes for the kids (Amy had already ordered them a week ago), for a wedding we'll be attending on Saturday. We also decided to go to Chick-Fil-A, because Burger King was closed (and on Whopper Wednesday, too... =<), for the first time in months...maybe even a full year. Suffice to say, it was good- perhaps also a bittersweet reminder of what it was like before The Bad Changes took place. Thinking that "those days are over" is a really somber statement- and, also one that I hope isn't really going to be true in the end.
After returning home (a 2-hour outing, if you include all of the shoveling time spent), we had some snowball fights outside. Barrett decide to use a shovel as a catapult to throw "snow blocks" at people, and he discovered that my arms make for a catapult that has a much better range than his. All in good fun, of course.
One more grade was posted today: 100% on my final quiz (45 points). I wonder if I'll get a grade for the final 150-point assignment by tomorrow...
*I was debating whether or not to say this, but I will: we have given and received help from people of MANY different races- in this instance and in many instances prior to this- over the entire time we have called this state our home. A racial divide is NOT present here; we are among good folk of every color and background. I can say this to be consistently true in my experiences everywhere in Oklahoma- even in the big cities! So yeah- I love being here, and I'm glad God laid this opportunity out for me.
God is good. All the time.
We shoveled a lot more snow than expected today...and by "we" I mean Amy and Barrett as well as myself (we own 2 snow shovels, somehow, and so we could rotate). Barrett's high-energy and enthusiasm for helpfulness paid off a lot today; at 10 years old, he's probably more active and supportive and good-natured about work than even I was at that age- so, thanks be to God. We had to clear our driveway, a lot of our street, and the junction where our street meets the main street- the snowplows pushed up a good 1.5-2 feet of snow "blocking" the edge of our street. Kitty litter was used here and there to aid in traction, as the van rides really low the ground and can get "bogged" a bit.
Also, *many* people from the neighborhood across from the main street stopped to "watch" us (to make sure we didn't get stuck) and offer help...one truck driver drove repeatedly over the thickest snow spots to level it out for us, unfortunately that didn't help vehicle movement, but it did make it easier for us to shovel out the snow down to the bare asphalt. As we were finishing up, another truck stopped by to offer to chain us up and "tug us a bit" over the snow; I said if we didn't make it on this try, we'd take him up on his offer. He "blocked" traffic for us as we tried to leap onto the main road- and we made it! The van is certainly not made for this kind of driving but we managed to make it work. I love the supportive nature* that we have of one another in this town, and in Oklahoma in general.
Side note: the van has what is, I guess, an "accelerator cutoff," as in the gas pedal stops working if the van "thinks" you are slipping (on ice, water, etc)...which I am almost sure was what stopped us from initially surmounting the snow from our street to the main street. Yeah, thanks but no thanks automatic non-thinking vehicle system design.
I'm sure you were dying to know, but the dining room lighting was not buzzing when the dimmer was in use. Either that, or my hearing is *substantially* declining. Amy didn't hear it either.
EDIT (on the 18th): Okay, I *can* hear the buzz. Having breakfast early and quietly this morning makes it much more easy to hear. Not sure what I will do about it- but I think it's definitely too loud to ignore, and it's uniform across all levels of dimming (or none!).
We went to Kohl's to pick up some wedding-appropriate clothes for the kids (Amy had already ordered them a week ago), for a wedding we'll be attending on Saturday. We also decided to go to Chick-Fil-A, because Burger King was closed (and on Whopper Wednesday, too... =<), for the first time in months...maybe even a full year. Suffice to say, it was good- perhaps also a bittersweet reminder of what it was like before The Bad Changes took place. Thinking that "those days are over" is a really somber statement- and, also one that I hope isn't really going to be true in the end.
After returning home (a 2-hour outing, if you include all of the shoveling time spent), we had some snowball fights outside. Barrett decide to use a shovel as a catapult to throw "snow blocks" at people, and he discovered that my arms make for a catapult that has a much better range than his. All in good fun, of course.
One more grade was posted today: 100% on my final quiz (45 points). I wonder if I'll get a grade for the final 150-point assignment by tomorrow...
*I was debating whether or not to say this, but I will: we have given and received help from people of MANY different races- in this instance and in many instances prior to this- over the entire time we have called this state our home. A racial divide is NOT present here; we are among good folk of every color and background. I can say this to be consistently true in my experiences everywhere in Oklahoma- even in the big cities! So yeah- I love being here, and I'm glad God laid this opportunity out for me.
God is good. All the time.