MOVIN' ON

This weekend my older brother and the brother just younger than me went into Idaho to take care of my mother's old house since she passed away in December. We stopped at the State track meet for 1A-5A schools enroute since my younger brother helps coach the track team. It was awesome. Every five minutes there was another event being run. 1A started then 2 then 3, then 4 then 5; and then they would start another event as soon as they could get the kids lined up.

I have a new pair of sunglasses that tells you what your exposure for the day is to ultraviolet rays---at the end of the meet my exposure was five bars which is as high as it goes---so when we stopped for the night we bought some aloe vera lotion and smeared it over all the exposed spots. Today the heat is all gone---thank goodness.

Today we got started early and drove the rest of the way to our destination. We spent the day clearing things out and determining what went to the museum and what went to other places including DI. It was amazing how much we got done. Tomorrow we have to tear down a bed, move it and two dressers into the kitchen for later loading for delivery to one of us, and delivering the rest of the stuff to the museum. It was a really good day---REALLY.GOOD. Two of my daughters drove over to visit for a little while so that was really nice too---and we took advantage of the boyfriend that brought a friend with them and had them help move the FISHER stove---you know---the one that weighs about 1000 pounds. We got it done nicely.

OK here is the funny part---I don't get along all that great with these two brothers---I was really worried about coming along with no alternate method of transportation because I would have bet a lot of money we wouldn't still be working together to get through this. Yesterday on the trip up we talked about old times together and shared memories from the past. We laughed until we were all sore in the mid section and then someone else would tell another story and we'd laugh again. It was a good trip and we have all had a lot of fun---maybe this will help fix the break---maybe not.

SPRINKLER REPAIR

Yesterday I called for a plumbing company to repair two sending units (I finally thought of the name them---it is solenoids) on our sprinkler system. They looked at it yesterday and said they would fix it on a day when the weather was warmer with no wind. This morning Inklings and I were heading out to the store to get some milk. When I backed into the road I noticed a repair truck parked along the side of our house. We pulled the car back into the garage and I went to see what was going on.

The repair guy was one of the owners kids and was about 20 or 21 years old. He had replaced one solenoid and repaired the leak in the pipe to the other one and was nearly done. I thought it was pretty amazing that they had sent this kid out to repair the sprinkler when it was 15 degrees colder and lots windier than yesterday. Guess that is the price you pay to be a child of the owner. I was amazed at how fast he did it and how good the job looked. He told me "I am one of the __Co.__ Kids and we didn't have any choice. We had to learn about plumbing."

I ran the tests for the sprinklers and all is well except I have one leak in the main line in the back yard--I'll fix that tomorrow after the ground has dried up a little from the sprinkling and flooding that it got today.

AWWWW--SPRING

We have lived in this house for over eight years. This is the ninth spring. Never before have I had anything go wrong with the sprinkler system. Today I went out and turned on the main line. After that I checked each sending unit to make sure they worked properly....nope two of them have broken pipes leaving them. I wondered why now...and in checking I found that I never got the water turned completely off last winter so it leaked into the pipelines all winter (way to go dufus). With water near the sending units they froze and broke the line---and maybe the entire sending unit---we'll see.

A few minutes ago I called a plumbing service to fix it for me. There is no way I know enough about repairing it to do it myself. I could put it in the first time and be alright but to have to repair something in an existing line--with very little room to work---is way beyond my capabilities. Now if they come and just take the entire thing out, make the repairs and replace it in the line I am going to feel really stupid. REALLY.REALLY.STUPID.

The lady that took my call said they would call me when they return from lunch---between 1 and 2 sometime---guess I'll just sit by the phone until they call---maybe I really do need to get another cell phone.

AND WHAT A LOVELY GRADUATION DAY IT WAS

My youngest daughter MJ graduated from college Summa Cum Laude Saturday, May 8, 2010. She made it through college in three years. I am proud of her.

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED AFTER THE FIRE

For this story to have any meaning you need a little background. I am about 5'7" and at the time this happened I probably weighed 145 pounds. The other guy in the story is about 6'2" and at the time probably weighed about 275 pounds.

For years this big guy and I had this little messing around thing going on where he would rough me up a little and I'd tell him "KEEP MESSING AROUND AND I'M GONNA HURT YOU---BAD." Then everyone associated with whatever group we were with would laugh--almost uncontrollably---because of the size difference.

I went over to assist with a wild fire that the adjoining district on a different forest was managing for resource benefit so it was a fire that you take action on where it gets outside of the parameters and let it burn where it is inside them. There were a couple of fingers that were outside and were being put out to get the fire back where they wanted it. We met on a ridge overlooking the fire with two Fire Management Officers (FMO), an Assistant Fire Management Officer (AFMO)[this big guy], the District Ranger for the area where the fire was and me (a District Ranger who was visiting another District Ranger's turf with a somewhat questionable invitation).

As soon as we got out of the rigs the roughing up---and keep it up and I'll hurt you started. It went on for a few minutes and I reached out and grabbed this guys right thumb and twisted it a little. There were two loud pops that everyone in the group heard and this big guy turned white as a ghost. I knew as soon as it happened that I had broken his thumb badly. I did---it was broken above the first joint in one place and just below the second joint in another. I was heart sick---I knew the break was serious and tried to stabilize it so it didn't get any worse with adhesive tape. Any way he worked through the rest of the shift supervising the suppression effort and went to the doctor that night after he got home. The doctor set the thumb and put a hand cast on then told him to be careful with the cast and not do any heavy work with that hand. The next afternoon we were all back on the ridge and there were some visitors from the RO there for the discussion.

He told everyone there not mess around with me 'cause I would hurt them real bad and then he held up his hand cast that was broken all to pieces from working and told them that I had done that to him the night before. Somewhere in that discussion his Ranger made the comment that she couldn't believe I had done that to him because she had always thought we were friends. (Which we are).

Anyway today he and his boss (one of the FMO's) stopped by the house to see me. I walked out to the vehicle to see who it was and he reached out of the passenger door and shook hands with me with a plastic hand. We laughed at that pretty hard. When he shook hands with my wife he shook with a really limp hand and said "Please don't break my thumb." He also told her that I had blessed him with "the ability to forecast any storm 24 hours before it arrived" due to the break. We all laughed but that was one really bad horse play accident that I wish I had never been associated with.

I am certainly glad that we have all remained good friends through all of that too.

REST IN PEACE SGT. FRANCO AGUILAR

Sgt. Aguilar enroute to his final resting place in American Fork, Utah. He was one of our Sheriff's Office Deputies. He was killed when he was hit by another car while he was helping with an accident. He turned 36 the day before he was killed. He leaves behind a wife and five children ages 1-15. My heart goes out to his family. I can't look at the procession photos without having tears in my eyes. There wasn't a dry eye on the funeral procession route. People lined the street and waved American flags as the procession passed.

KENTUCKY DERBY 2010

The running of the 136th Kentucky Derby was held May 1. It was a spectacular race on a soupy wet track. The winner, Super Saver, was ridden along the rail to the winners circle by Calvin Borel (the winning jockey in '07, 09, and now 10). It was a great run for the roses.

Gene Fullerton, a race fan, won a contest where they gave him $100,000 to bet on a winner for the derby. He couldn't just take the money---he had to bet it on a horse to win---and just one horse. He bet it on Super Saver (I can't imagine betting $100,000 on a horse race---even if it was someone elses money). The results---he walked away from the Derby with $900,000. Don't know what that is after taxes but it was a pretty good race for him no matter what the taxes are.

Now on to the Triple Crown---can Super Saver do it---NOPE. And that's my $0.02 on the matter.