A Trip To The Doctor

  Last week Pearl was really sick, so sick she didn’t trust driving her self to the doctor. So I stayed home from work to take her. I had already been trying to avoid catching what she had for about five days. I didn’t kiss her on the lips, washed my hands a lot, and generally avoided sickness related tissues like they had the plague on them. When we got to Kaiser they sent us up to a clinic upstairs. I grabbed the handrail on the climb up. Then we sat in the waiting room, fortunately there wasn’t a bunch of people in there, but there was a few sick  people coughing.

  By the time they called Pearls name to go into the little room I felt like I was covered in germs from head to toe. I probably wasn’t, but I swear I could feel them crawling on me. Pearl and I are sitting  waiting for the doctor to come in and she decides to get up and use the aerosol hand sanitizer hanging on the wall.

  A quick PFFT and she had a nickle sized dab of foam in her palm. I, still feeling the germs crawling on me, decide I need some too. Pearl asks me why and I say I touched a door handle. I was trying to hind my germ phobia. I reach up to the dispenser of life saving foam, cup my hand under the nozzle and as gently as I can press the nozzle to dispense it into my palm. a quick PFFT and I would be germ free. PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFT!!! The foam comes out at an alarming rate. It squirts into my palm and then out of my palm. Up my arm and onto my shoulder. Still spraying, the foam hits me in the face. I react like I was shot, not on purpose but just a natural reaction to getting sprayed in the face with foam. The runaway foam actually sprayed off the top of my head.

 I muttered a few expletives and trying to keep my cool I start rubbing in the foam while quietly  giggling to myself. I hear laughing behind me, surely Pearl hadn’t seen what I had done. I turn around and laughing with tears in her eyes is Pearl. She starts laughing even more because I still have foam hanging on my glasses. I start laughing. Because I know that this is going into the ” Stupid Things Bryan Has Done ” file in her head. Right next to the time I caught my own arm in the power window of our car.

  I sit down and by this time we are both crying from laughter. Pearl is now helping me rub in the foam. Right at this moment we hear a gentle knock on the door. Sure now that I’m covered in foam the doctor shows up. He couldn’t make us wait another two minutes when the foam would be all rubbed in.  He comes in and says,” Whats going on in here? ” I explain what happened and he tells me how to control the spray of the foam. Not how to keep it in my hand, but how to spray other people. So be forewarned I know how to use it as a weapon now.

  Well the I guess I got what my heart really wanted when I was reaching for the foam. When we left the office I couldn’t feel the germs crawling on me anymore. I’m pretty sure I got them all!

Ford, Fuel Pump and My Wife

  The fuel pump went out on the Taurus ( yes I own a Taurus) And I had to spend a day of vacation replacing it. I began by jacking the car up and disconnecting the  miriad of hoses attached to the tank. After that I started to remove the bolts that hold the straps that hold the tank to the bottom of the car. One of those was difficult to get out, it squeaked and groaned until it was out. the tank was lowered  and before I knew it with Pearl’s help the pump was in.

  That is when the fun began. I began lifting the tank back into place. One strap goes in easily the other … not so much. I can’t get the bolt to start threading. I started to get a little frustrated so I move on to other things. I decide to put a new fuel filter in  that I had ordered and waited for two days to come in. I’m trying to put the filter in but the fittings are too large. The parts store ordered the wrong filter. I’m frustrated again, so I decide to finish connecting the hoses I can and go back to the tank strap. problems still with getting the bolt to thread. I pull the bolt out and it’s retainer and examine them. They are stripped. I didn’t do it I think Ford did when they assembled the car. Remember the bolt that groaned taking it out, this was it. I finish what I can and decide to go to the parts store and junk yard to replace the wrong filter and stripped parts.

  First the parts store. I’m greeted by a nice old man who tries to help me but says he can’t approve my return. He needs to get the manager. I tell him that’s fine and that the manager WILL do my return. I’ve decided that he has no choice he will give me back my money. The manager comes out and SHE ( I guess it was a little sexist of me to assume the manager was male) looks at my part and tells me” That’s not our part”. I show her my receipt and tell her ” That’s the part your guys sold me “. She approves my return all I’m asking for is the correct part but they don’t have it. They give me my money back ( about $50) and I’m off to another store. This store has the part I need  and it’s only $13. I made a little money back, something is finally starting to work out.

  Next I went to the junk yard to replace the stripped part. I decide to try a new one in my area because it is close. When I arrive I noticed that the cars are all sitting on the ground with no tires on them . This is a problem because the part I need is under the car. I found two piles of  junk that will suit my needs. In order to get the part out I have to lay flat on the ground with my arm stretched out  almost as far as it will go and blindly find and  turn the bolt that I need. After wrenching for a while the bolt finally comes out. Now I’m thinking the hard part comes. the retainer I need snaps into the body and I struggled to get the one out of my car when I could see it. I reach in blindly once again  saying a little prayer that it comes out easily. Fumbling around I can feel the part and to my amazement it almost falls out into my hand. I have the parts I need to finish. Yeah!! And Thanks God.

  I rush home with my treasure of parts  excited to finish up the car. The fuel filter first It goes in easily, very easily. Then the tank strap …..  not so much. I put the new parts in but I just can’t quite seem to get the bolt to thread. I keep trying and  trying but it just won’t go. I keep trying for what  seems like an hour .  But nothing the strap is just not quite reaching the hole. I try everything I can think of, I even use a drill at one point thinking if I make the hole in the strap larger it will reach, it is that close.

  I’m about to walk away for a while when Pearl comes out. She starts giving me her ideas on what to do. All of which I’ve already tried. Then she say’s ” Why don’t you jack the tank up higher?” I say back ” It’s up as high as it will go.”  And defiantly grab the jack handle to prove my point. After all I’m not stupid. I pump the jack handle and the tank goes up another couple of inches. I try the bolt and it goes in easily. OK maybe I am stupid. I ask her ” Where were you an hour ago.” From now on whenever I’m working on a car I will have her standing by just to keep my stupidity in check.

I’m On ” Vacation”

I’m on vacation from my job this week. Notice that I didn’t say from work. I’ll give  you a rundown of what is on my schedule this week.

  1) Do something with the foam in my garage. I have about ten sheets of foam that I must do something with. I’ve already tried a pulley system to pull them up to the rafters but that didn’t work. I’ll probably just make a shelf of sorts to set them on.

  2) Finish my Ma-in-Laws bathroom. This has been an ongoing project for a while now. We’re having to repair repairs that have already been made by someone with not very good craftsmanship skills. I have to install a toilet, sink base and sink, and do some plumbing in the crawl space that the ” expert” left unfinished.

  3) Put a fuel pump in the car. I’ve already bought the pump and I have to say, it looks like something I would be installing in a swimming pool not a car. It’s all plastic with plastic hoses. That project should take me a few hours. ( hopefully)

  4) Help Audrey and Ben paint their new home. Wednesday will be spent painting  the rooms they will be living in. They are renting a house from Ben’s grandparents and are fixing it up for them as sweat equity. We’ll also be taking her desk to her. ( shhhhhh!!! don’t tell her she doesn’t know that yet)

  5) Clean out the garage. There’s a giant armoire hiding in there somewhere. I can’t see it but I know it’s there.

  6) Start sanding the giant armoire and get it ready for paint.

  7) Hide from Jeanie because if she finds out I’m on vacation she’ll find more work for me.

  8 ) What ever else is on my honey do list. I’m sure Pearl has other stuff for me to do.

  9) This is provisional. If I have time, take time to rest after all I’m on “vacation”.

24

  That’s how many years Pearl and I have been married now. Of all our years together , this has been a tough one. With Pearl’s Dad’s health failing and money being tight. Yep things have been tough this year. But we’re still here, still love each other and are stronger than before the pains of the last year.

   This year we need to take more time for ourselves. With our kids almost grown it’s time for us to rediscover each other. We’ve been parents first and lovers second or even third for a long time now. We need to change that. I’m looking forward to the challenge of rediscovering us. Don’t get me wrong we still have fun and laugh together, it’s just becoming our time again. Before we know it, we’ll be empty nesters and we’ll be alone together again.

  This blog isn’t the most romantic thing I’ve ever written, but it is honest. I love my wife, she’s still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.

I must be a better husband. I’m looking forward to a better year 25. I guess wanting to know my wife better is kind of romantic isn’t it?

Just For Fun

I think I’ve found my new hobby!

Heavenfest 09…My Life Lesson

 On August 8 Heavenfest happened without my help. How was that possible? I mean I’m was supposed to be involved but wasn’t. It was almost painful for me to not be. I’m supposed to leave the event exhausted from work not just exhausted.

 OK I had a really good reason for not being involved. God told us we couldn’t. My Father-In -Law was really ill. Pearl and I were happily making plans for the entrance and other stuff. I was collecting foam for the cutouts that would be placed over the scaffolding, it was going to be spectacular. When one night we were in bed about to fall asleep, Pearl sits upright and says,” We can’t do Heavenfest!” I at first thought she was just having doubts on our abilities(something we do pretty regularly).  But then she started talking about her dad and how he was doing. I could tell God had spoken to her because she was right in everything she said. It turned out that Dad died the weekend before Heavenfest. We spent most of the week before Heavenfest running around to the point of exhaustion trying to make a nice memorial service for him. The running didn’t stop until the the Sunday after. We wouldn’t have had time to give our best effort and our hearts would have been heavy the week of set up.

 That having been said, every time  I walked by this it hurt a little. This was our project. We have never not completed something like this before. I can still see the finished gate in my mind. The swirly borders from Heavenfest.com  up the sides with the wings and logo across the top, all the scaffolding covered with black cloth. It was going to be SOOO COOL! But God said no.

 The lesson for us was this, Obedience. Plain and simple, Obedience. We didn’t have the time and God knew it. He wanted us to listen to him and to honor our father. Which we did and wouldn’t change what we chose to do. Pearl got to spend her father’s last days with him and not building the gate. Those days were priceless.

 I need to thank Tara and Dave( love those guys, two better people you could never meet). Tara gave us our passes, even though I didn’t feel like we had earned them. Dave drove by us with someone on his cart and said ” There’s some great people I know” right after we had walked past our unfinished gate( I was feeling a little discouraged). I was lifted   just by that comment. I also need to thank the people who were praying for us, we wouldn’t have made it without your prayers.

 Our hearts were still a little heavy from the week and our bodies were exhausted. Pearl and I had to leave before the end. We just ran out of gas. We were asleep on the couch at about 8:30.We missed out on the Sacred Assembly , so wanted to be there for that.

 I can still see the gate in my mind. NEXT YEAR! I still have foam. Did anyone happen to take measurements of the scaffolding???

  p.s. I must earn my passes next year. I loaned my truck to my friend and it had better access than I did!

That’s just not right!!

Pa-In-Law

Well, Pearl’s  father passed Friday after a long fight with what can only be described as old age. One which everyone loses in the end. Pearl was at the house when it happened and got to say one last” I love you dad” before he died.

Dad and I had a rocky start to our relationship, he didn’t want me to date his daughter, but I was determined to. He tried to intimidate me and I wouldn’t be intimidated. Eventually we sat down and talked and he reluctantly let me date her.( a conversation witnessed by Pearl’s brother and sister and still lives in family lore)  I think all he really wanted was someone to look him back in the eye and tell him they weren’t  going to hurt her.

I owe a lot to him . He didn’t think I was good enough  for his daughter , he was right. I needed to change some things in my life. A couple of years later while Pearl and I were dating I was losing my job. I tried to apply at Sysco, but they wouldn’t even give me an application. He got an application for me and hand carried it to the superintendent that hired me.  He got me the job I now hold twenty four years later. So he helped Pearl and I provide for our family.

In the past twenty seven years Dad became a man that I loved with all my heart , a man that helped me become the father I am. A man that I am proud to have been told ” I love you hito” by. I loved him to. I really feel that I became one of his kids. I miss him.

What a Week I’m Having!

The week started out OK. Got up went to church and it was Fathers day  so there was lots of BBQ to eat. Then Monday came around. The starter in my truck decided to die about a week ago so Monday after work I decided to change it. I’m thinking” two bolts two connectors and it’s out”. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I struggled to get the connectors off they were hard to see. I fought to get the top bolt on the starter out it was difficult to reach. I crawl under the truck to get the bottom bolt out. I start to wrench the bolt out for what seems forever and it comes out . I go back topside to start pulling the dead part out and it doesn’t move. I REMOVED THE WRONG BOLT!!! It was a transmission bolt. I put that bolt back in and find the correct bolt. Back to wrenching again. I get the bolt out and the part still doesn’t move!! @#$@##%%$#%^& I PULLED OUT ANOTHER TRANNY BOLT!! Back in that bolt goes. I feel around and find the hidden starter bolt. It is Impossible to get to. I try for two hours to get a socket on it and finally give up around seven O’clock. I’ve had enough!! I decided to take Tuesday off and get the truck fixed if it kills me. I got up early and bought some socket extensions that I think will help me get the bolt out. They didn’t. I spent about another two hours trying and trying to get a socket on but it just won’t quite fit. I, in desperation, try a box end wrench. I can just get it on but I can’t move it because of clearance problems. I came up with a solution. I cut my wrench in half to get the clearance I need. In times of desperation sacrifices must be made. It works …sort of. I can move the bolt about an eighth of a turn at a time. Still progress is progress. I finally get it out after a half an hour or so of wrenching. The part is now loose. It’s time to celebrate with lunch. After throwing some groceries down my neck it’s time to get the part out of the truck. It won’t come out , everything is in the way. By now I have the front tire is off and the inner fender ripped out( I was getting a LITTLE frustrated.) I had to loosen transmission lines and brake lines to even attempt to get the old part out. I even took part of the steering loose. I finally pry, pull the part out. I almost cried! The new part goes back in fairly easily and I put all the loose parts back into place. The truck starts and I thank God for allowing me to keep my sanity… just barely.

Today I drive my freshly fixed truck to work and all goes well. During my workday there is a point in which I start receiving product into the building. During this period I also have to receive the mail ( we get some product in this way). I have to cut some stuff out of the shipping boxes and down to the packaging that we sell the product in. I slice the top off of a box and my razor knife gets hung up for just a second . It lets go and all of a sudden I feel a sharp pain in my left thumb. I’m now bleeding. I can’t work on anything without bleeding on it. I have a half inch gash on my thumb that goes very deep. So now I need to go to the emergency room, expecting stitches. I didn’t get any, instead they tape my thumb back together. It’s amazing the uses of duct tape. I also get a tetanus shot.

So let’s take  a tally of my injuries . My ribs are sore from leaning over the truck, I have broken finger nails that are sore,scratches and abraisions on my chest, stomach, head( yes head from laying on my back wrenching I irritated the skin on the back of my head.), hands and arms. My thumb is bandaged and taped together, and my shoulder hurts from the shot. All that’s left is… I dunno maybe a broken toe to top off the week!

New Adventures In The Same Old Job

A couple of weeks ago my job at work changed. I’m no longer a frozen forklift. I took a two week vacation and when I got back there was a job posting up for a dry goods utility( Warm department). Having not had my fingers and toes go numb for a couple of weeks was really nice so I signed the bid. Much to my surprise I got it! I’m out of the freezer!  To quote Martin Luther King ” Free at last! Free at last! Thank God almighty, Free at last!!”

The utility jobs are replacements workers if someone goes on vacation or calls in sick. It’s a job I’ve been avoiding for several years. The reason is I knew I would have to learn how to  receive. A job I’ve done at my last employer but didn’t really enjoy. The past couple of weeks I’ve been training to receive.

It turns out I’m pretty good at it, and I kind of like it. It gives me a chance to use my brain. They say that every time you learn something new you get a new wrinkle on your brain. Mine must look like a bowling ball( naw that’s to big… a pool ball… nope still to big, OK a BB, that’s about right).  I haven’t learned anything new in quite a while. The forklift job is pretty mindless. I turn on the computer on the lift, I scan a label on the pallet , take the pallet where the computer tells me to, put the pallet away scan the rack, repeat a couple hundred times a day! Pretty boring. It is a job however, that allows my mind to wander. It’s where I’ve thought up my best blogs.

I’ve picked up receiving pretty quickly. But it is very information intensive. I’m used to checking to make sure six or seven digit numbers are correct, but now I’m dealing with alpha-numeric numbers that can be as long as fifteen digits, sometimes they all look the same. I’m also dealing with drivers that come in so I need to be a people person, which I am not!

The computer system we use is a home grown system and sometimes it seems overly complicated. For example to print out the lables, purchase order, and the sheets for the  guys who actually stack the product I have to do this. Enter the  p.o. number tap F9, tab over enter door number tap F7, now tap F10 type ” O” for open hit enter, tap F10 twice, type ” P ” for print then “A” for all then press enter then tap F3 and then F8 the paperwork is now printing. Seems very complicated in this day of point and click. Especially when the program is based off of Windows. It gets more complicated if there is a problem.

My main concern in learning all this is that my brain is going to get full. I’m currently on an information overload. My brain is looking for places to store it all but seems to be having space problems. I’m afraid if it doesn’t get saved soon my brain is going to have to start overwriting files and I’ll start forgetting important stuff,  like my name, or how to use the big boy potty! Or worse yet it won’t overwrite and my head will just keep getting bigger until it pops, spewing marshmallow fluff all over the place. That’s pretty much what my brain is made of.

Has it really been a month since I’ve written?

Must be  the dates don’t lie. Iguess I’ll write. I’ve some stuff crawling around in my head! I need to get it out!!