2014-1104 Gratitude

In the latter part of September, 1962, after a long day teaching Mathematics to middle schoolers, Mr. Shiers begins his open classroom time, a time that he can devote to helping students struggling with the material.  One of the subjects that Mr. Shiers teaches is SMSG Mathematics.  SMSG stands for School Mathematics Study Group and was a fairly recent reform sparked by the Sputnik crisis in 1958. 

One of his students, a 9^th grader taking SMSG Mathematics, nervously enters and takes a seat.  The student is flummoxed by his inability to grasp the concepts behind word problems.  These are new to him.  He feels anxious and depressed, thinking that somehow he is not as clever as his classmates and embarrased by his ignorance.  Mr. Shiers takes the time to discover how the student is thinking about the problem and then patiently fills in the gaps in the student’s understanding.  A light suddenly goes off in the student’s head and dispels the darkness!  A wonderful understanding has suddenly appeared and the student gets one of the highest marks on the next test. 

As you might have guessed, that student was me.  What sticks with me over the course of the intervening years, 52 now, is the kindness of that teacher and the gratitude which I feel towards him. 

What better legacy can one have than to be remembered for an act of kindness after more than 50 years? 

Perhaps you remember the people in your life who made a positive difference, be they family members or teachers or even strangers.  Take some time to remember them, send them thoughts of gratitude for what they did.  It’s like receiving a warm hug; you can’t help but feel better.  And then, if you have an opportunity, pass on that act of kindness to someone else.  Who knows, perhaps 50 years from now they will remember warmly what you did for them.

Thank you Mr. Shiers!  You were instrumental in my life.

Cheers!

Kevin

2014-1012 Recycling Grudges

Hi All -

In my neighborhood, garbage and materials for recycling are picked up every Monday.  The trucks make their rounds early in the morning (usually) so I try to get everything ready by Sunday evening.  Plastic, metal cans, paper and cut-up cardboard go into one can and garden waste goes into a different container.  Unwanted things that cannot be recycled go into a third container. 

So every Monday, I get rid of things that I no longer want.  Just recently, I threw out some old pillows that were no longer serviceable.  Old clothing that is no longer wearable and too shabby to donate is a good candidate to throw out as well. 

Over the years, I’ve stored items that once were part of my life but no longer are nor will be.  So why store them?  They just take up space and get in my way.  Some items cannot be thrown out in the garbage; they require special handling so they must be taken to a hazardous material recycling center.  Old pesticides, paint cans, and burned out fluorescent bulbs are examples.

All this got me to thinking about other things we might want to get rid of.  What might those be?

What if we could rid ourselves of grudges?  Grudges are persistent feelings of resentment resulting from past injuries or insults.  I think we all can remember times when somebody else did something that was very unpleasant for us.  Perhaps a bad driver cut you off and you came close to having an accident.  And, to top it off, they then had the nerve to flip you off!  Every time you think of it, you relive that anger. 

Or remember that classmate who started a rumor about you that was really embarrassing!  The rumor wasn’t true, of course, but everybody believed it.  You lost face and just wanted to run away. 

Incidents like this may be many years old now but they still bring us pain whenever we recall them. 

Wouldn’t it be great if we could take these old grudges and recycle them on Monday mornings with the rest of the garbage? 

Somebody once said that “forgiveness” means giving up all hope of a better past. Recalling these bad experiences will not change our past.  But forgiving the people who wronged us might allow us to let go of these memories and clean out our interior house.  How refreshing it would be to let all that negativity go.  It would open up some space and allow us to air ourselves out.  We would then have more room to focus on newer, positive things. 

I believe that we will lead happier lives if we can do this.

So make a list of your grudges, package them up in a pile and haul them out to the curb by 7:30 a.m. on Monday.  And after they are gone, don’t look back.

Cheers!

Kevin

2014-0901 Katelyn’s Paci

Hi All –

I want to share with you a story written by our daughter-in-law, Kelly, who is married to our youngest son, Dave.  This story is about our 3-year old granddaughter, Katelyn, and her struggle to grow out of the need for pacifiers.

Life for Katelyn and her family has been seriously disrupted as she has a serious medical condition known as Aplastic Anemia which she has been fighting since Thanksgiving.  Soon she will be undergoing a bone marrow transplant at the Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford.

Peace!

Kevin

The following story took place on Thursday, 8/28, the evening before Katelyn's 3rd birthday. I am including every sweet detail, to share with all of you what a beautifully creative and kind spirit Katelyn has. Enjoy!!

We were outside on the swingset, having our nightly playtime, when Katelyn started talking about her "pacies" (pacifiers). She told me she was ready to give her pacies to all the babies, and that it was time to put them in a special box. (note: we have been setting the stage for this for months, gently reminding her that being 3 means being a big girl and giving her pacies to all the babies who need them)..... so having Katelyn bring this topic up independently was a welcome surprise to me! After a private conversation with Dave, which included a concrete promise of "once those things are gone, we're in this until its over," we braced ourselves for a potentially sleepless night (or week) and got out the supplies. Every paci in the house went into a small white box, which Katelyn delicately decorated with stickers. She put so much thought into each one, and gave sweet commentary through the whole process about how happy the babies will be when they get their present. Once she was finished decorating, we taped the box closed, tied it with ribbon, added a label, and said goodbye. Katelyn carried her gift to the mailbox, where she carefully placed it inside and closed the door. We waved to the box and ran back home, where Katelyn was beside herself with pride and excitement! I couldn't believe how smoothly it all went....

And then it was bedtime.....

Now anyone who has known Katelyn for her 3 years of life knows that this kid had a serious paci addiction. I knew it couldn't be that easy!! As soon as her head hit the pillow, she sat up and shouted "Mommy wait! I don't want to be a big girl anymore! I NEED my pacies back!!!!" I reminded her of her big decision and we discussed each step of the process. She seemed concerned that the pacies were still outside, so I told her they had already been delivered by the mailman. Thanks to smartphones, I was able to quickly google "babies with pacifiers" and showed her the slideshow of all the babies who were happily enjoying "her" pacies. Seeing the pictures did the trick - Katelyn laid down and talked for a good 15 more minutes about the babies. It took her a while to settle down, but eventually we had a successful night. 

3 days later and we still have to talk through the complete play by play at each nap and bedtime, complete with the google pictures, but overall I am extremely relieved by how well this process went and so proud of Katelyn for her bravery. Her kind spirit and interest in giving to others allowed her to find joy in this milestone, and she turned 3 as a big girl with a plastic-free smile!! :) 

Stay tuned for birthday details!! Love to all!!

2014-0823 Ordinary

Hi all –

Here’s a poem (?) I wrote some years ago addressing our pop culture’s mania for the emulation of questionable idols.  Why are we so afraid to be different?

ORDINARY

Kevin Crittenden 12/8/06

When you are done

with knowing what  everyone else knows,

And doing

what everyone else does,

And thinking

like everyone else thinks,

And talking

about the same TV shows,

And listening

to the same songs on your identical (except for color) iPods,

And being

like SallyandJaneandCindyandMonika(didyounoticethe 'k', socute!),

And dressing to make a statement

just like the people around you;

When you are through,

            being

                        afraid

                                    to be different

Then begin to see clearly again

                        the forks in the road . . .,            

the choices less taken. . .,

the divergent possibilites . . . -

Or even start          your own road,

Who knows, you may even draw -

                                                 a crowd.   Wanting to be.  Just.  Like.  You.

2014-0809 Farmer’s Market

Hi all –

Yesterday I wandered over to the Farmer’s market near Vallco because we needed some good fruit.  I suppose you could say that we already had an adequate supple of bad fruit.  Also we wanted to get some fresh green beans.  In past years, I’ve grown my own but didn’t put any in this year.  The reason why, of course, was that it’s good to let the ground lie fallow for a year.  This sounds better than the real reason which is that I was lazy.

As usual, there were many people already engaged in picking over the produce and making comparisons between the different vendors.  Why buy strawberries for $3 a basket here when further down the row, another vendor sells them for $2.50?  Also, if you enjoy just being with people ( a people watcher), it’s a fun place to be.  I notice people looking through the produce, wondering what criteria they are using to find the best ones. 

Farmer’s markets are a great place to buy local, fresh, organic food.  But I must admit that much of what is sold is food that I don’t recognize.  As our area diversifies, I’m seeing fruits and vegetables which are new to me.  For instance, bitter melon.  The name alone makes me wonder why anyone would eat it.  It must taste bitter, right?

So I am thinking that it would be a nice challenge to learn about some of these new items and learn how to use them to expand my culinary repertoire.  Currently I am able to open up a can of soup and heat it on the stove all by myself.  I know, pretty impressive.  I don’t like to brag ( liar!) but I can also make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. 

Now here’s a simple dish that I enjoy.  Buy a butternut squash and a yam.  Peel both and remove the seeds from the squash.  Cut everything up into 1-1/2” cubes and steam it until it is soft.  Mash it altogether and enjoy!

You can also make healthier mashed potatoes in the same way.  Buy a head of cauliflower and 2 white potatoes.  Peel the potatoes, chunk them up, chunk up the cauliflower and again steam everything until soft.  Mix it all up and you have faux mashed potatoes. 

So if you’ve never been to a farmer’s market before, google “farmers markets” and find one near you.  Then, take some shopping bags and go explore!

Bon appetit!

Kevin

Reminder:  If you are unsure about the meaning of the idioms used in this message, please refer to "Idioms, Figures of Speech, and Proverbs" posted on this blog in August 2013.  An alternative is to look at http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com

2014-0803 Taking Off

Hi all –

A little while back, I sent a  YouTube video link to my friend, Rob.  Here is his reply:

Kevin,

I was away on a business trip and so only got to this recently.  It's pretty interesting -- thanks for sending it.

On a related note, I'm moving to Tibet - bye.

Rob.

Now don’t be concerned.  He’s not REALLY moving to Tibet ( I hope).  Although, come to think of it, you probably have no feelings one way or the other about the situation since you don’t know Rob.  But I know Rob and would be sorry to see him go. 

Anyway, the point is that sometimes, like Rob, we get fed up with our situation and want to jettison our lives so we can start fresh somewhere else, preferably halfway around the world.  The implication is that we want to get as far away from our current problems as possible.  This is why the statement “….I’m moving to Tibet – bye” packs more of a punch than, say, “… I’m moving to Reno – bye.” 

It’s sometimes fun to envision making a radical change to our lives, especially if we are stressed out at work or just wanting a change in our daily routine.  Maybe you’ve been a wafer fabricator for umpteen years and could do it in your sleep.  There’s not much challenge in the job and your inner creativity is getting restless.  So you start to daydream about being a travel agent and seeing the world or wonder what your life would be like as a Hollywood star. 

So have a little fun.  Take some time to think about making a major change to your life.  In these reveries, money is no object nor is anything else.  Rob is moving to Tibet.  Where would you go?  What would you like to do?  What would you like to be?  Who would you like to go with you?  What would a perfect day look like for you?

As for me, sometimes I wonder what it would be like to, say, write a blog.  If I had any talent as a writer, that is.

And, BTW (by the way), here is the video link I sent to Rob:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWxMDdLey0E

Cheers!

Kevin

Reminder:  If you are unsure about the meaning of the idioms used in this message, please refer to "Idioms, Figures of Speech, and Proverbs" posted on this blog in August 2013.  An alternative is to look at http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com

2014-0726 Failure As An Option

Hi all –

We’ve discussed success for awhile now.  But what about the other side of the coin? By that I mean failure.  Is there any value in failure? 

Probably you have heard the expression “Failure is not an option!”  This is said by coaches to their teams or military commanders to their troops.  The idea is that the possibility of not winning the upcoming contest is not even to be acknowledged.  There is only winning.

Can you imagine saying that to your baby who is learning to walk?  They are continually failing.  They stand up on wobbly legs, find where mommy is, and start to move in her direction.  Then Plunk!, down they go.  Do they give up?  No.  They try again.  Plunk!  Down they go.  Then up again, a few steps this time before the Plunk!  Eventually they reach their goal and are very happy.  I’ve never heard of a toddler who was depressed when he reached his goal because he was unhappy with the number of times he fell. 

What is happening, though?  Through continual failure, the child is improving.  The failures are, in fact, teaching moments.  And the failures become less frequent.

Yet, somehow, by the time we are adults, we have often forgotten that failures are teaching moments.  Rather, we see them as reflections of our own imperfections and the basis of our shame. 

Some of us become afraid to try new things because there is a high risk of failure and failure is not a comfortable option.  To fail just means reinforcing that critical part of ourselves that too often reminds us of our poor performance. 

If we can remember our earliest lessons of failure and how they led us to learn new skills, then perhaps we can embrace failure as a teaching tool and use it in our lives now to expand our horizons.

Wishing you success (even through failure!) always!

Kevin

Reminder:  If you are unsure about the meaning of the idioms used in this message, please refer to "Idioms, Figures of Speech, and Proverbs" posted on this blog in August 2013.  An alternative is to look at http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com

2014-0718 Success – Setting Goals

Hi all –

So far, we’ve talked about success and what that might mean to you and did a self-examination to see what characteristics either further or hinder reaching our goals. 

But what are our goals?  And when do we expect to achieve them?  If and when we do, what then?  Will we have achieved happiness?

In thinking about setting goals, usually we begin with a particular long-range goal, something that may take years to achieve.  And it can leave us with a feeling of despair because right now, we are so far away from reaching that goal.  It seems impossible to reach. 

And so we mope around the house for awhile and then call our good friend (who is always a good shoulder to cry on) and tell our sob story to her.  She might say something like “Have you noticed that when you have to walk a mile to get to the store, you have to take a bunch of little steps? But finally you reach your goal?” 

And so we say “Aha!” ( this is known as an “Aha! moment” when you finally understand something) and proceed to think about a series of small steps that we can implement to help reach our final goal.

Example:  You want to be a concert violinist but at the moment, you’ve never played an instrument nor can you read music.  So should you give up?  Maybe.  But perhaps you might take a few steps to see if you have the potential to realize your dream.

1.  You sign up for a beginning music class to learn about music appreciation

2.  You take a class which explains musical notation

3.  You rent a violin and hire a tutor.

4.  If you are really enjoying yourself and discover that you are gaining talent, then you buy a student violin.

5.  You continue taking violin lessons and maybe join an orchestra.

6.  You improve and move up to the 1^st violin section.  By this time you’ve bought a very good violin.

7.  You advance to become the concertmaster, playing any violin solos that arise.

8.  And, by the way, you have reached your long-range goal!

All this is well and good but having a list of short-range goals will accomplish nothing unless you are willing to make changes to your life. 

Here is where OBSTACLES and EXCUSES make their appearance. 

We have ILLUSIONS about our goals.  Examples:

“All concert violinists were child prodigies.”

“You have to be proficient on the piano first.”

“Violinists must have long fingers to be successful.”

Accept what is real about you. 

“When I was a child, I played a lot with the other kids.  I wasn’t a prodigy.”

“I’ve been in the same room as a piano but haven’t played one.  Ever.”

“I have average fingers.”

We have FEARS about our goals.  Example:

“I just know I’ll be too nervous to play in public.”

“I’m too old to start now.”

“I’m too set in my ways to change.”

“I’m not sure I can fit in with other people.”

Those fears are not happening RIGHT NOW.  Replace those thoughts with more positive ones.
“I’m sure that I’ll become accustomed to playing in public until it no longer concerns me.”

“Age is just a number.  In my mind, I am youthful and capable.”

“I want to change because I want to reach my goal.”

“Other people probably feel just like I do.  We can support each other.”

One of the best things you can do to help reach your goal of success is to enlist the support of other trusted people.  These are people who will help you to feel positive about what you are trying to accomplish.  They will take delight in sharing your vision.  Avoid naysayers who continually raise objections to your plans or pass judgment on your decisions.

Although we may feel that working through our obstacles and excuses on our own is somehow admirable, NOT being able to ask for support is a sign of weakness.

Support is not dependence.

Support is interdependence; we give and get support.

Support includes sharing ourselves with others when they need support.

Support helps you know yourself so you can effect positive change.

Support helps you become competent

Support fights loneliness and isolation.

Support is empowering.

Support builds empathy and respect.

Support enables us to move in the direction we want to go.

Support creates an environment for learning and action.

Create your goals, list your obstacles and excuses, enlist the aid of a support person, then make a plan for moving forward!

Wishing you success always!

Kevin

Reminder:  If you are unsure about the meaning of the idioms used in this message, please refer to "Idioms, Figures of Speech, and Proverbs" posted on this blog in August 2013.  An alternative is to look at http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com

2014-0710 Success – Looking At Yourself

Hi all –

Last week I introduced the topic of success and what that might mean to you.  Certainly success can be an objective thing (how others see you, societal definitions of success) or a subjective thing ( i.e. for me, success equates to personal happiness).

Once you have in mind what success means to you and, if you are wishing to get from point A (where you currently are) to point B (where success lies), then there are some steps to take.

You would do well to do an honest evaluation of your personal characteristics.  Your traits.  You can list these in roughly two categories – those characteristics which will help you on your path and those characteristics which will hinder you. 

You don’t need to share these with anybody so there’s no need to fear judgment or ridicule.  But do be honest with yourself. 

Here’s an example.  Let’s say that your idea of success is to rise in the company you work for.  You want to become an upper level manager.  This position brings prestige, power, money and respect.  Currently, you have been working at the company for 2 years and are still quite low on the totem pole. 

Think for awhile about the characteristics of people who already are in upper level management positions.  These characteristics have helped them to attain this lofty position. 

Now think about your own life.  Begin to write down your characteristics based on events in your past and decisions that you’ve made.

For instance:

Characteristics that help me:  I like people, I listen, I’m organized, I like to lead, I’m intelligent, I have a good business background, I’m single which means I can devote myself to the company, . . .

Characteristics that hinder me:  I get nervous when I speak publicly, I don’t always take criticism well, I tend to discriminate against women, I dislike confrontation, I don’t have a good grasp of modern social networking methods or technology, I’m single which means that I don’t have a track record of managing a family, . . .

Did you notice that in the example, being single can either be helpful or a  hindrance depending on how you look at it.

So if you are wanting to take action to achieve success, then I suggest you try this exercise in a relaxed environment.  It may take several days to come up with your list.

Wishing you success always!

Kevin

Reminder:  If you are unsure about the meaning of the idioms used in this message, please refer to "Idioms, Figures of Speech, and Proverbs" posted on this blog in August 2013.  An alternative is to look at http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com

2014-0703 Success Over the Years

Hi all –

Do you remember being a kid and (if you do), do you also happen to remember how you would have defined “success?” 

Is it the same definition that you had in college?  How about when you got your first job? 

Or when you married?  And how about now, at this point in your life?  How do you define success now?

Is it the same definition as when you were a kid?

I’m guessing not.

When I was a kid (dinosaurs were still roaming the earth then), successful people lived in the best part of town.  They had big houses and drove big new cars.  They were bank managers or company presidents or doctors or lawyers.  Maybe they came from old money, born with a silver spoon in their mouths. 

Sometimes they hired maids to clean their houses and gardeners to maintain their yards.  Their kids went to private schools and had tutors.  Their families sometimes took vacations in Europe and went on cruises. 

They had fashionable parties attended by others of their class and social standing.

Sounds lovely, doesn’t it?  Of course the thing you had to have to be able to live like this was a lot of money.  So basically, success = money.  The more money you had, the more successful you were.

When I was attending college, many students were intent on careers giving them the best chance of getting on the gravy train, i.e. earning good money and partaking of the successful lifestyle.  There was even a TV show called “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” which ran from 1984 to 1995.  Americans wanted to emulate these people.

On the way up the corporate ladder, however, some people are confronted by uncomfortable choices.  Success in business often necessitates long work hours and dedication to the company.  This may involve uprooting the family to move where the work is.  To continue in this vein means ceding involvement with the family and losing closeness to one’s children and spouse.  It means stress for everybody.

This is one of the points in life where it is valuable to reevaluate the definition of success.  Is it better to make sacrifices to rise to the top of the company so you can buy anything your family wants or is it better to scale back the lifestyle, settle for less money and be more available to the family?  Making that latter choice is most likely a career killer. 

And, by the way, if you are working long hours, are you still in touch with your family enough to know what it is that they truly want?  Is it something that you can buy someday? 

Think ahead to the end stage of your life.  How might you think of success at that time?

Take care,

Kevin

Reminder:  If you are unsure about the meaning of the idioms used in this message, please refer to "Idioms, Figures of Speech, and Proverbs" posted on this blog in August 2013.  An alternative is to look at http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com

2014-0627 Cleaning House

Hi All –

On Monday, my wife went camping with a church group and left me to my own devices here at home.  Now I know what you are thinking – “Oh, he’ll have wild parties and eat lots of fast food and drink lots of beer and disturb the neighbors with loud music and play poker until 3 a.m. with his buddies and leave a big mess for his poor wife to clean up.” 

But that’s not true!  I don’t drink beer.

Anyway, what I DID do is to go into the garage, look around, heave a sigh or two and then got to work gathering up those things that I have stored forever but haven’t used in donkey’s years.  It was time to find a new home for these items. 

Look – here is the violin that I played when I was in high school!  I was in the orchestra in the 1^st violin section but – let’s face it – I haven’t touched that violin since 1965.  Do I really need to keep it?  Maybe somebody could actually use it to make music again.

Over here is a heavy box containing my stamp collections and the weighty books (from 1973) that describe the stamps and their values at that time.  Neither of my sons want this and I really don’t think I’m going to develop a renewed interest in philately.

Good grief, here’s two or three boxes of technical books on Unix and C and Web design and Java and Computer System Administration.  These served me during my career but, hey, I’m retired and don’t wear that hat anymore. 

Looking up (way up) at my bookcase, I see the physics, chemistry and mathematics textbooks that I used in college to get first my BS double major in Physics and Math and then my MS in Physics.  In retirement, I really don’t need to consult these textbooks.  Textbooks today are so much better with lots of color illustrations.  Of course, my textbooks cost about $12.50.

So why have I kept all this stuff for so long?

Well – I guess it is because I’ve defined myself through some of these things and others form a bridge to my past.  But I’ve reached a point where it is time to let go of these space-fillers and emotional baggage and clear out room to redefine myself as the person I want to become.  My interests are no longer stamps or violin or computers or physics.  Time to pass those on and also let my childhood go as well and look forward to new beginnings and a repurposed me. 

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to clean up before my wife gets home.  ^-^

Take care,

Kevin

2014-0620 Fear Of Speaking

Hi All –

As an ESL learner, have you ever been in a situation (maybe in a class) where you are talking in English in front of people and everything is going pretty well until suddenly you can’t remember the right word to say or somebody interrupts you to correct your pronunciation?  

Did you notice that at that point, everything seems to go downhill and you become tongue-tied and nervous?  You stop thinking about the subject you are presenting and start criticising yourself. 

Your negative thoughts might take the form of:

I can’t remember the right words.

Everybody is looking at me.

I’m pronouncing the words wrong.

Nobody understands what I am saying.

Everybody else is better at English than I am.

I don’t really belong here.

I’ll never get this right.

Everybody else is smarter than I am.

People are judging me harshly.

I’m wasting their time.

I just want to go home.

I feel isolated and afraid.

If you have experienced this, then take heart.  You are not alone.  Many people, including myself and other native English speakers, have a fear of speaking in public. 

Now imagine that you are sitting in the audience listening to someone else giving a presentation.  You notice that they sometimes struggle to find the right word.  They talk rather slowly and sometimes they don’t pronounce their words correctly.  They begin to seem a little nervous.  At this point, what feelings do you have for the presenter?

Do you think, “Oh, she is doing it all wrong.  I’m glad I’m smarter than her.  I don’t think she belongs here.  She’s wasting my time!” ? 

I don’t think so.

Rather, don’t you feel a bit sympathetic towards her because you empathize with her fear?  Perhaps you are thinking “Yes, you can do this?” In other words, don’t you feel supportive of this person, wishing them success? 

I think the reason we feel supportive of people who are struggling to improve themselves is that ALL of us are struggling with some issues, whether public speaking or other social situations or who knows what.  This struggle bonds us together and it strengthens us to see someone else succeed.  Why?  Because it gives us hope that we can succeed someday in our own struggles.  Especially with the love and support of the people around us. 

Have a great week!

Kevin

Reminder:  If you are unsure about the meaning of the idioms used in this message, please refer to "Idioms, Figures of Speech, and Proverbs" posted on this blog in August 2013.  An alternative is to look at http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com

2014-0610 Building a Playhouse

Hi all –

Sorry I’ve been in absentia for so long.  (Absentia is a suburb of Sacramento where the preponderance of global warming is taking place).

Anyway, my wife and I traveled up to the Sacramento area last week and built a playhouse for our granddaughter Katelyn.   Our son, Dave, and his wife, Kelly, live in Citrus Heights so the temperature was nice and toasty judging by the cars slowly melting by the curb.  I’ve never seen a car sweat before!

The construction took us two days and umpteen bottles of water.  I gave up on drinking  the coffee because it was so weak, I had to help it out of the  pot.  The playset directions said that two moderately experienced adults could assemble it in one day but they must have been thinking of I.M. Pei and Christopher Wren instead of mere mortals like myself.  I don’t like to think of myself as slow, but sometimes it takes me an hour and a half to watch “60 Minutes.”   Anyway, in less time than it would take to carve a replica of the Taj Mahal from an oak stump using an Xacto knife with a rusty blade, we finished the playhouse.  It even vaguely resembled the picture in the instructions. 

Although there WERE instructions with pictures, the pictures sometimes showed the project from the front, sometimes from the back, sometimes from the exterior, sometimes from the interior, mostly all taken on a foggy day.  There were aerial shots and some satellite imagery as well, I believe, along with the infrared scans, some X-rays and even an MRI or two.   Fortunately,  there were instructions in English as well as Urdu and Latin so, even though the manual was printed in 7 pt Gaussian Blur, we could sometimes divine where the misprints, errata and lacunae were.  I’ve attached some pix below.

Dave and I get started!  Time for a break.

Well, it LOOKS like it should go here!

Katelyn inspects the progress.

Katelyn gives some advice to Grandma.

Kelly and Dave assemble the gables.

This is our shaded parts department.

Finally it is finished!  So are we.

Features include a rock climbing wall and a slide.

Katelyn has a glider and swings, of course!

She seems pleased with the result!

Have fun, little one! I love you!!!

Now how successful do you think THIS nap will be?

Blessings!
Kevin