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Daniel, Events, Project 365

Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

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Our middle son, Daniel, is heading off to college in just a few short days. We’ve been busy this summer, and we realized that we had never thrown him a graduation party, back in June when all the ‘trendy’ and ‘together’ people throw parties.

We are so thankful to all those who contributed to the party!

We are so thankful to all those who contributed to the party!

So Kathy kicked into full-bore party mode. She gathered decorations, made dozens of hand-crafted desserts and hornswoggled many of her friends into bringing chips and salads. In spite of my natural resistance to such things, even I was sucked in, spending hours selecting photos of Daniel to print and display.

Sage advice from Lloyd.

Sage advice from Lloyd.

We rented a small picnic shelter at a nearby park, and Kathy’s girlfriends rallied around her to help with the last-minute sandwich assembly and cooking. They made three large dishes of Macaroni and Cheese (Daniel’s favorite comfort food) and headed over to set up at the park.

These girls can stand the heat, so they stayed in the kitchen.

These girls can stand the heat, so they stayed in the kitchen.

The party was a triumph. Nearly 80 of our close friends attended, many of them writing blessings to Daniel and promising to pray for him this semester. Daniel graciously stood around and talked with his guests in spite of the lure of frisbee-throwing kids all around.

Even standing on my tip-toes, I'm STILL shorter than Daniel.

Even standing on my tip-toes, I’m STILL shorter than Daniel.

Unfortunately, several of Daniel’s close male friends were unable to attend the party, being out of town (or in some cases, out of the country). Still, Daniel was able to make do.

These girls brought a lot of life to the party.

These girls brought a lot of life to the party.

When I felt we had reached critical mass, I asked several of the guests to pray for Daniel. When it was my turn to pray, I found myself choked-up, deeply grateful for all those who love Daniel, have invested in him over the years, and who came to celebrate and wish him well. Truly we are blessed in this town, for our family to be so well-loved.

Round up the usual suspects ...

Round up the usual suspects …

On Saturday, Daniel and I will drive down to Calvary Chapel Bible College for his first semester. I am very eager and excited to see what possibilities God opens up for him.

Tyler and Tricia, signing Daniel's Dr. Seuss book.

Tyler and Tricia, signing Daniel’s Dr. Seuss book.

Project 365, Day 229
Tim

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Project 365, Silliness

When the Cat is Away

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Today was a bit of a sad day — Joshua and Kelsie flew back to school around 2:30 pm, and Rachel some seven hours later. It is strange to think of Summer ending so quickly, although we still have Daniel to celebrate and send off in less than two weeks.

As is often the case when dealing with sadness, we turn to familiar, comfortable remedies. I walked Joshua and Kelsie out to the car, and watched as Kathy drove them away. Then I sadly turned and came into the house.

“What would cheer me up,” I mused.

Walking down the hall, I shouted to the kids. “They’re gone! Let’s break out the ice cream!”

Rounding the corner into the kitchen, imagine my surprise.

Every last one of these rascals was either eating or serving themselves ice cream.

Every last one of these rascals was either eating or serving themselves ice cream.

Apparently, great minds think alike. The kids, no doubt also crushed by the sadness of Joshua and Kelsie’s departure, found temporary consolation in Banana Split, French Silk, and (of course) Blueberry Pomegranate ice cream.

Or perhaps it was Kathy’s absence that made it all possible.

Project 365, Day 222
Tim

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Joshua, Project 365

Feature Phones

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Some ten years ago, I started working for a telecommunications company. At the time, I was a contractor, but I wanted the people at that company to think of me as a ‘team player’. So I rushed out and purchased a cell phone plan through that company.

At the time, they were offering a very inexpensive flip phone; I picked up one for me, one for Kathy, and one for my parents. It was the Samsung x475, a basic, durable clamshell phone with a battery that needed charging only about twice a week.

Not my actual phone.

Not my actual phone.

Later, I became an employee of that company, and became eligible for free phones and a very cheap monthly voice and text plan. Over the years, my children began to be added to my account, and we started experimenting with smartphones and data plans.

In this day and age, it is quite difficult to purchase a ‘feature phone’ — that is, a phone that is not a smartphone. Presumably someone in marketing thought that calling it a ‘dumbphone’ would be bad for sales. But there still is a market for such phones, if only among Luddites and technophobes.

This summer marks the end of an era. Joshua has finally been forced to replace his Samsung x475, some ten years after it was initially purchased. For some reason, the phone decided that it would offset the network time by 5 hours and 11 minutes, correcting for timezones. It also refused to admit that any year after 2014 existed (apparently the Mayans were off by a couple of years). Since the phone was originally marketed and sold in 2004 and 2005, it was not designed for ‘bleeding edge’ technologies like 3G and LTE, and can’t communicate on the frequencies used by those types of networks. As the 2G GSM network is re-farmed and the radio frequency blocks are harvested for LTE use, less and less of the cell network is available for coverage of Joshua’s phone.

This phone has really served its time. I wish they made 'em this durable, these days.

This phone has really served its time. I wish they made ‘em this durable, these days.

“Shall I buy you a smartphone, Josh?” I asked him.

“No, I don’t want a phone that is smarter than me,” he reasoned.

I forbore to make the obvious insulting remark, but it was a close thing.

“So, what do you want, then? A blanket and some smoke? Two cans and some string?” Sometimes I’m not as patient as I should be.

“Can I get another flippy phone like this one?” he whined, waving his Samsung x475 hopefully.

So I bought him another ‘feature phone’, this one sold by another carrier. It pretty much just makes and receives phone calls, and texts, and can play music from an SD memory card, if you buy one and load it up. Other than that, it has a rudimentary browser and not much else.

Joshua and Kelsie, admiring his new 'feature phone'.

Joshua and Kelsie, admiring his new ‘feature phone’.

Some people really enjoy standing against cultural trends, but I think Joshua has developed this into an art form. While others swap their phones out every year, needing to have the latest and greatest, Joshua gains genuine (if childish) delight from using a phone that is fully ten years behind its time.

I can imagine having a similar conversation, some ten years from now.

Me: “Say, Josh, you need to swap out your phone for one of the new ones with a telepathic interface.”

Joshua: “Aw, Dad, you know I’ve finally got the hang of using this little numeric keypad. See, if you hit the ’3′ twice, it spells out ‘e’.”

Me: “Well, the CEO of our company called me and asked if he could turn off the UMTS network. Apparently your phone is the last holdout, and they would love to shut it down. He says it would save the company about $6 billion annually.”

Joshua: “Gee, that sounds like a lot of money, but I really like my flip-phone. I’m going to have to think about it … ”

Me: “I’ll just tell him to wait, then. I’m sure it will be fine.”

Project 365, Day 219
Tim

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Aunts and Uncles, Family

Brother’s Druthers

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One of my favorite hobbies is to tease and exploit my brother. In the past, I’ve had to exercise a certain amount of restraint, but now that Mark is a civilian, all bets are off. Mark was originally an armored cavalry officer (before he got all tech-y, or possibly tetchy) and went into simulations. Whenever I was tempted to push the limits in harassing or taking advantage of him, I would remember that only his sense of restraint preserved my home (and my town of residence) from being turned into rubble by a squadron of M-1 Abrams tanks.

Not my brother's actual tank.

Not my brother’s actual tank.

You can imagine my relief, when he decided to retire as a full Colonel. Now, as a lowly civilian, I seriously doubt that he can whistle up a tank squadron, so I can tease him mercilessly, and fully exploit his gullibility and earnest, dutiful, hard-working temperament.

Some people really shouldn't be let out without a keeper.

Some people really shouldn’t be let out without a keeper.

On Sunday, Mark came out to Washington for a job interview, and he and Liz and Tim and Sunny and little John, all came for dinner Monday evening. It was lovely to spend some time with them all, and we persuaded Mark and Liz to linger when Tim and Sunny took baby John home to bed.

The whole MGE clan.

Challenge: See if you can pick out which one is my brother.

One of my other favorite hobbies is to get people to do repairs and maintenance on my home, or even (when I’m especially ‘in the zone’) to get them to make major renovations. When we lived in the Duckabush, I used my Tom Sawyer wiles on my brother and my Dad (and a few unwary neighbors), persuading them to build a significant portion of the deck that wraps around that house. The only reason we have a playground structure out at that house is because my brother couldn’t stand the way I dumped the playground pieces on my yard for several weeks (in the original Costco packaging).

"Yes, that is a board, Mark. Very astute of you to recognize it -- well done!"

“Yes, that is a board, Mark. Very astute of you to recognize it — well done!”

So when Mark was here for dinner, I began to fantasize about what it would be like for him to live here. I’ve been thinking that this house needs his special touch, and that I might be willing (if he asked nicely) to let him build me a deck here, as well.

Now we wait to see if my brother gets a job offer, here in Washington. There is some talk of another interview elsewhere, but I am setting my face like tapioca against that idea. How would my brother build me a new deck, if he didn’t live here? The airfare would be prohibitively expensive, for one thing.

If I have my druthers, he will get the job here, and I can get him and my nephew over here to build me a deck and fix my back fence, while I play my game on the computer and shout helpful instructions.

Standing on the site of the future Mark G. Edgren commemorative deck.

Standing on the site of the future Mark G. Edgren commemorative deck.

Some might worry that by writing this, I’m tipping my hand a bit, but happily, my brother is not only dutiful and hard-working, but the transition to civilian life may have left him a few rounds short of a full magazine. (He probably can’t read, either). I’ll keep you apprised of my progress in this worthy endeavor.

Project 365, Day 215
Tim

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Home Projects, Project 365

Tree Pruning Frenzy

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One of the banes of my existence (a man of my talents and character has many banes, as it turns out) is the trash, recycling and yard waste removal company—Dump Daddy—that serves our neighborhood. Renting a dumpster on wheels is convenient for cleanup projects that are located in various areas of the yard or home. When there are wheels on a dumpster it can be rolled from one location in the yard to another. A small dumpster on wheels can also be positioned inside a home during a small or medium construction project such as remodeling a bathroom or kitchen. Simply call in an order your dumpster and have it delivered the next day. Positioning the dumpster for easy cleanup is so much easier when you pick a dumpster with wheels. However, sometimes the project is too big for a dumpster that can be rolled and moved and it requires a larger dumpster such as a 15 yd.² dumpster or a 20 yd.² dumpster. A dumpster is an American term meaning a garbage bin. This garbage bin is mobile and can therefore be moved around. The main function of a dumpster is storing trash for a short period of time before it is emptied into a garbage truck that comes around maybe two times a week depending on your agreement. These dumpsters are used for dumping many kinds of waste material and also recycling purposes. Apartments, schools, businesses, offices and industrial sites have dumpsters to store waste. Front loading-trucks, which have large prongs are used to empty these dumpsters. They have hydraulics used for lifting the dumpsters and then flip them to empty its contents in the truck’s hopper. Visit https://www.dumposaurus.com/ site to know more about Dumpster Rental Company in Austin TX.

I am distrustful of monopolies, and the multi-year, exclusive sweetheart contract that our city has made with the company seems to give all the benefit to the removal company, and little to the residents. They charge high rates and are very strict about any overages, once doubling my trash charge because the lid was not flush with the top of the container.

How will junk removal companies help you? Well, whether you are a commercial or residential property owner, hiring a contractor to clean your property can help you in more ways than one. Below are some of the following benefits when you hire a junk removal service to clear out the accumulated junk in your property.

Clearing up all the junk in a residential or commercial property would take a lot of time. Sometimes, it can reach several hours depending on the accumulated junk you have. It is also an exhausting thing to do because you would need to separate, haul and properly dispose of them. In other places, there’s a need to fulfill certain requirements in order to dump particular kinds of junk or trash. On the other hand, hiring a contractor to clear out all the junk will lead to avoiding all these hassles. You can leave everything to them. Here is the #1 Junk Removal in Denver | Demolitions – Rubbish Cleanouts, do visit

Hiring a junk removal service will help you save a lot of time and also effort. This is because the contractors will do all the hard work. Moreover, they can do it in an efficient and swift manner. This is due to the skills and experience they have in hauling junk. Aside from this, you can also save money. You can write this thing off on your tax report as an ongoing renovation. As a matter of fact, many businessmen do this thing in order to save money on their taxes.

There are wastes that can be dangerous to health, like old paint and thinner. If you inhale their fumes while clearing away junk you may end up having certain health complications. In addition to this, accidents may occur if you clear away junk on your own like cuts, burns or others. Hiring expert junk removers on the other hand will take away these risks.

As sometimes happens, Daniel was standing in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

As sometimes happens, Daniel was standing in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

They also have a diabolical tendency to send their trucks early on the days when I forget to put out the cans. There is nothing quite so chilling as the sound of the garbage truck accelerating gleefully past my house, when I know I have a full can, but forgot to put it out. Of course, on the days when I put the cans out on Sunday night, they resentfully send the truck to my neighborhood around noon.

A month or two ago, I decided to shell out for an extra blue yard waste bin, because we seemed to be generating an unusually-large amount of yard waste (clippings, prunings and untreated wood from all the Garden Paving we’ve done over the year). So it was with a sinking feeling this afternoon, that I realized both yard bins were at least half-empty.

Each blue bin costs about $7.50, every time they empty it.

Each blue bin costs about $7.50, every time they empty it.

I hate paying for recycling and yard waste (I believe they should pay me for my valuable recyclables and yard waste, or at least removal should be free) and it is especially infuriating to pay for bins that are left empty.

“Time to prune!” I shouted. Everyone turned out to help as I waved my reciprocating saw over my head with abandon, and tree limbs began to rain down on the driveway. Several unwitting members of the Pancho family (they thought they were coming to watch a movie, and maybe have some ice cream) were sucked into the fun.

I let David play with use my new reciprocating saw to chop up some of the larger branches.

I let David play with use my new reciprocating saw to chop up some of the larger branches.

We managed to fill both our bins, and even contributed to the blue bin of a generous neighbor who was attracted by the noise (or possibly he had dialed 911, and needed details for the dispatcher). Now the mailman can actually approach our mailbox, and Kathy can park in the driveway without being scratched by bushes.

Lawn work is not Sarah's favorite -- she is better at looking beautiful.

Lawn work is not Sarah’s favorite — she is better at looking beautiful.

The full bins are safely out at the curb, so we’re as ready for Monday as we’re likely to be.

Project 365, Day 214
Tim

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