Plumbing--Do it yourself, or not?

Well, I have successfully forayed into the world of plumbing again--and lived to tell the tale.

The water heater thermostats keep resetting--meaning the water is getting too hot--so I decided to replace them.

Oh, and did I mention the toilet? It wouldn't stop running?

Well--I fixed the toilet and then proceeded to swap out the thermostats on the water heater. I was also going to replace the heating elements--but they wouldn't budge with the tool I had on hand--so I'm going to Home Depot for reinforcements later. A large socket to get the proper leverage to remove them!

Well I did remember to turn off the electricity AND I also remembered to drain the water heater. Both important safety steps.

So while the water heater is technically fixed--it is not completely fixed.

And the toilet works--

A good evening's work!

On to the pool house to turn on the water for the summer--but that is a story for another day

Salt in the Box

I told Chris that this week's message at church would probably result in three blog entries. It was that powerful and filled with some really thought provoking stuff.

So I was really impressed with a visual used during the message about salt. Of course the reference was to the statement by Jesus in Matt 5:13 that we are the salt of the earth.

“You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its flavor, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled on by people." NET Bible

Now most of us are probably familiar verse and its implications that we, as Christ followers are supposed to be out in the world. We see ourselves as the spice of the world bringing God to the God-less and the hurt and hope to the hopeless.

And we are supposed to be that way. And while the message was not about this verse on Sunday, it was about our reputation (more on that later), at one point a box of salt was held up and likened to those of us in church that morning. And I could see the similarity--if each of us were a considered a grain of salt, then salt in the box could be likened to a church service on Sunday where all the grains are gathered.

The grains of salt are not much good in the box or the shaker. There is a lot of potential--but no action!

Think about it. Salt isn't actually valuable until we pour it our of the box into or onto something. We have to use it.

A bunch of Christ followers in their Sunday club house is much the same. Potential abounding but action pending.

We have to get out of the building and into the world to be the "salt of the earth" and give flavor and spice to the world. Hiding in our safe house--well it's just that, hiding and it doesn't do much good.

Anyway--that small visual really hit me hard this week and helped me to get deeper into the verse and understand that to be salt--we need to get out into the world. And the world will use us up. But it will be a better place.

Monday Musings - April 20, 2009

What a wonderful weekend!

1. I love it when the sun shines--it makes the days so much more enjoyable.

2. The weeping cherry tree in our yard brings the color of Springtime to a new high point as it sits majestically bathed in sunlight. And framed against the blue sky it almost makes up for the past six months of cold and winter.

3. I mowed the lawn for the second time this Spring--and I enjoyed it still. Too soon it will become a chore, but right now, it helps me appreciate the green and smells of springtime.

4. Life on the planet would be miserable without Zyrtec.

5. When the weather is nice and I get to drive Kitty, I can't help but smile.

6. Friday night out with the guys is awesome. We went to the Glory Days Bar in Glen Burnie and had a great time.

7. Afternoon naps make everything right with the world!

8. Puppies recover very quickly from surgery--Makayla has been a terror all weekend.

9. Gas for the lawn mower: $5; Supplies for the pool: $400; sitting on the front porch with Chris drinking a glass of wine as the evening falls: Priceless!

10. Breakfast on the back porch is where it's at.

11. I had forgotten how bright the sun is--when I came into the house after reading on the deck I was blinded for a short while until my eyes adjust. Can I do it some more?

12. When the days are really nice during early Springtime, I don't want to be a work. OK--I left 30 minutes early on Friday.

13. Denver got a huge snowfall on Friday. Better them than us!

Teams and Rain and Expectations

Ever notice that when the weather is rainy, gray, and overcast that people begin to notice the weather and it affects them in a negative manner? Like, for instance, the past three days have been nothing but rain and gray, and unseasonable cold temperatures. People are sluggish and moving and sometimes thinking slowly.

Team leaders need to be sensitive to weather effects on their teams. Leaders tend to be highly charged people who on most days probably don't even notice the weather--and this can become a source of frustration when dealing with their teams.

Leaders need to find ways to interact with the sluggish team members and help them overcome the effects of the weather. Charge them up--without turning them off. Help them spin up to speed and obtain the high energy that you have.

So what is a leader to do when confronted with a lethargic team on a high energy day?


First, begin to ramp the energy level up so they team rises to meet you.

Second, allow them the opportunity to rise on their own up to your expectations--but expect them to meet you.

Finally, recognize--people are affected by weather. Adjust your activity and expectations.

Success means recognizing the capabilities and limitations of your team as well as understanding the impact of outside influences.

Makayla's Surgery Journey

Well, I dropped off the wonder puppy this morning for her surgery. She is having her female parts altered to prevent off-spring. Puppies are fun but they are a lot of work, especially in multiples of like five or six. And then you need to find homes. Yeah! And worming them is always fun.

I'm not too amused at the vet--because they were supposed to micro-chip her as well, but I just got a call that they are out of micro-chips. I suggested they get one form another store and was informed that that was not possible due to the way they are ordered. So we get to return for more puppy adjustments later.

It is amazing how inefficient the vet is in processing dogs into the center for surgery. There are incredible mountains of paperwork to fill out and then--the add on questions. Trim her nails? Express her anal glands? Use some new surgical technique? Micro-chip? It was worse than buying a car.

I'm surprised they didn't want to add a USB port to facilitate future programming changes.

But all-in-all, Makayla was brave when I dropped her off. Of course she was playing with two full-grown black labs when they came for her.

We really didn't even get to say good-bye and I didn't get to reassure her that I would be back for her.

I wonder if that is important for puppies.

Monday Musings - 13 April 2009

And now, for the first week in a row, the Monday Musings--on Monday!

1. Birthdays and holidays stirred together form a weekend unlike any other weekend ever seen before.

2. Yes, Ethan, there really is an Easter Bunny. Makayla saw it in the yard and chased it away.

3. We appreciate warm weather more after it has been cold. OK, we got it, bring on the heat--now!

4. For the Orioles to win 2 out of every 3 games in a series is great--I just wish they wouldn't get blown out on the day they lose. I mean, 11-3? Really? And the 3 were gratuitous runs in the bottom of the 9th.

5. MASN needs to rethink its HD broadcasting policy--the O's games should be broadcast in HD and the Nats should be on probation until they get a win.

6. Pictures on Easter Sunday after church bring back memories of times long ago.

7. Everyone keeps asking me when I'm going to open the pool--and I will open it just as soon as we have a week where the temperatures aren't in the 30's at night. That may not be until June at the rate we're going.

8. Chaos is the only way to enjoy a holiday. It means everyone is together and most of them are happy. It is also what you get when you add a 5-month old puppy to a 1-year old and then toss in a 4-year old for good measure.

9. I forgot to drive the Jag on Easter. And we still got to church 30 minutes early.

10. You know its been a good day when at 9PM Makayla is laying on the floor in the family room and I get up to make coffee and she doesn't even move. Pure exhaustion from all the activity.

11. After four days off from work--a total of six counting the weekend, I really didn't want to get out of bed this morning.