“As soon as God saw you —
it was love at first sight.”
…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net
Author Archive
I have come across a really nice parenting web site that gives great guidance on teens and your relationship with them. Below is a recent quote from one of their periodic emails:
Time and stability are needed commodities as the teen works through their issues. They need the steadying influence of their parents, who can help them sort it all out. It’s no time to lessen the boundaries or back down on the rules. Having those in place will provide the structure the teen needs, though they may seem to want just the opposite.
Go check them out at http://www.parentingtodaysteen.com
…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net
“God is the God of right now”
…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net
Since many of y’all reading this probably didn’t know us until after our arrival in Kentucky, you probably don’t know about our fun family road trip out here (referred to as something else by my wife). So why not take the time to scroll down a bit and read about our family adventure move. I am trying to repost a week’s worth of blog posts at a time (each day?) so you’ll have some good reading material as our story materializes in front of you.
And, of course, I am going to get back into the swing of posting new material each day — at least that is my goal: one post per day.
…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net
Here is the result of my redneck snow plow after the 4 inches of snow we received early Saturday morning. I am quite proud even though my wife scoffed at the idea when I told it to her.
You see, plow kits for my 4 wheeler run $300-400 and, in my opinion, aren’t worth the few times it snows here in Kentucky even though our driveway is 1/4 mile long. None the less, my thriftful self kicked in and found a decent alternative — dragging a railroad tie at an angle behind my 4 wheeler. In about a half hour I had the driveway passable even with our rear wheel drive cars.
So here was my summary:
– Railroad tie – cost $10
– Pulling behind 4 wheeler instead of buying plow pkg – savings of $300+
– Swapping out kids on sleds for the railroad tie – Priceless
…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net
While the winter weather in Kentucky can be challenging, we are lucky to live in today’s day and age where we have technology and modern conveniences to keep the cold at bay.
Except when you don’t have them. This morning we woke up to no hot water. Thankfully it wasn’t completely cold but it definitely wasn’t hot, warm or even lukewarm. I told my wife that it wasn’t lukewarm, it was just “luke”.
My troubleshooting skills kicked in an I was able to determine that 1) we hadn’t run out of propane and 2) it wasn’t necessarily the hot water heater. The electronic ignition would light the pilot light, the pre-flame would ignite and then the burn would fizzle out. It would then reset and repeat in 20 seconds. Hence the reason for the “luke” water. It made for a very challenging and very quick morning shower. The rest of the family decided on the stink option rather than the freeze option.
I was lucky enough to get home from work early so I could continue working the problem and lo and behold we had hot water. A buddy had pointed me towards the possibility that there could have been moisture in the propane tank/line and it froze in the regulator constricting full propane flow causing the water heater to operate as it did. That appears to have been the issue and I contacted the propane company who will look at it Wednesday when they come for a refill. I am very tempted to continue my problem solving and to start a redundant/backup electric water heater installation. It can’t hurt.
This is just a good reminder that there are many in the world who go without and we Americans are quite spoiled in our day to day lives. We are lucky that this only affected us for a day (although I am the only one who had to endure a cold shower). And we also have neighbors who offered for us to come over for a hot shower.
…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net
Wow! This blog rebuild is going to take quite a long time. Unfortunately because of the incompatibility of the blog software and databases, it cannot be directly imported. I have backups and will be working at semi-manually reposting all of the last 5 years of our Slower Pace journey.
An interesting benefit of such reposting is the review of each post, what was going on at the time I wrote it, and the reliving of many moments. I’m sure that will actually slow the entire process down but I think I will enjoy the throwback.
Of course, while I do that, I will be sure to post new material moving forward. And this is also a good time to ask y’all to forward on this blog if you like the premise or content. I’m sure for the month the blog was dark, I lost a few readers. It would be good to gain them back and then some.
…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net
Earlier this week R had a foundation meeting in support of January’s Chrysalis flight. She attended last year as a participant and this year has volunteered to be a youth leader for the flight. If you didn’t know, Chrysalis is an awesome organization and experience for young folks. It takes their young caterpillar belief in Christ and propels it through a growth stage – hence the name Chrysalis – to transform them beyond themselves to be servants in Christ. It is a very important step in their faith journey.
Because my wife was not feeling well, I had the evening pickup. I brought K along for the ride with a promise of a side visit to Sonic for a drink. We had to wait a while, but finally R came out and we were headed home via Sonic. On the way there cruising along the freeway, I noticed a van on the interchange connector going much slower than normal with its hazard lights blinking. I looked back and saw the whole front hood smashed in. That looked weird because there were no other vehicles around. Because I was doing 65mph I was soon beyond view. It was at that point that I realized that the car had hit a deer. And with it being a minivan, the thought of a mom and her kids going through that had me exit the freeway and get back on going back to see if they needed assistance. My daughters were a little miffed because this delayed their Sonic but we all knew it was the right thing. A couple of minutes later I was able to pull up in front of them and jog back to see what help I could offer. I had some room in my car for a ride and a cell phone for them to call for a tow truck. Upon arrival, the family of four was out of the smashed vehicle. They all appeared ok which was confirmed when I asked. The mom was on a cell phone and the dad said he appreciated me stopping but that they had it all covered. He shook my hand and thanked me again and I returned to my daughters.
That stop for assistance took some conscious effort but after arriving there I really didn’t do much for the thanks and appreciation. Now contrast that with this morning’s event.
On the way to work I was running a bit late. I enjoyed the bits of sunrise I could see behind me (but not like this one earlier this month) and listened to enjoyable music on the radio. Towards the end of my commute as the highway ends and transitions to a four lane road thoroughfare I noticed about a half mile up ahead a vehicle in the left lane with its hazards flashing. I could see a young man standing on the median and liquid under the older Ford Explorer. The light was red and I pulled into the right lane next to the disabled vehicle. As the light turned green, I continued on my way. How easy would it have been for me to pull onto the right shoulder and ask him what help he needed? I had my cell phone. I could have helped him push the truck to the right out of traffic. It would have taken less time than it took me to turn around and drive back to the deer collision vehicle. All I know is that I failed to serve when an opportunity was placed in front of me.
Here are other times I have fallen short.
…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net
UPDATE: at lunch, I was given a second chance.
On our way home from a celebratory dinner last night, we saw two calves running through a field. My two daughter’s responses were:
“Awwwww. Little cows.”
“They’re so cute.”
However, my son’s response cracked me up. He said:
“Where’s my steak knife?”
…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net
I found out Friday that our sweet corn crop out back was finally ready. D and I went back there to pick the first of our bounty this weekend. We weren’t the first ones because there were signs, both on the ground and on the stalks, that the deer are enjoying it too. We picked enough for us and then lots more for friends and neighbors. I think we’ll be picking throughout this week.
We also enjoyed a surprise crop from an unexpected place. You see, this year, while our garden is doing well, the cucumbers in the garden did not. I think when I rototilled and weeded next to the starter vines they became disturbed and never recovered. So we have not enjoyed multiple cucumbers a day this summer much to the distress of D who loves them.
Well, lo and behold a thrown away cucumber dropped its seeds in the compost bin and took root. And with it being left alone along with all that nutrient rich soil it grew and grew and surprised us with foot long plus cucumbers. We pulled four off yesterday and another off today. There are several more that will be ready some time this week. What a surprise and thrill that was for us.
Go figure.
…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net
