Babyface

Museum Volunteer to James: Are you an intern?

Ken to Volunteer: He's in his mid-forties!

Volunteer to Ken: No, he's got to be in his twenties!

James: Well actually, I'm forty.

Ken: He's been working for the department for almost twenty years!

Volunteer to James: You look so young!

James: You are not the first person to say that.

Should We Call the Fire Department?

I am thankful that my husband did not turn into a human torch this week.

About 8 pm Tuesday night, I sat at the computer desk finalizing the family reunion photo book that I'd been working on all day. When James walked by and asked me, "What is that noise?" I tuned back into reality and heard a loud rushing sound.

At first I replied, "Do the kids have the water on upstairs?" but the sound was different... and louder. Next my mind formed the idea that a pipe from the sprinkler system had blown, creating a giant geyser outside. James must have had the same thought, because he dashed outside.

Seconds later, he ran back in exclaiming, "It's a gas leak! Get out of the house!"

We rounded up the kids, telling them to put their boots on in the garage as we headed out. We didn't take the time to grab coats and stood shivering on the street with our next door neighbor, listening to the loud hissing noise between our houses. James called public service and was told not to attempt to turn off the valve himself. They were probably worried that he might pass out.

Since the leak seemed to be outside only, I ran back inside to quickly grab coats. We donned them outside and I put Logan's cold feet in my pockets while I held him. Soon the strong sulfur smell of mercaptan filled the air in the neighborhood.

James decided to call the fire department and neighbors across the street invited us into their warm house. We watched at the front window as a fire truck arrived, parking down the street, while firefighters ran to our house. They turned off the gas and then monitored inside. When they found no gas inside the house, we returned home, waiting for public service.

Hours later, public service had the leak fixed. It had been caused by the ground settling around our house, snapping the pipe leading to our gas meter.

We are very thankful that we were home and awake to hear the gas leak and take steps to get it fixed right away!

James had another big adventure in store for him just the next day when he and a coworker named Ken went to Kiowa to assist the Elbert County Museum sort through some donated items from a local doctor who worked in Kiowa during the late 1800s to mid-1900s. When James and Ken arrived, a retired couple volunteering at the museum showed them a large cabinet in the basement with three large shelves packed with boxes. James and Ken carefully sorted through the boxes and came across several interesting items including an unused flu vaccine from 1934, tablets for infants with the ingredients of codeine and a narcotic, and drugs with opium, barbituates and habit-forming narcotics. They found a license that the doctor owned to distribute cocaine and opium.

When James picked up a corked bottle of dried white powder labeled Picric Acid, his eyes got really big as he gingerly and carefully set the bottle back down. The doctor probably used the picric acid as an antiseptic and maybe as a treatment for burns or herpes. The acid has a molecular formula similar to TNT and becomes unstable when dry. In other words, it could have blown up if James dropped it!

James and Ken found other explosive substances and called the fire department. The local police and fire department showed up and evacuated the building. The Elbert county sheriff came, and since Kiowa didn't have a bomb squad, they called the Douglas County sheriff's office. Their bomb squad came with other sheriffs. Several fire trucks arrived from the Castle Rock and Elizabeth fire departments with an ambulance. They put police tape along the highway in front of the museum. Kiowa police directed traffic and other police were stationed around to keep people out of the area. A rumor circulated around the tiny town that a hostage situation was in progress. James and Ken left before the explosives were detonated. They stirred up trouble and then left!

Click here to read the newspaper article about it, though it is not quite accurate. It makes it sound like the volunteers discovered the chemical and knew enough to call for help. Actually, they were more concerned that they got sent out of the building and couldn't get back in to retrieve their soda pop.

We had some stories to tell this Thanksgiving, and we are thankful for God's protection this week.

My Toddler Can Read My Mind (and Other Thoughts)

Yesterday evening, Logan sat facing me when Sophie walked by. I looked at her, admiring her new casual dress that I bought for $6.80 at Kohl's (Score!) Logan wasn't looking at Sophie, but at my face. He said, "You like Sophie's dress." How did he know what I was thinking?!

I'm blogging right now, because I'm toast. Since we are on a summer break from schoolwork, I have started exercising again. I have been doing a fifteen minute T-Tapp workout, but this morning, I did the forty minute T-Tapp Total Workout. At first it felt great to be the "good kind" of sore, but now exhaustion has set in along with the soreness. I'm off to a good start, though, and I know from past experience that this exercise will get me in shape and more energetic! I thought I'd have to go through the instructional video about the exercises first to re-learn the workout, but I guess it is like riding a bike: my muscles remember what to do.

If you could look inside my refrigerator and freezer now, you would see another sign that we are on summer break. The organization and shining clean are beautiful to behold. Yeah, my kids think I'm a little strange too. Don't get me wrong, I did clean out my refrigerator during the school year, but not to this extent.

It is nice to get more cleaning and organization done, but I'm not getting as much done as I had hoped. I still have a toddler and a lot of distracting interruptions. But really, I'd rather have my toddler and the interruptions of my family than have a perfectly organized house!

James recently gave me an occasion to laugh my head off. While at the CO Railroad Museum, he walked out of the men's bathroom to come suddenly face-to-face with upon a woman in a burqa. He was so startled that he jumped, and then embarrassed by his reaction, he nervously said, "Hi." I think the burqa somewhat defeated the woman's desire not to be noticed. James certainly noticed her more than any other woman around!

This is an unusual post for me without pictures, but new pictures are up at Colorado Kids.

A Matter of Perspective

After the recital, we went out to eat as a family to a restaurant (with a gluten free menu). As we ordered our food, waited, and began eating, I noticed two older couples at two different tables across the aisle watching our family with interest. I also realized that Logan had already used up most of his content baby reserves at the recital. Probably not the best time to eat out.

James and I kept swapping out items to hold Logan's interest and entertain him as he sat in the wooden high chair. In short order, things started to irritate him, and he began to merely fling the objects to the floor and rev up to fuss. I took something from him which he was winding up to throw and in the process of tossing his head in a fit, he bumped his mouth on the table in front of him. Of course wailing ensued as I wrangled him out of the chair straps and onto my lap, popping the paci into his mouth as fast as possible. Thankfully the paci and my lap quieted him, though I noticed one of our observers shaking her head out of the corner of my eye.

James and I juggled Logan between us and the high chair again as we ate. Our dinner conversation also included phrases such as, "Eat like you are in public and not like you are in a barn," and "Leave your sister alone."

One of the observing couples left and then the other got up to leave. They walked over to us and with smiles on their faces, they repeatedly congratulated us on our "beautiful and well-behaved children." I beamed back at them and thanked them with relief in my heart.

I was tempted to let the praise of the couple go to my head and be self-congratulatory, but the conviction over my own lack of peace and my own temper earlier while trying to get everyone to the recital on time nipped that in the bud. I thanked God then...

...and now as I type this for the blessings of family which spilled over to others at that restaurant.

James Returns

After a delayed flight, James returned home last night after a five day business trip to San Francisco. We're so glad that he's home. Granted he did bring home some chocolate-covered berries from "Chocolate Heaven" at Fisherman's Wharf, but still we'd just rather have him here with us.

On Monday, our phone rang one solitary ring in the afternoon. I thought that was strange. Later, James told me that he had walked all the way from Fisherman's Wharf, along the shore, across the Golden Gate bridge and back. He tried to call me from the middle of the bridge on his cell phone, but the battery died after one ring!

To change the subject... I have a Josi update. She had her scope performed yesterday and everything looked normal, but they did a biopsy to check for cells which would show either signs of reflux or signs of allergies. They will get the results of the biopsy next week. Josi is doing fine.