I spent most of this week at work trying to get ready for the new school year. I got a lot of things done, settled in a little more into my office, took care of a few things for some teachers and pondered the end of summer.

Wow, this blogging could change a person's life. Who knew I'd still be pondering things I read on a blog days ago, or even conversations last week about the Dixie Chics? Anyway as long as it is okay to talk about little or nothing on one's blog, here are some thoughts connected to the Dixie Chics, last night's Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young concert and Ed's Blog from July 13th.

1. It is good to have political diversity.
2. It is good that the folks on either end of the political spectrum don't run the show.
3. It is good that we have those folks.
4. It is good that the president's obligation to protect the Dixie Chics' freedom of speech is greater than their obligation to agree with him.
5. Same about CSN&Y.
6. I still love their harmony.
7. Why do we listen to the famous?
8. Why do rock stars find political activism so easy when I struggle with talking to my neighbor about Jesus?

Heat Wave, Corn Fields, and Ceiling Fans

My dad would say, "It is so hot you can hear the corn growing". I always figured that was a midwest thing since there is so much corn back there. Daddy was from Illinois and I imagine on a breezeless afternoon you might just be able to here the corn grow.

This morning I helped my son-in-law, Ken put in ceiling fans. He was in his attic by 6:30 trying to beat the heat. The Weather Channel says it is 112 degrees this afternoon so getting started early was a good thing. We got three fans up and running.

More High Chair

I worked on the high chair some more today. Most of it is glued up and the hinges and lock that keeps it from folding up when it shouldn't are painted antique brass. Tomorrow I'll have to go to the hardware store for screws that will hold the wheels on. So far I think it is turning out well.

Family

I got a phone call from my cousin Betsy this afternoon. She and her sister Jane were in town visiting their mom, Jean. They wanted directions to mom's so they could drop by for a visit. I went over too. I had a good time. It was good to see them.

High Chair

I've had this box in my garage for a while now. The high chair that I had as a baby was inside. I don't remember being a baby and using it, but I do remember babies that came after me using it. It was a cool high chair. It hinged in the middle to become a car. It even had wheels, although no steering wheel.
I have spent a few days getting it ready to be put back together. Lots of the work had been done years ago, probably by my dad or sister. I finished sanding a few parts and remaking one. I still need to make a new tray to replace the plastic one that is missing.
Happily, whoever rescued the high chair also saved the hardware for the tray. I'm pretty sure I can make a wooden tray that will work well.
I've dry fit most most of the parts. In fact that is when I noticed the piece I had to replace. Today I hope to get the base glued up. If I get that right, adjusting the seat to fit when I glue it up should be doable.

Blogging

Today I have become convinced that blogging everyday is hard work. Having nothing to say I visited a few blogs that Sara has links to on her blog, interesting. I was especially impressed with the craftmanship of Adam and the thinking of Ed about the topics of global warming, not lying to get free tickets and Jesus.

Granny and the Internet

I helped mom get on the internet today. Several people had emailed her since Randy (my brother-in-law)set up her Yahoo account a few days ago. I don't know if she will get in to email. It was all so new to her. Using a mouse and clicking don't come naturally. I'll give her another lesson in a few days. There are lots of people who she could keep in touch with if she gets the hang of email so I think it is worth a little more effort.

I had no luck finding the crib part for Sara, although the garage is getting cleaned up pretty well.

Garage

Today I spent most of the day cleaning my garage. I have two reasons to clean up. First Sara is working on the crib that Jan gave her and a part is missing. I hope it turns up in my garage. Second I plan on parking Grandpa George's 1951 Chevy Pickup inside while I work on getting it road ready. If all goes well I'm going to get it from my brother Doug later this week.

My other project for today was to make a part for a piece of furniture I'm trying to fix up. So far it is going well. I have one more piece to try to recreate. I think it will be nice when I am done. If so, I'll get some photos and put them up.

Another bit of curiosity is that Granny, my mom has and email account now. What do you know? I hope she gets interested in it.

Sunday

Today was a great Sunday. It started with church this morning. MT needed a greeter and usher so I was glad to be outside welcoming folks and passing out bulletins. I was working alonside a young friend, Mark, who is finishing student teaching this fall and planning on getting a job as a P.E. teacher when he is finished. It was good to have a time hearing about his plans for the future.
Church was good, with Pastor Fred continuing the series on spiritual fitness. It has been good to be challenged to get into shape with God. We also heard a testimony by one of the ladies who had been on the mission trip to Keyna. I am still suffering from a little mission envy. I am happy that Rebekah and Anna and Ken got to go. They had a great time and saw wonderful and miraculous things.
After church I met with my Fire Team men's group. We have a good time sharing and praying for each other.
Later I visited mom and had a good time talking to the ladies in her new home. She seems to be doing quite well, eating better and sleeping less. I think she is stimulated by her new surroundings.
Yesterday Sara was up from Baskerfield to visit. We had a wonderful housefull in the afternoon with all three girls and their aunt JoAnne from San José.

Cruising

I drove over to church with the cooler attached this afternoon and gave my friend Wil a ride. He could definitely feel cool air coming through the vent. It was good to get a second opinion.

Cool Understandings

I solved the problem of hanging the cooler on my pickup's window today. I scavenged a waist strap from an old knapsack and another from a bag to an old leaf blower, bent a couple large washers into hooks and what do you know? It worked. Next I'll go out for a drive and see what happens.
When I took the cooler apart there were two cords that I didn't understand. Last night I began to wonder if they were each wound around the cooler pad drum in different directions to allow the driver or passenger to pull one or the other to rotate the drum and re-wet the pad. I'm thinking that must be right so later I'll add those cords to see how things work. I've got some cord that almost matches the old stuff.
Alrightythen, I'm off for a test drive.

Alrightythen

Sara Helen called today and my grand daughter has a name now. She and Woody have been kicking around several names and it sounds like they have decided. I bet you could check out Sara's blog to see the name.

Cooler Follow-up
Today I replaced the old aspen cooler pad with a new one. I had to trim the pad to fit and I got the cooler all together, but haven't solved the problem of hanging it in my window. Tomorrow I'll look around for an idea.

Cool Cooler

Today I started to work on an old automobile swamp cooler. My sister gave it to me. Years ago she saved it from the farm where we grew up outside of Chowchilla. I don't know any story behind whose it had been back in the days before car air conditioning. I know I thought it was old when I was young and I haven't been young in a long time.
Eventually I got the thing apart and found it was full of some nasties. Something had used it for a nest. Whatever had built the nest was was long gone, but there were nesting materials that resembled cotton or maybe the stuffing out of an old chair or something. As I recall, either would have been plentiful in the old barn where the cooler lived for many years.

I found that it works muck like a modern swamp cooler for a house using a pad of aspen shavings that adds moisture to the air that is scooped in as you drive down the road and swirled through the vents into the cab. I haven't been to OSH to get a cooler pad yet but when I do I'll have to figure out how the cooler hangs on the window and door and exactly how the whole thing works. I used to think that the pad inside spun around like a squirrel cage as you drove, but now that I've seen inside I think I was wrong about the spinning.

I hope I can find an old timer or car or cooler buff that can fill me in on some of the details about this type of car cooler. In the meantime I'm off to the hardware store.