A WOW RUN

Well.
Saturday morning was a surprise.
I had exerted myself off and on last week (installing vents and whatnot) and wondered if I would have any BBs left for the sabbath AM jaunt.
This included a leg workout on Tuesday with weights and a three mile run on Wednesday.

I started late - it was 6:09 AM when I started out and my lower back was immediately squeaking about being forced to bend at the angle I wanted it to be.
After a few hundred steps the spinal angle made peace with itself and everything there was fine for the rest of the trip.

I flirted with accelerated breathing at the top of Hill One and Two but settled down again each time with little problem.
I daydreamed through mile two and three and was deep into mile four when I realized that I was feeling pretty good.
Just prior to the end, my left knee started toying with collapsing.
This is not new and decidedly unwelcome every time it happens.
It only tried for five or ten steps then went away.

As soon as that was over, I was within sight of the finish line/crack and still felt like I had bullets left in the gun.
So I sprinted (such as I can) the last one hundred yards or so to the line.
My watch said 6:50.
Forty minutes? (rounded off)
Incredible. (for me lately.)
We will see if the trend continues.

After the run Saturday morning, I was pondering the schedule for the rest of the day.
I still have to put a final/pretty layer of compound on my walls to cover the insulation holes.
They look pretty good now, but need a final touch-up.
And I need to install a couple more soffit vents to help my attic breathe.
And the grass was getting longer....
But I was so proud of my performance on the running course that morning that after the usual shopping trip, I took the day off.
Certified couch potato.
I wrote a little and watched the Olympic games.

Another blog mentioned some new signs at a church and I happened to be going by the facility a week or so ago and snapped this picture of one of them.





My current congregation is located on a busy corner and it is common for people to take a short cut through our parking lot.
We put up some signs to discourage such behavior - but it has not helped.
We have discussed installing gates.

Today (Monday), I installated two more soffit vents.
They turned out the be more troublesome than the first five were.
The first one managed to locate itself astride a 2 x 2 support piece installed where two pieces of the old plywood soffit covering came together.
I had to get another saw to carve through it.
Once that was done, the vent went on with no problem.
The last vent wanted to make a historical statement, apparently.

The plan was to space the vents across the front of my house approximately evenly - about every six feet or so.
Well, the last vent found itself next to a rafter.
I've done this before so I started cutting away from the rafter expecting the other end of the hole to be next to the adjacent rafter.
Wrong.

The builders of forty years ago must have had two extra trusses to use up and they installed both of them side-by-side about eight inches from the other rafter.
So instead of cutting a single vent hole about 5 by 15 I had to cut two holes about 5 x 5.
Lets just say that this last vent is solidly supported.
Have I told you that I hate remodeling?
.

THE RAGING ROOF VENT DEBATE

Who knew?
My recent experience in the nice, toasty attic of my humble abode inspired me to investigate adding more vents to my attic.
It was hot up there and it was only 10 AM in the morning.
Little did I know that there is a serious debate going on among contractors and home improvement types about the "best" kind of attic ventilation.

My internet research revealed the main arguments as these:
Some say passive convection systems are best (wind turbans, ridge vents, soffit vents).
Some say powered systems are best (gable fans, and/or "flying saucer" roof fans, and soffit vents).
One guy even said none is necessary if the purpose is to reduce heat transfer into the living space - just good insulation will do the job.

Gee, I thought this was all pretty simple and settled long ago until I read all this stuff.
Mmm, guess not.

My take on the whole subject -

When the sun shines on a house roof, the material of the roof - shingles, wood decking, and structural members - absorb heat from the sunlight.
These transfer their heat to the air inside the attic.
This body of hot air transfers its heat to the ceiling of the house, which, in turn, transfers its heat to the air inside the house, starting at the top of the rooms and drifting downward.

To counteract this natural process, houses have had small holes (vents) cut in the roof to allow the hot air to escape and cooler air to come in and take its place.
Natural convection takes place as heated air begins to rise while cooler air moves in behind/below the warm air.
To work properly, the vents in houses need to be cut in the lowest parts of the roof - along the soffit, and in the highest part of the roof - the gables (if any) or the ridge(s).
The vents near the ridges allow the hot air to escape while the vents in the soffit allow cooler outside air to enter the attic area.
As the cooler air from outside moves through the attic it is heated and thus moves higher and then out the top vents, which draws in more cooler air from outside.... well, you get the idea.
You need both sets of vents for proper attic ventilation to work.
And the area of both sets of vents needs to be about equal.

The good news about this system is that it is relatively cheap, works quietly, uses no energy and when weather conditions are right, can move a lot of air.
"Right" weather conditions is, basically, some wind.
As little as 5 mph is enough.
And, in the case of ridge vents, it helps if the wind is coming from the right direction.
The "right" direction in the case of ridge vents is perpendicular to the vent.

But several years ago, some professional types questioned whether this passive system is enough.
To "make sure" that "enough" air is moving through the attic, they recommended that vents with electric fans in them be installed to "make sure" that enough air is moved through the attic.
Wind or no wind.
Enter - "active" vents.

The reasoning for this is that the surface area of a roof is large.
On a single-story house it is typically larger than the floor area by 10 - 20 percent.
This roof area can (an will!) absorb a LOT of heat energy.
It will take a LOT of air moving through the attic to remove/displace all the hot air produced by this heat build up.
Most passive vent systems cannot move enough air fast enough to offset the heat build up.
So they need some help.
Enter the powered attic ventilator.

These, along with enough soffit vents can force more air into/out of the attic and move all that evil hot air out of the attic as fast as it heats up.
The fans are relatively quiet, they do not use very much electricity, are durable and reliable, they don't depend on whether the wind is blowing or from which direction it is coming, and they are not too expensive ($50-200).
Nice solution.

RUT-ROW

Then some people found a problem with the new solution.
The fans sucked too much air.
They found that in some houses, the attic fans were actually sucking the nice, cool, air-conditioned air, that they paid so dearly to cool, right out of the house.
In some cases, it was even sucking smoke and carbon monoxide gas back down chimneys and/or vents into the house.
Not good.

The attic fan does not care where it gets its air from.
It just knows that it needs x cubic feet of air every minute to match its designed ability.
If it cannot get enough air from the vents in the soffits, it will pull air from inside the house.
The typical house has dozens of small cracks and holes in it.
They are around electrical outlets, lights in the ceilings, stove and bathroom vents, chimneys, the attic access door, etc.

Like all processes in nature, air likes to be at the same pressure all the time, everywhere.
The technical term is equilibrium.
When/if things are not equal, it tries to get that way.
That is what wind is; nature trying to equalize the pressure between two adjacent extremes.
So, when the fan in the attic causes the area in the attic to be a lower pressure than the house below it, the air in the higher-pressure area tries to get to the area of lower pressure next to it to make the air pressure of the two areas equal.

So, now there are some "experts" and contractors recommending against powered attic ventilation.
So, back to the good old methods.
Or not?

DO YOU BUY A NEW CAR IF YOU GET A FLAT TIRE?

No.
And if you find that your attic ventilator fan is sucking out the nice, expensive air conditioned air out of your house, you need to adjust something.
Either add more low (soffit) vents to your attic or reduce the number or capacity of your attic fan(s).
You are not trying to make a helicopter.
You don't need to suck your roof off.
You need just enough suckage to change the air in your attic every two or three minutes.
Too much air movement in your attic does not gain you anything more.
Diminishing returns and all that.

THE CONCLUSION OF THE WHOLE MATTER

So, here is where I am on this.
I already have some passive vents in my attic.
They seem to be insufficient to the task - meaning, my attic gets reelee hot.
(I measured the temp up there today and it was 121.7 degrees at 4:28 PM).
(The outside temperature was about 97 degrees.)
(That is not as hot as some houses become.)

And one more thing - the location of the inlet and outlet vents is important.
In fact, it is critical to proper attic cooling - whether active or passive.
Air, like many elements in nature (e.g. water), is lazy.
It will take the path of least resistance to do its work.

So if an outlet vent can get its air from some other vent closer than the more-distant soffit vents, it will.
Thus, if one locates passive turban vents too close to passive gable vents (as is the case with my house), the gable vents stop being outlet vents and become inlet vents, or vice versa - thus changing the balance of inlet to outlet vent area.
This short circuits the design and "shuts off" the intended cooling mechanism.
So instead of moving cooler air across six hundred square feet of hot roof surface, you are only moving cooler air across ten square feet of hot surface.
Not good.

I think I need more ventage in my attic and I want a powered vent to make sure that some air is moving in my attic even when the outside air is still, as it often is on hot summer days in north Alabama.
If, by installing a powered vent fan, I cause interior house suckage, I will add more soffit vents until I get it balanced.

Wee shall see....
.

CAMPMEETING PIKTURS

This may disappoint some of you.
I did not take very many pictures this year.
One reason is because the planned reunion of all of us Army vets never happened.
Some of us were too busy or otherwise occupied when the rest of us were available.
This is not to say that we did not get to visit, we just were not all together in one place at the same time.
I actually got to visit with bro. Tony more this year than in years past.
And I got to spend a good amount of time with his mom, who turned 92 this year.
She is a delightful lady and quite spry for her years.

Well, I was going to post my pikturs but blogger is broken so I will try to do it later. [-[



The campmeeting choir.





Since leaving the Anderson movement, brother John, my pastor, knew that they would revoke his ordination, he was re-ordained by the ministers at the campmeeting.



This is Kamrey, one of the young helpers in the dining/fellowship hall.
I think she told me she was 8 years old.
She and several other little people did a wonderful job of collecting the trays and trash and keeping the tables clean during campmeeting.



This is a picture of a picture of a drawing of the proposed new building being planned for campmeeting.

A Run in the middle of a Big Project

THE INSULATION PROJECT 1.1
(With Fourplay playing in the background)

I am in the middle of a large project that I have dreaded for over two years - insulating the walls of my humble abode.
But I will be VERY HAPPEE when it is done.
And so will my utility bill.

As I have stated in past entries, my little house was built around 1964 and was equipped with very little insulation in the attic and none in the walls.
The previous owners added about eight inches of loose fiberglass insulation to the attic at some time in the more recent past.
But none was installed in the walls.

To add insulation to existing walls there are three choices -
1) remove either the inside or outside layer of wall covering and install the new insulation, or
2) drill holes in the inside wall covering and blow loose fiber insulation into the wall cavities, or
3) drill holes in the inside wall covering and pump foam insulation into the wall cavities.

Number one is complicated and expensive, but easier/more reasonable if done at the same time as one is replacing old exterior wall covering.
I am not doing that.
Over half of the exterior of my house is brick.
I am not messing with that.
And I am not brave/strong enough to tackle the removal of all the sheetrock on my exterior walls (and then installing the new insulation and installing all new sheetrock, finishing it and repainting it all).

Number two is the easiest and least expensive but I distrust fiber insulation.
It is subject to incomplete filling, settling over time, and failure because of moisture transfer.
So, no to number two.

That leaves number three.
Foam.
Urethane foam is the most expensive of a couple of types of foam insulation.
But it has almost twice the insulating ability of fiber insulation.
(3.5 inches of fiberglass insulation has an R-value of about 13.
3.5 inches of Urethane foam insulation has an R-value of about 23.)
This is good.

And, unlike number two, it expands to fill whatever cavity it is put in, it does not settle, does not absorb moisture, and seals the cavity against air transfer.
That is the good news.
The bad news?
Like I said, it is expensive.
And like number two, it requires drilling two two-inch holes in each stud space.

I hate working with sheetrock.
Sheetrock is nice once it is installed, finished, painted and left alone.
Working with it is messy.
Sheetrock is basically filtered mud smashed between two layers of heavy paper.
Kept dry inside the paper, everything is fine.
Cut the paper and your problems begin.
The dried mud inside the paper turns into a nice, fine powder that falls on the floor or carpet or floats through the air and settles on EVERYTHING.
Including your clothes.
Including your lungs.
And your eyes.





I have drilled about 62 two-inch holes in my exterior walls for this project.
About half of them have been filled and refinished (in my gym room and bathroom).
Now the holes have been drilled in the kitchen, living room, and my bedroom.
Drilling every single hole threw dust into the air, on the floor, on me.
To limit the disaster and the following cleanup, I covered the walls, floor and furniture with plastic.
I have gotten good at this.
But I know that months from now I will still come across some places where there is a nice, thin layer of fine white powder.

While I originally feared spraying the foam as the messy part of this project, it has turned out to be less messy than the drilling.
So much so that after I drill the holes I take the plastic down (carefully!), ball it up - dusty side in - and throw it away.

The foam will come off walls and hard floors with just a light scrape.
Carpet needs to be covered with plastic but I only need a strip about two feet wide.
Once the foam dries (about one hour) it will pull off the plastic with no effort.

So today was spray day.
The plan was to keep spraying until I had all the walls filled.
In the manner that concrete slabs are poured, once you start, you stay at it until it is done.
It took two-and-a-half hours to use up all of my foam and fill all of my stud spaces.
The amount came out almost perfectly.

That was the good news.
The bad news is me.
I am exhausted.
All the drilling yesterday left me tired. (mainly my back)
Today is Saturday.
Saturday is my running day.
When it is running day, I run.
And today I ran.



THE RUN

I knew I was tired from the hole-drilling marathon Friday.
So my expectations were low for the 4.5 mile session.
But I intended to do the whole 4.5 miles.
No shortcuts.
At the top of Hill One, accelerated breathing kicked in for a couple of minutes.
No surprises there.
Half way up Hill Two, accelerated breathing kicked in again.
This lasted for four or five minutes.
Mile two and three went smoothly and I slogged along wondering when I would fall apart.

It happened early in mile four.
I was feeling reelee tired and was already at level three breathing.
Wimp requested a two minute walk to recoup for the Big Ending.
Permission was granted by Running Central because of the extended effort yesterday and the anticipated effort later today.
So I walked for a couple of minutes.
Then I started running again.
I finished the course in just over forty minutes.
I was amazed.
And tired.
And pleased.
I had finished the long course. (with just a short wimp walk)


When the foaming is done, and the holes in the sheetrock are filled/finished (next week), then I get to repaint the house (sometime soon).

THE PAINT PLAN

My bedroom is to become two shades of blue (three walls light blue, one wall deeper blue).
My gym will become a pastel red-orange.
My kitchen will become a light yellow-gold.
And the living room will become two shades of orange-gold (three walls of the lighter shade, one wall a deeper shade).

This two-tone color scheme is borrowed from IBM.
I visited an IBM facility many years ago in my industrial career and their offices and conference rooms had an unusual color scheme.
Three walls had a neutral light-gray/beige shade and the fourth wall was bright blue or red or yellow or green - depending on the room.
I never forgot it.
So I am going to try it here.

Campmeeting pictures coming. (reelee!)

HISTORICAL DAY

TA DA!

Let the Royal Chronicles show that Wednesday was a historic day.

FIRST, THE RUN

Yes, it was just Wednesday, but I had promised myself that I would start doing a short (three miles) run at mid-week to see if it builds up my endurance for the longer weekend run.
I am aware that there is a risk that this extra running will simply overpower my diminishing ability to recover, which will have the opposite effect on my running overall.
Wee shall see.

I hit the street at 5:25 AM in warm, steamy weather.
It was cloudy and about 72 degrees and about 90 percent humidity.
As if to validate my fears, I had to seg into accelerated breathing the last half mile of the jaunt.
But this is a building effort so I expect to start out weaker and become stronger.
At least, that is the plan.
The party ended almost exactly thirty minutes later in front of my humble abode with me doing my best imitation of a slug - leaving a trail of bodily fluids as I walked my cool-down loop.

MO NUTHA MILESTONE

The new bathroom fan has been installated and woiks poifektly.
This item finishes my bathroom project. (when I get the sheetrock patched and painted around the switches, it will be done done.)

At the risk of TMI, some extended elucidation:

According to common residential building codes, a bathroom that has a window that opens, is not required to have additional ventilation.
Thus, my humble pottitorium had no fan.
But soon after moving in, I found that even with the window open, not enough air circulated during and after a shower to remove all the steamy air, thus causing the growth of lovely brown mildew in my tub/shower.

To address this problem, I purchased a simple box fan which I located in my hallway pointing into the bathroom (I always keep my b-room door open while showering).




I ran the fan during my daily ablutions and for a few minutes afterward, which reduced my mildew problem to a manageable level (but did not eliminate it).
I continued to do this even after I installed my new tub/shower earlier this year to forestall any mildew problems in the new unit.
I knew that the ultimate solution to this issue was to install an exhaust fan in the bathroom to suck out all the damp air.

I took my sweet time and shopped for the quietest, most suckish fan at the most reasonable cost. (you can get a really noisy, almost useless fan for about $10.00, or a really quiet, efficient fan for $200.00+, and many variations of these two attributes at many prices in between.)

I did not want the fan to run only when the light was on so that required that I change things at the light switch....
...Only to find that the gas line to the heater was run next to the light switch.




This meant that I could not simply install another switch next to the existing one.
In addition, the wall here was only two inches deep, so the electrical box that I had purchased would not fit. |-(
I went looking for a more shallow double box but the big home improvement store, of which I own stock, did not have any.
Singles, yes.
Doubles, no.
So I took my saw and chopped the bustle off the double box I had.

Then I cut my hole in the wall bigger and installed the box on the other side of the gas pipe.
Phooey, I know how to patch sheetrock....




Finding an existing wire to supply electric current to the fan proved to be another adventure.
I knew that there were some "adjustments" to the house wiring above the hallway from some previous explorations in the attic (when I removed the whole-house fan, and some wires that were poking down through my hall ceiling).

To properly access the disposition of the electric supply I needed a multimeter.
I used to have one, but apparently I have donated it to someone, kuz it wuz gone.
So, I had to buy a mo nutha won.

Having procured a meter, I then set about trying to figure out what **someone** had done to the existing wiring.
It took almost an hour of trial and error to find the breaker in the box in my utility room that turns off the power to the rats nest of twisted and taped wires in the attic.
But I found it.
I unwrapped and untwisted and removed a couple of stray conductors which led to nowhere and re-twisted and attached with wire nuts the two bunches of wires.
In the process, I removed the wires from the switch in the hall that had been installed years ago to run the attic fan.
Then I ran the wires that were going to supply my bathroom fan with power from the dam.

In spite of my best plans, inserting the two extra conductors into the small hole in the wooden plate in the top of the wall above my new switch proved to be the task from Hades.
I pushed gently then hard, pulled out and re inserted, pushed again, pulled out a little, pushed in a little - you get the idea.
Even though it was barely ten oclock, I was as sweaty as I was when I finished my run.
(note to self - schedule extra shower after switch is installed.)
Anyway, I FINALLY got the wires down into the wall and to the prospective switch location.

I had been thinking about how the various conductors are to be joined together so that electricity flows to the fan only when the switch is in the "On" position.
And not burn down the house.
Or fry the breaker.
This may be muy simplistico to a practicing electrician, but I, your humble servant, need remedial House Wiring 101.

But I managed to figure it out on the first try.
It was with a feeling of satisfaction and relief that I closed the breaker in the utility room (and it did not pop open again), walked into the house and flipped the light switch (it worked!) and then... (trumpets play here...)...I flipped the switch for the bathroom fan.
Haaauuuummmmm.
It worked! (show smiling people dancing in the street with index fingers pointing in the air)

With that part done, I applied sheetrock tape and the first layer of joint compound to the hole next to the new switch box, and called it a day.
Some tool and trash pickup (each with different dispositions) ended the This Old House episode for the day.

And it was with a mixture of nostalgia and satisfaction that I unplugged the faithful box fan and turned on my *new* bathroom ceiling fan while I took my attic-sweat-cleansing shower afterward.
.
.

Post Campmeeting Orientation

THE RUN

This was my first run of 4.45 miles in three weeks.
This being the case I expected the session to be a bit hard.
It was.
But not too bad.

It was about 72 at 5:53 AM and very humid (+90%?) with a sparse drizzle drifting from the low, gray clouds.
This made breathing less efficient.
Sometime in the first quarter mile the rain stopped.
It was nearly imperceptible in the humid air.

I flirted with accelerated breathing at the top of Hill One but it was not really needed.
Actually, for this entire session I seemed to be on the edge of my cardio comfort zone.
Half-way up Hill Two the level three breathing kicked in and I had to work harder for the rest of the hill and for several minutes afterward.
Eventually things settled down again, but I felt certain that the last half-mile or so of this session was going to be a challenge.

And so it was.
I cruised through mile two and three, daydreaming and looking at the clouds.
But early into mile four I began to feel tired and wanting more air than my normal running breathing rate could supply.
Enter: accelerated breathing.
For the rest of the ride.
I even heard the voice of the wimp in me suggesting that we stop and walk for a while.
Running Central issued a gag order and all further requests from The Wimp were ignored.
My whole body was whining by the time I approached the finish line/crack.
But by then, my attitude was, "we have come this far this way (running), we will continue to the official end point this way."

THE WALK

Sunday was a warm, humid morning with a misty, hazy, foggy yuck hanging in the air.
And the neighborhood was dead.
No cars.
No people (except for the two boys talking on their bikes in the yard of one of them (I assume).
Even the usual dogs were sleeping in today.

The party started at 5:25 AM and ended at 6:15.
Nominal for this type of session (three miles).
Somewhere in mile two, my left knee started whining.
It was told to shut up and keep walking and, as is so often the case, it did.
And it healed itself, again, as is so often the case.

It was nearly dark (still) when I went out (the shorter days a harbinger of the evil Winter to come), and almost light when I returned.
The almost light of the sun shining behind a layer of clouds was similar to a lighted lamp on the far side of a bedsheet.
Lighter than dark but not sunny.

It is "nice" to get out and walk in the early morning.
I enjoy it, but it is not the same as a run.
Walking does not have the endorphin/adrenaline rush that running produces.
This is strictly a calorie burning session.
Low-level, at that.
Even though I walk as fast as I can (or nearly so), it does not feel like much of a challenge to my system, and, in fact, it may not be, because my body is used to running.
I know that my heart and breathing rates are slightly elevated when I walk, like the books say they should be to do any good.
But sometimes I wonder.

It would help if my course had more hills.
And if I wanted to burn a little more gas - along with some more calories - I could drive over to Bankhead Parkway and take on the hill there.
Two hundred or so feet in three-quarters of a mile.
That will cook my little butt.
.
(Campmeeting pictures coming soon)
.

BACK FROM CAMPMEETING

CAMPMEETING

Was very interesting, exciting, informative, and fun.
I traveled up to Newark, Ohio with brother Charlie Craig.
We had an uneventful trip and a good time visiting.
As we arrived in Newark a nice thunderstorm greeted us.

Brother Craig knew where he was staying - I did not.
So, when we got to the church and talked with the couple who take care of visitor accommodations, it was a pleasant surprise to find out that I was to stay in a dormitory room on the Newark campus of Ohio State University.
I had studied the satellite maps before traveling as there appeared to be several walking/running/biking trails around the campus.
The school is about two or three miles from the church building (about half the distance of Dennison University, where I have stayed in the past).

As a result of these fine accommodations, I was able to run or walk every morning before sunrise.

THE RUNS (AND WALKS)

Since I was able to do something every day, I did not try to go any extended distance.
I alternated running one day and walking the next.
Each session was about three miles.
I ran along some nice, paved running/walking/biking paths that ran off campus past corn fields and streams.
I saw deer almost every morning.
These sessions took about thirty-five to forty minutes.

For my walks, I followed the same paths but went in the opposite direction and followed them around the perimeter of the campus.
This made for a nice fifty-minute or so walking session.

THE CAMPMEETING

The services almost always start off with a bang.
Sherm Romine is the song leader (as he has been for over 40 years) and he does an amazing job.
We usually sing just one congregational song.
Somehow just that one song is enough to get the congregation jacked up.
Then the choir does two or three songs, then there are four or five special songs.

The most exciting service was Tuesday evening when the choir sang "I'm Amazed" as their second song.
Brother Sherm introduced the song by saying, simply, "Okay, we're gonna drop the bomb."
I had no idea what he meant until they started singing.
(I have heard them sing this song before.)
By the end of the first verse everyone was crying or jumping or praising God some way.
Even the lead singer had to pause to let loose before he could sing the second verse.
Then.... people started coming to the altars.

Even with all of that, there was still time for the minister to preach a message on Unity.
(A man I have seen before but do not know.)

Since my days visiting the campmeetings at God's Acres in Newark, there have been four splits in the group there.
The first happened in 1973 when brother Emerson Wilson started preaching that there was just one cleansing in salvation, instead of two, as taught by D. S. Warner and the Wesleys.

The next split came in 1987 when Brother Wilson died and there was a dispute over who should succeed him.
According to Tony, Brother Wilson told him (Tony) that he wanted him (Tony) to take his place.
But that preference was never published or communicated to the congregation before he died.
The man that was voted in at God's Acres is named brother Roger Decker.
He was the leader of a more strict faction while Tony was considered more "liberal".
I am not sure exactly what issues indicated who was more or less liberal, one of them was "modest dressing".

Anyway, brother Bartlett's congregation came out of that battle over succession.
Brother Tony Bartlett is now the Pastor of the Licking County Church of God.
Another split of the Decker group has taken place in 1998 over some issue with brother Decker himself.
A small group of about thirty to fifty started meeting in a building a few miles away.

THE TIE

Tony and I go back a long way.
Back to 1966.
In a town call Tague.
In South Korea.
While we were in the U.S. Army.

We soon met Wayne Barth, a young man with a Church of God connection.
He introduced us to the Revelation messages of brother Emerson Wilson.
We were captivated by how this message seemed to make sense of the religious landscape.
Soon we were listening to tapes by brother Wilson every week.
Copies of those tapes may still be in Korea somewhere.

We soon were joined by Tony's twin brother, Danny, who was in the U.S. Air Force and stationed in the same town.
Then we were joined by Walt Williams, who was sleeping in the bunk above me.
And later by a black man named Abraham Jeeter.
There were others but we have lost touch with them.

Tony, Walt, and Jeeter (for some reason we call him by his last name) are all preachers.
Tony and Jeeter both are ministers of congregations.
Walt is a prison guard and counsels inmates on the side.
This campmeeting is a convenient way for us to get together.

While at campmeeting this year, I met several new (to me) people and was able to visit with several people that I knew only slightly before.
One of the latter was Sherm and Evelyn Romine.
I have known of them since the days of campmeetings on God's Acres in Newark in the late 1960's.
My last two nights I spent at their home (the college reservations end Saturday night)
And got to know them better.
They are dear people.

The trip back was uneventful and, true to pattern for this trip, just before we arrived in Huntsville, a thunderstorm greeted us.

OFF TO CAMPMEETING!

Tomorrow I will travel to Newark, Ohio to attend summer campmeeting.
I am very excited.

For this reason, this space will seem sparsely attended for the next week or so. (not unlike Josh's blog)
I will provide a full report - with piktures - upon my return.


THE EFFECT OF ELEVATED GAS PRICES

I was parked in Lowe's parking lot this week, getting ready to get into my car when a man in a nice big Chevy pickup truck stopped and asked me if I wanted to sell my car.
I thought he was kidding.
I made a joking response and we had a short conversation.

He was not kidding.
He wanted to buy my car.
I told him I was not interested in selling it.
He drove off (not mad).
I was amused.

I pondered the results of lessons I learned in the late 1970's when the cost of energy increased rapidly.
I spent many hours and a few dollars learning about how to live in ways that consumed as little energy (and thus money) as possible.
In the 30+ years since then, the cost of energy has remained relatively stable and has lulled many people to sleep on this issue.
Not mee.
More than one time, I have received negative comments about my frugality.
And a few times I have wished that I had ten more horsepower.
But none of these things moved me.

I have never forgotten those lessons back then and endeavor to conform to the principles learned today (hence, the home insulation project).
I knew the day was coming when the cost of energy would become a concern again.
Thus, my gas sipping car. (my highway mileage with one person aboard [mee] at 70-75 mph -A/C off - has been measured at 39-40 MPG.)

I hope this does not read as gloaty.
I am just pleased that "wisdom is justified by her children".
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Of Runs & Critters & Names

THE RUN...

was a good one.
I did not feel in top shape but still reasonably well.
At the end of Hill One, I flirted with accelerated breathing, but it was not needed.
That was not true at the top of Hill Two.
But the distress only lasted a couple of minutes, then it was smooth treading until late into mile four.
Actually, halfway into mile five.
I crossed the finish line/crack in full pant, hot, sweaty, feeling fulfilled, glad that the session was over, and ready to get on with the day.

VISITORS

Tuesday morning at 5:00 AM my clock radio began its quiet discussion of the events of the previous few hours.
I was laying comfortably in the Royal bed listening as my biological system booted, when I heard a noise outside my open window just inches from my head.
I jumped out of bed (almost literally) and went to the window, thinking the squirrels were getting an early start on the day.
It would not be the first time I have seen a squirrel at my window.
But it was not a squirrel.

It was a mama raccoon and her two babies.
They were scratching at my screen and even when I made hissing noises they were little dissuaded from trying to get in.
They did move away after a couple of seconds, going I know not where.
I tried to take a picture of them but they had scampered off into the morning gray before I could snap them.

BABY NAMES

I came across some interesting trivia today.
Since I had to make choices in this regard four times in my life, it still is of interest to me.
I believe that the name you choose for your child can have an affect on his/her personality/development.
Note - can have.

I kept this in mind as I negotiated with my wife on this subject.
She also took some things into consideration in this process, such as, would the initials spell anything bad, and does the name rhyme with something negative.
In other words, could the chosen name be turned into something embarrassing for the child.
We both knew, if there was a way to make fun of a child, other kids would find it.


Most Popular names in1950

1. James / Linda
2. Robert / Mary
3. John / Patricia
4. Michael / Barbara
5. David / Susan
6. William / Nancy
7. Richard / Deborah
8. Thomas / Sandra
9. Charles / Carol
10. Gary / Kathleen

Most popular names in 2007:

1. Jacob / Emily
2. Michael / Isabella
3. Ethan / Emma
4. Joshua / Ava
5. Daniel / Madison
6. Christopher / Sophia
7. Anthony / Olivia
8. William / Abigail
9. Matthew / Hannah
10. Andrew / Elizabeth

I noticed something interesting in these two lists - the number of names from the Bible.
Even though 1950 was generally a time of more religious influence on our society than today, there were only five boys names and two girls names from the Bible.
In 2007, a time, by all accounts, of decreased religious influence in our society, there were seven boys names and still just two girls names taken from the Bible.
Interesting.

SOME THOTS

First, I do not think many people consider whether the name of their child comes from the Bible or not.
Some folks do, but not many.
Especially in these days.
In fact, I would not be suprised if some people purposely avoid using names from the Bible.

That being said, I am amazed at how many names from the 2007 list come from the Bible.
I am sure it is just a coincidence.
However, there is one more detail to consider.

There was a study done last year that documented that political/social liberals tend to have fewer childern than do political/social conservatives.
And political/social conservatives tend to be more religious, generally, than do liberals.
This could explain, in part, why there are more Biblical names in the more recent list than before.

I am appauled at some of the most popular recent female names.
Isabella?
Ava?
Sophia?
Olivia?
Abagail?

These all sound like they fell out of a Emily Dickenson novel. (except she did not write any novels; she only wrote poems, where few names were included, but the line sounded good.)
Or some retro-think exercise as if they were decorating their den.
What are these parents thinking?

Methinks many of them look upon children as little walking trophies, so they name them after queens and movie stars, as if that will somehow increase their worth and status.
To the extent that this is so, I am embarrassed on their behalf that they are so shallow.

For the record, we managed to miss the top names in our day when naming our children.
Except for Joshua.
And our first two have even modified the spelling of their names from their original given order.
Jeffery has become Jef.
Cathy has become Cathi.

Original thinkers, they.

THE COURSE OF HUMAN EVENTS

SUM THOTS ON THIS DAY

This is the day we, in this nation, have set aside to celebrate our independence from Great Britain.
And more generally, independence from the oppression of people by the abuse of the power of government.
That carefully considered move, took mankind another evolutionary step toward the better way for people to organize themselves.
The basic premise was that government was the creature of the common people, not the other way around.
The people in the thirteen American colonies had learned that it was not the people who needed to be controlled as much as the government.

Thus, they wrote a foundation document "in order to form a more perfect union."
The basis of that document was an even more fundamental set of concepts.
A declaration of independence.

It stated that certain fundamental concepts were "self evident".
That "all men" were "endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights".
That "among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness".
And that "governments are instituted to secure these rights."
And that these "governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed."
And if a government begins to destroy these rights, "it is the RIGHT of the people to alter or abolish it."

And I wonder, as I look at the moral, social and political landscape today, how much longer will we have this nation as we have known it.
I could go on (and might) but not now.
I fear for our future.

THE WALK

I was wrong about the dogs on Fairacres Road.
The boxer is still there.
And so are the dog houses.
But the dog houses have been moved up against the house behind some bushes.
That must by why I did not see them last week.

Anyway, he greeted me this morning as I padded by.
It is Friday and Friday is a walk day, holiday or not.

THE INSULATION PROJECT...

is coming along.
Even after doing the two exterior walls in my gym and the outside wall in my *newly remodeled* bathroom (you do not know how hard it was for me to drill holes in my nice recently painted walls), I still had a little juice left in the tanks.
So I went into the kitchen.

I debated whether to next do the wall in my bedroom or the kitchen.
Beginning to insulate the bedroom (where I am now as I type) would entail moving my nice, snuggly Royal bed, two night stands, moving clothes out of the closet, covering the carpet, covering my big desk with drop cloth to protect the computer and books from the dust, etc.
Plus, I knew that I did not have enough foam the do the whole wall at this time, so if I started on the bedroom now, I would have to stop when I ran out of stuff, clean everything up, and move everything back in place, only to have to move everything out of the way again and cover everything up again, when the next shipment of foam arrived.
Can you say, "big project?"

The exterior wall in the kitchen, on the other hand, has only the refrigerator and a couple of mops and brooms in the way.
And no carpet.
Simple pimple.
So I went to the kitchen.

Even though I knew that I did not have enough juice to finish filling all of the stud spaces in the kitchen wall, I drilled all the holes, kuz that is the messiest part of the process.
(Sheetrock dust flies everywhere and sticks to every surface - vertical or horizontal. If the foam falls out of the holes, it just falls to the ground, and after about five minutes, you can pick it up with your hands. It is about the weight and consistency of a fun noodle and does not stick to plastic. It can be removed from painted walls with just a gentle scrape of a sheet rock knife, or even a brush of your hand.)

Then I brought in the tanks, opened the valves, stuck the gun nozzle in the first lower hole and pulled the trigger.
WHOOSH!
Off we go again.
I had enough to fill three stud spaces halfway up and part of a fourth.
And I did not waste any. (I am learning how this stuff works.)

The next tanks have been ordered.
They should be enough to finish my house.
Or nearly so.
The conclusion of the whole matter will have to wait until after Newark campmeeting.



Here is my gym with the holes drilled ready for the foam.



Here is a view of the excess foamage.
While it was coming out of the holes it looked like my wall was pooping. (sorry)
But it was white poop. (and it didn't smell.)




Once the excess is shaved off the holes, it looks pretty smooth.



Like I said last time, this was my learning room and as you can see, there was much to learn.
The good news is I cut up these big blobs of foam with a knife and stuck them in the holes in the bathroom before I put in fresh foam, so I was able to reuse virtually all of the "waste" from my gym.

A WORKOUT AFTER A WORKOUT

BIG PROJECT

After my Tuesday morning workout (wherein I lifted a total of 62,330 pounds), I embarked on a new MAJOR house project.
This is second in size and complexity only to my bathroom remodeling project.
This project is the installation of foam insulation in the exterior walls of my humble abode.
Urethane foam is expensive but is very good insulation.
It will change the insulation value of my standard stud walls from R-3 (they are empty) to R-24.

In planning for this exercise, I originally planned to do my first practice session in the walls of my add-on room in the back of my house.
But when I found that the ceiling in that room was not insulated either I decided not insulate the walls.
Because the space between the ceiling and the roof in that room is so narrow, it will be nearly impossible to get insulation in there (I do not want to cut holes in the ceiling to insulate it like I am the walls.).
(You might wonder why I would not insulate my walls back there just because the ceiling is not insulated.
Most heat (40%-60%)is lost or gained through the ceiling.
Insulating the walls will not affect that area that much with an uninsulated ceiling.

So I decided to concentrate on the walls of my house as originally built.
Thus, my gym room (front bedroom) became the new guinea pig for practice.
So today after my workout (in the gym room, duh) I moved all the gym accessories away from the outside walls, marked the walls (midway up and at the top) and began to drill two-inch holes every 16 inches or so between the studs.

I moved the insulation tanks into the room, hooked up the hoses, installed the required anti-insulation clothes on my body, opened the tank valves, stuck the nozzle into the first hole and pulled the trigger.
WHOOSH!
Out came a spray of white stuff that looked sort of like whipped cream.

I knew the stuff was supposed to expand up to eight times so I had to learn how much foam to squirt into a hole before it started to ooze out of the hole.
The session was educational.
And there was quite a bit of foam on the floor (I had placed a sheet of plastic on the floor).
I estimate that I wasted about one stud-space worth of foam on the floor.
That was the bad news.

The good news was that I insulated the whole room (both outside walls).
And I have more insulation left in the tanks. (about 20%)
That may be enough to insulate the single exterior wall in my bathroom.
I am very relieved to have this project underway.
I have been thinking about it for over a year.

(I have had the insulation since late January.
I originally intended to do the project during winter and save on my winter heating bill, but the insulation requires an interior temperature of 80 degrees and I did not want to try to heat the house that hot.
So I decided to wait until I had the time.
Now I have the time.)

So now all I have to do is apply sheetrock joint compound over the holes in my wall.
Then I can repaint the room.
The repaint project has been on hold pending the insulation project.

I need to order two more tanks to finish the rest of the house.
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