Milestones and Changes

(January 20th, 2009)

I wanted to post an entry on the night of January 20th, but other things seemed to get in the way. Tuesday was an eventful day in the country and our family. Adrienne celebrated her 7th birthday on that day and we inaugurated the first black president in the United States. I've had some reservations about Obama as president (although none as to his intelligence, vision and writing abilities)... but I wish him all the best as he navigates his way into the mess he's taken on. We are certainly facing hard times. What I found most moving while watching coverage on Tuesday were the expressions of joy and validation on the faces of black people, who lined the streets as the motorcade made its way to the White House (and in interviews and coverage preceding that part). Having him take the oath on the Lincoln Bible was truly a full circle event. Whether or not a person voted for him in the election, I don't know how one could not be touched by the significance of the day's events and the joy it brought to so many.

While there is much to admire about the man, I hate to see people deifying him and putting him up on a pedestal before he's even proven himself as president. It will be a long drop if he disappoints or fails to meet their expectations. Most presidents promise all sorts of things that they find they can't deliver once in that position and receiving more critical information. At least there is a trust factor for many in his character, so his every move will not be cast under suspicion the way it's been for George W. Bush. The way some have treated him as he left office brought to mind how our vets were greeted when they came home from Vietnam. Whether one agrees with or likes the president, we should appreciate the burden he carries in order to hold that office.

The other change that became official on Tuesday is that Kristine and Alex are expecting a "baby Booth!" It's really early in the game, so there was discussion between them about whether they should announce it to the world at this point... but we know how women are with a first baby. You want to talk about it... speculate on whether you actually are as you wait for official word and in general... TALK about what is happening to you! :-) It's easier to keep it under wraps after you've already had a child or two. Anyway... Kristine had a doctor's appointment on Tuesday and they concurred that her positive test at home was accurate. So, if all goes well... they are expecting a little one around the 20th of September. That is the EXACT day the trip to Scotland and England I've signed on for is supposed to depart... if it firms up the way they are anticipating. :-/ I thought about backing out on that, but I had such a strong feeling that I needed to do this now, when it will be affordable. Because of the value of the pound being down, this trip is much cheaper than it would normally be. It's not about the gardens as much as the place. My roots go to Scotland and the British Isles and I just need to be in that place. I can't tell you why. This is a once in a lifetime thing for a reluctant traveler such as myself. I'm crossing fingers that Kristine will do the typical thing and go a couple of weeks over her due date. That would put it in the first week of October and Ron and I could drive down after I get back on the 1st. We'll see how it all works out as it gets closer. Isn't life like that? Oh, well... babies come whenever they want. We don't get to vote. ;-)

Both Alex and Burt say "go on the trip!" ... and with internal conflict over the whole situation... I think I will try. Still need to get the passport stuff turned in.

There have been some Classic Pooh sleepers stashed in our closet for several years that were held aside for when Kristine had a baby... if it's a boy, there will be several. They only had one for a little girl at the time I saw them (or maybe that I liked?). She's had such a love for Pooh over the years... I just had to get them, despite no baby being on the horizon at the time.

The pictures of Colette and Edward were taken on Tuesday. Amber dropped off treats to Adrienne's school for her birthday and took her to the "Chipmunk Grill" at the hospital where she was born... a birthday lunch tradition. :-) I had the other two here for awhile. I had to smile at Edward here as she gets a little too close for comfort.

Burt called yesterday to ask if he could drop something off at the house on his way home from Port Ludlow. He'd taken a trip to Portland recently to purchase a few things and he brought a small camera for me to try out (Canon PowerShot A1000IS)... to see if I'd like to have it for the Europe trip. It's so small it almost feels like a toy in my big hands, but I put it together last night and shot a few experimental pics at about 1:00 a.m. I have a feeling I'll want something just a bit larger for the trip... but this would be a very handy size if you wanted to pack one in a purse or to have handy whenever. It uses AA batteries, so one might have to change them out sooner than with a rechargeable battery pack. Didn't have much in the way of inspiring subjects... so here is a sampling...

First... Alex's favorite "new toy" (I'm only guessing... he was glued to this one when they visited and they got their own after returning to Provo).. there was more orange glow when this was taken, but the flash washed much of that out. I was sitting at the kitchen table and used the zoom to the max for this.

Piano... I actually played the piano for a bit yesterday afternoon. It's been weeks and months and it's amazing I remember a thing! I really should spend more time, but it needs to be retuned and it takes some of the joy out of it when there are notes just a bit off. There is also an annoying squeak in the sustaining pedal when you depress it that goes away when you take the cover off the front. I'm going to make sure the tuner checks that out next time he comes. Ron couldn't pinpoint what was creating the problem. My piano teacher and parents, if they were here, would wag their fingers at me for leaving the piano idle for so long.Birdy... the "night owl." If uncovered, he starts his chirping and whistling routine around 12:00 to 12:15 a.m. ... just like clockwork.

Ron has decided he needs to get more exercise and take off a few pounds, so he's been getting up earlier and walking on the treadmill in the mornings. With earplugs in, this doesn't bother me at all... despite it being underneath our room. The positive side of him going downstairs is that he decided he needs to finish the trim on the doors down there... and he also put a door on the closet at the end of the hallway this week. It's never had one since the closet was finished and painted. The router and DSL modem are hung in that closet, as well as it providing space for the artificial Christmas tree and some camping stuff. It looks nice to see a door at the end of the hallway now, instead of blinking modem lights. :-) I've not yet made much headway on painting our bathroom, but we have some paint charts here and a decision needs to be made on color.

Yesterday I spliced about 6 small home movies that were in the box with the others in the closet. I'd forgotten we'd taken some from when the oldest kids were babies. I had to scan one of the strips to figure out who the baby was in it and estimate the year it was likely taken (before splicing the years together... hope I got them in sequence). Here is the better of the two scans I'd enlarged...
Yep! It's Robert in 1977! :-) What a chunk! Actually... all of the kids got kind of chubby looking in their first year. Once they were weaned and walking... they trimmed down pretty well.

I've ordered a new bulb for the old projector and hope it comes today. Then we can attempt a transfer of these old movies from 1971-86 onto DVD. We'll basically be shooting video of the movies being projected onto a small white piece of paper. If it's terrible, I'll go ahead and send them out to have them done professionally. Some folks will do a better job of the process we're doing and some have pretty nifty equipment ... all charge by the foot. At least I'd have a rudimentary copy of all of the movies before turning loose of any of the original films.

Well... it's afternoon and time to get on with some other projects! I hope all are having a good week. The witch hazel next to our bedroom window is starting to emerge with tiny filaments of yellow... won't be long until all nature comes alive. Maybe in another day the fog will even lift! We've had an inversion going on all week with burn bans in place. They think it's about to move on.