Death

Grandma died last night around 2:30 in the morning. Dad & Mom and my Aunt & Uncle were there with her. Well done, Grandma. Well done.

Life

It's funny how sometimes life can just be moving along and then out of nowhere something happens that makes you stop and notice. Two weekends ago, on Sunday the 18th to be specific, I went over to my Grandma's apartment to clean out her back porch. Over the wet spring that we've had a lot of dirt and mulch had made its way inside, under the screen door and settled on the green outdoor carpet/astroturf. Dirt that had been blown through the screens and settled on the patio furniture needed to be sprayed off and wiped down. After washing the screens and scrubbing the carpet to remove some moss that had started to grow in the lowest corner of the patio, I took a break for lunch. Grandma wanted me to run out and get what I wanted and so I took a quick trip to Burger King to pick up a sandwich. Grandma wanted a chocolate shake, and for some reason that day Burger King's shake machine wasn't working. So I ran next door to Arby's to get a shake, then headed back to her apartment for lunch. I got back and we sat down at her kitchen table, prayed for lunch and ate. We talked about life and how time has flown by. We talked about faith and the difference that Christ has made in our lives. She told me about her neighbor across the hall with alzheimers that calls her multiple times a day to find out what time Grandma will be heading down for dinner and to ask if she can go with her. She told me how other people have told her to ignore the lady across the hall, "You've got yourself to worry about Helen," they'd say. Grandma told me that she thinks that being nice to this lady might be one of the only opportunities she has these days to show Christ's love. We talked about her grandkids, and great grandkids and how she's seen her family grow and mature. We talked about the ups and downs in peoples lives and how sometimes life just isn't fair, and how sometimes people do get what they deserve. She told me how proud she was of Mom and Dad for raising us the way they did. She told me how proud she was of me and my brothers, what good kids we were and some memories of each of us. She recalled memories of when Nathan was little and would stay at her house on Polk Ave. for days straight, playing, doing homework and earning a couple bucks working on little projects that she had. How Ben would come over and play games with her and get her out of her apartment for a little while. She remembered me singing when I was little and still has it on tape somewhere. We talked and finished eating. I went back to work on the porch for about another half hour, then hauled the shop vac and other things I had brought to clean with back to my truck. I locked the latch on the porch, and went inside Grandma's apartment, she paid me $25, something that whenever I did anything for her I usually refused but this time I didn't for some reason. I gave her a hug and a kiss, told her I loved her. She smiled at me told me she loved me too and I closed her door. For some reason when I left memories flooded my head. I remembered jumping into the back seat of my families silver minivan and waving at Grandma as we turned around in the upper part of her driveway and then down the drive to Polk Avenue. I remembered her waving out of the window in the kitchen that looked into the back yard. I remembered the yellowish glow of the light on the back porch. I remembered turning around and seeing her waving out the front bay window of her house with the orange "ufo" lamp hanging above her head. It was a great day with Grandma, we talked, laughed and remembered. On Friday of that week (the 23rd) I got a call from a therapist who was with Grandma at her apartment. He told me she was in some pain and needed to be taken to the Emergency Room and that for some reason they couldn't get a hold of my Dad. I managed to get in contact with him and Mom took Grandma to the hospital. The doctor told her that it was her arthritis and that there really wasn't anything they could do for her. She was already taking medication for the pain. She went home but ended up going back to the hospital on Monday. They put her on a ventilator. The doctors told us that she had improved some overnight, but then earlier today she got worse. They discovered that she had a heart attack, and then another today. We don't expect her to get better. The honest truth is, she wouldn't want to. She is ready to live again. Heaven is waiting, and she's been waiting for heaven for a long time.

Pressure Treated Weekend

The photo's have arrived,(Yeah, we're still using film, can you believe it?) Anyway, I thought I'd treat you all to a pictorial walk through of the porch rebuild. Here we go. Friday Night Our stairs The reason for this project in the first place.  They are ugly, rotten and in dire need of attention.  I had them torn off in around 15 minutes.  Feeling like I accomplished something I called it a night around 10:30 pm after tearing off a few floorboards.   Saturday Morning   I decided it would be a good idea to get an early start on Saturday.  I got up before 9:00 and finished tearing off the floor.  In doing that I discovered that the frame would also need replaced.  The Home Depot accountants smile, while my project cost jumps.  I spend the afternoon purchasing lumber, and a whole lot of it.   Sunday. (July 4th)   We got to work on the porch around 11:30 - 12.  Made quick work of removing the old framing.  (Yes, chain saws cut more than just tree branches and trunks.)  We manage to get the frame 90% complete before we clean up for church around 4:30.  Monday It's go time baby.  We finish up the frame and start laying the floor.  By this point I've pulled a muscle in my arm, making it hurt when I try to hammer, saw, pick up lumber or do anything that could help speed up the process.  Thankfully, Dad & Ben really came through and managed to do the heavy lifting while I would drill. Shelby helped out too by asking us to sand the wood so it wouldn't be, as she put it, 'Ruff.'       By Monday night we had it done, well 75-80% done that is.  (I still need to add railing and box in the stairs)  Not bad, a complete tear-down and rebuild in 4 days.  It was a good time too.  Getting to work with Dad and my brothers was a lot of fun.  Plus, at least I think, the porch looks really nice. Thanks again guys.  I'm sure I'll return the favor someday.

Continuous. . .

A "Fair & Balanced" Post. Well, sort of. . .

Blogs are great things, they let people share their feelings & thoughts with people all over the world. There really is free speech out here. So in observance of that I present to you two choices:

1. Things you have to believe to be a Republican today or 2. Things You Have to Believe to Be a Democrat Today

Since this is my blog, I get to have a parting shot at all you lefties.

What would be the perfect end to a great weekend?

I had a great weekend. Really. Friday night we went to the Indians game where they won with a bases loaded, bottom of the ninth single by Lou Merloni. Yeah, I don't know much about him either but hey, it made for a great game. We went to the game with my parents who just celebrated their 31st year of marriage last week. Pretty impressive. Especially given the fact that they managed to keep the team together while raising three kids, one of which is incredibly good looking, intelligent and witty. Here's to another 31 years! Speaking of 30 something... Happy Birthday to my buddy Dave. Thirty years old. That's got to be a record or something right? ... Interesting Side note: You can rearrange the words "Thirty Years Old" to make the phrase, "I told Harry yet. . ." Which sounds like "I told Harriet". Wow. Anyway Saturday afternoon and evening was spent at Dave's place eating large amounts of pork and consuming adult beverage.  It was a pig roast.  You know in movies and tv shows how they always have an apple in the pig's mouth?  I now understand why they do that.  Pigs have some mean looking teeth. Birthday wishes also go out to my buddy Jeff - 27 years old.   I found a great card to send but, in classic Smith fashion, I lost it.  So once I locate it, it will make it's way via snail mail to Columbus.   We wrapped up the weekend by seeing Spider-Man 2.  It was a lot of fun.   So what would be the perfect end to a great weekend?    Another Saturday right after Sunday.

Home Improvement

Have you ever heard someone say "Oh the Joys of Home Ownership" and they've actually been talking about something they enjoy? I haven't. Not once, and I know lots of people who own homes. I ask this because I'm currently in the process of building a new front porch. Kir and I had been having discussions about things that "need" to be done to the house. (As I finish typing that last sentence I just know I'm gonna get it for those quotation marks.) Anyway, we get water in our basement and so waterproofing is one of the things on the list. It's a big $ thing so I rank it pretty low. But at the same time, it would add some value to our house so, Kir ranks it pretty high on her list. Obviously we're on opposite sides of the spectrum on that so, rather than argue about it we're going to hold off on it for a while. Which brings us back to the front porch. I think this is a great project. It's something that will add curb appeal. Making our house more attractive from the street and the spy satellites. I started last night by going to Home Depot and picking up a Gorilla Bar, now that's a manly sounding tool. I imagine construction workers talking about these things:

Joe McKenna: Is that a Gorilla Bar?!?! Bart Groin: Of course it is. Would any other brand of pry bar have this thick black hair all over and the distinctive silver back? Joe (To other workers): Check it out guys, Groin's got a Gorilla bar! Crowd gathers, grunting their envious approval.

Yeah, that's a man's tool. Bart Groin, tough name for a tough guy. Actually, he's former military. Sergeant Bart Groin of the Pain Platoon. Yes folks, this is the kind of stuff that runs through my head. So, back again, to the porch. Last night after I get home from picking up the Gorilla bar (from Roughneck a Division of Olympia Group, Inc. available at your local Home Depot. . .) I begin by removing the lattice work, then I tore off the steps. Quite satisfying. Then I took all the wrought iron railings off and began tearing up the floor. I stopped around 10:30 because I didn't want to be the jerk neighbor who keeps other people and their children from getting to sleep. I got up this morning, ate some breakfast and got back to work. I'm proud to say that I finished tearing up the porch floor. So soon here I'll be taking another trip to Home Depot. It's funny, every time anyone ever says something about the "Joys of Homeownership," the words, Home and Depot are soon following. I really am enjoying this though. . . Hmm.

And I helped!

If you live in the Akron, Ohio area and you've taken a drive through what we call "The Valley" you've probably enjoyed driving past the Akron Sewage Treatment Facility. Okay, so maybe enjoyed isn't the best word for the feelings you had as you drove past. Perhaps it would be better expressed in saying that you've experienced a stench so unique that it can't quite be classified as anything other than "the valley." My company's offices are located in the valley, so I'm greeted by that scent as soon as I step out of my truck. On particularly pungent mornings you can even find the odor wafting through the hallways of our office. It's such an odd scent, and when you think about all that it is composed of, well you don't want to think about it. Especially when you think that you're a contributor to it. This morning, after having breakfast with my buddies Dave & Jeff we walked out of Akron Family Restaurant (or as we enter it in our check account ledger - AFR) we could smell "The Valley." It had made its way all the way up the hill and almost into downtown Akron. That's quite a feat! Kind of makes me wonder, what have all you people been eating to give this unique bouquet such power? I guess I can't blame it all on you. After all we're Makin' Stank, and I helped!