DAD-WHIT

Hollywood

2006-02-21T17:57:00.000-08:00

It is truly amazing how a country boy can get out and see how the other world lives. Riding in a limo, talking into a camera and then being part of a TV show. I have to admit that I was a little concerned about being in the audience of the Ellen show. I can't dance, even though Bobbie Jo thinks I can, I was afraid somehow I would get caught up in the dancing part and make a fool of myself. Fortunately it didn't happen and as a matter of fact, I really got into it. There is so much enthusiasm and excitement, it is unreal!! It would be hard to just stand there and not move at all. I was also impressed with all the "behind the scenes" things that go on while the couch potatoes watch a commercial. Some people came up and ran a lint cloth over Ellen's coat, another time someone ran up and redid her hair. Sometimes she just sits and talks with the guest but usually something is going on. Very efficient!
The day before the actual taping of the show, Kim and Jerry Pace, Vicki and I taped a short segment of thoughts for a long and happy marriage. Not a difficult assignment, right? I didn't think so. But it turned out to be a real challenge. Looking into the lens of a camera and trying to say things to Alecia and Jerrod that I felt they should hear was difficult. The script was written, memorized and then cut up by the producer so that it was not coming from the heart. After several retapes, I finally got it to sound ok. Vicki did not have near the trouble I did. All in all I think we did an pretty good job.
Of course the "big number" for the day was when Alecia and Jerrod came out to be the stars. And stars they were! I am so proud of them. They were superb!! And our little segment---well, I think they were suprised and moved.
We went on the Oregon, Washington, and Northern California so we didn't get to watch the show until we watched it on video. It was awesome! It's really hard to believe what all has transpired this past year. It all seems like a dream---- and I plan on waking up May 20!!

RE-TAR-MENT

2005-07-05T20:30:00.000-07:00

Ah yes, that golden age when waking up to "What do I want to do today?" has arrived. For some reason it hasn't hit me yet. I guess it's because I am still incredibly busy. I keep telling myself that I can wait until tomorrow, but it's harder than you think to break a routine of 40 plus years. I'm practicing patience, but I want to get it done now. I am able to just stop and do things with the family. And not feeling guilty about it is really nice. That part can only get better.
But does anyone know for sure why it's called retirement? (And don't even think about making up some bonehead story. And I know that's asking a lot!) All your life you "tire" and then you get to "re-tire". Sounds like something on a car. Worn out and then get new tread. Oh well, the thought just hit me. You know, it's really kinda strange, knowing I never have to go to work again. I don't have to take a vacation day to get caught up on the farm work or repairs on the apartments. I don't even have to take vacation days to go on vacation. Wow, how cool is that?? No more being forced in on a Saturday or having to work Christmas day. And of course no more of that torture of going to the roof in all kinds of weather. Of course, no more paycheck either, but if done right, that is just a minor inconvenience.
Yep, the more I think about it the more I realize just how nice it is. So long as my health holds out I think this could really be unbelievable. I am already planning some trips in the fall and spring. Maybe go back to Baltimore and try to find the Whitaker beginnings. Stay a day or two or what the heck maybe decide to stay as long as I like. That seems almost too good to be true.
RETIREMENT--I think I'm going to like it!!!

The roof, the whole roof, and nothing but the roof,--so help me

2005-05-01T18:57:00.000-07:00

I've had several responsibilities in the maintenance world and some have been pretty nasty(ex. cleaning out grease drains and toilets.) Facilities Maintenance has gradually contracted these jobs out and most jobs are not too bad. For the past year I have been assigned to take care of the heating/cooling equipment on all the roofs of the plant. When I started working at Toyota in 1987 the total area under roof was over a hundred acres. Now no one seems to know for sure but the plant has almost doubled in size. That makes for a lot of walking. The other night I was sent to start two of the units on the 3000 building roof. One was on the extreme south end and the other on the extreme north end. Do I reset one unit and then go down to the floor and up the stairs (72 steps) to get to the other end or simply walk from one unit to the other? I have to go up and down the stairs on average about 8 times a night, I decided just to walk the roof. Just for the heck of it I tried to stretch my step to make sure I made 3 ft. steps. Just over 600 steps (1800 ft) one way, 3600 ft total or about 1/3 mile. And that's just one roof!! There are other unit failures on all the other roofs too. Up and down all those steps and walking across the roofs should make one in real shape, but I sure don't feel like it. I still have to stop at the top of the stairs to catch my breath and I still have 5 more months to go. It won't come quick enough!

Of course there have been some interesting times also. Like the first time I was sent to the roof. I was still in the maintenace training program for 4 hours and on the job for 4 hours. The 3rd shift team leader (night shift) sent me to the roof and verbally gave directions to the unit that was in alarm. I went up the stairs and walked right to the unit. I corrected the problem and feeling quite proud stepped out of the unit in the dim lit shadows of the roof and headed back. It wasn't long before I realized I was lost. Had I stepped out and turned the wrong way--maybe just made a wrong turn? All I knew was that it was dark and all the roof looks the same at night. Where were the stairs? Now--what to do? Call on the plant radio (for all to hear and then be harrassed forever) and ask for directions---no way! Use your head, man. There has to be a way. Ok, I'll just get on the Security Services channel and let them know I need assistance. No one in Facilities can hear the transmission unless they are accidentally on the Securities channel. I tell him what unit I am in and an officer heads my way. I anxiously wait and within a few minutes a figure emerges in the distance. I practically run toward him and let him know that the problem has been solved but thanks for his help. Then I follow him down to the floor. Problem solved. Well not exactly. The stairs he and I came down were at the opposite end of the plant from where I went up originally. Just a few thousand feet away (bummer)--but nobody ever knew that I got lost on the roof!!
Or just the other day, I went up to the roof to check on a problem unit. The huge fans that operate in the unit were on and I had to go into a separate room (8' x 10'). The door opened into the room but the air pressure was so strong it took all my strength to force the door open. Once in, I could not hold the door and it slammed shut. Check all digits--10 is a good number.
I fixed the problem and started to exit when I noticed that the door handle on the inside was missing. Give me a break!! It was nowhere around so somebody knew it was broken. This made me mad for a second until I realized this could be serious. After checking the area for skeletons, I decided I had to find a way out. With no handle, the door would not open. So once again--think man, think. Don't panic! And then it hit me. I'm wearing a radio so I called and asked the team leader to go to the computer and turn off the fans so I could complete my job. Moments later the large fans went dead and the door drifted open.

Well, enough of the roof--it's a job with it's highs and lows.

Memory--bits and pieces

2005-04-15T22:37:00.000-07:00

Every now and then I start to remember days gone by and the exciting and fun things I got to do just for being a Dad. I chuckle to myself and think "That would make a great blog" and then it leaves me as fast ice on a hot August day. I still remember bits and pieces but somehow they just don't always go together.
Ex. Matt, myself and Jeff Sparks were fishing at Uncle Jeff's lake one cold rainy day and nothing was biting. For some strange reason that has left me, Matt and I left while Jeff stayed to fish. I distinctly remember driving down the highway and looking down at the lake--and at Jeff huddled up from the cold and rain soaked to the bone. Why on earth would we leave him that way? I really feel bad about it but I also remember that Matt and I laughed out loud as we drove by. Oh well, he's probably a better person for it!

But occasionally I have a thought that does not leave entirely. One would be the night that I was coming back into the house at about 2 am from the shop. Why was I doing out in the shop at 2 am? Probably 3rd shift and trying to stay on the same routine. Anyway as I start to go in the house I look up and see the stars of the Big Dipper. Alecia and I use to look for the Big Dipper at night and I immediately thought--I wonder if she can see the Big Dipper up in Duluth? (but she had better not be up at 2 am doing it) A few days later she called and said that she and a friend were out walking and looked up to see the Big Dipper and she told the friend about our sky watch. When I asked her what day she saw it, I knew it was the same night. So far and in a way so near--Kinda puts a lump in your throat.

And who can forget the great sleigh ride down the hills of Terry and Donna Levi's farm. It was picture perfect. Plenty of snow and easy to pack down. Bobbie Jo was in grade school--maybe- and the hill was rather steep. Matt was older but still needed a parents watchful eye. There was a small gulley at the bottom of the hill so I positioned myself in front of it. Why did we build the track down the hill leading to a gulley in the first place? Oh, well. I had caught both Matt and Bobbie Jo a couple times but just as Bobbie Jo was making a final trip down the hill, Matt decide to ride down in the loose snow off to my left. As I took my eyes off Bobbie Jo for an instant to check on Matt, the sled and Bobbie Jo went whizzing by just inches from my nimble fingers and into the gulley. As I looked around, I saw the sled almost vertical and Bobbie Jo's feet up in the air. I think there may have been a look of horror on her face also. We were there all afternoon and this is all I remember.

Even with the memory lapses, it's great to be a Dad!!

WCL Revisited

2005-04-11T21:17:00.000-07:00

Yes the 2005 WCL has begun with a small scrimmage game. And it might be worth mentioning that there is only one player who will not go rover, but simply goes out. I won't give out any names but her initials are Momma-Whit! And the last game was really close, as Bobbie Jo made a last ditch effort to hit the post and go out from about 10 ft away. Great effort but Momma-Whit held on and went out.
In all fairness, I guess it should be noted that Momma-Whit hit a quite remarkable shot from an outside wicket and straight thru the middle wicket. Of course her estatic behavior changed very quickly when someone knocked her ball to the other end of the court and as a mallot hit the ground and that same someone mumbled "that's why I hate this game!" Hey, that's part of it!
But anyway, the season has begun and with any luck at all, the rest of the participants will be able to attend future games during the summer with a World Championship Tournament in early fall. We may even have trophies this year. You know, maybe MVP or something like that(to someone who really deserves it) Let's just wait and see. I see a lot of emerging talent so this should be a really great season!

The Writing On The Wall

2005-03-27T11:28:00.000-08:00

As a Skilled Maintenance man in the Building Group, for a large auto manufacturing company, I am required to keep everything running from heating/cooling, to telephones, to production equipment, to making cars. But also included are relief station repairs (also known as the” john”.) Occasionally we are called to remove or paint over graffiti. Some is filth, but most is of the anti-company variety.
While repairing a commode, I noticed the following written in the mortar seam of the concrete blocks.

Today Jesus is your Savior. Tomorrow He may be your Judge.

Since I am a Christian, and there had been no complaints, I decided to ignore it. A few days later I came back to check my work and someone had written an addition.

Does He write on the wall?

Since it was near the end of my shift, I decided to come back the next day and paint over all of it before someone called to complain. When I came back with my spray paint, I was amazed that another comment was added.

Yes – Read Daniel 5:5.

With such a good response, I couldn’t bear to remove it, and there have been no complaints about it since.

"In the same hour the fingers of a man's hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote."
-Daniel 5:5

The Holey Outhouse

2005-03-04T21:25:00.000-08:00

I guess everyone who grew up on a farm or anywhere without indoor plumbing has a tale about the infamous outhouse. Ours was nothing fancy, two seats--one large and one small. It was wood frame with a metal roof. The building sat over a 4 ft pit. If anything fell out of you pants and down into the pit, it was a major decision if it was worth going after. Usually not. However my wallet made the trip down and had to be retrieved with some skill and luck using a fishing pole. After gingerly removing important papers, maybe a dollar or two and my drivers license, I just tossed it back down in the pit.
Another thing about country outhouses is their ability to constantly attract wasp. It was going to be a bad day when you are seated and resting and suddenly realize a nest of wasp is just inches away. For some reason, we never had anyone assigned to keep the outhouse free of the nasty insects!
Also this was before toilet paper was popular and the Sears Roebuck Catalogue was a reality. It was hung over a wire so the loose pages would hang down. As it was needed, a page would be torn off. Of course in the course of a year, all the "good" pages would be used and then only the slick pages would be left. I think you get the picture!!! These were hard times, particularily in winter. It was bad enough to have to scrape the frost off the seat, but a hole in the tin roof let water drip right on the Sears Roebuck. The thumping sound echoing around the outhouse let all within earshot know that someone was trying to break loose a page or two from a catalogue frozen hard as a rock!!
With that as a background, now for a real life story. It was a cool, crisp October morning and I had to answer the call of nature. I had been feeding the calves in the barn about 500 feet away. I was completely unaware that one of my older brothers had finished his chores and decided to do a little target practice. He had bought a bullseye target in town and nailed it to the north side of the outhouse facing our house. He then checked to make sure no one was in the outhouse. Then he went inside our house and gathered the ammunition and gun. While he was in our house, I proceeded to enter the outhouse without knowing I would soon be a target. When my brother came out of the house, he immediately drew a bead on the target nailed the the outhouse, forgetting of course to re-check for occupants!! The first crack of the rifle and the splintered wood hitting me was frightening but more of a shock than anything else. The second shot sent me head butting the door and rolling in the grass head over heals with my pants down to my ankles!! The two things that saved me were that he had nailed the target high and that he was a miserable shot. Both shots were high on the target. I don't remember what I said but you can bet that I was madder than a hornet!! How could anyone be so stupid!!!
Well, hope you enjoyed the trip down memory lane.

Why me?

2005-03-01T21:57:00.000-08:00

Yes, that's right!!! I have been outwitted by this blasted machine again!! First it eats my blog and I call in the chief mechanic (Mom) for back-up. Can't be found. Sorry. Well, I'm fit to be tied. So it lets me take out my fustrations in another dumb blog only to regurgitate my original (Matt/golf) to make me feel sorry for it!! Mr. Computer--I apologize--(but I still don't like you)

Shoot the guy that made this thing!!!

2005-03-01T21:32:00.000-08:00

Yes, I can't hardly stand these things. I thought I was getting better and maybe decide that computers are ok--but today that all changed. I was on a roll blogging for 45 min. and it was a good one. I finished and rechecked my spelling. I was really pleased so I clicked on publish and waited. Three green tics came up at the bottom of the screen so I thought it was ok. Then the "usual" for me happened---This page cannot be displayed--I refreshed and refreshed but to no avail--I hit the "back button", You guessed it--gone into the black hole of cyberspace!!! So I am debating whether to waste my time again or just bow out the this blasted machine.
But at this moment, I would love to get my hands on the guy who made these machines!!!!

Matt & I love to golf--sometimes we even keep score

2005-03-01T07:34:00.000-08:00

I guess it started back when Matt was in High School and took an interest in playing golf. We had already gone thru fishing and that was a lot of fun. So, what the heck, why not try this golf thing? Matt had already been with his buddys a few times and was always practicing his swing in the great room. I could just that golf club going thru the $400 windows, but alas, it did not.
I have to say that I have had just about as much fun golfing with him as I have at anything. He is an excellent teacher, very patient, watching my mistakes so I could correct them--keep your head down,--keep your eye on the ball,--I think you bent your wrist on that shot--and on and on. I have improved, but we go so seldom that I have to be retrained each time!!
Just being out in the sunshine and having fun, that's what it is all about. We don't get mad and wrap the clubs around a tree or anything. We just laugh and say "Got another ball?" Or over the water hazard" You're wet--Got another ball?" It's really a hoot to watch us play. Sometimes I want to go to Scotland where I understand it started. Probably pass on the kilts but play on the course where you make you own tee with wet sand that is available. I think that would be neat!!
We've played on courses where the rough was grass/weeds about a foot high, on a course with no grass, at all, one with frost on it at 5:30am that was covered with pararrie dogs when the sun came out and one near a horse stable with a thousand flies, just to name a few.
We are dedicated, we've played in the rain and in the fog(FORE!!! has a whole new meaning when you are in the fog!) We've played back East and out West and down South. It has always been fun. Of course anyone who knows Matt knows what a jokester he is--aways coming off with something like the exploding golf ball or the ball that when you putt it, it will wabble or stop and roll back toward you--you know how he is!!
Playing 18 holes of golf--$25
Breaking of the head off a # 4 iron--$15
A beautiful day on the course with my son---Priceless!!!

I Can't Dance

2005-02-26T07:39:00.000-08:00

Never could, probably never will!! I've always wanted to dance but I guess I just don't have it. And for the past 4 years or so, someone has practiced with me but still --I can't dance!! It may well be noted that this practice was not particularily wanted and definitly not requested, but my "dance partner" just felt that she was going to teach me. It is not enough that she was determined but her timing of the "practice" was always inconvenient. She would see me heading down the hall, obviously on my way outside to do any number of the ten thousand things I have on my to do list, and plant herself in the hall so I could not pass. Dance lessons had begun whether I liked it or not!! In the beginning I would be courteous and practice for a short while then break away to do my work. Then it became harder as the vice grip of her hands were like the grip of a boa constrictor. I would become mildly upset that someone would stand in the way of my plans for the day, but her mother would say "You had better enjoy it while she is here because she will be away in college soon." And I would say--Why don't you come here and dance with her? Mom's response--I have to put up with this all the time when you are not here! Wow Mom, thanks a lot!
So the saga continues--I would love to get mad and tell her to stop but I can't. She is like her older sister and I can only get tickled and start laughing. Of course, being older, I decided to use my wits to outsmart her. I would twirl her around and then let go and run out the door.. This worked--once! Then I tried to push her toward the outside door with the hope of maybe getting close enough but we are talking about a girl who can kiss my forehead without standing on tip toes! She's really hard to move! So then I cried "Somebody help me!!" Usually Mom was the only one in the room and she would completey ignore me. But sometimes it would get Beeger tickled and I would break away.
But I still can't dance!! Thanks for the memories!!

Glad to be back

2005-02-18T10:09:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was quite an experience. It was definitely a whirlwind experience, but a fun one too. This was my first time on national tv and it was awesome. I am surprised that I was not nervous. It was very emotional when I saw Alecia and Jerrod but excited, too.
I just got to see the video and it was a hoot!! I think I have watched it a few times. I see something new each time.
We were treated like royalty, everyone was so nice. It was a wonderful experience but a very tiring one. We were picked up in a limo and then escorted to the show in a Lincoln (Nice!!!!)
Well, since this keyboard is acting up again, I think I'll close for now.
We had a great time. So glad we had the opportunity.

Raising Kids

2005-02-08T17:42:00.000-08:00

For those who think they can raise kids with ease and have them grow up to help you without complaining ---I've got news for you. There are a few years that this is true. And this is a great time in your life. It doesn't last but a year or two, but it is wonderful. It is in the middle school years ( I know that most think this is the worst time, but it is still a good time too.)
It is during this time that one particular child(the eldest) and I had become very close. I still cherish the time that she would say she was going to get some ice cream and --Would I like some too? Of course she would also microwave it a little to soften it and add chocolate. I'm getting hungry again!!
But the best times were when she would ask me to tuck her in at bedtime and ask for my opinion on how to handle a situation at school or how to handle a personal friend problem. I always tried to listen and give sound advise. Amazingly, she listened and tried what I said.
After each "session", I would say "Sleep tight and don't let the bedbugs bite" -- kiss her
forehead, head out the door and down the hall to our bedroom. After about five steps I heard the small voice---Daad? Then I would go back in and ask what she wanted. Nothing really--just some frivilious thought. Back down the hall and --Daad? This went on several times. I should get mad -right? N0 way! She had such a way and smile that I could only laugh. But I had to get to bed and some needed sleep. Finally I just told her I would not come back and as I'm going thru my bedroom door I still hear the familiar --Daad? and then a giggle and all is quiet.
I know she is going to have a good night's sleep and so will I.

Welcome to my blog

2005-02-06T19:06:00.000-08:00

This is the beginning of a new experience for me. Hope you enjoy it!