The Boss'

To the left is a sketch which will serve as the starting point for a sleeping nook that I am planning to build for the girls room. I’d like to create a more private space for Emma, our oldest child. Across from the bed nook, I’d like to create a small desk/study space. Bookshelves will abound, if this space ever becomes a reality. I have some hurdles in terms of how to insulate this area and how to get power for a couple of outlets and some lights. Here are some SketchUp concepts where I’m trying to work out dimensions and framing. Currently the area is unfinished and unused. I’ll try and snap some pics this weekend.

At Ben’s last appointment with his diabetes doc, they recommended using the front/side of his thigh for his insulin pump infusion site. This made Ben very nervous because we have had some bad experiences using leg sites. He complains that when the site is inserted, it stings really bad. He has no such problems with the butt cheek sites, so he prefers them. I raised this concern with the nurse, and she suggested using ice to numb the area. We’ve modified this slightly and we now use a piece of vacuum packed, frozen meat that we’ve had in the freezer for about 6 years. It thaws slightly while Ben holds it on his leg, but we toss it right back in the freezer for the next site change. It seems to work pretty well, and we’ve used his legs for the last few site changes. This is a good thing because it gives his butt cheeks a little bit of a break…if a site is used too often, scar tissue can build up and the insulin can have a hard time absorbing into his body. Being able to use both legs gives us twice the sites, so each site gets more recovery time between uses.

Vacations Past, Vacations Future.

For the past few days, the family and I have been relaxing at a cottage near Ludington, Michigan. Joining us were Lindy’s parents, siblings, and various family members. On Saturday evening, the cottage was filled well beyond capacity with 27 inhabitants. A violation of the local fire code, I’m sure. While things were tight at times, I have to say that weekend was a big success. Not many families that I know of would even attempt to get everyone together overnight like that. I think it was great of everyone to put forth the effort to spend some time together.

The kids had a great time playing with their cousins and flopping around in the lake. We had access to a row boat, canoe, and two kayaks.  Notice the absence of any gas burning power toys. I’m sure the kids would have loved tubing or skiing behind a boat all weekend, but there is something to be said for the simple pleasures too; for making your own fun. In the end, everyone did have fun, and the perfect weather made for a great weekend.

On the 22nd, we head out for another week at a nearby cottage. This time on Green Lake.  We’ll have a relatively small group…just 4 adults and 9 kids. In the past, we’ve stayed at this cottage and I’ve worked during the week because it is only a 30 minute drive from the cottage to my office. This time, however, I’ve decided to take the whole week off, and concentrate on actually relaxing and playing with my kids. They, and my wife, will appreciate it, I’m sure.

All of this vacation taking in August leaves me with only 7.5 days of paid vacation to last me until next June. I’d rather not think about that right now. Just looking forward to another gray Michigan winter is depressing.

With all of this down time, you may be wondering what I’m reading. Oddly enough, I’m re-reading something that I’ve already read a couple of times. The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand. I don’t know what it is that keeps me coming back to this book. I’ve also read Rand’s classic, Atlas Shrugged, multiple times. I guess it’s the way that she describes her characters. She puts together such detailed descriptions of the way a person is standing, or sitting, or looking at another person…Anyway, that sounds really strange, but if you’ve read her you probably know what I mean. I’m also reading God’s Undertaker: Has Science Buried God?, by John Lennox. I’m really enjoying this book as well, as it does a great job of describing what science can and cannot tell us about the world, and about ourselves.

Well, if you have any recommendations for what I should be reading, please pass them along.

It’s never good form to apologize on a blog about not posting more often, but I’m not worried about good form so that’s exactly what I’m going to do. I’d like to update this site once a week, minimum, but lately I’ve found it very hard to do that. I feel like I have lots of interesting things to say, rattling around in my head, but when faced with a clean sheet of paper, I have trouble putting thoughts into words. Hopefully, as summer gives way to fall, I will be able to update this site in a more timely manner.