Sweet Sadie

Back in the Summer of 2007, my wife and I stopped by Petco after lunch to pet the puppies.  Fireplug rescue was there, and they were having adoptions.  We had no intention of getting one, but who can resist the sweet faces?

There, in a crate, was the sweet face of Birdie.  Something about the white eyelids caught my heart.  I opened the crate door to just pet her a little.  She stepped out, and put her front paws on my shoulders as if to hug me and say, "You've finally come to rescue me."  

We both knew instantly that she was ours.  We renamed her Sadie, and began a new life with her.  

We had a few trials along the way (she was storm-phobic).  You can read more about that here: Our Dogs

She ran away more than a few times when we lived in Grapevine.  We usually found her at the nearby park, happily standing against the base of a large oak, after treeing a squirrel.  Once, when Dawn was walking her, she got out of her collar, and ran into a horse pasture, where she happily rolled around in.....well, you know.  After several years (about the time we decided if she ran away, we would just wait to see if she came home again), she stopped trying to get away.

We have watched through the years as her health has had issues with fatty tumors.  She had one the size of a softball on her side that we had the vet remove.  Soon afterward, she began growing them everywhere.  They never seemed to bother her until recently, when her throat would make her cough and gag.  Years ago, that was once every five or six months, usually after eating something from the yard.  In the last year, she has started doing it three or four times a day.  

Her legs have weakened as well, and she is finding it harder to get up and down the stairs.  Since all the bedrooms are on the second floor, and she is not one to just stay downstairs alone, I knew it would eventually become an issue.  Yesterday morning, her left front leg once again acted as if it had a mind of its own.  She didn't tumble, although how she avoided it is a mystery to me.  

Over the past year, the eyes that were once so full of life have dimmed.  She can't see much, and her left eye is full of cloudy grey.  She can't hear much either (unless it is thundering).  So much of her time is spent looking around, wondering where her people are, even if we are just a few feet away.

And there are the accidents in the house.  It's not like she needs to go urgently; but more like she just really has no idea what is going on.  Cleanup has become a daily event.

So, it is with a heavy heart that we will take her to the vet tomorrow to say our last goodbyes.  

This afternoon was hers, with a trip to the park for a little picnic, and a half of a bacon cheeseburger from Sonic.  We walked around and let her sniff all she wanted instead of pulling her along.  We took some pictures with her.  Not so we will remember her.  A dog like her will live with us forever.  

After the thousands of dollars of damage she caused in her storm-fueled panics, and the countless sleepless nights trying to console her during a storm, it is time for her to find her rest.  To go to her home with no more storms, and no more pain.  A place for her to run free; like the happy, playful dog she was when we got her.

Tonight, I will make my bed in the floor with her to give her (and me) a few more hours together.  And tomorrow, we will accompany her on her last journey here.  Knowing that dogs have only a few years here, and that this is just "the way it is" doesn't provide comfort.  But if I live to be a hundred, I will always remember Birdie, who became our Sadie.  And her unique personality will be a part of our lives forever.

Teaching an Old Dog a New Trick

Where did the saying, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks," come from?

I did some looking, and found the phrase is incredibly old.  In fact, one source claimed that in the 1500's, it was known as an old saying.  I started to dig deeper, and suddenly realized I didn't care.

But after spending 23 years in the technical field, telecommunications, computers and networking, I found myself out of work.  It was pretty upsetting at first.  I knew God was going to take care of me; that was not a concern.  But I had once again found myself at a crossroads.  And it was again time to decide what I wanted to be when I grew up.

I've known a handful of people who "have always known" what they wanted to be.  Some who wanted to be a nurse, or a lawyer grew up to become just that.  But it seems like the majority of those I know are working in a field that chose them, not the other way around.  I never chose computers; they chose me.  

I had worked as a busboy, waiter, cashier, assembly line worker, inspector, driver, etc.  I had worked everything from fast food to a defense contractor.  When my holiday stint as a driver for UPS ended, a friend from church asked if I knew anything about phones.  

"Absolutely," I replied.  "I can make calls, answer calls, pick up the phone, hang up the phone, use a phone book...I could go on..."

He owned a telecommunications company, and hired me.  After almost five years, I left to join another company in a help desk position, working on computers and the network.  During times of unemployment through the years, I wondered if I wanted to get back into the computer field.  But I was seldom out of work for long.  Technology is always advancing, and there is always a need.

When I lost my job at the age of 49, I started looking into another computer job, mainly with the titles of Network Administrator, or Applications Administrator.  After all, that's what I had been doing for the last 20 years.  It only stood to reason that I was most suited for a job doing the same thing.  And in spite of the fact that I didn't really choose that line of work, it had been a decent living for me.  

After almost four months of unemployment, and searching for a job full-time, a friend at church (is there a pattern here?), told me about a company hiring a couple of people in his school district.  He didn't know anything about the company or the jobs they were hiring for, but he gave me the name of the company.  On a whim, I looked them up, saw they were hiring for the position of Energy Specialist.

"I wonder what that even means," I wondered.

Looking through information on the company website, it sounded interesting, but nothing like anything I had ever done.  I had no experience at all.  

"I can't do that," the familiar thought came.  "But I might as well submit an application anyway."

That was in February, 2016.  I went for an information session, and learned more about the company, what they did, and what they were looking for.  It was interesting.  But I was sitting with 30 other people, and all of them looked to me like better candidates.  When they called me for a second session, and told me it was an actual interview, I was a little surprised.  

I went to the interview, and was asked a couple of questions, and then they were done.  It felt like little more than a formality.  Like they were giving interviews to everyone just to be polite.  They thanked me for my time, and I went back home, knowing that was the last I would hear from them unless they actually sent an email or letter, telling me they had hired someone else.

A couple of weeks later, I received a call with a job offer.  It was quite a bit less than I had been making, but more than I was expecting.  But I still had no idea what the job would entail.

They had told me it would be a lot of hours in the beginning.  My first week was spent in training.  And for the first five or six weeks of working in the district, I averaged 70-80 hours.  Six months in, and it has settled to between 50 and 60 hours a week.  

So what is it I do?  Thank you for asking.  I know you are incredibly interested in everything I do.  (that was sarcasm for those of you who don't know me well).

I am an Energy Specialist in a local school district.  My company places Energy Specialists in school districts to help them save money on their energy costs.  Instead of spending money on utilities, we free up that money so it can be put back into the education system.  I won't bore everyone (all 5 or 10 people who actually read this) with all of the details.  There is a lot to what I do every day.  Years ago, someone made a comment about working with kids.

"It's like trying to hold 20 ping pong balls under water all at once."

I now understand that saying.  Between getting bills entered, checking the data, scheduling events, verifying building usage for those events, working with consultants when they come in to the office, working with the staff at all nineteen of my campuses, tracking utility usage, working with the AC guys to get issues resolved, and working on comfort issues at each campus, I frequently find myself looking at the clock, and wondering where the day went.  Then I look at the list of things left to do, and it doesn't look any shorter.  And then there are the 20-25 audits I have to do each week on the buildings.  Most of those have to be done when the buildings are unoccupied.  So, during the school year, I sometimes get up and going at 5 AM to do a couple before people get there.  I work some in the evenings after they have gone.  And my Saturdays and Sundays are spent walking campuses.

We were having dinner with my brother and sister-in-law a few months ago, and he asked my wife what she thought of the long hours I was working.  

"I think it's great," she replied.

I thought about being hurt by that comment, but she explained that it had been years since I had come home in a really good mood.  And I had already told them that in spite of working 70-80 hours, I had more energy than I had felt in a long time.  Yes, I'm tired, and I haven't had a real day off except for a weekend we went to see my son in Seattle back in July.  But it has been great.  The work feels much more fulfilling, though I'm not really sure why.

I think I'm much better suited to this job (or it is better suited to me).  And in spite of the massive amounts of learning (old dog new trick) that is involved, I have been incredibly impressed with the support they provide.  They hire the best of the best for their consultants.  So many of them retired from careers in HVAC or engineering, and were then hired by our company.  We have the best people in the industry at our fingertips.  

They all have said, "If you have any questions, give me a call."  

Unlike others, who say they are there to help, and then are unavailable any time you need them, I have never had trouble getting in touch with any of them.  And they are always happy and willing to help.  So much of what I'm doing involves working on systems I've never known anything about before.  But the best and brightest are always a phone call or email away.  They may be on a plane at the time, but they always respond as soon as they can.  And they patiently take the time to help.

So I'm learning you can teach an old dog new tricks.  If you are willing to devote the time and effort necessary to actually teach.

Thank you, Mark for telling me about this job.

Thank you to my company, for giving me a chance.

Thank you to my wife, for understanding the long, often strange hours.

And thank you, LORD, for orchestrating everything necessary to lead me here.

Break-In

This was what I came home to on Tuesday afternoon.

Letting the dogs out through the bedroom door, I saw someone had

renovated one side of our French Doors leading to the dining room.

I found a rock in the dog bed in the far end of the living room, thirty

feet away.

So they had entered my backyard through my gate, which now has a
lock, and thrown a baseball-sized rock through the door, intending to

get inside.

Thankfully, our dogs kept them from actually entering the house. But
as I was standing outside, I wasn’t aware of that fact. As far as I knew,
they were still inside. So I had to go back inside to make sure it was safe.
Also, thankfully, my wife was having dinner with friends, and my
daughter was not home from work yet. I hate to think what would have
happened if they had come home and found a burglary in progress.

As I walked through the house, (armed), I was preparing myself for a
potential encounter. Would there be more than one? Would they have
knives, or guns? If they managed to catch me coming around a corner,
and went for my gun, would I be able to keep control, and/or fight one
or two possibly armed assailants?
 

These are the thoughts going through my head as I walked through the house.

After my adrenaline settled, and I realized they hadn't actually made it inside,
I began to calm down. That's when the anger set in.

I'm sure it was some young kid who needed a little money for his habit, or
whatever. To that unfortunate, misguided soul, I just want to say:

"Keep your lazy, punk butt off my property and go get a job."
 

I'm afraid if they had been in the house when I came in, my instinct would
have been to shoot, and then ask who they were, and what they were doing in
my home.

I was talking to a neighbor, asking if he had seen anything, since he is frequently
home during the day. He hadn't, but as we were talking, a deputy Sheriff who
lives a few houses down was driving by. I waved him down, and he got out and
took a look at the damage.

"Call NRHPD," he said. "They have a crime scene, and can help you out."

Excellent. So I call NRH, and explained what happened.

"Do you need an officer to come out, or do you just want to file a phone report?"

"I'd like an officer to come out in case 'someone' is walking around," I said.

I wanted them to know I was taking this seriously.

"Well, we have some major incidents going on, so it will be awhile, but we'll
send an officer by when we can."

"No problem," I said.

I wondered what kind of major incidents North Richland Hills would have on
a Tuesday evening. An hour and a half later, they called back, and took a phone
report. Looking on the website today, I don't see anything about my report, or the
house on the street behind us, that was apparently entered. I'm not sure what they
had stolen, but it doesn't show up on the NRH website.

I thank God for Police and Fire personnel. They are all heroes to me. But when I
\see NRH Police, able to radar to catch speeders every single afternoon; and
consistently see people pulled over all over our area, it's hard for me to understand
why they couldn't spare one officer fifteen minutes to come make a citizen feel like
we actually matter. Maybe they were really busy that evening.

At any rate, I've taken the day off to get my back door replaced. I've also put a lock

on my gate. I'm working on getting my wife her CHL. I will also show her how to
use the guns I have until we get one for her.

On a side note, this all cause me to get back in touch with a friend from years past.
He does construction work on homes, and has been a wonderful help any time I've
needed work done. He showed up this morning, and in two hours, had my old double
French doors removed, and the new on put in. He does excellent work, and is priced
better than anyone else I've found.

It's good to have friends.

After the initial anger subsided, I was truly thankful. Yes, it costs some money
to repair the damage. But no one was hurt, including my dogs. Nothing was
taken (from us). And when I think of my wife walking in on someone, I'm very
thankful it was only a broken door.

Thank you God. Once again, your mercy and grace surround us.