Snow Day II

I slept in until 6:15am – as late as I could comfortably sleep without placing undue pressure on myself. I had to exercise, relax, run, and shower all before 8:45am. The house was quiet as I went about my routine. It was nice to get through my routine so early on a weekend day, but also tough.

 Meanwhile, the snow was still coming down outside. We had a little over two inches of total accumulation already. I was excited about my coming run. After coffee I dressed appropriately for my run and headed out. The house was still quiet, by the way. My run went really well. I used the dry, fluffy snow as extra cushion for my run. Very nice! 

I was back by 9:10am and quickly headed for the shower. Mindy was just putting the finishing touches on herself. She said that brother Bobby called to cancel his family’s participation. Something about April’s family being in town. She asked if I was still up for going. Yeah! I didn’t get up at 6am for nothing! Mindy called dad just to make sure that he was still planning to go. He was. Something I hadn’t thought of was how all six of us would safely get there. We ended up taking Mindy’s minivan. I’m not much of a minivan kind of guy, but that was our only viable option. 

While scraping the windshield, I noticed Mindy’s windshield wiper blades were in dire need of replacement. Something else to add to the list. Off we went. We arrived a few minutes early – ten minutes to be exact. Still no sign of dad. We agreed to be seated without him as long as they’d bring him by. 

Dad was surprised to learn Bobby wouldn’t be there. Still, it’s not about who isn’t but instead who is. After all, I was there! J Soon we all placed our orders. Much like our daily lives, this breakfast excursion is much more difficult with four kids, let alone one being totally dependent.

 Mindy & Jacob both had sausage gravy. I had the farmer’s breakfast. Dad had mush. J No, not really. He had eggs and buckwheat pancakes. However, he had his pancakes replaced citing that they were sour. In the end, breakfast was good. We parted ways shortly before 10am. We headed north on Hilliard Rome Rd towards Kohl’s where we planned to shop for a few things for the boys. Mindy called Jimaken, who was expecting the kids at his parent’s home just up the road. Jimaken was only a minute or two away. He met us at Kohl’s for the drop-off. Mindy & Landon went inside right away. He needed changed. Oh the things you just never think about! 

I walked in with Jimaken and the kids. We greeted Mindy & Landon back by the restrooms. Soon, Jimaken dashed off with Jacob & Bella. Mindy & I shopped with Rocky & Landon. We got Landon a new winter jacket complete with snow pants and a few more new shirts for Rocky. We got both boys Xmas sweaters too. 

Soon we were back at home. I was determined to continue my work on the dysfunctional garage door. I reread the owner’s manual looking for more clues to the problem. It seemed pretty clear, the safety sensors weren’t working. It was as if something was obstructing the invisible beam between the transmitter and receiver. The other meaningful piece of information was that it only occurs/fails in cold temps. 

I respliced the wires first thing, thinking that one might’ve worked loose over the years. I even got up in the attic to scope out the entire length of wire looking for mouse chews or anything similar. Nothing. I eventually determined that it was something in the sensor itself or the tiny wire connector. After monkeying with it, it seemed to work for a couple up’s and down’s. However, after a couple runs, it would fail. I ended up breaking off the wire at the connector by accident. Now I was really screwed.

 I attempted to by pass the sensors all together only to learn that it will not function without it. Of course, it’s a safety feature. I tried every way under the sun to repair the tiny connector but couldn’t. I finally gave up and drove to Sears hoping to buy new sensors and a connector. Sears doesn’t stock any replacement parts. Crap. Seemingly, the only solution was buying a new garage door opener. Damn! 

Before shelling out $180 I figured I’d try rigging it up some other way. Ingeniously, I figured a way to bypass the connector and attach the tiny wires to the sensor’s two prongs. I pulled the sensor from my pocket and twisted the two wires around the posts. Boom – bright green light! Cool. I was encouraged. It worked! I ran it two or three times. Worked fine. Fantastic. Before going in, I put away all of my tools, including my volt meter. Before going in I tried it one more time. Failure! What?

 I ran immediately to check the sensor light. Once again, it was only dimly lit. I checked the connections but they were fine. Then it dawned on me. The sensor itself is bad. When it gets cold the circuitry opens up. By placing it in my pocket I warmed it just enough to complete the circuit. But after setting out in the cold for a matter of minutes it fails once again. Knowing the history, it now makes total sense. 

Unsure how I’d proceed, I decided to Google it. Online I found a link to garage door safety sensors. From there I found a link to Craftsman. Less than five minutes later I had the exact replica of my safety sensors, which Sears webpage said there were no parts for, in my shopping cart - $35 with shipping. But before clicking the final button I decided to try Amazon now that I had the actual part number.  Amazon had the same part for $23. Wahoo! I had to pay $4 for shipping but who cares. My problem will hopefully be resolved by the end of the work week. Gotta love the internet. 

I was in a far better mood afterwards. While I toiled with the garage door, the kids were once again out playing in the snow. Oh, and by the way, Jacob & Bella were back home, too. I checked the Vikings score online. They were behind to the winless Lions at the half,  6-3. Please God, don’t let the Lions’ beat my Vikings!!!! 

The Vikings scored on the opening drive of the second half but let the Lions return the favor next possession. I decided then to walk away. Instead, I took a much needed and deserved nap. I had to resist the urge to check on the score. I would make it a point to avoid all football scores until much later when I was ready to face the music. 

We left for Sunday dinner at 4pm sharp. Nephew Joe was already there. Suddenly, now, we were adding six to the mix. Both boys have been there before and seemed fairly comfortable around the family. Everyone went out of their way to make the boys feel welcome and comfortable.  I appreciated that. Rocky seemed to really enjoying mixing it up with one of the brother-in-laws. That was too funny. 

Dinner was sloppy joe’s. As usual, they were quite good. Cup cakes were served for dessert. Niece Lynn kept the kids busy down in the lower level for most of the evening. I think everyone appreciated it. We left for home at 7:15pm. As I understood things, there wouldn’t be Sunday dinner either of the next two weekends. We wouldn’t convene again until Xmas day. 

Once home it was back to the feverish pace which has become our lives. There was a dog to be walked and four kids to be bathed, jammied, and tucked into bed. We had everyone taken care of in 45 minutes. Simply knowing that I didn’t need to be up for work gave me extra energy. Consequently, Mindy & I rearranged the family room to accept the Xmas tree. That’s where we left it. I promised to put up the tree the following day. 

We headed for bed sometime after 10pm. Oh yeah, the Vikings won 20 -16!