rickety – Page 27

Official: Daniel Will Not Be Returning To Mongolia

June 5, 2010 by rickety 4 Comments

We were hoping that Daniel would be able to return to the Mongolia Ulaanbaatar Mission. But now we know for sure that he will finish his service in the Washington Kennewick Mission.

Today we received a letter signed by President Monson:

Dear Elder Willoughby,

This letter is to confirm that your mission assignment has been changed from the Mongolia Ulaanbatar Mission to the Washington Kennewick Mission.

We appreciate your willingness to accept this assignment and are confident that you will be able to successfully fulfill this new calling.

I am glad the Church was able to reassign Daniel so quickly and put him to work. He is happy to serve in Washington. And he will be able to learn English again for when he comes home.

If you want to communicate with Daniel, write in the comments or use one of these addresses.

Adelaide’s Pink Computer

June 2, 2010 by rickety 7 Comments

On a recent visit to Steven and Adelaide’s home I spied some pink computer parts in the driveway. Steven was preparing a surprise for Adelaide by spray painting her computer pink. You can see in the photograph to the right that he partially disassembled the monitor to avoid getting paint on the screen. Steven bought a pink keyboard rather than paint the existing one — very wise.

Adelaide wasn’t allowed outside to see the proceedings and had to keep her eyes closed when the completed project was brought in and placed in front of her. I think she liked the result. I am sure Aurora’s baby sister, due this month, will like it too.

I had a different opinion. I said:

If I had to use a pink computer to access the Internet I would give up surfing.

However, if one does have a pink computer one must absolutely have these accessories:

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All Is Well In Kaysville Again

June 1, 2010 by rickety 2 Comments

Jake and Rachel at the Kaysville City Budget Hearing

All is well in Kaysville again for me but maybe not for many others. I went to the Kaysville City budget hearing this evening, as suggested by Mayor Steve Hiatt, to request that the electricity billing be improved. Jake and Rachel came with me to lend support. We arrived early before most people showed up. Eventually there were around 80 people in attendance, three-quarters of them Kaysville City employees. Several of them spoke about salaries (there are no raises this year) and some requested newer equipment. The Mayor made sure everyone who wanted to had a opportunity to speak, just like he said he would do during his campaign.

As I pondered what they were saying it reminded me of the 5% pay cut I took three years ago, along with many other engineers at Hill Air Force Base. It wasn’t until this year that my wages finally caught up. Cuts in wages and/or benefits are not easily forgotten and when circumstances change in favor of the employees one shouldn’t be surprised when they leave for better prospects.

Speak Before The Council

When it was my turn to get up and speak to the Council I found it a different experience than speaking in Church. At Church there are maybe 300 to 400 in the congregation but most of them I know. The Council on the other hand, I do not know and have only spoken to Mayor Hiatt once when he wasn’t the mayor but wanted to be. At Church a good number of the congregation is being distracted by children, or are talking to each other, looking around, not listening, or have fallen asleep, some with their eyes open. And once I start speaking a few more will fall asleep. However, there are several in the congregation giving smiles of encouragement and many others that look like they might be interested in what I have say.

As I stood before the Council they were all paying close attention, looking at me intently, and not a smile on any of their faces. It was somewhat intimidating but I pressed on. Fortunately I felt I was well versed in the facts of my request.

A Redesign

One of the city employees, the Finance Director, Dean Storey, told the Council that the utility bill was being redesigned and would make it clear at what rate(s) electricity was being paid. Dean also explained about Demand Charges for commercial customers. If a customer demands a lot of power in a short time period they have to pay extra power charges. This does not apply to residences.

So all is well in Kaysville again. At least for me. For now.

External Articles

Davis County Clipper: Employees raise serious concerns with Kaysville budget
Kaysville City Public Hearing held June 1, 2010: Minutes

Updates

7 February 2011 — I have changed the post to improve clarity by adding headings and replacing “Budget Man” with “Finance Director, Dean Storey.”
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Missionary Dan Email #8 from Vancouver, Washington

June 1, 2010 by rickety Leave a Comment

The move looks like it went well. The pictures look familiar because my companion and I have helped a few people move in and out of the ward. I too am also moving, transfer calls were Saturday and I got a call to go to Walnut Grove ward. It is in the same zone and close to where I already am. I’m really sad to leave this area, but I’m excited to learn more and new things from the next one.

We had a fairly normal week with nothing too exciting happening. We challenged two more investigators to be baptized, but they both had similar concerns. They said they’d already been baptized, so we taught about authority etc. They both have been reading from the Book of Mormon so with a matter of time they’ll be baptized.

The hike we went on was way fun! It was called Horsetail Falls, which had three separate major falls. The biggest one was right next to the road where you parked. Next, was the one where you could walk behind and next to and the last one we went to was the triple falls. It was a good adventure and really refreshing.

There is still tons of rain and yesterday was about the only break we had from it. They say it gets extremely green in the summer so I’m looking forward to it.

I did get my [debit] card and activated it. We usually eat with members for dinner and then Sister Bloom, who we live with, bought us food for our lunches. Now that I’m being transferred to an apartment we’ll have to cook lunches probably again. They have tons of blackberries here, they are almost like weeds. Soon we’ll be able to pick them while we are going around tracking or something.

Thanks for all the great emails. I’ll let you know my new address when I get it. You can all look forward to talking to my current mission president when he returns home at the end of the month.

Love, Elder Willoughby

Elder Daniel Willoughby is serving in the Washington Kennewick Mission. If you want to communicate with Daniel, write in the comments or use one of these addresses.

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A Can of Seeds

May 30, 2010 by rickety 2 Comments

I purchased a can of non-hybrid garden seeds. They are a good item to store for a time when seeds may be hard to obtain or become very expensive.

Why Non-Hybrids?

If you are trying to be self-sufficient, using hybrid seeds is not a good idea. The seed of hybrid vegetables does not grow true — you may not get taste, productivity, or even appearance. Only open pollinated, or “heirloom”, or “traditional” varieties will produce seed which, when saved and planted next year, will give you the same results as the parent plant.

Save your own seeds. This cuts gardening costs by 25% to 50%. Non-hybrids taste better. Many hybrids are now selling for high prices. When you save your own seeds, you only buy once.

A Can of Seeds

There are enough seeds to plant more than 3/4 acres. The varieties have been recommended by Utah State University for short season climates; with excellent adaptability for most regions. Complete instructions for planting are included. There are 16 varieties:

Sweet Corn, Golden Bantam, 5 oz
Spinach, Bloomsdale Longstanding, 10 gr
Pepper, Yolo Wonder, 5 gr
Peas, Lincoln, 5 oz
Cabbage, Golden Acre, 10 gr
Winter Squash, Waltham Butternut, 10 gr
Swiss Chard, Lucullus, 10 gr
Cucumber, Straight Eight, 10 gr
Radish Champion , 10 gr
Onion, Utah Yellow Sweet Spanish, 10 gr
Lettuce, Romaine Paris Island Cos, 5 gr
Pole Bean, Kentucky Wonder Brown, 5 oz
Beet, Detroit Dark Red, 10 gr
Carrot, Scarlet Nantes, 10 gr
Squash Zucchini, Black Beauty, 10 gr
Tomato, Rutgers PS, 5 gr

The unopened seeds should store for four years or more depending on storage temperature. The seeds have been carefully dried to their optimum moisture content to increase their storage life. The cooler the storage temperature, the longer the storage life of your seeds.

This can of seeds is ideal for emergency and preparedness storage. The best place to store your seed would be in a cool, dry, dark location such as a basement. For best results store unopened can in a refrigerator or freezer. You can replant the seeds of these non-hybrid varieties for future harvests.

Now all I have to do is to figure out how to grow them. :)
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Unloading the U-Haul and Loading Up on Pizza

May 30, 2010 by rickety Leave a Comment

Derek and Sarah arrived Saturday afternoon and both their families moved quickly to unload. Four of Derek’s brothers and three of Sarah’s helped along with parents and other family. While the bulk of their possessions are stored with Steven and Adelaide they will be staying with Kari and Linda.

After all was safely gathered in we went to work eating pizza and dessert. It is surprising how much pizza one has to eat after unloading a U-Haul. It must be directly proportional to the amount one unloads. When we were done there wasn’t much left of the eight boxes of pizza and bread sticks.

Contrary to our usual practice, we didn’t have time to take many photographs. However, Kari mentioned that he expected to see a blog post about the event so here it is.

Derek's family helping to unload the U-Haul

Sarah's family also helped unload

Large items were stored in Steven and Adelaide's cavernous garage

It's hard work eating pizza...

...but someone has to do it

Even the little ones helped

Green Jell-O Pineapple Rings

May 28, 2010 by rickety 3 Comments

Paul spends a portion of his time constructing arc-welders from microwaves and making green Jell-O treats. Jell-O pineapple rings are easy to make:

Empty juice from a can of pineapple rings.
Mix the Jell-O (use green if you live in Utah), substituting juice for water.
Use the can as a mold, moving the pineapple rings around to allow the Jell-O to get in between.
When set, open the remaining end of the can and push the Jello-O and rings out onto a plate.
Slice between the rings.

Jell-O is the official state snack food of Utah and Utahns have the highest per capita consumption of Jell-O in the world.

A Kaysville City Annoyance

May 27, 2010 by rickety 6 Comments

There are some annoyances in life that are minor enough to be ignored. They don’t bother me at all unless I am reminded of them, and even then I forget about them quickly. One such annoyance is my Kaysville City Utilities Service Bill.

Although my utility bill arrives promptly each month it is just four times a year that the aggravation arises. To be specific it is the billing for the December, June, July and August electricity use that is the source of irritation. Not the cost of the power but the way the power is billed.

I will explain.

The first 1,000 kilowatt hours of residential electricity is priced at 9 cents per kilowatt hour (kwh). Thereafter the price rises to 10.85 cents per kwh. That is an increase of 20.6% in the unit price cost. Take a look at my January bill:

There is no indication that the usage of 1,265 kilowatt hours for a cost of $118.75 is any different than last month, except it is higher. Yet the numbers do not add up, unless you know of the two-tier rate. To demonstrate:

Kaysville City Residential Energy Rates
Single tier — 1,265 x $0.09 = $113.85
Two-tier — 1,000 x $0.09 + 265 x $0.1085 = $90.00 + $28.75 = $118.75

Perhaps the biggest disapprobation is that there is no indication on the bill that an additional charge is being added.

In a Good Cause

Well, you say, the additional fee is for a good cause. Probably to reduce global warming by encouraging conservation. Or perhaps to offset the same tiered charges the city pays on the open market. Very unlikely I reply. This is because the commercial rates are tiered, but in reverse. In other words, commercial users obtain a discount the more energy they use, which of course is how many products are sold. Consider:

Kaysville City Commercial Energy Rates
First 1,000 kwh — 9 cents per kwh.
Next 9,000 kwh — 6.5 cents per kwh.
All additional kwh — 4.75 cents per kwh.

Perhaps I am missing something here and my readers have an explanation. In the meantime Kaysville City has proposed an increase to power rates of around 7.5 to 8 percent. The last increase was 7.5% in May 2007.

These increases cause me no irascibility. But the hidden tier is reason for vexation. But only a little, and not for long — and soon forgotten.

Electricity rate source: Consolidated Fee Schedule 2009 (PDF), see page 8. If no longer available at the source, try this link.
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Bryson Returns to Utah

May 26, 2010 by rickety 3 Comments

Bryson rolls his truck down the hill

Bryson returns to Utah. Sarah flew from Texas and dropped him off with Jill in Salt Lake City. She then got back on a plane and flew back to Texas. Tomorrow she leaves Texas again to drive one of her cars to Utah.

Just to put Sarah’s mind at ease I am showing these photographs and videos of Bryson playing in the driveway and rolling his truck into the street.

Bryson carries his truck up the hill

If you cannot see the videos click here.

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