Made Me Laugh

As I was backing out of the garage this morning, I glanced over to my left and saw this:

This is how Steve brings the dumpster up from the end of the drive.  It made me laugh because I was reminded of a very funny story.  Our friend, David, does this same thing.  One day, he pulled out of his driveway on Thruston-Dermont Road and turned onto Highway 54.  He said that he was trucking down the highway on his way to work, and everything was fine (as far as he knew).  When he reached the off-ramp at Ragu Drive he heard a noise and saw a dumpster fly by.  He was dumbstruck at the sight and then it dawned on him: that was HIS dumpster! He had forgotten that he had hooked it to his hitch, and he had unwittingly hauled it all that way before the wheels burned up and it freed itself!!  When we imagined what the other drivers were thinking as he passed them, we absolutely rolled on the floor with laughter!  I reminded Steve to unhook ours this morning, and again, we both laughed, thinking of David and his dumpster adventure. 

Funny stuff.

Meteor Crater

We visited Meteor Crater in 2007, while on a grand tour of Arizona.  Steve was determined to see it, especially after having arrived past visiting hours on our previous trip to Arizona.  Meteor Crater is about 20 miles west of Winslow AZ.  The Eagle's song, "Take it Easy" always plays in my head when I think of Winslow.  In any case, Winslow and Meteor Crater were the windiest places I have ever been in my life.  We could hardly stand erect while gazing at that big old hole in the ground. 

Meteor Crater is like the Grand Canyon; pictures just don't do it justice.  It was created by a meteorite traveling around 40,000 miles per hour, approximately 50,000 years ago.  The impact created a crater 700 feet deep, 4,000 feet across and 2.4 miles in circumference. One hell of a big hole, in other words!  I could tell you a bunch of other scientific facts about it, but really, the main thing to know is that it is huge.  Oh, and windy.  Hold on to your hat if you go!

Meteor Crater

Hayden Construction Company

Hayden Construction Co. was established by Vincent B. Hayden, Jr. in 1960. Vince was a mason, and his first job as an owner was a basement for Chester Claypool. This was followed by a home for Johnny Wathen, and Hayden Construction soon began to build both residential and commercial buildings in Owensboro and around Kentucky.

An incomplete listing of jobs by Hayden Construction in the 1960's and 70's includes the Old Stanley Distillery ('62), St. Pius Tenth rectory ('62), Mary Carrico school ('63), St. Mary's school in Whitesville ('64), St. Pius Tenth school ('65), twenty-two nursing homes in Kentucky, the Carmel Home ('67), Immaculate Catholic Church ('67), Kings department store ('68), Mullen & Haynes ('72), and a major addition to Hon Co. ('78).

Vince's son, Steve, joined his father full-time upon graduation from high school in 1982. Vince's son-in-law, Rick Isbill, also joined the business in the mid 80's. Steve does everything from operating equipment to installing roads and sewers to framing and finish work. Some of the jobs in the last 25 years include Wyndall's on Highway 54, Villa Point, Halifax Square, Fountain Square, the Boatman, Staples, Blockbuster Video stores, strip stores on Frederica Street, the development of Fox Chase subdivision, additions to West Irving Die Cast and Hon Co., both Tapp Motors buildings, Paradise Landing, and their current project on Frederica Street for Gavin Roberts.

Vince also built, owned and operated two hotels in the 1990's, Days Inn Beaver Dam, KY and Springfield, KY. His daughter, Donna Hayden Howard, worked as the director of hotels.

 Steve and Rick, as H & I Development Co., own 1/2 acre lots on Vincent Station Drive, a light industrial park. The development houses such businesses as Watts Bros. Cable, Spectrum Trucking, Perfect Patterns, and Foster Enterprises. The area is poised for explosive growth as the new hospital is built across the road on 160 acres.


Hayden Construction Co. does it all, from remodeling to multi-million dollar projects. Steve operates everything from bobcat loaders to D8 dozers. Call them today for a quote on a job!

Nathan

My baby will turn 16 on Sunday, and the memories of his birth are flooding my mind. I was so worried all during my pregnancy that something would be wrong with him, and I was so relieved when he was born and was perfect. Relieved until the day we were to leave the hospital, and he stopped breathing. The fear and dread took up residence in my stomach then, and didn't move out until months later.  He finally did come home, with an apnea monitor that would beep loudly when he stopped breathing, which was all the time.  The next year is a blur, because I worked  full-time and took care of both kids, while Steve worked out of town. It was the most stressful and exhausting time of my life. 

Of course, while I wouldn't want to relive those days, I also wouldn't trade them for anything.  Today Nathan is a happy, healthy young man with his whole life ahead of him.  I am grateful to God for him and pray that God continues to watch over him and bless him as He has from the beginning.

Baby Love

by

Donna Howard

     There is nothing more special on this earth,

than the first time you hold your child after his birth.

     His tiny cry is much like a song, 

the one you've waited to hear for so long.

     A little baby always smells so sweet,

from the tip of his head to his tiny little feet.

     Baby hair so soft and fine,

the way his ears stick out when you look at him from behind.

     His pudgy face with the little button nose,

oh, how his looks change with every inch he grows!

     His laugh really brightens my day,

and I take great joy in watching him play.

          Before you know it, he learns how to walk,

by then you are an expert at "Baby Talk".

   Who says a mother's days are not full,

watching a toddler run, push and pull.

     The way he greets his daddy at the end of the day,

   saying, "Come on, Daddy, come on, let's go play!"

     His daddy will say, "Who's boy are you?"

and he'll reply, "I'm your boy, Daddy, but I'm Mommy's boy, too."

     Take it from me, they grow too fast,

you turn around and their 18th birthday has passed.

     Learn this lesson from me, for I know,

take time each and every day and watch them as they grow.

There but for the grace of God go I...

I must admit, although I keep up on world news, and feel deprived if I am out of touch for any length of time, I usually read stories and feel my blood pressure rise.  This is, of course, what the writers and editors want. They want me to get ticked off and remember what they wrote.  I get irritated with myself for falling for it, but I just cannot help it!


Take, for instance, the story I just read.  A.J. and Lisa Demarees are suing the city of Peoria (AZ), the State Attorney General's office, and Wal-Mart.  Why? Because they had some pictures of their children developed at Wal-Mart, and the clerk was shocked by 8 of the 144 photos.  She called the police, and the police report said that the photos were of the children in provocative positions, with their genitals exposed.  The three children, ages 1 1/2, 4, and 5 at the time the photos were taken, were removed from the home and placed in the care of  Child Protective Services.  The kids were away a month before the Demarees could regain custody of them.  Lisa Demarees was suspended from her job for a year while the investigation was under way, the couple spent $75,000 on legal bills and their names went on a central registry of sex offenders.  A medical exam of the children revealed no sexual abuse, and subsequently a judge ruled that the photos were in fact harmless.


The Demarees say the photos were of innocent bath time.  The police searched their home and seized their computers and videotapes,  which show numerous videos and photos of the children frolicking without clothes. The Demarees say they have always encouraged their children to be comfortable with their bodies, and if they want to run around the house in their underwear, they want them to be able to do so.


I have many thoughts about this, but I suppose I should disclose my first one, which was that I have several photographs of my children when they were small, in the tub, smiling at me from the soapy water.  Okay, so their genitals weren't exposed, but there is one shot of them after a bath, naked behinds shining, and my youngest son is turned just slightly sideways so you can see his front, if you look closely enough.  All these years I have cherished that photo, especially since they hate it so much.  I have always imagined giving it to their future wives, or showing it at their 30th birthday parties.  But, now I wonder if that photo would be considered inappropiate, or even child pornography. Maybe I am just lucky that the photo clerk who developed these pictures, I guess at least 13 years ago, didn't call the police.  I have no idea what the pictures in question look like, and the police report description of them made me imagine the worst: "photos of the children in provocative positions, with their genitals exposed."  The parents describe some of the photos of the children as after the bath, lying on a towel with their arms around each other.  That must be the "provocative pose".  However, a judge ruled that there was no sexual intent on the part of the parents. That makes me believe that the pictures really were innocent on the parent's part, although definitely not the best idea they ever had. 


I take child abuse very seriously, be it verbal, physical or mental. I have no sympathy for offenders, but I think this case may be different. I guess it can be said that the legal system worked as it should, but the Demareese feel that their lives are ruined.  I don't know that I agree with suing everyone involved, but it does seem like there should be some compensation for people who are falsely accused.  I suppose the lawsuits are their way of securing compensation, but it sems like there should be a better alternative. 


This story should make us all think. "There but for the grace of God go I"  ...