After yesterday's horrid winds and rainy gray day, today dawned as a beautiful respite, even though I had to get up and ready earlier than usual after a less than solid night's sleep.
I dropped Kaylee off at school for her last day of testing. Oh yes, I haven't yet mentioned that all week the kids have been going through testing every day. The Indiana State testing starts in grade 3, but the school also decided to do "Terra Nova Testing" for the 1st and 2nd graders. They asked us to put the kids to bed early and give them healthy snacks so they'd do well on the testing. The schedule goes something like this: 9-10 a.m. a test that should take about 40 minutes. 2-3 p.m. a 20 minute Science test, a two minute break (yes, I said two minutes), then a 30 minute Social Studies test. Etc. Again, not sure why we need to make 7 year olds take a couple of hours of tests every day for 3 days in a row, but...I could just be cranky about this one. Kaylee was worried about how she was doing after the first day, and I just flat out told her that it doesn't matter, that they just wanted to see what all the kids that age know, and she was just supposed to answer as best she could. I was not going to have her be stressed out over this.
Anyway, after dropping her off at school, I went out to Kokomo Airport where there was a Glenndale Guys Convention. :) Steve C. and Ty were out doing their thing, Steve S. and Chuck moved the Mustang around in the hangar for this weekend when we are having the Bonanza guys here, Justin was there fixing the computers up in the terminal for us, and I was there to do an instrument proficiency check/flight review with someone.
Before work commenced though, there was another mission to accomplish. Steve had to move Nathan's Corvette out of one hangar and put it back in the other. But you can't just start those up, move them a few feet and shut them back down; it's best to run them for awhile, warm them up thoroughly, etc. So we took it for a spin, all out of duty, naturally. ;) At one point we were running just over 1000 RPMs, doing over 70 mph. Did I mention this particular Corvette has 850 hp? (I originally typed out 'horsepower', but decided if someone doesn't know what 850 hp stands for, they also won't be impressed with what 850 horsepower is. ;)) I tried my hand at driving it next. That is an amazing amount of power, and if a person doesn't step out of it with a smile afterwards, well, I just don't know what's wrong with them. ;) I would dearly love to sit right seat while someone truly proficient with a machine like that took it up to its limits. It is a monster. I wasn't going to drive it originally, because I'd heard Nathan say it was tricky, and I didn't want to goof up something. But I'm glad I did, since I'm fairly sure the opportunities to drive something like that come few and far between. It's also probably best that I don't get to drive it whenever, because the temptation may very well be more than I could bear. ;)
After that little drive, it was time to do some flying, which ended right about at high noon. Chuck got the call that someone had landed on Glenndale's runway not realizing it was too wet, and the poor guy ended up stuck rather fiercely in the mud. It took six guys to get the plane out of the mud, and now they'll have to wait until the runway dries up enough for him to fly it back out. So there was a gentleman in need of a ride to his home airport today. After we all went to lunch at Subway, Ty flew him home in the plane he was coming down to our airport to fly in the first place.
From lunch, I picked up our Glenndale jackets, went home and finished stuffing envelopes, went to the bank and post office, dropped off the billing at the bulk mail place, then went to pick up Kaylee. During recess she had smacked the back of her head on a brick wall, and was treated with ice packs. She's got a bump but she will live. She and four other children were holding their hands over their own nose and mouths and trying to see if they could make themselves "Fade". I believe the word she meant was "Faint", but "fade" is actually somewhat appropriate too. She held her breath to the count of 78 before gasping and throwing her head back-into a brick wall. I can't say that I never had contests with other kids as to who could hold their breath the longest...and it was never me. Weak lungs. When Kaylee asked "how come" her body wouldn't let her "fade", I told her that breathing is not optional and her body was made to protect her from permanently 'fading'. A thought occurred to me then, and I found it wise to follow up with "And do NOT under any circumstances try to help someone else faint by holding their nose or mouth, or putting anything over their or your head!!" What a horrid little thought that was, but I can see some budding scientist come up with that plan, easily.
It's now almost 7 pm, the sun is still shining and it is a gorgeous day. I love Spring. Here are some quotes I have accumulated from the last few days...
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All these are from a guy named Charlie Jones:
"People who know the most know they know so little, while people who know nothing want to take all day to tell you."
"Self-improvement can be harmful if you are just doing it to look better. If you live your life in helping others look better, you will be better without trying."
"If you give to get something, you are not really giving-you are trading."
"Big people are always giving someone credit and taking blame; little people are always seeking credit and giving blame."
"An attitude of gratitude flavors everything you do. Learning to be thankful is the golden thread woven through every truly successful life."
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"Jump at opportunities to take on responsibilities. People should try new things--that’s how to grow."
~Kevin Murray
"Experience teaches only the teachable."
~Vernon Law
"In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or more is a congress."
~John Adams
"The poker player learns that sometimes both science and common sense are wrong; that the bumblebee can fly; that, perhaps, one should never trust an expert; that there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of by those with an academic bent."
~David Mamet
"He who never made a mistake never made a discovery."
~Samuel Smiles
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