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December 1994 Newsletter |
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L Arellano, III Home
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FEATURE SECTION About Batteries A Case for Auto Tests Fine Dining COMIC SECTION
FAMILY FOLLOW UP Mike's Doings David's Doings Florida Trip Notes Orange Bowl Parade Barb's Doings New Mouth to Feed Disaster Relief Trip |
 tm Copyright © 1994, 2000 Luis Arellano, III. All
rights reserved.
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OFF THE PHONE WIRE
"You'd be proud of me. I had a discussion with my neighbor about another company, and I said as far as service, you are excellent. I'm one of your best backers."
- Mrs. L. Wakefield
Dorothy C., commenting on the detail of my last newsletter, said, "You forgot to tell what kind of toothpaste the kids use." (Crest)
Asked about her system, Carol Karl said, "I love it. I wouldn't be without it. I feel so much better as soon as I turn it on."
When You're Right, You're Right. "The telephone man says it's rare to see all the wiring done correctly. He was impressed, and that made me feel good about the job you did for us."
- L. Giusti
FINANCIAL REVERSES. Fred H. Wittmer likes to tease me when he calls. He owns a number of commercial properties, and used to be landlord to Dad, then to me, in Willow Grove and Oreland in the early 80's. During a couple of tough years, I was often late with the rent. I eventually downsized my operations and closed those shops. Meanwhile, in a role reversal, Fred had become my customer for his alarm service. He always pays my bills pronto! Recently, another of my customers, Ben Cody, mentioned to me that he was looking for some commercial space. I put the two of them in touch. Ben got his space, Fred got a tenant, and I got another system installation. Recently, Fred asked, "How do you know Ben?"
I replied, "He's one of my customers. We've done several systems for him. He's good pay." Referring to the old days when I would be late with the rent, Fred needled with a straight face, "Yeah, he's not Lou." I replied, "Well, Fred, now that you're my customer, I’m flush!"
Postscript: Fred called a few weeks later to give me new information for his Call List. In closing the brief call, he said, "Okay, that's it. Your check’s in the mail." After hanging up, I realized I was all happy. When Fred says it’s in the mail, he means it. Thanks, Fred!
High Tech Phone Techniques. Last summer, Mike, 18, was up in his room. He had a question for me. I was in my basement office. Rather than walk down two flights of stairs, he used the personal line to ring me up on the business line. After answering his question, I asked if he would have left a message on the machine if I had not picked up in time. The answer was no. Not knowing who rang, I would have had to use "Return Call" to find out. It costs a quarter.*
Amazingly, as I am editing this newsletter, David, 16, has just called me in the same fashion. He is down with the bug. It's snowing. He wants me to tilt his windshield wipers up so they won't freeze to the glass. A light bulb lit up in my brain. "If I hadn't answered the phone in time, would you have left a message on the machine?" (Take a guess.)
* It's a lot more now, 75 cents, I think. I hardly ever use it, but I did break down and get "Caller ID" for both of those lines. - LA 11/2000
Private Computer Bytes. In January I updated the operating system in my computers to DOS 6.2. Then I got to customizing our computer setup, and in a fit of cuteness, I altered the DOS Command Prompt. (It's done in the "AUTOEXEC.BAT" file.) Instead of just "C:>", I changed it to say, "Lou © Barb! C:>". Pleased with the result, I then changed the description on the list of programs in the Dosshell menu, from "Command Prompt" to "Lou © Barb!".
Days later, before I had a chance to mention it, I noticed Suzan going for the command prompt by pressing "Shift + F9." I said, "You know, you can get it by selecting `Lou Heart Barb!'" She replied, "I didn't want to try that one because I have no idea what kind of personal stuff might be there." After I explained that it simply gives you a command prompt, she said, "All this time everybody has been asking me what that is, and I keep telling them, 'I have no idea, better leave it alone!'"
Anticipate a Big Repair Bill! Suzan left me a message. "I will be in late Thursday, Lou. I have to go to the doctor's, and they're going to work on my car."
The Little Battery that Could. We recently retired a standby battery that set the record. It was installed in 1982! Unfortunately, we were there servicing the system because it failed. The batteries we are now installing have a typical useful lifetime of 3-5 years. Toward the end of that span, they have less "punch" than when originally installed, because they dry out inside from continuous charging. Once in a while we are called to fix a neglected system with a battery so dry it actually rattles!
The point is, we may test an older battery and find it to be passable. However, we feel that stretching until it fails before replacing it is a false economy, due to the expense of the service call and potential false alarm fines, not to mention the chance of a system failure when the power goes out. A viable compromise is to install a second (new) battery in parallel with the older one, although some control boxes, particularly the AT&T 8000, don't have the space needed to do that.
Our technician may suggest replacing an older battery, even though it tests fine. However, our policy is not to be pushy about it, leaving the final decision up to you.
Speaking of Batteries, we recommend that you avoid using the tester that comes built into the 9-volt Duracell blister package. These strips apply a brief but heavy load to the battery, wasting valuable power and shortening its life in your security system. The best way is to use an accurate voltmeter, preferably one with a digital readout. A brand new 9-volt battery should read 9.10 or better, with 9.30 to 9.56 volts being typical.
A Case for Automatic Tests. Bill H. goes to Florida every year. A year ago in January, his answering machine went kaput while he was there. When he returned in April, he discovered the phone line had broken at the pole. The result was no central station protection all that time, since the dialer requires a good phone line to transmit. Had his system been set up for 24-hour automatic tests, the problem would have come to light by the following morning. (Bill had us set it up when he got back.) Call for more information if you are interested in this optional service, designed to increase the reliability of your system.
You may one day ask us, "What if a burglar cuts my phone line?" We offer a choice of several system accessories to solve that problem. Call or write if you are concerned.
What's Good About Monday? For his paid holiday, Dave took the Monday after Easter instead of Good Friday. His service report read, "Good Monday Holiday."
The Sales Consultants we hear at seminars always emphasize the need to tickle our friends and existing customers for sales leads. (Kitchee-coo!)
WHICH IS WORSE DEPARTMENT. I offered to warm up Barb's car one frigid morning. She gave me her key ring. For fun, I blew into the police whistle I had given her a while back. She exclaimed, "Ugh! Now if I get attacked, I'll have to worry about your germs!"
FINE DINING DEPARTMENT
The Sign of the Sorrel Horse Inn has moved from upper Bucks County to Doylestown, about a mile north of Route 313 on Old Easton Road. This will be a "must visit" for historic building buffs. Formerly "The Pear and Partridge," it is an old gristmill built in 1714 by John Dyer, which is being extensively renovated. The Inn reopened on Thanksgiving Day, 1994. The owner, Jon Atkin, originally from England, and his wife, Monique Gaumont-Lanvin, from France, have operated in Bucks County since 1985. Jon's cuisine and catering have earned an excellent reputation. Their business outgrew the former premise, a situation which the new Inn should remedy nicely. My son, David, has helped and was eager to resume preparing fancy desserts. He saw me examining the first floor plan one day, and pointing to the "Cold Food Area," he lit up. "Look! That's my area!"
Reliance Alarm Company has had the privilege of installing a state of the art fire alarm to protect this fascinating landmark. In searching for wire paths, we explored every nook and cranny from top to bottom. Most intriguing is the water wheel room in the basement, where a wide catwalk affords a comfortable place to examine the heart of the mill, with its sturdy stone construction. This catwalk will ultimately be a small dining area. Unfortunately, the water wheel itself is gone, but the massive wooden spindle and cast iron gears are still there, resting in a cradle of broken beams. Since my first visit, a lot of debris has been cleaned out of the wheel pit, which is now presentable from the perspective of a dinner patron. Jon intends to eventually have a new water wheel built and to jack the gears back up in place on new timbers. They will not have much to drive, though, since the mill floor above was permanently converted to dining space. Jon is seeking a qualified historical group to restore the wheel room. The millrace, which supplied water to the wheel, once crossed beneath Old Easton Road. It has been filled in, raising doubt as to whether a new wheel would ever be driven by water. The outlet race to the rear of the building will be deepened and a covered pedestrian bridge will be built across it for access to a large outdoor dining area suitable for receptions. The original mill floor has decorative bands of brick inlaid in a concrete floor, which was poured on top of the original wood planks. Boy, was that a chore to drill through! Visible from the road and through the front window is a large millstone. Elsewhere, the basement beneath the kitchen reveals a series of heavy floor planks about 18 inches wide. As wide as they are, these planks have no splits! To run attic wiring, we drilled across what turned out to be a center beam about 12 inches wide. The building itself has so many rooms and was expanded so many times, that a first time visitor can get lost with no effort. The second floor has several suites that won't be open until 1995. The narrow and low hallway is evidence of our "shorter" heritage. It runs from end to end, with a handsomely finished semi-spiral staircase at the south end. The guest room decor left by the prior owner is interesting, to say the least. Jon says there were five or six fires. We found evidence of several, the worst leaving some extensively charred beams in the loft of the original mill. The plushly furnished lounge directly above the wheel room has been named "The Orient Express Room." Thinking aloud, Jon portrayed it in its glory as a parlor dedicated to cigar and pipe smoking.
When Jon first gained access to the property, he took some helpers to begin the task of cleaning it up. David mentioned rumors of the ghost of a Revolutionary War soldier. He thought he might have caught a glimpse of this soldier at the far end of a long hallway, during his own first exploration of the building. I asked Monique whose ghost it might be. "They say it's General Marquis De Lafayette. This is where he stayed after he was wounded at Brandywine. We're going to name one of the rooms after him. Not many inns can claim that -not like George Washington-he slept everywhere." Intrigued, I asked if they knew exactly which room he stayed in. She smiled. "When the bed starts moving, we'll know."
Ghost or not, The Sign of the Sorrel Horse Inn has a powerful charm and authenticity that will afford a memorable dining experience. In the final days of installing the fire alarm, I found the chef was drawing me to the kitchen like the pied piper, with the heavenly aroma of cooking.
Update 2003: Chef Ken Hicklin has taken over and renamed it
The Water Wheel. (215-345-9544)
My Best Customer? Suzan buzzed me one day. "Lou, I have Bob Fillmore on the line. He wants to know if you're going to send him a bill for the service call, or if he's such a good customer you're not going to bill him for it." I knew the service report was waiting in my bin. "He is a really good customer, but tell him he's not that good a customer. I'll get it out right away!"
My Special Request to Employees:
"Please do not make up paper clips into chains. I can not figure them out."
The Ultimate False Alarm. An anti-terrorist device in a Mercedes that was specially equipped to protect executives from kidnapping, accidentally released four canisters of tear gas inside a car dealership, necessitating evacuation of the premises.
Big on Vocal Technique. While riding in the car with Barbara, an instrumental version of "Send in the Clowns" came on the radio. Knowing Barbara hates the vocal version, I began to sing the words, anticipating her request for a change of stations. Barb said, "You sound like Big Bird." I changed the station.
MIKE, 18, was a "KIDS" Counselor again in the Borough's summer program. He has enjoyed doing that for several years, now, and saved up a few dollars. He is now a freshman at Ithaca College. Getting him situated there was no small chore. Over the summer, Mike was unable to schedule an audition for the School of Music, so for his first semester he applied as an exploratory major on his academic merits. I have to hand it to him. I had told him he would have to buckle down and get decent grades in high school in order to keep his options open, and he came through beyond my expectations. His application for aid came back approved, with a generous enough grant to make it possible. What a blessing! And what a barrage of forms and applications came with it! But everything is very quiet, now that the tuition bill is paid.
We sent him off on August 28. He drove up by himself with the Cavalier wagon loaded above level with his stuff, including guitars and amplifiers. He has settled into dorm life. I had a chance to check out his room, when in October, his car needed some repairs before he could drive it home on a break. I went up with tools, a spare battery, and other parts. I used his room to change into work clothes. Ah, that sweet scent of dirty socks! As we chatted there, I looked up and in a moment realized that a great change had begun in him. Later, while we worked on his car, he remarked, "You know, there's not one person in this whole college who has any idea how a car works or how to fix it. They taught us all that academic stuff in High school, but they left out the practical things we really need." After diagnosing a bad battery, one of the problems with the car was that the engine was idling way too fast. I had dealt with this before. There's an electric "idle air valve" that just wasn't closing up. I took half of an old sock and stuffed it into the idle port until the engine calmed down nicely.
After we fixed a couple of other minor things, we got ready to go. Mike had agreed to take a female student from Pottstown to the Quakertown exit of the Turnpike. When we got there, I chatted briefly with her mother. Perhaps I shouldn't have mentioned fixing the car with an old sock. Her parents took her back up to Ithaca on Sunday.
A few weeks later, Mike came home again. I asked how the car was doing. He said the idle is a bit low and it stalls a lot until it warms up. I said, "You need to change your socks."
He was home to perform with David and their friends, Chris, Nick and Talia in an AIDS Awareness Concert. We are learning that when he comes home, there are demands on his time from many friends, and we don't actually see very much of him. We are happy to see him nonetheless.
Mike's occasional weekend trips home are a revisitation of weekends I would come home from the Sub Base to hang around with the gang, and later, to date Barbara. Only thing is, in my first year, I left the car at home and took the train. When I was a kid, mom always used to give me bus and trolley fare to get where I needed to go. I notice that today's generation has not only apathy, but also a real aversion to public transportation. The apparent root of it is in today's overriding fear of child abduction.
The Work Ethic. My son, DAVID, 16, talking to friend Steve about carpooling to work later that day, was overheard saying, "There's nothing like a good day's work to get the blood flowing!"
David got his driver's license this year. In anticipation, we had our eyes out for a car. My technician, Dave Ashcroft, said one morning, "[Our customer,] Scott has an '81 Corolla for sale. It needs work." Since I already have several Toyotas, we packed up the family and went to Scott's Service Center in Chalfont for a look. The front end was bent a bit, but the doors were beautiful. I wanted it for a parts car, since mine needs new doors. David immediately called dibs. "That's my car!" We put a new head gasket in the engine, and it has been doing reasonably well with ordinary running repairs, although it uses some oil. Meanwhile, David has gotten antsy and peer pressure is at work. He wants something nicer. I told him, "It would be best to get some driving experience in a cheap car. Keep saving. Later on you can get something nice, or you can have this one straightened out."
David has again qualified for a trumpet position in the High School Jazz Band. We are looking forward to another season of Jazz Festivals. He will finally get to use his Flugelhorn in a performance environment. Practice, Dave! Later in the spring, the Marching Band will appear in the Kentucky Derby Parade, and then stop at Winchester, West Virginia for the Apple Blossom Parade. (Barb and went on the spectator bus when Mike marched in the latter parade a few years ago. It was a magnificent event.)
Both our boys went with the High School Chorus on a tour to upstate New York and Canada last spring. Mike is not here at the moment, so I asked David about the highlights. He could not point out any particular thing, but "It was all fun."
Last year, the day after Christmas, the three of us went as spectators with David on a bus trip with the Marching Band, to Disney World and the Orange Bowl Parade. By design, it was a busy trip with a lot of activities and no too many quiet interludes to relax and unwind. I came down with a bug just before we left. We got to see the MGM Studios, which were new since our last trip to Florida. Barb wasn't feeling too great by the time we got there, and so didn't enjoy it as much as she might have. The highlight was having dinner at the fifties cafe, with the waitress pretending to be "Mom." For the Parade down Disney World's Main Street, I positioned myself at the loop in front of the castle to watch our band march by. I shot a whole roll of film with my double flash heads blasting furiously. At Miami, Barb and I walked up and down the promenade while the kids had a party on the beach. Later, there was an adult tug of war. I made the mistake of tugging too hard, and threw my back out for the following month.
The Orange Bowl Parade was a major excitement. The route went up northbound Biscayne Boulevard, turned and came back down the southbound Boulevard. Then it turned right and went out a side street, then over a bridge, where it ended. A group of us spectators stationed ourselves two blocks into the latter stretch. I had my two-way radio with me, monitoring the band staff's communications. I heard them getting ready to step off into the TV area. There was a problem - so many bands were playing in a small area, and our band was so big (about 160) and covered so much real estate, that it was hard for the players to hear the cadence. It was especially tough because bands coming the other way across the plaza were blasting almost directly at them. I heard Dr. Zettlemoyer say they were being urged on by the TV Director, and I heard Mr. Shughart, the band director, say, take your time and get a little space if you can. Once they got going, I heard stops and starts and orders to play, as they worked Biscayne Boulevard. One of the bad things about watching a parade is that the players need to take a breather once in a while, and a spectator at a fixed location won't get to hear every band play as it passes. As they approached the turn, I took my radio and called Mr. Shughart. I told him where we were, and hinted it would be nice if they could strike up as they approached our spot. They did, and we thrilled to Sousa's El Capitan, performed smartly in front of us, from Color Guard to Pooper-Scooper!
BARBARA is once again active in the church choir. We will be singing a Cantata on December 18 and 24. On Christmas morning, we will join a huge choir to sing The Hallelujah Chorus.
Last summer we got Barb an '85 Camry. She did have an '83 that I bought in mechanical distress from our brother-in-law, Ted. Unfortunately, after only 11,000 miles, a driver going through a red light in Coopersburg totaled it. (He hit us broadside right behind the driver's door, doing about forty. We were both sore for weeks.) Because that car had been so good, and held up so well in the collision, I searched the ads for another, eventually finding her '85. There was hardly a speck of rust on it.
Barb has a small part time job as a card merchandiser for Ambassador Cards. She maintains the card department at Quaker Village I.G.A. and a drug store in Perkasie. [The I.G.A. later became Boyer's Great Valu. It is also one of my security customers.] They gave her a Telxon scanner, which she uses to inventory cards and transmit orders. She really enjoys it, and hopes to get one more store.
Barb was on the committee this year for the church's "Christmas Seasonings" Ladies Dinner. For a party favor, they decided on a small handmade decoration consisting of three dried apple slices on a cinnamon stick about four inches long, with a little loop of string for hanging it. For three months the heavenly scent of apples-in-a-low-oven wafted throughout our home, while Barb worked at assembling her share of the four hundred favors needed. I was recruited to join the other committee members' husbands to serve the meal. A couple of days ahead, we set up all the tables, and under Barb's direction, I hung decorations in the Youth Center at East Swamp Church. The day of the party, there were four tables identically supplied on both sides with food, so that eight buffet lines were operating at once. Delicious hot-topped potatoes were the main dish. A couple of hostesses directed the ladies into lines where there was room. I was assigned with Terry and Dick to keep the food moving from the kitchen to the tables. Even in my Navy days I don't remember that much food flying so fast! As the ladies finished eating, we went out and served apple crisp desserts, then collected the empty dishes and silverware. Then while the guest speaker proceeded, we cleaned up the kitchen. Barb was exhausted, but pleased that the program was successful.
A Big Mouth to Feed. A few years ago, I had installed a Franklin wood stove, which heated our entire home for a whole season. (What a job it was keeping that thing fed!) Well, the insurance company sent an underwriter out to look it over, and next thing I knew, they were canceling my homeowner's policy. Since then, the stove has been shut down. Barb wanted it out anyway, so we could put the tree in its place and move ourselves back in with our den furniture for Christmas. Problem was, the stove weighs almost as much as my Toyota. With Mike home for the weekend, the four of us, with the help of Samantha, Mike's friend, lugged the stove out to the driveway. I used the red gong from an 8-inch fire bell to close up the flue thimble, and Barbara is now busily arranging the tree in her favorite room, while jingle bells announce each time our back door opens.
1994 MDS EXPERIENCE. President Jimmy Carter set a terrific example for all of us years ago, when he took a week off from work to help build a house with "Habitat for Humanity." I always admired that example. When I learned our church was recruiting volunteers for disaster relief and reconstruction, I was raring to sign up. We were going to Jasper, Georgia, where tornadoes had hit.
There were nine men in our team. It was the first MDS trip for three of us. On the way to Georgia, we took turns driving and got acquainted. One theme surfaced over and over, the feeling these men had about their previous trips. "You never forget it when the people are saying goodbye to you with tears streaming down their faces."
When we were ready to head out to the first job, Llewellan, our leader, said, "These people have been through a lot, and they might need to just talk. Don't feel like you're wasting time if you have to put your tools down and chat. It's an important part of helping them."
That afternoon, we had one of those chats with Ralph Milsap. We asked about his own tornado experience. Quoting him the best I can, he said: "They told us over the radio the tornadoes were coming. We went down in the basement, and after the first storm passed by, we came out and looked around. I said to Pat, 'It looks like it missed us.'" He went on, "All of a sudden the sky got as dark as night, and I said, 'Something's coming.' Pat laid down on the barn floor and I covered over top of her. I looked up and saw the roof go, and there were all kinds of things flying around up in the sky, parts of cars and trees and junk. When it was all over, I ran next door to check on my 90-year-old neighbor, and I couldn't find her. I had just given up and was leaving when I heard her praying in the closet. She was all right. Then my neighbor across the street found his wife on the hillside pinned down by a huge tree, and he was frantic trying to get her chain sawed out, and we were worried that he would make a wrong cut and the tree would shift. We really didn't think she'd make it, and she didn't. Maybe if all the roads hadn't been blocked we might have gotten help, but it was just impossible."
Ralph had four horses in the field. The tornado picked them up and tossed them, killing them all. The roofs were ripped off his house and barn. His horse trailer was tossed into the ravine. The barn has since been fixed, but their home was severely damaged. The Milsaps, and many others, have been living in campers since the storm.
MDS stripped the house down to the foundation and re-laid the first floor using the old floor joists. Everything from there up is new. We found the shell with a roof on it, ready to be roughed in. Our team did most of the electrical wiring and framed the carport and started putting the roof on it.
The work we did was actually fun. For a contractor like myself, it's especially nice doing the kind of work you enjoy, without having to worry about whether you'll get paid for the job when you're done.
On the trip back home, we shared the burden of driving, our prayers and our fears. We taught each other through our experience and advice, and we told some of our funniest stories. We got Harvey Rickert telling Pennsylvania Dutch farm jokes, and Don Landes got us all telling about youthful escapades. I told a couple of my submarine stories, but I guess I'd better not tell any of them now - let's just say there's not enough room.
Well, now it's your turn - curl up with a hot chocolate and read it all. In closing, I pray the prayer of all parents, that my boys will continue to grow in God's care and prosper in their career and family lives. I pray this letter will find all our friends and family in good health, and that you'll have a joyous Christmas and a safe and prosperous New Year. God Bless You!
With Love,
Lou, Barbara, Mike & Dave Arellano
P.S.,
Our business depends on your referrals!