Spring break day three was not nearly as 'fun' as the previous two obviously. This bus is only two and a half years old and has been to the mechanic more times than some of my kids have been to the doctor. I think it is a dud. We shall see whether the family will be living on mac and cheese for the next three months when all is said and done with repairs. Timing will be the issue too. Most times when the shops bring in buses they are part of a fleet and there is another one to replace it. They don't usually come in as the sole family vehicle. For us it is necessary that they repair it as soon as possible as in the meantime I am renting a 15 passenger van which may have space for that many bodies however those bodies need to be able to squirm their way through a tight space to find a seat. Not an easy task for a lot of my kids. The only thing these vans are good for is hauling people who have neither bags nor equipment that travel with. Neither of the wheelchairs fold and even if they did there is no space to put them. This is not the first time we have had this happen particularly with this particular bus (#3 for whoever is counting) and it will all work out but really, what a pain in the keister!
On the upside look at that lovely raked yard just waiting for the Easter Egg hunt we are hosting on Saturday. I even tilled, if you could call it that, the little front garden. Yes it was with the snow shovel but let's be realistic folks. The calendar might say it is spring but you know darn well in this province we are far from over dumps of snow.
1 comment:
Tricia,
Hope you're enjoying your spring break!
I didn't have your e-mail address handy and I wanted to make sure that you had the option of doing this if you have time.
Sandy
http://www.familyconnect.org/blog.asp?BlogID=1&BlogEntryID=640
Constructing the Beeping Easter Eggs
There are several methods for constructing the beeping Easter Eggs and my way is simple but durable and dependable. I purchase the components from Radio Shack. The items I have been using are:
a small steel toggle switch (275-635) or a cheaper small toggle switch if available
a 3-24v piezo beeper (273-066)
a 9v battery and 9v connector (270-325)
electrical tape
solder
large plastic Easter eggs
Many stores have these eggs for sale in packages of six or twelve and I usually buy them after Easter at Hobby Lobby for about 99 cents for 6.
1) I construct the eggs by drilling one hole in the long end of the egg just large enough for the threaded end of the toggle switch to fit snugly through.
2) I then drill several holes around the egg with an appx 1/8 inch bit to allow the sound to escape.
3) I solder one lead from the 9v clip to one connector on the toggle and solder one lead from the beeper to the other toggle connector. The solder is needed on the toggle connections to keep that connection secure through rough handling.
4) The second beeper wire can be attached directly to the remaining 9v battery lead. This creates a single switch series circuit that allows the battery to be replaced by simply removing the 9v clip and re-taping the new 9v in place. The wires can be twisted together and secured with electrical tape.
5) I secure the toggle switch to the hole drilled in the long end of the egg using the nut and washers supplied with the switch. Tight but not so tight the egg cracks.
6) The piezo beeper must be secured to the 9v with electrical tape. Make sure that you attach the battery to the beeper with the long ends of the beeper running the length of the battery so the egg will close securely. You might want to put a small piece of tape on the outside of the egg holding the two halves together.
Please contact me if you have questions or need assistance.
David Hyche
Work Number 205-583-5972
David.hyche@atf.gov or bhamaapvi@bellsouth.net
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