Author: William Douthwaite

Posted in Life

The missing lug nut

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Tekton on Unsplash

For the past few days, I’ve heard an unusual sound from the front end of the van just as I’m coming to a stop. It’s not a squeak or a grinding sound. It’s more like something rubbing. I don’t feel it in the brakes. I only hear it. But not all the time. Hmmm.

I made an appointment with the brake place where I just had some work done a few weeks ago. Today I took the van to Discount Tire for an overdue tire rotation. Balance, too? Sure.

After the initial inspection, the service rep told me, “You’re missing a locking lug nut on the right front wheel.” What? I had no idea. The set of regular lug nuts were still in the glove box. “Just put one of those on.”

Fifteen minutes later, I was out of there. And on the drive home, I didn’t hear that noise. Hmmm. Nice! Could that missing lug nut been the culprit? Who knows? I’m just glad it’s not a brake issue.

But now I’m wondering, “What happened to that lug nut?” The last people to work on the van were the brake guys. From now on, I’ll check the lug nuts when I do my walk around.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

The fear of God: more than a command; an experience

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by hannah joshua on Unsplash

A “through the Bible devotion” from Isaiah 29.

And the Lord said:
“Because this people draw near with their mouth
    and honor me with their lips,
    while their hearts are far from me,
and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,
 therefore, behold, I will again
    do wonderful things with this people,
    with wonder upon wonder;
and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish,
    and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.” (Isaiah 29:13-14)

I wonder how much of this is true about me? Do I fear God because someone told me I should fear him? Is my fear of God “a commandment taught by men”?

On the one hand, I am thankful for my parents, pastors, teachers, and friends who taught me to fear God. I’ve never been afraid of God, but I have a healthy respect for his power, which exceeds every nuclear weapon, cat 5 hurricane, destructive tornado, or devastating earthquake.

On the other hand, my fear of God is rooted in what I’ve been taught about him. I have not camped at the foot of a rumbling Mt. Sinai. I have not walked through a parted Red Sea or Jordan River. I have not survived in a desert with nothing but a daily supply of manna. I have not directly witnessed a miraculous healing or resurrection.

I’ve been taught these truths.

God won’t let us limit him to textbooks or lectures. He promises to “again do wonderful things with this people.” His work of salvation isn’t limited to the past. It’s happening right now.

When my faith becomes nothing more than lecture notes, God promises to do wonderful things. He’s more than anything the best communicators can tell us about him. He’s an active participant in my life.

Will I see it? Will I witness his power? Will I see what he can do? Will I fear him because I’ve experienced him? Because I know him?

I certainly hope so!

Posted in dogs

Another batch of friends at the dog park

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Yesterday’s trip to the dog park was fun. You can tell I enjoy these outings because I like to write about them. We went before lunchtime since lots of storms were predicted for the afternoon (none of which materialized, by the way.)

These are my two, enjoying our morning outing.

Only one dog was wandering around the park, and from a distance it looked like another Great Dane, a harlequin, white with big, beautiful black spots. Once we got closer, though, he just didn’t have the size or the head shape of a Great Dane. His name was Duke, and when his owner brought him home from the animal shelter at eight weeks, she thought he might be at least part Great Dane. But it wasn’t in his DNA. Her previous dog was a Great Dane, and she was so thrilled to see Willow, our dane.

They had to leave after just a few minutes chasing around with our dogs, but a few more came right after. There was Cotton, a little white, one-eyed, fluffy Havanese. When Winston, our slightly larger White West Highland Terrier looked at him, it must have been like looking in a mirror. Cotton’s owner used to take him to the adjacent small dog park, but the little dogs wouldn’t run around. They just laid there near their people. So she started bringing him to the big dog park, where there’s lots of action.

He was accompanied by an eight-month-old Basenji named Fawn. She had a wonderful curly tail that looped around twice. I learned that a Bazenji doesn’t shed and is hypoallergenic. The four of them raced and hopped around getting to know each other, but it soon became clear that the smallest, Cotton, was the Alpha of this impromtu pack.

Before long, we were joined by Buddy, a small black Lab/Shepherd mix sporting a vest which announced, “In training – do not pet.” His owner and trainer had walked him around the outside of the dog park before bringing him in, letting him acclimate to these new surroundings. He was very friendly, approaching all the owners, hoping for some attention, but we all respected his restrictions.

We were joined by Samantha, an older, affectionate, mid-sized mixed breed who soaked up all the petting and scritches she could coax out of the humans.

It was a typical hot summer day, so the dogs spent as much time drinking water from five-gallon buckets as they did running around with each other. I find it curious and amusing that though I left knowing the names of all the dogs I met that day, I didn’t get any of the owners’ names. I need to make sure I get to know them as well as their dogs!

Posted in kitchen, Life

A great appliance repair experience

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash

I wrote about our new double-oven a few weeks ago. Worked great and we got a great deal. However, after a few weeks, I noticed that the “hot surface” light stayed on all the time. All the burners worked and both ovens worked, but that light never blinked off.

I turned off the breaker, waited a few minutes and flipped it back on. The light was still on. I got online to see what the fix was. There’s got to be a YouTube video describing an easy fix. But I didn’t find one.

I opened up to the troubleshooting part of the oven manual. The solution? Turn the power off and on. If that doesn’t work, you need a service call.

I’d only had the oven for a few weeks, so the repair would be covered by warranty. I got online to find out who to call. Well, this is 2025, so you don’t actually call anyone. You go to a website, input your information, and make an appointment with a nearby repair company. It was pretty easy to schedule them for the day after tomorrow.

I was really happy when the repair guy called in the first few minutes of the four-hour appointment window and said, “I’ll be there in a few minutes.” The only thing I had to do was shut the dogs in a bedroom. My appointment confirmation email specifically said, “If you don’t have your pets secured before the technician arrives, he’s leaving.”

It took all of five minutes for the technician to open up the top of the oven and say, “I don’t know which burner is the problem. I’m going to order a whole new set. They’ll be delivered, and then I’ll come back to install them.” We agreed on the next appointment time, and he was out of there. If new burners didn’t solve the problem, he’d replace the wiring harness. If that didn’t work, I’d get a whole new oven.

One week later, a huge box arrived with all new burners for the oven. A week after that, he called to say he was on his way. One by one he replaced all five burners on the range top. After replacing each, he flipped the power back on. Four times in a row he said, “Nope. Not that one. It’ll probably be the last one.”

Sure enough it was. He popped in burner number five, turned the power back on, and announced, “There we go.” He tested all the burners, packed up his tools, and had me sign a receipt. Problem solved. He assured me, “I’ve never had to come back after replacing the burners.”

Overall, not a bad service experience.

Posted in movies

Superman!

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Yesterday we took two of our grandsons to see the latest “Superman” movie at our local theater which now features XTS: “laser-projected, wall-to-wall screen, thunderous 24-channel audio system, and zero-gravity recliners with imbedded shaker-seat audio, that lets you feel every scene.” It was just as comfortable, large, and “thunderous” as advertised.

At least I thought so. The couple sitting to my right made comments throughout the movie expressing their dissatisfaction. They spoke in hushed tones, but I could hear every word. They were about my age, but apparently hadn’t been to a movie in a while.

  • “How are I supposed to know how to make this seat recline?” (Lol, my six-year-old popcorn-munching grandson can explain it to you.)
  • “How many of these previews are they going to show?” (I like the previews. I wanted to lean over and say, “They’re just getting started!”)
  • “Why is it so loud?” (Before the lights went down, I noticed twelve large speakers running the length of each wall. I was pretty excited to experience the state-of-the-art sound system.)
  • “I don’t like this. There’s too much violence.” (Yes, there was a lot of fighting, a lot of robots got blown to bits, and building after building collapsed, but Superman saved a lot of lives. This was nothing compared to some of the gruesome scenes I’ve seen on streaming TV.)
  • “Why is it so cold in here?” (Welcome to Florida, folks. Bring a sweater, because our AC works just fine!)

I liked this movie. I laughed out loud numerous times, especially when Krypto (Superdog) made his appearance. Spoiler: Lex Luthor, with all his knowledge and technology, loses again. A new crop of actors does a great job playing Superman and Lois Lane.

Go see this movie.

Posted in animals, zoo

Sloths have come to our corner of Florida

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by David Gomez on Unsplash

Judging by the highway billboards, sloths are one of the biggest new attractions in central and northeast Florida. The Jacksonville Zoo spent a lot of money marketing their new sloth exhibit. The Daytona Aquarium and Rainforest Adventure features a picture of a sloth on their sign. The Orlando Science Center houses a sloth in their small rainforest habitat. If you’re a sloth, there’s a good chance you can find a job in our area.

We became sloth fans after watching Flash at the Department of Mammal Vehicles in the animated movie Zootopia. We were excited by the opportunity to visit all these new exhibits.

We did get to see the sloths, but we were underwhelmed. At the Jacksonville Zoo, the two sloths had moved into a monkey display not far from the penguins. Since they weren’t out of their shelters, we didn’t see them. At the Orlando Science Center, the sloth was just a ball of fur up in a tree. And at the aquarium, the sloth was just visible on a ledge in a very dark enclosure.

I don’t know why I expected more. That’s what sloths do. They aren’t very active. They “hang around.” Nice work if you can get it.

Posted in Home improvement, Life

Some sad-looking sod finds a home

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I needed 25 square feet of sod to patch a place in the backyard where we had a sandbox for the grandkids when they were younger. The sandbox hadn’t gotten much action in the past year, so I tore it out, spread out the sand where the yard needed some leveling, and tossed out the wood from the box and lid.

I was certain that our Home Depot got a delivery of sod every Saturday morning, so I had no doubt I could pick up some nice pieces of grass. I was so wrong.

When I arrived, there were hardly any pieces under the big “Sod” sign. A woman driving a red Jeep Gladiator was picking through some pieces, rejecting most and having a Home Depot guy put some in her truck.

I carefully surveyed the scene. I saw enough sod for my project. I only needed twelve pieces, so I went to the cashier for my purchase. I said, “I thought you got new sod on Saturdays.”

He replied, “No, the truck comes every Tuesday and Thursday.”

“No problem. I saw enough out there. I need twelve pieces.” He rung up my sale and I pulled my van around to the pile of picked over sod.

The remaining sod was a little yellow around the edges, a bit dry, and broken apart. But I found twelve acceptable pieces to load up. When I got to the last piece, another man stepped up, looked at me and said, “That’s all there is?”

I said, “Yep. I just need one more piece, and the rest is yours.” He shook his head as he looked over the pile of dirt and pieces of grass. “I suggested, “You might want to try Lowes.”

He said, “I was just there. I guess I’ll have to come back.”

Back home, I carried my below average sod through the gate into the back yard and covered up the sandbox footprint. I watered it well and said, “Good luck.”

Much to my delight, thunderstorms drenched our neighborhood the past two afternoons. Nothing waters the yard better than rain from above. I have a good feeling about that below average sod. Just wait until the sun hits it and it starts to grow. It will feel right at home.

Posted in dogs

A hot afternoon at the dog park

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I’ve often said, “You can tell how hot it is by the length of their tongues.” Today’s 90-degree afternoon prompted lots of long-tongue panting after just a few minutes of racing around the dog park.

A beautiful black lab and a friendly springer spaniel greeted us at the dog park gate. They had been there a while, so they were a little tired from the heat. Before long a couple of airedales joined us, but they were all about swimming in the pond.

Two five-gallon buckets and a small bowl of water were under the pavilion. All the dogs lapped up what sounded like quarts of water every few minutes.

The spaniel was on high alert, racing after electric bikes and scooters on the other side of the fence. Our great dane joined him for a few chases, but soon tired of that game. The same spaniel jumped the fence and took a dip in the pond, too.

The lab must have been there for a while. He laid down in a nice cool spot in the dirt and watched everyone else run around. His owner shared that the far gate to the pond was only held shut by a bungee cord. His dogs knew how to push their way in and out when they felt like taking a dip. I told them not to teach my dogs any tricks like that.

A Disney-themed birthday party was in full swing in a pavilion just outside the dog park fence. Partiers were surrounded by pink and purple balloons as familiar movie songs filled the air.

When I took a walk around the pond to prompt our big dog to sprint and burn off energy, I saw no dogs in the adjacent small dog park. Zero. Too hot I guess.

My two happily trotted to the gate when I said, “Ready to go for a ride?” Half-an-hour was enough to wear them out. When we got home, they continued to pant for another thirty minutes, before stretching out on the cool tile floor.

I’m glad we went for a short ride across town to the dog park on a steamy afternoon. They’ll crash for the rest of the night, tired and content.

Posted in backyard

The Polywood furniture arrived today

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I was excited when our Polywood patio furniture arrived today. We dragged our rusty “rust resistent” metal furniture out to the curb last night in anticipation of today’s delivery.

Polywood furniture is made from recycled plastic and comes with a twenty-year guarantee.

I was in the garage when the big Fedex truck stopped in front of our house. When the driver hopped out, I asked, “Can you put it in the garage?” He replied, “It will tear up your screen tracks.”

I asked, “How about in front of the garage?”

“I’ll corner it right there.”

After he set a double-sized pallet in place, I said, “You know how it goes: the wife orders and the husband assembles.” He told me his wife left to visit her family in Arizona, leaving him 4 IKEA dressers and 8 end tables to assemble. I chuckled as he drove away.

I unpacked all the cushions first. Next came the chairs, which were mostly assembled. The heaviest piece was the tabletop, which I dragged on the cardboard box onto the backyard patio.

I attached a few chair arms and parts of the table legs. A few of the table leg supports were attached with an Allen wrench-headed screw, which immediately stripped even though I used the correct tool.

It wasn’t a huge problem. I had to run some errands, so I would stop by Home Depot to get some replacement screws.

It took a few minutes, but I found some lag bolts that looked the same. Back home, they fit perfectly, and the new table and chair set looks great.

I can’t be the first to have that issue, but I sent an email to Polywood anyway. I’m kind of an expert on assembling furniture, so I know the issues and what can be improved.