Lightbulbs

I am not the only one at home who's burned out and needs a spring break. Our lightbulbs are burning out at a rate of one a day. I guess it could be worse. I could live in the Nebraska State Capitol building. I never did particularly want to live there, but I did imagine running away to live in the state natural history museum sometimes.

1/31/04
Capitol chandelier has glow on
BY SCOTT BAUER / The Associated Press

So, how many state workers does it take to change a light bulb?
Well, five or six if the bulbs are in the 3,500-pound chandelier hanging in the Capitol Rotunda. The delicate process of lowering the bronze chandelier to change its 136 bulbs, an annual event, took place Friday. "It's real critical when you come to land it," said Tom Kaspar, an architect with the state building division. "It's like the lunar lander coming down." The chandelier hangs on a steel chain 80 feet from the top of the Rotunda's dome and 30 feet above the floor. "This is way too high to use a lift or scaffold on," Kaspar said. A winch housed in a closet on the seventh floor --off-limits to the general public and just above the dome --raises and lowers the chandelier. It takes two people about 30 minutes to bring it all the way up or down. "I throw 100 cranks in myself," Kaspar said. The workers in the winch room communicate via walkie-talkie with another three or four people below who navigate the chandelier onto wooden supports. Once on the supports, the work begins to unscrew and replace all the 40-watt bulbs. Even though not all of them are out, all 136 are replaced each time the chandelier is lowered. The 12-sided, cast-bronze chandelier, with black enamel and gold plating, was installed around 1928, Kaspar said. Work on the building was completed in 1932. On each of the chandelier's 12 sides is one of the signs of the Zodiac. Corn cobs and stalks of wheat, a consistent theme of the building, also are prevalent. About three hours after the first crank of the winch early Friday morning, the chandelier was back in place and shining bright again.

Thank heavens we don't need a winch around here! I have replaced the refrigerator lightbulb, desk lamp bulbs, hanging lamp bulbs, aquarium lightbulbs, front porch lightbulbs, and itty bitty dining area "shandy leer" light fixture bulbs, all without a so much as a ladder. I am not on a schedule, like the capitol engineers. These lightbulbs aren't replaced all at once. They aren't the same type or wattage. There's just some disturbance in the force, Captain Kirk, and they are all burning out. Scottie can't give them any more power! It is the Tribbles fault, of course. They are beaming down, disguised as common domestic Dust Bunnies, to knock out the Power Grid!

On a happier note, my preschoolers have turned on a lightbulb for me. You know that saying, "Less is more"? For the last week they've been providing a visual demonstration. The art department received a brand new classroom jumbo package of Crayola markers all divided by color into cute little sections in the box. I'm sooooo into sorting and cute dividers and new markers that this box gave me visions of sugar plums and magic fairy dust, but I digress.

Since we've been learning about sunflowers and Mr. Van Gogh, I set up a vase of fake sunflowers. I gave each child a margarine cup of brand new markers corresponding to the Van Gogh sunflowers--yellow, black, brown, two greens, two oranges, red, peach. Once I explained why they didn't get any blue, they were quite happy to draw big, bold sunflowers taller than people, and with deep, branching roots, glorious bumblebees, and centers full of seeds for the birds using this limited palette. Then came the lightbulb moment! They were also more careful with the markers, conscientious about matching lids to markers and putting the lids on tight than they have ever been before. They even double-checked that they had taken good care of their markers before going to free playtime.

When preschoolers have a big tub of assorted markers plunked down to share they don't put lids on, or if they do the colors don't match. They tend to spend lots more time "building" with the markers than drawing. Their drawings tend toward cliche rainbows and hearts, or volcanic scribble eruptions.

There are many things to ponder here about how we raise our children, and how they raise us. Is it better to be the conscientious guardian of a few toys, or plow through heaps of media/marketing tie-ins?

And now, if you would just help me push my soapbox over there, I might be able to reach the ceiling fan light!

This is Tom Bodell for Motel Six. We'll leave the light on for you.