V or not a V

The sound between the letter B and the letter V can, many times, be similar. As a child I recall hearing my mother on the phone, and when she pronounced our last name, "Hovel", she would then spell it out "H-O-V, as in Victor,-E-L."  I use the same language today when spelling out my last name.  Confusion can often result over the pronunciation of the last name and the way it is spelled, spelling it out in this manner takes care of part of the potential confusion.  Is it a difficult last name to pronounce?  Even immediate family members do not share the same pronunciation.

1877 Martin Hovel marriage record
Source: Wisconsin Historical Society

The issue of the middle letter of the last name, is it a V or not a V, comes into play in two historical government (in the United States) records.  First, is the marriage license of my great grandfather Martin and his wife Amelia Duscheck.  The marriage license, written by a clerk, has his name spelled as "Habel", not Havel, Hovel, or even its then apparent spelling of Hawel in Czech records (which is odd, because it does not appear that W exists in the Czech language).  Second, is a Declaration of Intention by Martin's father, my great great grandfather, Josef Havel.  The name is spelled as Habel, but corrected to be Havel.  The last name is clearly signed as Havel.   This brings up the question of pronunciation of the last name.   Did Martin and Josef pronounce the last name in such a manner that the clerk spelled the as it sounded: H-A-B-E-L?  Given the confusion that can exist between pronunciation of a V and a B (why we use "Victor"), the use of the B can perhaps be discounted, but what is important is the use of A sound. That leads to the question of how best to pronounce the "O" in the last name.  The earliest record I have found for my (probable) ancestors uses what appears to be Hawel.   This 1703 Bohemian Roman Catholic marriage record is for Simon Hawel and his wife (Elizabetha), and identifies Simon as the son of Georgy Hawel.

Joseph Hovel citizenship record (1869)
Source;  UW Whitewater archives

My father had always said the last name is pronounced like "novel", but with an H, in other words like use of an ah for the letter O.  This is the way I pronounce the name today.  The historic use of an A in writing (as described above) which is likely from pronunciation, would seem to indicate a last name using an "a" related sound in pronunciation.  Often times the "a" sound when I pronounce the name is for naught as people have a tendency to emphasize the O; think of the pronunciation of  shovel, but without the S.   I have an older brother who pronounces it with emphasis on the 'o" as do distant cousins in Iowa and Northwest Wisconsin.  There is also the common tendency to pronounce the name as in Ho (line above or the long o) as in the greeting of Santa Claus--Ho Ho Ho.  My eldest son's birth due date was to be December 24, and by being born three weeks early he missed having the elegant (written) alliterative nature of the name Homer Howard Hovel even with an "ah" sounding O seems pretty neat.  While I suggested the name in deference to the Santa greeting, for some reason I get the feeling my wife did  not like that name.  Did she secretly wish for an early birth to avoid having to name her first child Homer?  But, I digress.  If Martin had pronounced the name using the sound in shovel or a ho sound the clerk would have written the name as Hobel or Hovel. Instead Habel, would seem to back up my father's pronunciation of it like novel but with an H.  I suppose it is possible that both Martin and Josef spelled out the name, but with a foreign accent the t the pronunciation of a V as a B was affected.

Marriage Record of Simon Hovel identifies him as son of Georgius, 8 July 1703
Source:  Czech Digital Records, Lhenice 1 image 102

The word hovel in English is a shed or storage building.   The first pronunciation of the English word "hovel" is as if in "shovel,"  At some point our current last name was seemingly Americanized, and another post may perhaps detail some of the history of our last name.  There are residents in Wisconsin whose family came from England and share the same last name and spelling of "Hovel".  The name in Bohemia, from where my ancestors originated, is spelled as Havel or Hawel.  What is apparent is that the meaning of the Havel in Czech is certainly more noble than the English definition.  Havel is a Bohemian version of the name Gall or Gallus (Roman) which originates from Saint Gall (abt. 550-646).  St. Gall, of Irish descent, was one of the companions of St Columbanus, and together brought learning back to the European continent after the fall of the Roman Empire.

Czech Index Record for marriage of Simon notice date for record
Index, book 50 of digital records
(One reason research is difficult--look at letter formation)

What is interesting in the last name is its relation to geography.  It is reported that the Celts of Ireland actually are descendants from what Julius Caesar referred to as the Boii, north of the Alps.  The geographic name Bohemia is derived from Boii.  So, our last name (Havel and Americanized as Hovel) in recognizing the Irishman St. Gall would also recognize that the Celts who originated from the Central European tribes known as the Boii.  By what appears to be an Americanization of the spelling of our last name did our ancestors intend to differentiate the pronunciation from that in the old country, or was it more to assimilate to American culture?  Our ancestors were not WASP's, White Anglo-Saxon Protestants, instead they were of Slavic descent and Roman Catholic, and in this situation would be subjected to the era common prejudices against Slavs and Catholics.  We may never know the reason why the spelling of the name was changed for many in the family.  What we do know is that, in the end, if Josef and Martin had used "V as in Victor" there may not have been confusion with a "B",  and the discourse over pronunciation over the letter O in the name will continue despite what I believe to be historical records to the contrary.

Yellow Jacket Attractor

Wasps, which include yellow jackets, are common this time of year.  This past Saturday I pulled up spent bean plants in the garden and while lifting the large pile to take to the compost bin I felt a sting on my right shin.  I used my right hand to swat away whatever stung me and that is when I noticed a yellow jacket between the fingers of my glove. I am glad I decided to wear a pair of gloves.  The funny thing is, I had, earlier that day been thinking of how few wasps I have seen this fall.  Usually they are rather prevalent, and especially like to hang about whatever you may be eating/drinking when outside.  As fate would have it, for a yellow jacket attractor like myself, at the same time I had also thought that this may the one year I get by without getting stung by such a creature.  Fate intervened, and I found myself with my first sting of the year. 

After completing my chore, the pain started to increase so I put some ice on the bite area.  After about 15 minutes, I got up to complete other chores, but the pain was still present so my wife put a wrapping around the ice bag to hold it to my leg.  Ice certainly helped salve the sting.  Later in the day,  I mixed baking soda and some water together and covered the bite area.  Curiously, at times this this seemed to alleviate the pain and other times to make it more intense.  My first recollection in the use of a baking soda poultice was when I was a young teenager helping my grandfather on the farm.  Opening up his oil shed one time I was attacked by some wasps, but luckily only received one bite.  Grandpa made the baking soda poultice to place on the bite.  Leave it to an old farmer, I recall thinking, to have a simple remedy for such a bite.  I think Grandpa smoked the wasp nest later that day.  The pain from last Saturday’s wasp bite lasted about 24 hours.  This bite made my mind recall the worst wasp situation in which I have been.  While helping my Dad and getting wood from a brush pile I was attacked and bitten by several wasps; my left arm was bitten several times.   The arm swelled and ice and an antihistamine were able to assist with the pain. 

Yellow Jacket

At work on Monday, a building inspector, Jack, got bit about halfway between the thumb and wrist by a bee or wasp while inspecting a complaint.  In the early afternoon  his hand swelled rather large, and the swelling was working its way up the arm.  When I asked if he felt any swelling in his mouth or airway, he said he was breathing fine, but noted that another coworker told him to watch his tongue, to which he noted he often hears that advice.  He did take the advice to go to urgent care.  Seeing another building inspector later in the day, I inquired if he had heard back from Jack.  He said he had not but would send him a text to see if his arm was amputated.  I suggested he find out if the amputation was above or below the elbow.  Some odd work humor.    Anyway, I am glad that my bite did not swell to that extent that Jack had for his hand and arm.  Otherwise, I would have had a tip to urgent care.  Tuesday morning the swelling in Jack’s hand and arm was less, but still rather great.  Jack noted that, while at urgent care, they gave him a syringe, from which they had taken the plunger out, and told him to drink the medicine, with the provider saying that they have found it better to drink than to give as a shot.  I thought it an odd way to dispense medicine, and perhaps UW Health saved a paper or plastic cup. 

Everyone has a different reaction to bee or wasp bites.  I know my mother was allergic to bee bites.   Jack noted that the doctor had told him that he can make a poultice using Lowry seasoning, which helps reduce the effect of the sting.  The natural acidity of the bite is counteracted by an enzyme in the seasoning.  (Although, depending upon the insect bite, the poultice of Lowry or baking soda may make it worse, apparently.)  Another simple solution, although I suspect baking soda is more prevalent than Lowry seasoning.  Which is more effective?   I don’t know.  I am not sure if a Lowry poultice would have reduced the swelling, but if it had Jack would not have had to drink medicine out of a syringe.

Three Plus years

Working for a growing city provides regular challenges, but every so often a project comes along that provides satisfaction. For over three years I have worked on the West Fitchburg Fire Station as the city's project manager.  Thirty-one years and a few months ago when I began my employment with Fitchburg I was asked to take over the addition to the fire and police station that had been bid and was under construction.  The problem was that change orders were already out of hand.  This occurred, in part, because the fire chief at the time started adding back in things that had been taken out to bring it within budget.   Last week, on a cool, but sunny Friday afternoon, was the Uncoupling ceremony for the new Fitchburg Fire Station.   To say that the construction of this replacement station began as a hot potato would be an understatement.  The project design and construction spanned over three years, and three mayor’s. The first of the three demanded a re-do, which we did prior to designing this station, of the original space needs study as he was not convinced of the need for relocating both city fire station.  Both existing fire stations were built at a time when the department was basically paid-on-call, but it has now moved to a combination department with two fully manned stations.  It is more efficient to relocate two stations then to build and man a third station.  Of course, city growth has played a large factor in the need for relocation.  Into this maelstrom, I was assigned the task of managing the fire station projects.  It is better to have control from the start than to take it over after construction began. 

Fitchburg Fire Station 2, Marketplace Drive

It took longer to design the building than to construct, and part of that was due to changing demands, although the main delay was the several months for an overloaded legal staff to review the agreement with the architect. A new Mayor (mayor 2) was elected in 2015 and he desired a station that would be sustainable, low maintenance, and long-lasting.  The increase in cost to meet these standards will be more than offset by lower operational costs.  If the building had been constructed as first anticipated it would have been a metal building with no interior wall to cover the insulation in the apparatus bay.  Replacing a twenty year old station, that had its share of problems, demanded a new approach, and the second Mayor promoted a long-lasting sustainable approach.  One would have thought with the Mayor's backing the process would be easier, but it did not.  Demands were made regarding review of material options, detailed cost and operational analyses. It is not that these are wrong, but they lead to more time.       

Kitchen

 The building is sustainable through use of LED lighting throughout the full project, low-flow plumbing fixtures,  radiant floor heating and cooling powered by sixteen wells each 400 feet deep, no-mow fescue-prairie grass for much of the lawn area; solar hot water, and within a month a 91 kw solar photo-voltaic system.  The use of radiant floor allowed the use of concrete as the main flooring option, even for the bunk rooms.  Stainless steel in the kitchen and metal cupboards allow for long-lasting materials.  Geo-thermal and radiant heat and cooling increased the cost per square foot, but it is a better heat option allowing for more even heat.  Radiant heating is becoming standard in truck bays.

Day room.  Like the recliners?

Building projects always pose unknown items and that is particularly true of bid projects.  Unlike school districts, by law cities have to bid construction projects.  To avoid issues of finger pointing as we saw when the city used a multi-bid approach on the library, I decided it best to use a general prime bid so the general contractor would be responsible.  This project had its share of issues required to be addressed and options weighed. The plumbing designer and the structural engineer did not talk to each other leading to changes in depth of column footings, and no structural support for the solar hot water panels had been provided.  Fire staff, even though I asked that they make sure they have the amount of power where they need it, did not mention to the design team the need for 100 amp service for the tank to fill their breathing tanks.  It finally became known as they were prepared to move in.  The HVAC designer forgot to place air filters on the in-take air vents, which is crucial to the air handling equipment.  However, with all of the challenges, net change orders are less than 1% of the construction bid amount of $5.1 million.  With credits due back for some built in private utility connection allowances, the city will get money back. If you have been involved with a construction project, this is a phenomenal outcome.  By comparison, the city of Madison requires their projects to carry an eight percent contingency fund going into construction.

Uncoupling Ceremony, Presentation of the Colors

Building construction today is not as simple and direct as it once was. Technology can be wonderful, but it also can have problems. One benefit was the engagement of a commissioning agent to review system operational plans and to make sure they are working as designed. It was this extra set of eyes that caught the lack of intake air filters. This person also caught other aspects to improve building efficiency. He tested the equipment to make sure it met the design specifications. He was well worth the $18,000 cost. Beyond the bid, the city had to arrange for installation of a number of systems to make a usable long-lasting building for the 21st century. The project manager had to obtain bids, get contracts and arrange for fiber optic installation, patch panels and server installation; video system, door security system, wireless internet system, phone and computer system, and the all important station alerting system. With a donated stove it was also necessary to obtain a valve that was connected to the station alerting system to shut down the stove when a fire call came in. If it did not have walls, the building could be held up by cables and wires.

Ceremonial hose uncoupling

 Buildings are not about the construction.  In this case it is about function for response time.  After all the new location was chosen to offer better response time within the community.  That is the reason for relocating the two fire stations.  It is also about live-ability as the station is occupied seven days a week, 24 hours a day.  The Uncoupling Ceremony provided for a variety of speakers.  In a time when the flag is being disregarded, the ceremony had presentation of the colors inside, and at the conclusion, all were invited outside for the raising of the American flag on the flag pole as revile was played on the bugle.  The flag raising represented the opening and operation of the building where the flag will fly seven days a week, 24 hours a day.  When I first heard the term Uncoupling Ceremony, I thought it sounded like the celebration of a divorce.  Yet, to firefighters it has a specific meaning, and one that had not occurred to me.  When they uncouple a hose, it means their work in the field is done, they can go home, home to the fire house.  The work on the new fire station is now complete, it is now not a fire station, but a fire house. With over three years invested in the project it is rewarding to see it so well received.    

Raising of the American Flag

Images from City of Fitchburg

Bike Bridge

This past Monday my spouse and I took a short bike ride to the Lussier Heritage Center on Lake Farm Road, south of the Beltline. This approximate nine mile round trip would not have been possible about a week earlier. The difference a week makes is that the Lower Yahara Bike Trail opened. This was an expensive project, over $8 million, in large part due to it containing what is termed the longest bridge in North America solely for bicyclists and pedestrians. Due to wetlands, a good length is also a boardwalk which sits above wetlands. The Lower Yahara River Trail is 2.5 miles long and connects McDaniel Park in McFarland to the Capital City Trail, and to other regional trails. Additional phases of the trail will eventually connect south east to Stoughton. Interested persons can view varied videos of the trail at this link, just scroll down to find the subheading titled: 'Lower Yahara River Trail Construction Aerial Overview Videos.'

Phase 1 of the Lower Yahara River Trail
Source:  https://parks-lwrd.countyofdane.com/documents/pdf/LYRT_Sept2015.pdf

Of the 2.5 mile length of the trail, one mile is reported to be either boardwalk or bridge. That is a great deal of construction material. What amazed me was how well the screws in the deck boards lined up. There are some pull off areas, and the bridge also has ramps to taker persons closer to the water level, although one would have to jump over the railing to get in the water. The bridge and boardwalk basically parallel a railroad track for their length. I live a few hundred feet from that rail line, and the line is fairly busy. Sometimes I hear four or five trains a day. While the rail trestle does not sit up out of the water a great distance, one would not want to have walked along the trestle and have to jump off. Or, try to outrun as occurred in the movie “Stand By Me.” The bike trail was just the answer, and it took nine years to come to fruition. Just think of all those WIDNR permits!

County Executive Joe Parisi looking over the side of the bridge

Prior to construction of this bridge and trail, one would not have wanted to bike to Lake Farm County Park. Not only was the route significantly indirect, but it would require navigation of the massive intersections at the Beltline and USH 51. No sane person would wish to do that navigation. The boardwalk and bridge surface is constructed of a plastic “board”, whereas structurally it was both metal and wood construction. This expensive bridge project, which has a life span of fifty years, was well used that holiday Monday morning by not only bicyclists, but joggers, and walkers. As my wife noted, if we wanted to get to the Capital City Trail before we would have loaded the bikes onto the car and transported them to Lake Farm County Park to which we can then bike west through the Capital City State Recreation area. Or we could head northwest by the Nine Springs Sewage Treatment plant and connected with the Lake Monona trail. The bridge opens up a slew of options for bicycle enthusiasts and recreational users. I doubt it will make an impact to help reduce Beltline traffic. Although, another six or so miles west from where we stopped and I could be at work.

Trail boardwalk

With any new thing, there is controversy. The controversy is not so much over the $8 million price tag, but over bicyclists moving too fast; or do the signs mean no dogs at all or just those on leashes?; or whether McFarland should have a beer garden at McDaniel park to serve the trail users (the Mom's in the "McFarland Mom and Dad Facebook" group, from what I hear, seem to be against the beer garden idea, and the Green Lantern bar and restaurant is next door to McDaniel Park). Thank goodness for social media so persons can now gripe or vent online.

Opening of the trail bridge

As we were biking, I noticed one technology that is not just for the car. The wife app! Last year in June I wrote a post entitled “Traits” where I wrote about the existence of the wife app while driving. Readers will be pleased to hear that the wife app keeps me safe and sound while I bike.“You almost had an accident! You bike just like you drive!” was just one of the phrases the wife app blurted on our bike ride yesterday. What a great advertising slogan:  "The wife app, not just for the car!"  I am just glad that the wife app did not work when I was travelling behind her, otherwise she would have seen me bike a few times hands free. I was smart enough not do it while I was ahead of her. I suspect I just triggered the eyes in the back of her head for our next bike ride.  

Photos from Google images, unless otherwise noted