I’ve been listening to the scanner all day, which is not unusual since its never shut off, but today it was in case there were things happening with the hurricane that I should respond or stand by for. Fortunately for the squad, the hurricane didn’t amount to as much as predicted and we only had the usual sort and amount of calls, and extra help wasn’t needed.
The fire companies are a whole ‘nother story, though. The county called all departments out to stand by in quarters starting at 8 a.m. today. Many of them have been flat out since before that. Heavy rain brought flooded and washed out roads, and then flooded basements. Now the wind has picked up a bit (nowhere near the predicted but it’s a bit brisk) and trees are starting to fall. Fire departments responded for a family needing help getting out through the water surrounding their house and to evacuate residents of a mobile home park being flooded by the creek it is next to. Some went to fire alarms activated by the storm, or power blips. Some checked out a car stranded in water on a flooded road. Then a barn fire, which was burned to the ground by the time it was discovered and the first fire fighter got there.
They’ve been running between setting up warnings at the impassable roadways to pumping water from a basement before a furnace or other costly appliances are ruined or a fire started, to trees fallen on power lines or across roadways or both, to assisting rescue squads with emergency medical calls - and there’s no sign of them getting any break soon.
Hopefully there have been enough people so they can take a little rest between calls, and also hopefully the faithful, helpful auxiliaries have been making food for them.
It’s not just our county, either. I can hear some areas of Greene County and they’ve been just as busy if not busier. All day. As I am sure others throughout the storm track area have been.
And you know what’s the best part? They do this because they want to help their families, friends, neighbors, communities. That’s right, they don’t get any pay except for the grateful thanks of the people they help, and the waves when they march past in the firemen’s parade. No pay, no benefits, no retirement. They just want to help. And they do. We’d be in a sorry mess without them.
Here’s what I think: these men and women don’t get enough credit. Friends have posted a video on Facebook of an area firehouse with floodwater around it – where are the people who staff this building? Out helping their neighbors – I wrote the first part yesterday, and this morning they are heading out again, after a full day and night of helping, to check out an odor of smoke in one of their neighbors homes. Hoping that it is not a fire, for everyone’s sake. The firefighters we invited to see the dress rehearsal of Grease, after they responded to our cast house fire, kept thanking us for the invitation, and I kept saying no, we thank you for what you did-this is little enough we can do. We all need to give these people a great big THANK YOU for everything they do, and we need to do it more often
Monday, August 29, 2011
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Visiting one of my past lives
I took a step back into one of my past lives a few days ago. After not going there for several years, I went to Springfield, to the truck company I worked for, and visited the few people still working there that I know, and then met some of them for dinner. The occasion was instigated by one woman I was good friends with, she recently left the company (which isn’t even named what it was when I was there) to drive for another outfit, was home for a week and wanted to visit everyone. Just worked out right I had a day off when it happened. I haven’t seen her sine I left, over 9 years ago. Talked on email, on facebook, on the phone a couple of times, but haven’t seen each other, so it was really nice. Lot of catching up, general chit chat and laughing. Some ’have you heard about’ – both good and sad news.
Made me miss both the place and the driving. They all say it’s not the same as it was when I was there, and I can see that – Our little company has been absorbed by one of the owner’s other companies, and that’s not a change for the better from what they all were saying.
It was a good place to work, I thought. Small, everyone like family, always friendly and ready to talk, just to visit or to try to work out a problem. One reason I left is that the trying to work out problems part was not happening as much. There are other reasons as well, but that was one.
But for the 17 winters I was there, I was part of that family. I started as a rookie, with a few months of regional driving miles behind me, but with a whole lot to learn. There weren’t trainers as such and I mostly had to pick up things as I went, but I didn’t get into too much trouble. I remember being so pleased when the first partner they put me with said to the office, after my first shift driving ‘she does good – I slept for 8 hours’.
I went from that to being the ‘special projects’ trainer over the years there; it seemed every time they had a new driver that needed special attention, they gave them to me to train. Some worked out, some didn’t. Some I was proud to have a hand in, some wouldn’t have worked out no matter who tried. Oh well.
I got an award from the company at an annual driver’s dinner; I had done a collection for a special thing for Feed The Children, combining it with the theatre I think it was the 30th anniversary season, and collected things to donate to that group. That winter I won the Humanitarian Award. I had just made it in on the afternoon of the dinner, and didn’t have what I’d normally have worn to such an event with me, but put on a nice shirt and clean jeans and went – and was totally surprised to win something. A plaque and $250. Plus they let me take the things to FTC in Oklahoma City.
Same as they let me drop off the Evita coffin in Chicago on one run.
I felt part of the company. Even when I’d go visit in the summer, they’d stop to chat. And ask ‘you back?’ For a while I’d get The Bakery’s pumpkin donuts and take a couple of bags over when I went for my first trip, and so when I was ready to start in the fall I’d call and say ‘it’s pumpkin donut time!’ I called one time and was leaving a message for dispatch, and when the girl (someone new who didn’t know what it meant) repeated ‘tell him it’s pumpkin donut time?’ I could hear Kevin in the background yelling ‘She’s Back!’.
So many memories, mostly good, a few bad - I think I left before the bad got to be more than the good. But mainly what I remember is being part of it – of the company, of the people, of just driving in general, with the other drivers I was ‘one of them’. That’s a good memory.
Here’s what I think: yes, most of the time I’m fine to have left that behind me, but every now and then I sure do miss it. I was part of it, I belonged, I could do it. And I know I’m happy that they remember me and make me feel welcome, even after being away almost 10 years. And I think maybe I’ll try to put more stories about that life on here. Maybe, if I get to it.
Made me miss both the place and the driving. They all say it’s not the same as it was when I was there, and I can see that – Our little company has been absorbed by one of the owner’s other companies, and that’s not a change for the better from what they all were saying.
It was a good place to work, I thought. Small, everyone like family, always friendly and ready to talk, just to visit or to try to work out a problem. One reason I left is that the trying to work out problems part was not happening as much. There are other reasons as well, but that was one.
But for the 17 winters I was there, I was part of that family. I started as a rookie, with a few months of regional driving miles behind me, but with a whole lot to learn. There weren’t trainers as such and I mostly had to pick up things as I went, but I didn’t get into too much trouble. I remember being so pleased when the first partner they put me with said to the office, after my first shift driving ‘she does good – I slept for 8 hours’.
I went from that to being the ‘special projects’ trainer over the years there; it seemed every time they had a new driver that needed special attention, they gave them to me to train. Some worked out, some didn’t. Some I was proud to have a hand in, some wouldn’t have worked out no matter who tried. Oh well.
I got an award from the company at an annual driver’s dinner; I had done a collection for a special thing for Feed The Children, combining it with the theatre I think it was the 30th anniversary season, and collected things to donate to that group. That winter I won the Humanitarian Award. I had just made it in on the afternoon of the dinner, and didn’t have what I’d normally have worn to such an event with me, but put on a nice shirt and clean jeans and went – and was totally surprised to win something. A plaque and $250. Plus they let me take the things to FTC in Oklahoma City.
Same as they let me drop off the Evita coffin in Chicago on one run.
I felt part of the company. Even when I’d go visit in the summer, they’d stop to chat. And ask ‘you back?’ For a while I’d get The Bakery’s pumpkin donuts and take a couple of bags over when I went for my first trip, and so when I was ready to start in the fall I’d call and say ‘it’s pumpkin donut time!’ I called one time and was leaving a message for dispatch, and when the girl (someone new who didn’t know what it meant) repeated ‘tell him it’s pumpkin donut time?’ I could hear Kevin in the background yelling ‘She’s Back!’.
So many memories, mostly good, a few bad - I think I left before the bad got to be more than the good. But mainly what I remember is being part of it – of the company, of the people, of just driving in general, with the other drivers I was ‘one of them’. That’s a good memory.
Here’s what I think: yes, most of the time I’m fine to have left that behind me, but every now and then I sure do miss it. I was part of it, I belonged, I could do it. And I know I’m happy that they remember me and make me feel welcome, even after being away almost 10 years. And I think maybe I’ll try to put more stories about that life on here. Maybe, if I get to it.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Unwanted emails (a recurring theme)
Once again I am in a discussion with a friend about forwarded emails. This person forwards many very enjoyable ones, but sometimes sends ones that I just don’t care to get. You know the kind, that ‘prove’ that a person, place or thing are all wrong for whatever the purpose is because of all the dastardly reasons listed in the email. Occasionally there’s a grain of truth to these, more often not. It’s easy to check, there are several sites that do this for a living. I use snopes.com, there are others. About three clicks and before you pass along what is pure untruthful drivel, you can see for yourself what has been found out about the particular item. Pretty easy but most people don’t bother, they are so intent on sharing this ‘GASP-did you know this, how dare they’ news. Most of the time when someone sends me one of these I don’t make an issue of it, often I will go to snopes and check it out and then forward them the link to to read for themselves. I hope they get the hint because they are, after all, friends, or they wouldn’t be on my email list and me on theirs. Some do, some haven’t; and I’m not sure if I’ve directly addressed this issue with the person who sent the latest or not. The item in question was all about how Barak Obama is not really an American citizen because of all sorts of alleged problems with his birth certificate. Variations on this theme have been going around since his candidacy was announced, if not before. My first reaction is that ‘don’t you think that those in charge of his campaign, to say nothing of people in the government who pay attention to such things, would have carefully checked this so as to not have any question about the matter?’ Gee, ya think? Another person replied to all on her mailing list that she did not want to receive this sort of thing any more, and I followed with a similar message. This of course led to a discussion on how we can always delete the messages – but that’s not the point here. The point is that to responsibly share emails the sender should not pass along something that isn’t true. The sender should stop and think ‘does this person want to receive this message?’ The sender should know their friends well enough to edit the mailing list. As I put in one of my responses, don’t send everything to everyone. You never know who you might be offending or upsetting.
I (and the other protestors to this particular message) have obviously offended and upset the sender by objecting to getting these emails. She has sent a message that says in short that she won’t be forwarding any more emails since ‘not everyone seems to appreciate when I send something out’ and that ‘free speech and the right to use the delete button seem not to apply…’. Well, yes, there is free speech, but there’s also common sense. There’s also my right to say I don’t want to get things like this. The delete button is indeed an option, and I exercise it often, but as another objector to this item said, you don’t know until you read at least part of the message if you want to do that. I may lose a friend over this, and that would make me sad. But if you can’t tell a friend what you do or don’t want them to tell you, then maybe it wasn’t that strong a bond to begin with.
My messages regarding this:
“…we've been friends for a long time, but I don't wish to receive any more of this sort of thing either. I agree with Gail in that even if you don't like Obama as president, there should be respect for the office. I find it and every thing else of this manner that I have looked up on hoax sites (snopes. com shows several examples of this theme, all false, btw) I have found to be if not entirely false, at least bent to suit someone's hateful rabble-rousing. And has anyone stopped to think that, gee, maybe all this was checked out before the man was even proposed for nomination for the election, because why the hell would anyone leave themselves open for him not being a valid candidate? Just because something is received on the internet does not mean it is true. Please, everyone, check things like this out before spreading more hateful lies. PS, this is not the first message of this type I have sent this week alone. If people would spend the time and effort trying to spread good things that they do spreading this garbage, we'd all be a lot better off.”
And:
“The delete button is often used. However the assumption (and this is not personally directed to you, Carey) that everyone will want to receive every email is not always the right one to make. For that very reason, I personally don't forward to a general group of my email list, I pick and choose. No doubt there are people who don't mind the emails that some of us don't want to get. Send those to those people, and others to the people who want those. Please do not make us the bad guys for speaking up as to what we do or do not wish to receive. That is our choice to make and our right to request. If this annoys you, I'm sorry, likewise any others it may annoy.”
Here’s what I think: no matter how good a friend you are, no matter how well you know the person, don’t assume (makes an ‘ass’ our of ‘u’ and ‘me’), think a bit – and don’t take it personally if someone says they don’t agree – not even the very closest of friends always do. It’s how people are.
-
I (and the other protestors to this particular message) have obviously offended and upset the sender by objecting to getting these emails. She has sent a message that says in short that she won’t be forwarding any more emails since ‘not everyone seems to appreciate when I send something out’ and that ‘free speech and the right to use the delete button seem not to apply…’. Well, yes, there is free speech, but there’s also common sense. There’s also my right to say I don’t want to get things like this. The delete button is indeed an option, and I exercise it often, but as another objector to this item said, you don’t know until you read at least part of the message if you want to do that. I may lose a friend over this, and that would make me sad. But if you can’t tell a friend what you do or don’t want them to tell you, then maybe it wasn’t that strong a bond to begin with.
My messages regarding this:
“…we've been friends for a long time, but I don't wish to receive any more of this sort of thing either. I agree with Gail in that even if you don't like Obama as president, there should be respect for the office. I find it and every thing else of this manner that I have looked up on hoax sites (snopes. com shows several examples of this theme, all false, btw) I have found to be if not entirely false, at least bent to suit someone's hateful rabble-rousing. And has anyone stopped to think that, gee, maybe all this was checked out before the man was even proposed for nomination for the election, because why the hell would anyone leave themselves open for him not being a valid candidate? Just because something is received on the internet does not mean it is true. Please, everyone, check things like this out before spreading more hateful lies. PS, this is not the first message of this type I have sent this week alone. If people would spend the time and effort trying to spread good things that they do spreading this garbage, we'd all be a lot better off.”
And:
“The delete button is often used. However the assumption (and this is not personally directed to you, Carey) that everyone will want to receive every email is not always the right one to make. For that very reason, I personally don't forward to a general group of my email list, I pick and choose. No doubt there are people who don't mind the emails that some of us don't want to get. Send those to those people, and others to the people who want those. Please do not make us the bad guys for speaking up as to what we do or do not wish to receive. That is our choice to make and our right to request. If this annoys you, I'm sorry, likewise any others it may annoy.”
Here’s what I think: no matter how good a friend you are, no matter how well you know the person, don’t assume (makes an ‘ass’ our of ‘u’ and ‘me’), think a bit – and don’t take it personally if someone says they don’t agree – not even the very closest of friends always do. It’s how people are.
-
Monday, August 1, 2011
Bushnell House Fire
It’s been three weeks minus two days since I woke up to Chatham’s tones going off for a structure fire on Hudson Ave., and as I was thinking ‘that’s near the cast house, maybe I better go down just in case the kids get nervous’ and as I started to get dressed, it changed to corner of Bushnell and Hudson, house on the left, which was closer but still not and then changed to ‘house on the right’ and I can’t even describe – or remember – all of what went through my mind. I know that the phrase ‘scared the shit out of me’ is a descriptive one, and I know that hard as you try you cannot put on pants and a shirt at the same time, but you can come close. I know that Matt calling me to say they were all out was indescribable relief ‘that’s what I wanted to hear, I’ll be there in a couple of minutes’.
As the previous post says, there’s no found cause. A few thoughts on maybe if it started here it was this or if it started there it was that, but can’t put an exact answer to that. Probably just as well, because I’d hate to think that it was something any one person did, for their sake and ours.
The community overall (the expanded MHT community) has been wonderfully supportive. Neighbors gave the kids blankets to wrap up in; they got out in their bvd’s and nighties. Before the fire trucks were gone people made offers for housing, and there were bags of clothes spread out on the hood of my car.
Besides the ‘fire chasing’ news reporters and items, we were on radio to give a plea for help. Jesse did a masterful job with media relations.
Monica came over and took charge of the kids, driving back and forth to other cast houses, bringing them back when the Red Cross got there to give out vouchers (say what you want about the organization, they were there when we needed them) for food and clothing, the County Fire Chief’s Association gave vouchers for purchases at WalMart (ps, both the Red Cross and Walmart vouchers got screwed up but straightened out fairly quickly).
I’d told the kids if they wanted to go to Ace Hardware and get clothes they could in the morning and put it on my tab, well they went at about 4:30 in the morning, one of the firemen standing by at Chatham station called and Frank (who had brought the gator to the fire) went up to open the store and let them get things.
Can’t even mention all the people who helped, from a little boy who brought $100 of his own saved up money to donate, to a long time friend of my family who donated a sizeable check ‘in memory of Ed and Marian Peduzzi’.
The kids are recovering, they’ve gotten so much in clothes, stuff, money, gift cards that the rest of the company is a bit jealous. Won’t make up for favorite things lost, I know, but they are all grateful for knowing the generosity they’ve received.
The house is totaled and we’re waiting for estimates to demolish it, and starting to think about what to do to replace it. Real glad it didn’t get into the attached barn full of props and sets, that would have been a whole different story. Not sure what stopped it but glad it did.
Many things were salvaged, including the other day on a last foray through, Brian’s glasses, ipod, phone and notebook; some electronics even still work.
Many thanks to the Powers That Be for the smoke alarms going off and waking them up. Many thanks to all who have helped.
Never want a night like that one again, if you please.
As the previous post says, there’s no found cause. A few thoughts on maybe if it started here it was this or if it started there it was that, but can’t put an exact answer to that. Probably just as well, because I’d hate to think that it was something any one person did, for their sake and ours.
The community overall (the expanded MHT community) has been wonderfully supportive. Neighbors gave the kids blankets to wrap up in; they got out in their bvd’s and nighties. Before the fire trucks were gone people made offers for housing, and there were bags of clothes spread out on the hood of my car.
Besides the ‘fire chasing’ news reporters and items, we were on radio to give a plea for help. Jesse did a masterful job with media relations.
Monica came over and took charge of the kids, driving back and forth to other cast houses, bringing them back when the Red Cross got there to give out vouchers (say what you want about the organization, they were there when we needed them) for food and clothing, the County Fire Chief’s Association gave vouchers for purchases at WalMart (ps, both the Red Cross and Walmart vouchers got screwed up but straightened out fairly quickly).
I’d told the kids if they wanted to go to Ace Hardware and get clothes they could in the morning and put it on my tab, well they went at about 4:30 in the morning, one of the firemen standing by at Chatham station called and Frank (who had brought the gator to the fire) went up to open the store and let them get things.
Can’t even mention all the people who helped, from a little boy who brought $100 of his own saved up money to donate, to a long time friend of my family who donated a sizeable check ‘in memory of Ed and Marian Peduzzi’.
The kids are recovering, they’ve gotten so much in clothes, stuff, money, gift cards that the rest of the company is a bit jealous. Won’t make up for favorite things lost, I know, but they are all grateful for knowing the generosity they’ve received.
The house is totaled and we’re waiting for estimates to demolish it, and starting to think about what to do to replace it. Real glad it didn’t get into the attached barn full of props and sets, that would have been a whole different story. Not sure what stopped it but glad it did.
Many things were salvaged, including the other day on a last foray through, Brian’s glasses, ipod, phone and notebook; some electronics even still work.
Many thanks to the Powers That Be for the smoke alarms going off and waking them up. Many thanks to all who have helped.
Never want a night like that one again, if you please.
Odd comments and smoke alarms
So, a patron came to the office door Saturday night and asked ‘what was the fire that is mentioned in the program?’. I started to explain, got interrupted several times (and that’s just my favorite thing in the world as some know) as I was trying to, and finally it was apparent that she was more interested in how it started than the fact that 11 people got out safely and they weren’t the people she was watching on stage they were the tech crew (I think I told her that about 5 times). Each time I tried to explain to her about the County Cause and Origin Team, who are very well trained in this sort of thing, and the insurance investigator coming to the same conclusion: ‘unknown accidental cause’, she interrupted again with a ‘but they must have some idea’ and ‘what do you mean they don’t know’. My patience was getting more worn as she went on, but the final straw (and I was good, I didn’t tell her what I wanted to, didn’t even – well hardly even – raise my voice, but it did get a bit hard) was when she said ‘well! that seems fishy!’ ‘That was when my voice went hard and I asked her ‘Why do you say it seems fishy?’ Guess what – she didn’t have an answer for that, just mumbled ‘well – because – well – ‘ a few times.
Now, she might have been an arson investigator. Might have won firefighter of the year award wherever she’s from. Might know a whole lot more than I do about fires (and I’ve been to a lot of them, although admittedly I’m not a firefighter, and I went to arson school long ago). But from the way she looked and talked I kinda doubt it. So why would she say something like that? Obviously for whatever reason she’s got an interest in fire, but still, what would lead to such a remark. Is she a citidiot who would of course think that here in the sticks we wouldn’t have people who could find a fire cause – not so, at all, our team is good. Is she just a trouble making busybody – kinda more my thought – or did she go through a fire herself at some time? Won’t ever know. What’s the moral of this story? Not sure, just wanted to mention this odd happening. Well, yeah, I guess there is one – don’t interrupt, you’ll get through the conversation and learn everything it was about a lot faster. And don’t make comments when you don’t know everything – or anything – about the subject matter.
Here’s what I think: I’m just glad all the kids got out. Smoke alarms, Smoke Alarms, SMOKE ALARMS! Was talking to a person yesterday who said ‘oh, ours don’t work right so we took the batteries out’. I told her I have 11 people walking around today who wouldn’t be if they’d done that. She said ‘oh, maybe we better get ours fixed.’ $24.95 for a 6-pack at Home Depot. Is your life worth that?
And to the woman who thinks it’s fishy – glad you were enjoying the show, but: ‘Fishy This!’ ya nitwit!
Now, she might have been an arson investigator. Might have won firefighter of the year award wherever she’s from. Might know a whole lot more than I do about fires (and I’ve been to a lot of them, although admittedly I’m not a firefighter, and I went to arson school long ago). But from the way she looked and talked I kinda doubt it. So why would she say something like that? Obviously for whatever reason she’s got an interest in fire, but still, what would lead to such a remark. Is she a citidiot who would of course think that here in the sticks we wouldn’t have people who could find a fire cause – not so, at all, our team is good. Is she just a trouble making busybody – kinda more my thought – or did she go through a fire herself at some time? Won’t ever know. What’s the moral of this story? Not sure, just wanted to mention this odd happening. Well, yeah, I guess there is one – don’t interrupt, you’ll get through the conversation and learn everything it was about a lot faster. And don’t make comments when you don’t know everything – or anything – about the subject matter.
Here’s what I think: I’m just glad all the kids got out. Smoke alarms, Smoke Alarms, SMOKE ALARMS! Was talking to a person yesterday who said ‘oh, ours don’t work right so we took the batteries out’. I told her I have 11 people walking around today who wouldn’t be if they’d done that. She said ‘oh, maybe we better get ours fixed.’ $24.95 for a 6-pack at Home Depot. Is your life worth that?
And to the woman who thinks it’s fishy – glad you were enjoying the show, but: ‘Fishy This!’ ya nitwit!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)