Well as our tiny little volunteer fire department continues to evolve and change constantly it is hard to tell where, when and why it all happens for sure. The why is something that maybe I can attempt a answer to.
Why the department is evolving (for the better we hope)? In one word - PEOPLE!! Now our little volunteer fire department is dependent a 110% on people, all kinds of people too. Brainy people, strong people, artistic people (believe it or not), mechanical people, people who are strong leaders and people who can take direction from the leader. If any of these people are not in the department the whole community & department suffers because of this. Our department is fortunate to have a plethora of all these people, with every persons background, personality, livelihood & demands we all make up a complete unit - or as close as we can come with our resources and environment.
We are ever looking to increase the amount of good honest hard working people. Whether you are man, woman, black, white or in between all that matters is we are there for the same common goal and idea. Protect and help our/your community the best that we can with out compromising safety to ourselves or others. If you as a person were given the opprotunity or you were asked to better yourself and your community would you be strong enough to answer that with a resounding "yes". Well I am proud to say that the volunteers of this department and surrounding counties are attempting to be that strong and have said "yes" when the community asked them for their help.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Red Lights
Can you imagine yourself driving down the highway about 3 in the afternoon, beautiful day not a cloud in the sky about 80 degrees or so. Not really paying much attention to anything in particular you are just driving and taking it all in - then you happen to check your mirrors & realize that you are being tailed by a truck with RED FLASHING LIGHTS!!! What as smart, rational & educated person do you do?? Well normal people (which you are in - I am sure of it) slow down, pull over as far you can til the truck with the red flashing lights gets around you.
But alas there are always those people, them ones - you know that are freakin' oblivious to all that is around them while they are driving.
Today I was paged out to a grass fire about 40 miles away and while enroute we encountered many polite folks that would yeild to the big Red Fire Truck, but then I was fortunate enough to work on my people skills and encountered THOSE PEOPLE. In my 40 mile drive I encountered about 5 vehicles that refused to pull over. Man they make getting to a fire a real nightmare. I finally managed to get by them and as I go by they all look at me with that Mouth agap bubbly eyed look - you know deer in the headlight kind of thing.
STUPID KILLS JUST NOT ENOUGH!!!!
But alas there are always those people, them ones - you know that are freakin' oblivious to all that is around them while they are driving.
Today I was paged out to a grass fire about 40 miles away and while enroute we encountered many polite folks that would yeild to the big Red Fire Truck, but then I was fortunate enough to work on my people skills and encountered THOSE PEOPLE. In my 40 mile drive I encountered about 5 vehicles that refused to pull over. Man they make getting to a fire a real nightmare. I finally managed to get by them and as I go by they all look at me with that Mouth agap bubbly eyed look - you know deer in the headlight kind of thing.
STUPID KILLS JUST NOT ENOUGH!!!!
Thursday, August 27, 2009
As of Late
It has been insane lately. My folks have moved to Cardwell, they lived in a house down the road for 2 weeks, for a trial run - you know just to see how they would like living out here. Anyways they got the boot from the place they were staying (no fault of their own by the way ;o).
They then moved in with us with the intent of getting a trailer of their own and moving it in on the property. After 2 days of living with me (us), my dad and I went and looked for a trailer for 'em. Thankfully we found a house that night, we were the first ones ever to look at this one house. It was 93 double wide, mobile home. It was in fairly good USED shape - the price was right, so we did not hesitate. That was a Thursday, they told us we would have the house here by the next week. It arrived on the following Tuesday.
It arriving was just the middle of a long ordeal. The beginning was all the phone calls to the utilities, to a contractor to help with the dirt moving & set up. Found out from the power company that we could not put the house were we originally thinking. Moving the location meant a move in the water lines, power lines, septic lines and t.v. stuff. SIGH---- it just kept coming. Well we got that done, the house arrived on Tuesday. They took 2 days to set up the house. My mom was sooooooo thankful to be off my couch and into her bed. Despite the fact that there was not water at the house - she still stayed, as I said she was sick of my couch.
I have spent the last week, helping my folks try and get thing figured out. Turning water on is a big deal, you find all the leaks, broken pipes and unlevel items. Turning the heat on we find out that the thermostat is broken and does not control anything. The only thing that went with out much of hassle was the electric, thank freakin' goodness. I dont know if I could have handled it......I would have screamed.
We still have not gotten out of the clear, I got 1 pipe that leaks still. Deal with it next week. Need to clean bathrooms and window sills. But it is good to have them nearby, nice to be able to help them and know that I can take care of them if I need to.
All of this on top of my normal ranch stuff, kid stuff ( oldest went back to school this week ) & most important of all being a wife. Things can only slow down from here, they have too. Right???
They then moved in with us with the intent of getting a trailer of their own and moving it in on the property. After 2 days of living with me (us), my dad and I went and looked for a trailer for 'em. Thankfully we found a house that night, we were the first ones ever to look at this one house. It was 93 double wide, mobile home. It was in fairly good USED shape - the price was right, so we did not hesitate. That was a Thursday, they told us we would have the house here by the next week. It arrived on the following Tuesday.
It arriving was just the middle of a long ordeal. The beginning was all the phone calls to the utilities, to a contractor to help with the dirt moving & set up. Found out from the power company that we could not put the house were we originally thinking. Moving the location meant a move in the water lines, power lines, septic lines and t.v. stuff. SIGH---- it just kept coming. Well we got that done, the house arrived on Tuesday. They took 2 days to set up the house. My mom was sooooooo thankful to be off my couch and into her bed. Despite the fact that there was not water at the house - she still stayed, as I said she was sick of my couch.
I have spent the last week, helping my folks try and get thing figured out. Turning water on is a big deal, you find all the leaks, broken pipes and unlevel items. Turning the heat on we find out that the thermostat is broken and does not control anything. The only thing that went with out much of hassle was the electric, thank freakin' goodness. I dont know if I could have handled it......I would have screamed.
We still have not gotten out of the clear, I got 1 pipe that leaks still. Deal with it next week. Need to clean bathrooms and window sills. But it is good to have them nearby, nice to be able to help them and know that I can take care of them if I need to.
All of this on top of my normal ranch stuff, kid stuff ( oldest went back to school this week ) & most important of all being a wife. Things can only slow down from here, they have too. Right???
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Steady & Busy By the Moment
Since the return from Vacation (sad), I have been steady and busy. Constant would be the word, every moment of every second I have something I should/need to be doing. We have got 3/4 of the hay cut & baled. Last Friday & Saturday I had a heck of a time cutting hay, some days you just aren't meant to work. This was one of those day. Took me 2 days to cut roughly 40 acres, kept breaking down and having repair my hay cutter. Then I finally got the old swather out of retirement and took it down to finish the flipping job - in less than 3 hours I was done. It was a great feeling to know I was done with the job from Hell. Weird thing is most days I like cutting hay and have no issues. But every now & then you have to be humbled and reminded that you are only as productive as your machine.
Now that I have that hay down it has been raining, we got a 1/2 inch of rain over the last 2 days. Should be a week before I can bale that hay. Now I have a couple trucks that are in need of repair. We have a piece of you know what Ford Pickup with the V10 engine in it. These engines seem to have a small issue of blowing the spark plug out of the hole and stripping the threads. For the fix you have to drill the flipping block (yea that is what I said Drill the freakin' block and send the shavings down to sit on top of the piston) & put new thread in it. Not that hard or complicated just so very very very unnerving. There is apparently such a big issue with these trucks that they have kits you can buy to do the whole job start to finish for about 400 bucks, the kit comes with enough stuff to do 4 spark plug holes. Nice dont ya think.
I do believe that I have the issues with my swather worked out. It should not give us any more grief for a while. Wink wink wink, I hope.
I have the kids in swim class for the next 2 weeks. My morning is going to spent taking them in to swim class 20 miles away. The community built a new pool last year, so it is a nice new pool and the kids are loving it. I will be relieved if my youngest boy (almost 4) learns something. He is a bit of the reckless type, I like to tell people he is just busy. He never stops from the time he gets up til he collapses at night he is doing something or into something. He is a little fearless in the Pool (and every where else too), so I know his grandparents would be very thankful if he had a bit of respect and skill in the water. Right now all he is good at is trying to drown & unless he learns how to swim he will eventually succeed. My older boy took classes last year so he is on the 2nd level and ready to try and conquer the pool. Good all the way around for both of them to have this in there day. Kind of a pain for me, but that is what it takes for the kids to learn something that they will carry with them the rest of their lives. Besides it's not all about me all the time, right??
Now that I have that hay down it has been raining, we got a 1/2 inch of rain over the last 2 days. Should be a week before I can bale that hay. Now I have a couple trucks that are in need of repair. We have a piece of you know what Ford Pickup with the V10 engine in it. These engines seem to have a small issue of blowing the spark plug out of the hole and stripping the threads. For the fix you have to drill the flipping block (yea that is what I said Drill the freakin' block and send the shavings down to sit on top of the piston) & put new thread in it. Not that hard or complicated just so very very very unnerving. There is apparently such a big issue with these trucks that they have kits you can buy to do the whole job start to finish for about 400 bucks, the kit comes with enough stuff to do 4 spark plug holes. Nice dont ya think.
I do believe that I have the issues with my swather worked out. It should not give us any more grief for a while. Wink wink wink, I hope.
I have the kids in swim class for the next 2 weeks. My morning is going to spent taking them in to swim class 20 miles away. The community built a new pool last year, so it is a nice new pool and the kids are loving it. I will be relieved if my youngest boy (almost 4) learns something. He is a bit of the reckless type, I like to tell people he is just busy. He never stops from the time he gets up til he collapses at night he is doing something or into something. He is a little fearless in the Pool (and every where else too), so I know his grandparents would be very thankful if he had a bit of respect and skill in the water. Right now all he is good at is trying to drown & unless he learns how to swim he will eventually succeed. My older boy took classes last year so he is on the 2nd level and ready to try and conquer the pool. Good all the way around for both of them to have this in there day. Kind of a pain for me, but that is what it takes for the kids to learn something that they will carry with them the rest of their lives. Besides it's not all about me all the time, right??
Monday, July 13, 2009
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Vacation Summer 2009
The Boys on a Narly tree @ Two Medicine Campground
Family Picture time
Trick Falls, Glacier Park MT
Trick Falls Glacier Park MT
The Mission Mountains - outside of Ronan Montana
Will post more pics tomorrow - time for bed now.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Count Down to Vacation
We are going on vacation on Friday the 3rd. Because of this and the timing of this I am up to my flippin neck in work. I am stressing about it to a degree - trying to contain it though and not let it get to me. From Thursday to Today we all have been bouncing around in tractors, picking rocks and trying to get the field ready to spray alfalfa seed on it. Finally after hours and hours on end of tractorin' (as the kids say) we got the seed on the ground and rolled behind it. Now that is FINALLY done I can work on the other stuff that needs to be done before our vacation.
I am also working on putting a rebuild engine in a truck that belongs to my Brother. Hope I dont get brothered to death here. This truck has been in the shop for about 2 months now and I have only been getting an hour in on it at a time, makes things terrible though. I spend the first 1/2 hour walking around and trying to think about where I left off the last time I was there. Very frustrating for me. I would like to get the engine back into the truck before I leave on vacation, we will see how the week goes for me and if I can get it done.
Not exactly the best timing for a vacation. Normally on the 5th of July we start haying, but since we are going to be gone I am not sure if my Uncles will start haying with out me. Now I am not saying that they cant or are not capable. They are very capable and quite good at it, they just seem reluctant now that I am going to be gone for the beginning of it. SIGH!! Crazy men anyhow. I am sure they will start and be fine, I do feel a little bad. But on the other hand I need a freaking vacation. I need to get away & not think about irrigating, mechanics, haying, tractors, equipment, cows, fence or whatever else has been on my mind lately. The funny thing about all these worries is they either happen or dont happen (I know it sounds dumb) it is not the end of the world. I have things on my to do list that have been there for 3 years and have not bothered me one bit.
The kids are very excited for the family vacation. We are going to Glacier Nat'l Park for 4 days, on the way up we will take our time and stop when we feel like and do what the heck ever we please. We did this last year and it was a great time. Looking very forward to the whole thing. I am dreading coming home though. But I will be ready for it, all rested up and ready to go back at it.
I am also working on putting a rebuild engine in a truck that belongs to my Brother. Hope I dont get brothered to death here. This truck has been in the shop for about 2 months now and I have only been getting an hour in on it at a time, makes things terrible though. I spend the first 1/2 hour walking around and trying to think about where I left off the last time I was there. Very frustrating for me. I would like to get the engine back into the truck before I leave on vacation, we will see how the week goes for me and if I can get it done.
Not exactly the best timing for a vacation. Normally on the 5th of July we start haying, but since we are going to be gone I am not sure if my Uncles will start haying with out me. Now I am not saying that they cant or are not capable. They are very capable and quite good at it, they just seem reluctant now that I am going to be gone for the beginning of it. SIGH!! Crazy men anyhow. I am sure they will start and be fine, I do feel a little bad. But on the other hand I need a freaking vacation. I need to get away & not think about irrigating, mechanics, haying, tractors, equipment, cows, fence or whatever else has been on my mind lately. The funny thing about all these worries is they either happen or dont happen (I know it sounds dumb) it is not the end of the world. I have things on my to do list that have been there for 3 years and have not bothered me one bit.
The kids are very excited for the family vacation. We are going to Glacier Nat'l Park for 4 days, on the way up we will take our time and stop when we feel like and do what the heck ever we please. We did this last year and it was a great time. Looking very forward to the whole thing. I am dreading coming home though. But I will be ready for it, all rested up and ready to go back at it.
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