Tuesday, November 23, 2010

SAM SIGHTING, LABOR SAVER AND ONE BOLT


SAM ELLIOTT UPDATE

Just a quickie for those of you who like Sam Elliott and I was pleased that it was most of you. We really have good taste. Saw on a promo that he will be on a TV special called “November Christmas,” Sunday Nov 28th, CBS, 9-11 Eastern time. I have it set to record in case I forget. Can't wait to hear that voice.

LABOR SAVING DEVICES

I love gadgets that save me time. So when I saw a coupon for Zip'n Steam bags to cook veggies, etc quickly in the microwave, I immediately got a bag of 10. You would think I were some time starved working gal instead of a retired woman with tons of time on her hands by how quickly I jumped on this.


What actually intrigued me was the recipe offered in the ad. It called for sweet potatoes, apples, cranberries, brown sugar and cinnamon. After dumping everything into one of the wonder bags and just 8 minutes in the microwave, it would be ready. Sounded like a really quick,no clean up, simple meal that would almost taste like healthy pie filling. Win/win??

Well, the granny smith apples cooked to mush and the sweet potatoes never made it to anything other than crunchy. Maybe it is my microwave but think I will stick to the old fashioned way of steaming on the stove top . Also there is that cooking in a plastic thingy that turned me off. Anyone else have better luck??


ONE BOLT

Sometimes major problems are caused by simple triggers. I remember being with out power for half a day in Florida because of a squirrel that committed suicide in a sub station. That poor little fellow shorted out the whole system and put half a town in the dark.

The other day as dusk approached, I was typing along on the computer when the lights went out. My computer is a lap top so for a second or two, I was frozen as the screen kept glowing. Along with the lights out, I heard snarling, snapping and the sound of something big running across my roof. Still haven't discovered the source of that roof sound and am not sure I want to.



I went out side and checked the lines. (Old power company employees never die, they just lose their spark).

First thing I always check for is a line down and sure enough, there was a line that had fallen across the rest and dangled over the street. Then I checked my pole and saw I had a broken cross arm. So I called it in , fixed some tea on the gas stove and waited.

Soon a little truck arrived with a man who surveyed damage, then a bucket truck quickly followed. When they saw my broken cross arm, they decided they needed more supplies and called for more help. In no time, I had a team of five trucks tending the problem. Two trucks parked on the side of the road and all the men went to work.


I supervised my side of the street and my neighbor watched on his side.The workmen were very nice and quite professional. I was always been proud to be part of such a company in my working days. These guys do serve and protect. They often work in freezing weather, pouring rains and in Florida, during tropical storms, all for our comfort. I do believe they are unsung heroes.

Notice I have no grass any more, just beige stuff the recent frost left me.

This day was coolish (50 degrees) and windy which tends to turn "cool" into uncomfortable. My broken cross arm was the hard part and required two of the trucks but in a reasonable amount of time, they succeeded and all was repaired.

The rest of the crews worked on the dangling wire across the street.

I was talking to one of the guys and he said the whole problem was from a broken bolt. One new bolt, a new cross arm and 5 trucks later, life was good again. The light switches worked once more.

Isn't it funny how terribly we miss power when it is gone and how quickly we resume back to normal the second it come back on? All discomfort is quickly forgotten.

We tend to treat electric power as one of our inalienable rights. We don't appreciate it till its is gone and rarely appreciate the men who put their lives on the line to insure our comfort.


I personally know of a lineman who lost his life, one who has two hooks instead of hands and one who is embarrassed to wear a shorts because of the deep scarring burns he received on his legs.

These guys make sure we are able to enjoy all our creature comforts at the flip of a switch. Next time you see a power company truck going down the road, give them a thumbs up and a smile. I always do.

Hoping you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving .

30 comments :

  1. I share your appreciation for power and the men who bring it to us and keep it going. I've never given a thumbs-up, but from now on, I will!

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  2. Most definitley miss power when we don't have it but you're right, we don't often praise the ones who bring it. Thanks for the reminder.

    And speaking of SAm Elliot, have you ever watched the movie Prancer? Oh my gosh...there's a movie for your watching pleasure!
    I'll have the DVR ready for Nov.28.
    Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

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  3. I too agree that we take power and water and trash pick up for granted. We need a memorial day for that type of thing, but, because those guys wouldn't have the day off anyway, it really wouldn't benefit them.

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  4. I will most definitely be watching Sunday night.

    I no longer fall for those time saving devices, too often have found they only seem to work on TV. LOL

    Yes, we do all take electric, running water and gas for granted. Also isn't it funny, when the electric goes off, and we go to another room, we automatically flip the darn light switch, like perhaps that room has electric. LOL

    Have a good day, it's cooler here today, yesterday it got up in the high 60's.

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  5. When we lived in Morocco we had electricity, water and a very crude septic system.

    When thunderstorms came, you could sit at a window in the dark as electricity failed regularly, and watch the lightning dance along the bare wires that was their power system.

    Water purity was suspect and we purified containers to drink with chlorine tablets.

    If cooking with the water, we made sure the recipe required a boiling temp.

    No one appreciates the basic utilities we enjoy more than I.

    We had no telephone and a cell phone or personal computer was unknown.

    This was the mid-70s. We survived and for me created a less provincial view of citizenry. There is somebody else in the world beside us. And we are all a part of humanity.

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  6. Oh thanks for the info about Sam. Wish I could watch it with you it would be fun to see you google eyed. Could not think of the word I wanted to use...haha
    The last few days my brain is jumbled up like a puzzle.
    Honey what are you doing for Thanksgiving.
    Glad you got your power on quickly funny how we can not go long without it.
    Love
    Maggie

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  7. I have a limited understanding of electricity. I think it is total magic, but my hat is off to anyone who is out there working on those power lines. Let's face it, electricity is one of the ultimate labor savers.

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  8. I couldn't afford a down power line here, where everything runs on electricity. Yes, these people are our unsung heroes, for sure.

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  9. Dear Patti,
    Thanks for the note on Sam Elliot. Wrote it down. I hope you find the Sibling Rivelry. I think my copy's in Helena and I want to see it again. I want a good laugh. I'll order another if it's coming out in DVD. Mine is the old VHS.
    You'd do anything to get 20 men working in the front of your house. Ha Ha...I just talked to a girlfriend in Indialantic this morning and she said it's been so terribly windy that she hasn't been on the beach much. We reminissed on our old beach walks in bikinis and both said bikini days are long over for us. :) Damn Sam !!!!! Nice pics and good post. I too appreciate those power man.
    Manzi

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  10. You know Sam is married to Kathryn Ross, right Patti! But it's good to dream!

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  11. You are so right about those working for power companies. In the awful storms of winter we thinkg about them. The rest of the year they never cross our minds.

    Anything new on the mysterious turd?

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  12. kenju,
    They will know what you mean and we all need appreciation. I remember long outages in Florida when our guys were pelted with rotten meat while working 18 hour days.

    Tracy,
    Always looking for a new movie. Will check Netflix for Prancer. Thanks. This new one is a multiple hankie movie also I hear.

    marciamayo,
    You are right, they would be on call but it is still nice to be remembered. Water might be even the most underrated, When I had a well, loss of power was a double bullet. I could make shift around lights, not water.

    Patty,
    I do that almost with out fail. You are right, it is like we think the next room must have power. Then when the lights do come back on, every light is blazing. Thanks for the link.

    Nitwit,
    You know first hand just how spoiled we are with our ease of obtaining and enjoying power and water.It would do us all good to live in an undeveloped nation for a while.

    Grandmayellowhair,
    Drooling might be a bit excessive but appreciating would not.
    I usually enjoy limited outages for it puts me in survival mode and that is almost fun. Long term sucks.
    Having Thanksgiving dinner with three strays. Two divorcees, one widow and one widower, boy girl, boy girl. Kind of a ritual since I got here.

    Olga,
    You are right, it is magic and don't let anyone tell you different. Flip a switch and you have lights, warmth and dinner. They don't call it power for nothing.

    lakeviewer,
    Yikes, I was like that in Florida. Wow is it paralizing when it goes off. I bought this place for all the gas back ups.

    Manzanita,
    Ah, you are on to me. You have no idea how long it took me to figure out how to break that cross arm:))

    Wanda,
    That fact is what makes him so charming. He is a rarity in Hollywood and it is nice to respect a pretty face.

    Linda,
    Like some things in life, we only appreciate them when they are gone.
    I am leaning towards the turd being either a cat's revenge or maybe a fur ball. No new ones have appeared.

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  13. Having just got our power turned back on after 60 hours without, I can say that I absolutely appreciate the hard work of the crew who toiled day and night to get it going. On the first night of darkness, we had a flicker of power...clocks lit up, the iPod turned on... then it went dark. Then it happened again, and then stayed off for 36 more hours. That first flicker made me think of the crew out there in the dark, flipping switches, hauling trees off wires, working in the snow. There were hard-working people at the other end of our desire, and I thought of them with much gratitude.

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  14. I don't just give them a thumbs up, I pray for them when I see them out working! I know how dangerous it can be and how much I need what they do. blessings, marlene

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  15. Glad they fixed that up for you.

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  16. Can't believe I missed the poop post, he he, I am in favor of the cat leaving it as someone said dropping from their fur.

    glad you have electricity back. during an ice storm in Arkansas one year, we were without electricity for 5 days and we were freezing our "a..." off with only a fake fireplace to keep the temp up to 40.

    another time our electricity went out in the mountains of california during a big snowstorm, I told gary I'd run in and dry his gloves for him, tossed them in the dryer and pressed the button and nada, so easy to take for granted for sure.

    happy thanksgiving to you.

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  17. I so agree with you Patti....The people who work for the Power Company's all over our country deserve our Cheers and Applause. And how true, the minute the power comes back, one forgets what it was like without it----Well, not completely. I keep Jars of White Candles all around my house, just in case of the odd Power Outage. Better to be safe and prepared than sorry!

    A Very Happy Thanksgiving to you, my deare Patti!

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  18. I was working in my studio when the electric went out - very grateful for all their hard work to get the lights back on! You and Mighty have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

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  19. HI Patti, Am trying to catch up a little.... I saw that Sam Elliott movie advertised and was going to tell you. Glad you know about it.

    Some of those 'labor saving devices' are good --and some are not... I'm always game to try something that may cause me less work.... That's why I watch those info-mercials (things only sold on TV)... Some of them sound neat!!!!

    We always need to say a huge THANKS for those utility crews --since we know how much they do to help us, no matter what the hour is. Glad you got your problem figured out.

    Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  20. Hi! I am a new visitor to your blog. Enjoying it lots. Thanks too for the long list of blogs that you like - I shall be using it as a reference. I've just hit the 60 mark, but am reluctant to change my blog's name yet, although I don't feel dramatically different. It's all in the mind, isn't it.

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  21. robin,
    I really felt for you when I read your blog and saw we were on similar subjects.
    Sure am glad you got that generator but especially glad you are back with heat and lights.
    Loved your sentence " hard-working people at the other end of our desire"

    Stitchinbythelake,
    You and Robin really hit the perverbial nail with your comments.
    "how much I need what they do" so aptly describes our love of electricity. Thanks.

    oldmanlincoln,
    Thanks Abe-they really were great.

    Linda Starr,
    Funny but one of the main reasons I left Florida was the 2004 season of back to back (3) hurricanes and being with out power. Moved to Arkansas only to have an ice storm put me in the dark for 4 days. But with all the back up I have, it was much easier that the Florida outages.
    That is funny about the dryer. We are so used to flicking that switch.

    OOLOH,
    I know that is how it works for me. Instant normal. Big believer of being prepared however, Florida trained me well.
    Have a wonderful day Naomi.

    Jewels
    Oops, sure hope you weren't in the middle of something requiring power. Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Birthday to your dad.

    Betsy,
    Yeah, those guys sure don't have bankers hours. They work round the clock.
    Thanks for thinking about me regarding Sam.
    You and George have a wonderful day and find a place to hike off that turkey.

    fiftyodd,
    Welcome to TNS and thanks for commenting. Help your self to my blog list---some really great blogs there.

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  22. The problem with your country, and Australia too, is that all cables is above the ground, whereas most of our electric cables are underground. There are some cables above the ground in case of a river crossing and they do have problems with heavy snowfall for instance.
    Happy Thanksgiving. I didn't know that the Pelgrimfathers stayed in the Netherlands and for so long! I knew that they left from Rotterdam on the Mayflower.

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  23. Sorry, I said the Pelgrimfathers left on the Mayflower from Rotterdam, but it was the Speedwell.

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  24. Reader Wil
    You are right Wil. We have some communities with underground service but most is above ground. Unsightly, problematic and probably cost prohibitive to change now.
    The whole Netherland connection to our pilgrims was glossed over when I was a child. More emphasis was placed on the trip, the Indians and of course the romance of John Smith and Pocahontas. Makes one wonder what other parts of history have been ignored.

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  25. Hi Patti, My name is Dee and I was just spending a leisurely afternoon visiting blogs and happily landed on yours. I am enjoying reading your posts and have signed up as a follower. I will be back to visit soon.Dee

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  26. Dee,
    I am so glad you stumbled on my blog and welcome. Thank you for following and I will be going over to your blog now to say hi. Do come back.

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  27. After Hurricane Ike we were without power for three weeks. Of course, as is done in an emergency, we had power crews from far and wide helping out. What was disheartening was all of complaints, investigative reports, and general dissing because power wasn't restored within a week. I guess I am one of the few that thought they had done a remarkable job given the massive damage.

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  28. Jerry,
    Those guys work their butts off to get power back on. Our guys were pelted with rotten meat after Hurricane Andrew. A city was almost wiped out but the customers thought a few lines and poles would do the trick. Some feel power is a right, not a complex privilege. Appreciate your understanding.

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  29. I agree. I completely take power for granted until it is gone. Interesting when the sun goes down and the house is dark and quiet. Nothing excites me more than to hear the refrigerator spring back to life.

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  30. Suzanne,
    Good to hear from you again. Sure wish I could get your blog to show new posts. I have to check. I have three blogs I follow that are like that.
    Yes, you are so right, that is an awesome sound. Only thing better is the sound of the toilet flushing when you have well water and the power has been out for days.

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