The 21inch snow storm of 3/7/11

With my son at the folks and the Wife working a double I could focus on the night worry free. It was a lack luster night for calls over all, which was great. A few falls and abdominal pains, a few left overs from public drunkenness day, and not a single motor vehicle accident needing EMS. Most of our time was spent working at the station keeping up with the added duty's the job description never tells you of, shoveling.

Sure we had to shovel, but it was to just keep our rigs capable of getting out of the station, but our tires were the first to tread through the untouched city roads at times. Sure we struggled with how to extricate a resident from their house with a three foot snow berm at the end of the driveway. Over all we felt it was a good night but it was only 2100hrs, and the snow kept falling, so still we shoveled and piled it in mounds, and still it kept falling. We would venture out ever so often, and shovel not knowing where to put the snow that kept falling. Inches at a time we would clear with no end in sight but we encountered a phenomenal display of  Thundersnow. We were all in good spirits, which I credit to my survival of my the trip home.

I sent a courtesy pick up for an employee walking into work, punched out and was meeting my wife to give her a ride up south mountain. The wife's two door car had no chance in making it home, so we had planned to meet at Walgreen's in hopes to park in a cleared lot and carpool home. When I arrived I found a struggling Cavalier in a barren stretch of parking lot smaller than a landing strip in the Peruvian jungle. Questioning our choice, I suggested the Hospital lot within eye sight, Wife agreeing she stepped on the gas and went no where. Physically pushing the cavalier back she got traction and turned it around, only to get stuck as I jumped in the my Wrangler. Moving it the 10 yards closer I jumped out and gave her another push where she again gained traction and was off. Back to the wrangler I head towards the exit of the parking lot rounding the building to see her stuck. Grabbing the tail end with my now frozen hands I give her a shove and off she went leaving me covered in the snowy remains of tire kick back.

Back on city streets I pursue her around the corner to come upon her stuck in a snow bank 20 yards from the very barren parking lot of the hospital. Sliding to a stop I jump out and heave ho, heave ho, oh no shes in there good. One more try and she brakes free, once more leaving me covered in snowy remains of tire kick back. No matter she was in a cleared lot and parked safe, and she jumped in the Jeep.

"Why are you so out of breath and wet?" she innocently asked, "Shut up" I replied with a smile "you know why." Off we went to climb the beast of south mountain. A direct shot from the parking lot up a mile stretch to the base, where a drastic sixty degree incline awaited. The four wheel drive making easy work of the mess that were the roads we ventured on. Rounding a slight bend I see in the distance a sight only to familiar, "Shit" I burst out, to roll up on my courtesy pick up rig wheel deep in a snow bank. After a quick explanation from the crew it was agreed upon that they were stuck and it was time to push. Freeing the rig from the snow bank we still had to battle with the absence of traction and an up hill battle to get them out. A few more shoves and the gracious assistance of a county plow truck and the rig was buried with a three foot snow berm and in need of a tow.

Back in the wrangler we ascended leaving the crew to wait, climbing we followed the evil plow hoping to pass him as he stopped. A block from our road we made our move as he sat idling as if to taunt us. With out warning he continued forward blocking my pass and pushing a five foot jeep impassible wall through my roads intersection with out a second thought. Unable to make it the final few hundreds yards to the homestead we were forced to slide back down the mountain, passing the still stuck rig and ventured back to work to plan out our next adventure.

Luckily a few hours of waiting around the station we ventured back out and had no issues as the town had enough time to clean up and let me in front of my house. An hour later of snow blowing I was able to finally pull the Jeep into my drive way.

Be Safe
Ambulance Junkie

I'm out of places to look.

I give up! I am through, its impossible and I admit defeat! I am not a quitter but damn it I'm finished. I have searched all over and am out of places left to look for it. Impossible to rationalize that there are only so many places to look, and yet each and every one of them has yielded no success. 

Its only four rooms, all the cabinets are locked up, the stair ways are blocked off and the closets closed. No Open windows or doors and no holes in the floors or walls. Every last conceivable location looked over with a fine tooth comb.

 Still no success!

The only one who possibly knows where the object of my affection may be isn't talking. Or at least isn't talking in any rational form, rather just babbling along. Sure he has the dexterity to hold and "throw" but not the stature to place it atop any object. So its hard to imagine where he has put it.

I have to admit my little man has bested me at hiding the remote control,

8 weekends in a row!

An Infants Insight: Barriers

When all seems so unclear and uncertain, I looked at him and he didn't have a care in the world. He just looked out and stared at his puppies. The puppies so far away from him with an invisible barrier that prevented him from getting any closer.

He couldn't possibly comprehend the barrier set before him or even why it was so intent on keeping him from his puppies. All he knew was that it stopped him from going any further.

He stood there and pounded his little hand on the glass. Striking it with what he could muster. Yet to no avail he could not get through this barrier. He looked high then sat and looked low. He crawled to the right and back to the left. It was incomprehensible to this little man as to why he was unable to get to the puppies he loved so much.

As I watched him from my hidden vantage point (on top of the kitchen island out of view) I saw him sit down pick up his letter magnet from the fridge and try to hand it to the dogs who were now near the said invisible barrier. With no success in his actions I expect him to move on to other things or get frustrated and become upset. What I saw not only melted my heart but enlightened my mind.

This Little Guy, My Son, put his hand against the invisible barrier and "touched" the Boxer's nose. He than sat and began to babble on to the Boxer and patiently sat there waiting while the Boxer sat and watched the little guy.

The smile on The Little Guy's face when I opened the glass door to let the pup's in was priceless. The Boxer came in and went straight to The Little Guy and he laughed and grabbed onto the boxer to give her a hug. At which time I had to intervene to prevent an open mouth being licked by a dogs tongue.

It may be I'm getting "Soft" in my old age, or that I'm more sensible to how I really feel. I've likely also way over read the insight this event gave me but I share what I got from this event.

Life isn't about what you can't have or what you can't get to, its about the joyful moments. There will always be invisible barriers between us and what we want. There may even be physical barriers, But the fact of the matter is we can't allow that to keep us from happiness. Sometimes we have to strike out at the barriers in hopes they come down, realizing that the barrier is to strong or even metaphorical we continue. Sometimes we must find alternative ways around the barriers seeing none or even unable to comprehend the size of said barrier we have to take a step back. Sometimes we need to make the best of what our current situation and wait with promise of what will come.

When we find our way past the barrier we must embrace with open arms the figure of our obsession. With joy and happiness we will understand completely that our struggle was worth it

And.....Then Dad will step in and prevent the dog from licking our open mouth :-)

Be Safe
Ambulance Junkie

Off on Vacation

Realizing I have never spent more than 4 days off in a row with my son since he's been born, I am going to spend 11 days with him and the Mrs of course.

I am off to the area know as New England.

I shall return,

after a much needed family vacation.

The Girl

She has walked this side walk hundreds of times before, but never quite like this. She is a young girl, only six years of age, a cute girl, innocent and sweet. She walks this sidewalk gazing upon it as though she's never seen it before. She feels lost and alone as she walks this side walk she has hundreds of times before.

She walks with a small suitcase beside her then she waits to cross the street. She seems to be alone, as she carries her suit case next to her in the cross walk. She disappears from view as she passes in front of my rig. She reappears pulling her Hello Kitty luggage, she walks with her small suitcase beside her.

She's not alone, for she holds her teddy by its arm. She stops on the curb and sets her luggage down. She tucks her teddy into her arm and looks around her, unsure of what to do next. She looks infront of her but does not know where to go or who to ask. She's not alone, she has her Teddy she holds tucked in her arm.

I know she's run away from home, but I dont know her reason why. I can't sit by and wait to understand her reason. I have an obligation to help this child, even if she doesn't know she needs help. There is some one missing their child. I know she's run away from home, doesn't matter the reason why.

My Promise to my Son

The first time you smiled, I was Working.

The first time you Laughed, I was Working.

The first time you learned to sit up, I was Working.

The first time you crawled, I was Working.

Your mother will tell me of your wonderful accomplishments, I am proud!

Though I am saddened, I will never let you know.

I will never let your mother know.

This is my burden to bare, and no one else's.

Please don't think this is how your life will be.

I'll be there for you my son.

I won't miss your games, I won't miss your awards, I won't miss your growing up.

I know what that was like and I won't make the same mistake.

That is my Promise to my Son