An open letter to anyone who wants to read it:

Today the City of Salem announced that it would be shutting down 2 fire stations.  Completely.  As in, sorry no one is home to answer your emergency, please try again later.  I am rather indignant about this decision for several reasons.  The first being that my husband works for Salem FD.  The second has to do with the fact that the FD union was in negotiation with the city and had presented another viable option that would accomplish the same savings (if not more), shut down only one engine and evenly distribute the staffing throughout the city.  The city manager said no.  Then to prove how much she really meant it, she closed two stations.  Ya...I know.  I have flashbacks to the playground and that really spoiled girl that always stomped her foot and cried if she didn't get her way.  I never liked her...I wonder what she's doing now?

Anyway, as I read the article published in the Statesman Journal (cough cough) I was shocked by some of the comments.  Not all of them....just the really ignorant ones.  The ones that said things like "Good, I'm glad we're not paying those guys to sleep anymore" and "I'm tired of seeing them at the grocery store in their shiny trucks".  Wow.  I mean, really.  Wow.  At first I was angry, like shake my fist and use my favorite curse word angry.  Then I realized that maybe people really just don't get it.  So, let me clue you in on what goes on during a 24 hour shift.  And, bear in mind, this is all second hand from my husband but I'm thinking he's a pretty reliable source.

My husband works at Station 3, referred to as The House of Pain because it's the busiest engine in the city.  I believe it's also the 27th busiest single-engine house in the nation.  Their record for responses in a 24 hours shift is 20 calls.  You do the math people.  They don't really sleep so that answers the one ignorant comment.  Sometimes it's referred to as The House of Mild Discomfort when it's a slow shift...you know like when they get maybe 3 or 4 hours of sleep.

Each day there are 3 people on the engine:  the captain, the engineer (driver) and the hoser (firefighter).  These crews rotate every 3 days:  24 hrs on/48 hours off.  Each shift is responsible for their own meals and they each pitch in a few bucks to buy the ingredients for that day's meal.  Sometimes they bring stuff in from home so they don't have to shop but most of the time they go to a local grocery store to pick things up.  Also, they sometimes buy items ahead but you have to remember they are there every third day so any of those items must be frozens/non-parishables.  They are only allowed to go to a store in their response area and at one time or another have left their food behind to go on a call.  In additional to this, the entire station (all 3 shifts) pitches in for what's known as "cat meat".  This is for items all of them use:  ketchup, pickles, salad dressing, etc.  The term is from way back when they used to have horse drawn engines.  The station would keep cats to control the mouse population and the firefighters would pitch in money to help feed the cats.  Viola':  cat meat.  I can attest to the fact that the cat meat shopping is not done on shift.  I have gone shopping many a time with my husband on his off-shift days to buy the supplies needed because, frankly, they just don't have the time.

Next time you see a crew at the grocery store, ask 'em.  They'll answer any questions you have and be happy to do so.  They aren't driving around showing off their shiny fire engines, they are going to training or coming back from a call or moving up to cover a different station or any number of job related tasks that they are asked to perform during their shift.

So...that kind of covers the ignorance about seeing them at the store or and paying them to sleep.  But, there's a lot more to know about what these people do and it goes deeper than those silly comments.  My husband has been on some really crappy calls, as has every member of the Salem FD.  Calls that I know must be bad because he won't talk to me about them.  And we talk about everything.  Really, we're that couple...if you tell me, your telling him and vice versa.  Anyway, I know he has things in his head that I can't understand because of what he's seen.  Every FD spouse would agree.  And we both know that it's part of the job.  It's a known factor: there's gonna be some messed up s**t to deal with.  Got it.  What is more difficult and, in my opinion, wears them down more, is the abuse of the system and lack of coping skills people seem to have.   (I think there should be a class in high school, like maybe sophomore year, that teaches coping skills.  It's freshman prerequisite could be manners 101, but that's a whole different story.)  People call 911 for everything.  EVERYTHING.  My husband has had to go change the batteries in a smoke detector for a person who was completely able bodied and could reach the unit.  And, to make it even better, there was another able bodied person laying on the couch watching him do it.  They called a 3 person engine company into service because they were lazy.  People want to be transported to the ER for a sore throat.  No other complaints...just a sore throat.  Another person called 911 because they had a burning sensation in their throat after drinking a Coke.  Someone else called because they sneezed while eating and were sure they had chicken stuck up their nose.  I'm not making this stuff up.  People treat the ER, and by extension, the fire department/ambulance as their answer to general practice medicine.  And the brunt of that lands squarely on the firefighters who respond to the calls.

And we haven't even touched on the mental health issues they have to deal with.  They may as well have their degree in counseling as well as fire protection & paramedicine.  From people who need a mediator to settle their disputes to meth heads gorked out of their minds to older folks who just want to talk to someone, they field it all.  And they do it because it's their job.  And underneath all the crap, they like helping people.  But when the very people they protect start turning on them and calling them greedy, over paid, under worked, union puppets, I have to say something.  And, yes, I get angry because I see what these men and women put into the job and how little they get back in return.  People hear 'union' and they automatically react as if it's evil.  And, in the spirit of honesty, I used to as well.  I didn't think unions were necessary until I got a close up look at what they do for their members.  I cannot speak for every union out there but I can tell you this:  Local 314, Salem Professional Firefighters Union, is out for one thing and one thing only.  The safety of it's firefighters and the people they protect.  Period.

Here's the thing, I watched my husband find his way to this line of work.  I helped him study for his paramedic courses and it just came naturally to him.  When everyone else in his paramedic class was testing at every fire department around, he held out for Salem.  It was the only place he applied to because it was the only place he really wanted to work.  That was 9 years ago.  I am so proud of him and the entire fire department family at Local 314.  They are a great bunch of people and they really do love their jobs.  They aren't trying to fleece the city, they are just trying to do the best job they can with the resources they have and keep everyone safe in the process.

Tis the season...

No, not the Christmas season...not yet.  Thanksgiving.  The bridesmaid, never the bride of the seasonal calendar.  Everyone wants to rush right past it and get to the gifts but I really like Thanksgiving.  It's my favorite holiday and I refuse to be pushed into Christmas until Thanksgiving has been given it's allotted time.  But I will admit that I have already done some online Christmas shopping...sssshhhh!

Perhaps I like this holiday because I really like autumn.  There's something about the cold mornings, the leaves, the feeling of storing up for bad weather...it resonates with me.  Right now I'm sitting in front of a fire, drinking a cup of coffee.  The kids are still sleeping and the house is quiet.  It's just about perfect (except that my hubby has left for his shift...that part sucks).  I have an overwhelming sense of contentment and thankfulness.  Granted, that may change when the heathens wake up but that's why I'm writing this now while I can enjoy it.

It's good for me to be thankful, even if it's just been brought on by the season.  Too many time I'm caught up in what we can't afford or don't have time to do...it's good to be brought back to the basics.  Is our house wonderful and big and everything we wanted?  Nope.  But it is sound and warm and where each of our kids will remember being raised.  It holds our pictures and our memories and the kid's height against the wall.  We don't have everything and we don't have a lot but we do have more than some and just enough for us.  And what we have is directly related to how much we have worked for it and that fact makes it even more precious than any price tag can state.

So, this Thanksgiving my goal is to be thankful in all things and try to keep this attitude throughout the day...even when the kids are awake.

The Joy of Driving with NO kids...

First, let me just say that I love my kids.  Most every day.  But...there is a certain joy I derive from being in my car by myself.  The freedom to listen to anything or nothing is one of the purest forms of independence a mother can have.  And I claim it every chance I get.

I drove to town today to get some office supplies before picking up the kids at school and I enjoyed every moment.  See, I like a lot of music and some of the music I like is not suitable for my children.  Judge me if you must but some of my favorite songs are explicit.  And I like my music loud.  Feel it in your chest loud. Leave you ears humming loud.  Don't get me wrong, I am not one of those annoying people who cranks their music up so that every car in a block radius hears it.  I tone it down when in town.  But, we live out in the countryside, so I have a good 20-30 minutes of drive time, cruising at 60, with no one around to hear me listening to Marilyn Manson at high decibels.  Yea, it's nice.

So as I was driving along today with Pink's 'Raise Your Glass' turned way up, I got to thinking about people and the music they like.  Some people are easy to read, there is no mystery to the music they listen to.  Most of those people know all the words to songs like "Honkytonk Badonkadonk".  (I have no idea if I spelled that right and I don't really care)  Then there are some people who are like little musical onions...each band is like another layer of their personality.  I like people like that.  I like to get to know someone by what they listen to because I think it tells you interesting things about them.  I've been known to raise or lower my estimation of someone based on their musical tastes:  you like Coldplay?  Hhhmm...sorry, down you go.  Know who Veruca Salt is?  Bonus!!  Listen to mainstream country?  Back of the line buddy.  Listen to Cake or Foster the People?  We will get along great!  Ok...you get the point.

If you really want to know someone, listen to their running playlist.  Of all the playlists people make for themselves this one should tell you who they are when they aren't putting up respectable fronts.  Those are the songs that move you, motivate you and tap into whatever it is you need to find when your a few miles into the run.  So, in the spirit of honest blogging, here is my running playlist...a little glimpse into my brain, a few layers of my onion.  Enjoy.

Pumped Up Kicks - Foster the People
Ain't Nothing Wrong With That - Robert Randolph & the Family Band
Volcano Girls - Veruca Salt
All My Life - Foo Fighters
Cold Hard Bitch - Jet
Watch It Burn - Disciple
Lights & Sounds - Yellowcard
Raise Your Glass - Pink
The Beautiful People - Marilyn Manson
Seether - Veruca Salt
Bridge Burning - Foo Fighters
DOA - Foo Fighters
Put Your Hands On Me - Joss Stone
Hammerhead - The Offspring
6 Gun Quota - Seether
Whatever - Godsmack
Down With the Sickness - Disturbed

The 100

Okay...note it on the calendar:  today is the first day of my new workout plan.  I have let this 38 year old body get too far out of shape and I'm putting a stop to it NOW.  Not only have I not run in weeks, due to a sick child, I haven't even walked on the treadmill this week.  In fact, I haven't done a whole lot of anything physical this week and it's driving me batty.  Especially since I had found this workout over the weekend and had been planning on starting it Monday morning.  Then I had a puking kid on my lap for most of the week....

The workout is called 'The 100' and it's all around the internet in a variety of forms.  I like that I can easily modify it for my needs.  Here is what I came up with:

Monday  - Wednesday - Friday

The 100 Workout – Lower Body

100    Lunges

90       Crunches

80       Squats

70       Leg Lifts

60       Lunges

50       Crunches

40       Squats

30       Leg Lifts

20       minutes of running

10       minutes of stretching 

Tuesday – Thursday – Weekend

The Modified 100 Workout – Upper Body

50       Hand to Knee Pulls – each side

40       Curls

30       Chair Dips

20       Lat Raises

10       Pushups

50       Hand to Knee Pulls – each side

40       Curls

30       Chair Dips

20       Lat Raises

10       Pushups

Clearly the original (and I use that term loosely) plan is geared toward lower body exercises.  So, I made up my own modified version to work my upper body.  The beauty of this is that I can swap out exercises when my body becomes used to these.  It's relatively quick...although it took me a while to get thru it this morning.  And it's deceptively hard!  When I first looked at it I thought, really?  It's 4 or 5 exercises, repeated twice, how hard can that be?  Answer:  my legs are still shaking.  

One of the driving forces behind getting myself in shape again is that I've been asked to be a part of a team running the Cascade Lakes Relay next summer.  This is great on a bunch of different levels.  First, I finally get to run with my very awesome cousin who is a very accomplished runner.  Second, if gives me a concrete goal.  I have to pay an entry fee and I have people counting on me.  Third, I'm nothing if not competitive.  I have no illusions of being the fastest person on the team but I'll be damned if I'm going to be the slowest.  

So...here's to a new workout plan, healthy kids, a great cousin, a goal and a little competition!  

Tattoos

See that line up there?  The one right under the title of this blog?  "I know what it is to live entirely for and with what I love best on earth".  That's from Jane Eyre, my absolutely favorite book ever.  And I mean EVER.  I never paid attention to the book when I was growing up, it was just another english assignment.  But, I picked it up and read it again last year and I was completely taken by it.  I've re-read it several times and always find another layer of depth to the characters and storyline.

That particular line of literature is spoken by Jane at the end of the book when she finally finds happiness with Mr. Rochester.  It struck me as the perfect line to sum up how I feel about my husband & my family.  So much so that I had it tattooed on my side.  Really.  I did.  It goes from my ribcage to my hip bone and is surrounded by some freehand scroll work done by the tattoo artist.  I love it.  Muchly.  Most people respond to seeing it with "Oh my, that's big"  or "Holy Cow", which always makes me smile. Not that I go around hiking up my shirt for people to see it.  I've only shown it to a few family members and close friends.  I didn't get it done to have a lot of people see it, I got it done for my own enjoyment.  For me, I am glad to have a statement that means so much to me immortalized with me forever.

Soon I plan on getting my ring finger tattooed instead of wearing my wedding band.  My ring broke last month and I lost the setting out of it.  I took it off since it was catching on everything and now I'm totally used to not wearing it.  But, I don't want it to appear that I'm single (especially as I'm dragging 3 kids around) I am going to have my husband's initial tattooed on there instead.  A very simple 'M'.

And from there, who knows....I might get a few others.  :)

The Quilt Business That Wouldn't Die

About 4 years ago I started a custom quilting business out of my home.  I purchased a mid-sized machine and set to work.  My client base grew steadily and I found great satisfaction in the work.  About a year and a half ago, the business really took off and I upgraded to a long-arm machine w/computerized options.  I had 5-6 quilts in my sewing room/office at any given time and they just kept coming in.

Around this same time I got offered a job with an organization I had worked closely with through my work on the trade show.  Fearing a missed opportunity if I passed it up, I jumped on board.  I now had 3 jobs/businesses...all of which I could run from my at-home office.  What I also had, over the next few months, were ulcers.  Both of my office jobs have the same January deadline since they work in conjunction with each other and the vast majority of quilt clients wanted their quilts done by Christmas.  I was living under one deadline after the other.

Don't get me wrong, I was glad for the work and job opportunities.  There are a lot of people who don't have either right now so I'm not complaining.  But,  this spring I decided I had to let one of them go and the quilt business seemed like the easiest one.  I made the decision, told a few clients and even posted it on Facebook (where the entire world could see it...ugh).  However, the machine hasn't sold as of yet and, low and behold, the quilts keep coming in.  "Could you do just one more before for me before your done?" and "It's just a little one...".  Since I still have the machine and could use the extra cash, I've been  taking them.  And...that's how I continue to have quilt business even though I had every intention of closing up shop.  In fact, as I write this I should be working on one of the 7 quilts I have sitting here because I have several others that are still on the To-Do list.

So...I could sit here and spin this into a 'grasping opportunities' schpeel or I could just get back to work and make the most of what's been set before me.

Goodbye and Hello

Today I made the decision to leave Facebook.  Not a huge deal but it did take a little convincing just because of how easily I can keep in touch with relatives and friends.  But I got tired of the confusing changes, the hacking attempts and, quite frankly, the temptation to sit and waste chunks of time that I'll never get back.

So...I say goodbye to Facebook and hello to all the moments that I hope to gain back with this decision.  Maybe it will even allow me to blog more often, who knows!