Happy New Year
Without a doubt the past year has been a different time. We entered this year hoping the coronavirus would go away, and end the year with Omicron threatening our lifestyle and putting us back in masks. No political comments will be made here. You decide whether you choose to mask up or not. Either way you're probably going to take a little criticism. At the least, you may at least feel a bit of pressure in the opposite direction. Who'd have imagined our wallets need a shot card, and our pockets would have a folded mask at the ready?
Normally by this time of the year, I've stored away some of my hummingbird feeders. This year I still have eight hanging along my front porch on the east side of my home. They're not hung there for decoration either. These sugar-water containers are still being visited on a regular basis.
Christmas Eve I filled them all, and by Thursday morning, five days later, it was time to refill them again. Until the first of November I was filling all eight feeders every other day. At least now the numbers of birds coming in for nourishment has decreased. However, I still see 10 or 12 birds at a time feeding from the eight feeders.
I've been asked several times if this was my last year to be a contractor for service on the fires. Simplest answer? Most probably not. In early 2020 I signed a threeyear contract covering 2020, 2021, and 2022. As long as my health remains as good as it seems to be now, especially since my “tent” is a 27 foot RV trailer, I'm fine. Last summer, between July 22 and October 1, I spent 69.5 days assigned to three different fires. I spent 6 days on the Peak fire in Kern County then had 12 days at home. On August 8 I was dispatched to the Monument Fire in Trinity County west of Redding. I spent 58.5 days in a rocky sand-flat along the Trinity River enjoying the comfort of not sleeping on a cot under a sleeping bag. I could actually take a daily shower and crawl in between clean sheets on a real bed.
I returned home for 21 days then spent five more days on the KNP (Kings National Park) Complex. I was called for duty with the Buy Team, folks who purchase everything needed for the firefighters. My job was to deliver their purchases to Fire Camp for distribution to the crews. I was able to leave the trailer at home for their working area was in a hotel near the Fresno Airport. It was more convenient for me to be housed in the hotel, readily available to pick up and deliver various items, than to sleep somewhere in my trailer.
In previous years I either walked, or depending on the distance sometimes drove to the shower trailer. In previous years distance, time, and inconvenience often meant a couple of days between showers, especially if I wasn't grubby. I know I slept better and got more rest this summer.
When the COVID problem arose our meal delivery also had to change. In previous years we'd line up, visit as we waited, have our food put on disposable trays or plates, then sit down at a table among our friends at tables in a common eating area. In 2020 we started lining up, six feet apart please, were handed our meal in a styrofoam clamshell, then were to return to our working area to sit apart while we ate. This year with my trailer parked nearby I was able to take my food to the trailer, reheat it in my microwave then eat at a table using a real knife and fork, not plastic utensils.
Therefore, in answer to the questions, as long as my health holds I will make myself available for at least the final year of my three-year contract. When this contract runs out at the end of fire season in 2022, I'll have to decide if I want to go for another three years. If I were to make that decision right now, I'd say, “Let's go for it. I can always decline a call.”
As we examine the new year 2022 while trying to decide if it will be good, bad, or somewhere in between, I want to thank every reader who has taken the time to peruse my column.
For those readers who have read and enjoyed my first two books, Fire on Black Mountain and Snow on Black Mountain, I have news. I've begun work on a third book. My character, Billy Scott, was only 12 years old in the first two books. He's now 18, and a recent graduate from high school. This summer he's working for his neighbor and driving the neighbor's pickup on fires. I'm finding it easy to write about the things Billy sees and experiences. Of course, as an 18 yearold first time driver, he absolutely must get into multiple problems. If the first five chapters are any indication, Billy is performing as expected. You'll be exhausted following him through multiple problems by the time this book ends.
Happy New Year. I hope 2022 is an absolutely outstanding year for each of us.