Ken Fitzgerald
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I worked a couple long days this week in a little hospital 35 miles across the Blue Mountains from here in eastern Washington. Yesterday as I was finishing up I noticed a little wear on a connector for a handswitch. As I was trying to make it better ....I broke it. So.....I jury-rigged it and ordered a replacement for Saturday Fedex delivery. Most guys would have said....they don't want to pay for Saturday O/T and I'll just let it go 'til Monday....especially since I have to work on a supercon magnet here in Lewiston tomorrow. Well....I don't like temporary fixes ....especially as temporary as this one should be.....so I got the part; drove to the hospital and replaced the connector I'd broken. They will pay for the part as the other was intermittant but not my labor as I won't bill them for it.........
As I left town to drive there it began spitting snow...it was starting to accumulate as I crossed the little pass in the Blue Mountains. 2 hours later (it was one of those.....45 minutes to get to it....10 seconds to replace it....45 minutes to put it back together) I started home. Crossing the hospital parking lot the melting snow had frozen to ice as the temps were still dropping. The snow had accumulated to a few inches and it was still snowing and blowing. The sun was setting....big tall grasses and sage brush had snow on them.....the ground had snow on it......among the grasses and sage brush the snow highlighted the trails on the mountain sides along the road telling where the deer and cattle normally walk....the wind was gusting......A few idiot drivers passed me before we started climbing to the pass.......they pullled over and I passed them when it got a little steeper and slippier. A coyote ran across the road in front of me....I saw deer huddled against a large rock....out of the wind but still grazing.......the snow.....and I thought to myself....this is why I love this area where I live.......and if I ever quit appreciating it.....somebody just shoot me!
As I left town to drive there it began spitting snow...it was starting to accumulate as I crossed the little pass in the Blue Mountains. 2 hours later (it was one of those.....45 minutes to get to it....10 seconds to replace it....45 minutes to put it back together) I started home. Crossing the hospital parking lot the melting snow had frozen to ice as the temps were still dropping. The snow had accumulated to a few inches and it was still snowing and blowing. The sun was setting....big tall grasses and sage brush had snow on them.....the ground had snow on it......among the grasses and sage brush the snow highlighted the trails on the mountain sides along the road telling where the deer and cattle normally walk....the wind was gusting......A few idiot drivers passed me before we started climbing to the pass.......they pullled over and I passed them when it got a little steeper and slippier. A coyote ran across the road in front of me....I saw deer huddled against a large rock....out of the wind but still grazing.......the snow.....and I thought to myself....this is why I love this area where I live.......and if I ever quit appreciating it.....somebody just shoot me!