Ye Gods

Tonight I heard gunshots - so close they rattled the windows - and rushing to the windows to see if some idiot was actually thinking he could shoot the deer in our apple orchard, I saw the light pole at the corner of our property going crazy. It flashed lightning a few times (the sodium light exploded) and made these horrendous cracking noises, and, of course, huge plumes of black smoke. I dialed 9-1-1 and explained to the RCMP dispatch that answered that I wasn't really sure what was going on but that things were definately hinkey. She dialed the people who page out the fire/first responders around here, and I got to have the exact same conversation with him.(If this were a life-and-death situation, wouldn't this be a huge waste of time??) I was staring out the window the whole time, making sure this big ball of flame didn't appear out of nowhere and sweep towards my house, and I saw a couple of cars turn in to the fire hall. So I told him 'Look, there are a few firemen there already, do you want me to just run over and talk to them?' He laughed a little and said 'Actually, I have the (Small town) Fire Department on the other line.' At which point I blurted (because I am famous for saying things like this) 'Well, then, I guess you don't need me, do you?' and hung up. So now I have a pole with scorch marks, and three firemen sitting in their cars, watching to make sure nothing happens where they need to get out the beeg trucks.

I found out later it was 'just' a transformer, and that NS Power will come out tomorrow.

I'm not crazy about the idea that light poles can suddenly put on firework displays all on their own. I'm even less crazy about the idea they can do this next to my house.

Note to self: Throw out the cordless phones. Six firemen showed up at the firehall tonight before it was paged out....many, many people have police scanners around here, and I'm not always polite when I talk on the telephone.

Here's Casserole on one of the firetrucks the other day...

Bear is a volunteer on the department and takes the trucks out sometimes to give them a run, much to the The Boy's glee...