Saturday, July 07, 2007

A tribute to Power Linemen

Hi all, and sorry for my absence. For some reason Google decided my "email address didn't exist" for a few days... tonight it works again. That's computers for you!

Tonight isn't about marketing, because I want to take a minute and pay tribute to some amazing men. My son is one of them, or I might not even know how amazing they are.

I'm talking about power linemen.

A week ago today a freak wind storm hit North Idaho - it roared through here, did its damage, and was gone an hour later. We were fortunate - no trees on the roof or flying sheds. Just a lot of branches to pick up everywhere. We only lost power for a day. But others were not so fortunate.

When my son got the call at 7:30 last Friday night he thought he'd be out for a couple of hours - little did he know the extent of the destruction or how many power lines would have to be completely rebuilt. His crew finished their last repair at 9:30 tonight. He was out for a couple of hours alright - plus a week!

What most people don't know is the hours they work. By the time they got back in tonight they had worked 138 hours in 7 days. When the people are without power, these guys just don't quit.

They missed celebrating the 4th of July - and they missed last Christmas because of a storm on the Washington coast. But they don't complain. It doesn't matter if its snowing and ten below zero, or if the temperatures reach 100 in the shade (like today).

So, next time your power goes out, know that there are a bunch of dedicated men out there hustling to get it back to you. If you happen to see them, give them a friendly wave and a smile and let them know they're appreciated.

Wishing you a wonderful week-end,
Marte

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