Friday, March 1, 2013

Friday Favorites


It's Friday!  Did you ever listen to Paul Harvey on the radio?  I always loved hearing those words "Hello, Americans, it's Friday!" at the beginning of his Friday broadcasts.  He was my favorite newscaster and I listened to him for years.   

Today's Friday Favorite from the past  is the old copper boiler in the photo above.  Stormy had to get herself in the picture, but I think you can see enough of the boiler to tell what it looks like.  I had to dump the magazines out and move it to a spot where the light was good enough to get a shot.  The lighting in my house is never very good for photos.  

My dad gave me many things, but he was never one to go to a store to pick out a gift for any of us.  Many years ago, he came by my house and brought me the copper boiler that he had bought at a farm auction.  He loved to go to estate/farm sales and often found a very good bargain.  I was the very happy recipient of this bargain!  It's great to put magazines and books in and it's one of my favorite things that my dad gave me.  

Dad's birthday was on March 2 and he would have been 100 years old tomorrow, so I thought it was fitting to share a favorite treasure from the past that he had given me.  

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

The snow just can't seem to completely stop falling.  We have had a few flurries each day since the second 12 inch snow that fell TuesdayMy lineman hubby has been working very long hours helping to restore power to the rural areas.  A couple of nights he got in around 2:30 am and was back to work at 7 am the next morning.  He actually got in at 11:30 last night and went in again at 7 this morning.  He told me that about all they had left to get hooked back up were some individual outages.

Most of the people are very grateful for all the hard work the lineman do in this bad weather.  But, there's always a few who have to get mad and say stupid things.  They just don't have any idea what these men have to do to get the job done and in difficult weather conditions and on very little sleep.  One man posted on Facebook that "if the linemen would quit sitting on their butts in their trucks and actually work, then maybe the power would get restored sooner."  

Well, fella, just in case that was my hubby you saw "sitting on his butt doing nothing", he didn't have his usual bucket truck but was in a lighter truck and had seen a downed wire that was also a hot wire, meaning energized, and was watching to make sure no one got into it and got electrocuted.  He was also waiting on a bucket truck to come so that particular line could get rehung.   I know all this because he took the opportunity while waiting to call me to check in and see how things were at home.  

Sorry, I had to get that off my chest.  As I said, most folks are grateful for the linemen who work long hours in less than ideal conditions to get power restored.  They know how badly people want power.  Some of the linemen live in the country themselves, so they know what it's like to not have power, too.  We have had other co-ops send crews to help out, it's been that bad.   

Hope your weekend is a good one.  I know someone who will probably want to sleep the entire weekend! 

Until next time... 

32 comments:

  1. Oh I do hope that he gets caught up on his missed sleep. Yup, some people! There are always two sides to every story.

    What a great gift from your dad. How nice to remember the sweet things.

    We've got this same crazy weather pattern...it's already old and we've got another week of it.

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  2. What a super gift to remember your dad by. I have a much smaller one and love it.
    I sure appreciate all the men and women who have to work long hard hours in the worst weather possible in order for me to have electricity. There are always some people who complain about everything.

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  3. Hats off and applause for your hard working hubby! Cheryl, the story of your copper boiler was very heartwarming. Tomorrow is a special day, your dad's 100th birthday. I used to love listening to Paul Harvey. I loved his voice and the way he could tell a story. Good day! Twyla

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  4. I have seen those poor line guys in all sorts of weather out there working. Maybe that fella ought to try walking in their shoes for one day.

    Speaking of Paul Harvey. I used to work with his Nephew many years ago.

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  5. love that golden bucket and stormy matches it perfectly. i have a green glass oil lamp that was the only present my dad ever gave me, he was not a present giver, mother did all that, but he went to the country to visit his cousins and found this old green oil lamp in the general store, he came home with it and i was totally shocked. glad you told us about your hubby and so there to those grumpy people that don't have a clue

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  6. Copper pot, copper spots on kitty. She is such a pretty little thing.
    I think the folks who complain should take a good hard look at what it takes to climb the ladder then the pole, hang on, keep balanced and use both hands to do the job while the wind blows, the rain pours etc. But they won't!

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  7. Hi Cheryl, We've got clouds/snow/drizzle, etc. today --and yesterday.. NO accumulation so far--but it's nasty out there, and cold.

    I feel sorry for the linemen who have to work a billion hours taking care of people. Shame on anyone complaining about them...

    Sweet tribute to your Daddy. I'm sure that copper boiler is very special to you... That is so neat!!!

    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  8. i remember him very fondly - "Paul Harvey Good Day!!" - my favorite part of the whole show.

    great post today. have a good weekend. ( :

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  9. In my comments, you said you like sweet, sparkling wine! Yessss! Me too!!!

    Let's pop the cork on a bottle of Champagne, and share it!!!! Wishing each other, a Happy March or something.

    :-)))))))

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  10. You also asked about Site Meter... It has not been down for me, recently. But it was down for Vee, for way too long.

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  11. What a purrrrrrrfect Photo Composition. All the colors go so well together. Stormy certainly should be in the pic. Look how her colors compliment the old copper boiler, and visa versa. !!!!

    And such a sweet memory, to go with it....

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  13. I'm so glad you got that off your chest. And many, many thanks and hugs to all the hard working line men and women!

    I'm sorry you have had such a terrible spell of weather. And I certainly wish, that he will be able to sleep ALLLLLLLLL weekend!!!!!!!!!

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  14. Besides working very long hours, they work in miserable conditions. I love my linemen and tell them every chance I get. Truly unsung heroes.

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  15. Love the post and hoping for less snowy days. Loved the pot and the kitty. 100 years.....WOW.

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  16. Your copper boiler is a treasure and so special that your dad gave it to you. I also believe linemen get a bad rap from the public. It takes a lot of hard work under difficult circumstances and dangerous weather conditions to get the power back on. Most people have no idea! I hope your hubby gets a good rest this weekend and there are no more storms!!

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  17. I love that copper boiler! My sister has one with a top and I just love it....

    Thanks to your husband! My cousin was a lineman in New York State and it's a hard job! Hope he gets some rest this weekend!

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  18. Love the copper boiler! Can you believe all of the snow we have been having?? I know northern MO got a lot more than down here in the southern part of the state.

    My dad always listened to Paul Harvey in the car. :)

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  19. It always amazes me how stupid people can be. Hopefully your husband will be able to finally get some real rest soon. Bless his heart and go git em girl!

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  20. We always listened to Paul Harvey's radio show. I can still hear he distinctive voice.
    Nice memories and a treasured gift from your Dad, Cheryl. My Dad would have turned 100 on March 5th.

    Tell your Lineman thank- you for his dangerous and arduous work under the worst conditions imaginable.
    Sadly there's always a few rotten apples of the human-kind. Most people are eternally thankful.

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  21. Cheryl I can't tell you enough how thankful we are for the linemen like your husband. They are wonderful guys! The copper boiler is cool and Stormy is looking GOOD! It is still flurry-ing this morning. I need some sunshine and warmer temps! I hear they are on the way.. :)

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  22. You just have to consider the source of comments like that. Sad that they exist. Grrrrr. I do hope your husband gets rested up this weekend.

    I love the way you chose to remember your Dad's birthday, Cheryl. =) Makes me smile. blessings and hugs ~ tanna

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  23. I use to listen to Paul Harvey -a re his reruns on now? And your cat is such a pretty color - and matches the copper. And hey didn't you say earlier you wanted snow - lol? I know there are a lot of devoted men and women who work harder when it snows and things get broken. Love, sandie

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  24. I have some treasures that my Dad gave me too. Also, my mother used to collect teacups; so now I have them. I treasure all of these memories. I loved the boiler pan.
    Wow, I can't imagine having a job like your husband. I think that is a hard one. Especially to have to go out and work in this kind of weather. Some people can just be so irritating.
    It's hard when our men have to put so much time into their work. My poor husband has been working really long hours. He works at home and he seldom takes breaks. I hope he will quit soon for tonight. He tries not to work on Sundays so he is working hard right now.
    My daughter got about the same amount of snow in Peculiar, Missouri. She homeschools so her children have been making snow men, igloo's and a huge bear.
    Loved this one and blessings to you both.

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  25. I DO remember Paul Harvey! :)

    Some people have no idea how hard others work to make our lives better. I think a lot of us are selfish and spoiled, and show it when we we are inconvenienced even for just a bit. Hope your husband got lots of sleep this weekend.

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  26. My mom had one of those copper deals & I always loved it... she put magazines & stuff in hers, too.

    I know those men work very hard & very long hours & I just don't understand why some people insist on hounding them sooo bad when bad weather hits... they're doing the best they can & can't go any faster than they already are... sheesh!

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  27. I remember Paul Harvey, too, & I miss him!

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  28. Your snowy weather is lovely, Cheryl, except for those who have to go out and work in it like your husband. Those complainers have nothing better to do than sit at their computers and criticize so best to ignore them. Another reason that we don't do any other social media, other than blogging, too many people saying a lot and saying very little of importance. The copper pot is lovely and nice of Storny to get into the photo.
    Yes, I do remember (and miss) Paul Harvey. He was an American treasure that's for sure.

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  29. Cheryl
    I have always wanted a copper boiler-what a sweet gift from your Dad.
    Oh, I hear you about linemen. My son is one too and some of the stories he's told me are just amazing. Some people!
    I, for one, appreciate your husband's hard work.

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  30. My parents always listened to Paul Harvey when I was a teen...and so I was sucked in, too....when he would tell that one line and then say, "stay tuned for the rest of the story"...you know you had to sit on the edge of your seat to find out what the puncher was going to be.....and you always were astounded by that little story! Loved him!!! I continued to listen to him after getting married until they went up on what they charged the radio stations for the right to play him, and our radio station was too poor to afford him. I was heart broken!

    My dad's birthday is March 5. He would have been 79 this year, but he died of cancer 5 years ago. He also loved to go to garage sales and bring us all treasures that he found. He brought buckets of toys for my kids all the time!

    So glad there are people like your hubby to keep America going...without them, we'd all freeze to death or burn up....not to mention our food would spoil...thank him for us!

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  31. Oh, I always feel for the linemen...and wonder how they do it when they have so many places get hit during summer storms, winter snows, etc.

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