The Rock Wall

I’m thankful to have a quiet Tuesday after the last two with electrical outages.

I noticed something about the sub-station catastrophe last Tuesday that wasn’t in the headlines: why the power was back on downtown in about three hours. As Kimball and I were watching the roaring inferno just after noon Tuesday, I wondered when we would ever be able to get out a newspaper for you. Kimball sent me home to get ready for an all-nighter and BINGO, she called about 3:30 to tell me we were up and running.

As we returned from lunch about 2 p.m., we saw a couple of guys in the new substation near Dairi-Concepts. I didn’t give it much thought. Should have. They were getting it ready to power up the entire town.

Let’s credit the foresight and planning of the Utility Department Director, the City Manager, the Mayor and the City Council for building the new substation with enough capacity to power the entire town. It puts a little more stress on it and would eventually shorten its lifespan but for now, it’s good. The City Manager told me it may take until next summer to replace the burned out substation.

It’s insured, but the insurance probably won’t pay for replacing it with enough capacity to power the entire town from there too like I hope they do and I know they prefer.

So, if you see any of the people responsible for the advance planning, thank them in person. I have.

– Kimball and I went to the 59th Cole, Riverview, Hampton Reunion Sunday. Great company and visiting with food to match. A lady across the table from us said she knew who I was and why I was there (with my camera) but not my name. I finally asked if she was a Keeton because I could see the resemblance to the late George Keeton who graduated two years ahead of me. It was his sister, Ruby Keeton.

– I think it was Saturday Kimball told me she had just seen a chipmunk go behind the TV. We moved that table out from the wall, but the critter wasn’t there. We left the table out and left the patio door open as an escape route. Kimball went to some On My Own confab. I was watching TV when I saw shadow run across the living room, past the open door and toward the piano. Almost immediately, I heard a crash in the dining room. Caddeaux had the chipmunk, but dropped it before I could get to him. The little creature ran behind the north patio door curtain.

I hurried to the kitchen and grabbed two baking mitts. I opened the north patio door then looked behind it. The little chipmunk froze behind the curtain. I picked it up gently and took it outside to release it in the daylilies. First chipmunk I had ever caught.

Caddeaux wanted to go look for it but I made him and Bella come inside.

Sunday, Kimball was gone again when I saw another shadow run across the south deck. This time it was a much larger chipmunk. It posed a long time by the picnic table so I could get a good look.

I’ve never seen a chipmunk on our property before. Now we have a family of them playing on our deck.

– Kimball came home from one of her events and asked me if I knew what you get when you cross and elephant and a rhinoceros. When I gave up, she told me, “Elephino.” KL