When
I retired from the National Park Service back in 1995 it was a bleak
November Thursday as I walked out of Headquarters at COB. That’s
government speak for “completion of business”. In plain speak it
was 4:00 P.M. – closing time for the administrative offices. My
first day of retirement was on Friday and I was home alone. I was at
a loss as what to do after 32 years of working odd ball shifts,
weekends and being on call most of the time. I was really, really at
a loss for something to do. The weekend was kind of nice at home with
the family, but I did not want to repeat Friday as I was bored out of
my mind and I don’t do house work well. So on Monday I went down
to the old fire station on 7th
Avenue and started a new career as a reserve, paid on call, city
fireman. The Assistant Chief asked me if I would mind cleaning the
ambulance. I spent two days cleaning one
ambulance. I would not have hauled a sheep in that ride, I thought
the floor was intentionally black, but it was really cream colored or
so it appeared after scrubbing every inch of it by hand with soap,
chlorine bleach and a scrub brush.
When
I riffed (or would the correct English be “was riffed”) from Page
Fire Department it was just as bleak a day here in Page as it was
almost two decades ago. My last day of duty was Monday and now on
an overcast Tuesday I find myself in the same situation as I was
years ago - bored. So I went to the city owned horse corrals and did
some cleaning.
I
am having visions and flashbacks to the movie Groundhog Day!
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