Dec 24

Christmas Eve!

The true 12th day of Christmas. Toaka got started on her little song a day early, so she finished a day early. I guess she was hungry.

From all of us here at Frontline Medical... and TwelveTrees Labradors...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Dj, Dee, Pema, Noor, Mira, Maverick, Toaka, Tia, Snowie, Brogue, Teddy, Cinder, Hilton... and Sooty.

Dec 23

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Christmas is coming in...
1 more day


The day before Christmas Eve. Today is your lat chance to finish your Christmas chores.

Last year, on this day, Frontline Medical was still assigned to Galveston Island. The crew was preparing themselves for a good old fashion "fire camp" Christmas Dinner. There were light hung on the trailer.... the spirit was in the air. This year, the trailers sit dormant.... waiting for another fire season.

The has just come up from behind the trees. There is not a cloud in the sky. A crisp, bright morning. The dogs are just now starting to wake up. They know I am here having my morning coffee. Soon, one will whine ... just a little.. reminding me they are STILL in their crates. They want their coffee too. Brogue is just now starting to figue out what coffee is.

Ya'll have a great day.


ps. Toaka says..... ( singing!)

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my daddy gave to me....
twelve seasoned drum sticks.....
eleven pot roast pies!...
ten pounds of turkey....oh gosh...
nine bowls of kibble...
eight sticks 'O Bullies...
seven milk bone biscuits...

six breasts of chicken...

FIVE BAGS of JERKY!!!!! (woo hoo!)

four nilla wafers...

three bites of bacon..

two rawhide chews....

and a pig ear for me....and just me.

Dec 22

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Christmas is coming in...
2 more days

22 degrees this morning. Same as last year on this day. Today there is a light dusting of snow... not even enough to cover the grass. Not a cloud in the sky. According to the Weather Dude, it's supposed to be sunny for the remainder of the week.

Two more days to finish your Christmas chores. You're almost out of time.

Tiger took his little boat and headed for the Bahamas.

Locally, the roads are very icy. The prices at the market are very high. The gas in Graeagle is about sixty cents per gallon more. Most of our food establishments are closed for the winter. You can get a sandwich and a cup of soup at the Mill Works, but that's about it.

The New Year will bring the countdown to fire season. We will have to be ready in four months. Seems like we just came home. There will be the usual chores.... change out expired medications, complete the needed repairs, heavy spring cleaning... you the get the idea.

Ya'll have a great day. Go finish your shopping.


ps. Toaka says..... ( singing!)

On the eleventh day of Christmas, my daddy gave to me....
eleven pot roast pies!...
ten pounds of turkey....oh gosh...
nine bowls of kibble...
eight sticks 'O Bullies...
seven milk bone biscuits...

six breasts of chicken...

FIVE BAGS of JERKY!!!!! (woo hoo!)

four nilla wafers...

three bites of bacon..

two rawhide chews....

and a pig ear for me....and just me.

Dec 21

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Christmas is coming in...

3 more days

The Weather Dude was right about the rain yesterday. It rained off and on most of the day and into the night. Today the Weather Dude says it is supposed to snow. There are big ol' puffy grey clouds everywhere, so he might be right.

Three more days to get all your Christmas stuff in order. Toaka is anxiously waiting for something good to eat. Brogue hasn't figured it out yet. It won't take him long. When the smoked pig ears hit the floor, he'll know something good just happened.

Brogue is full of juice this morning. That's our way of saying he is full of energy. He has gone from one dog to the next, until he gets snapped at and told "get away kid". He now has a one gallon milk jug....."Oh what a prize!!". Expensive nyla-bones, chew toys, stuffed animals, etc..... his favorite is a milk jug. Sensory overload.... he can't figure out what to get into next.


ps. Toaka says..... ( singing!)

On the tenth day of Christmas, my daddy gave to me....
ten pounds of turkey....oh gosh...
nine bowls of kibble...
eight sticks 'O Bullies...
seven milk bone biscuits...

six breasts of chicken...

FIVE BAGS of JERKY!!!!! (woo hoo!)

four nilla wafers...

three bites of bacon...

two rawhide chews....

and a pig ear for me....and just me.

Dec 20

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Christmas is coming in...

4 more days

Heard Tiger's new name yet??

"Cheeta" ...... I knew it wouldn't take long before the Tiger jokes started.

The weather dude says it is supposed to rain later today. It's cloudy right now, so maybe he'll get this one a little more right than wrong. He's already wrong....he says it is raining right now.....it's not. Not even close.

Christmas is right around the corner. You better get your Christmas chores done, this week will go by fast.



ps. Toaka says..... ( singing!)

On the ninth day of Christmas, my daddy gave to me....
nine bowls of kibble...
eight sticks 'O Bullies...
seven milk bone biscuits...

six breasts of chicken...

FIVE BAGS of JERKY!!!!! (woo hoo !)

four nilla wafers...

three bites of bacon...

two rawhide chews....

and a pig ear for me....and just me.

Dec 19

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Christmas is coming in...

5 more days

Five more days and Christmas will be here. Six more days and things will be back to normal. No more "tis the season". I think everyday should be "tis the season". It kills me to see people on the news doing good deeds today, when yesterday they didn't care. When asked why they are doing this good deed....they reply..."tis the season". Well I ask them... Why can't you do this good deed in April, or July, or September? You get picture.

Anyways, five more days to shop. Five more days to wrap. Five more days to finish making whatever it is your making. Five more days to get your ingredients for your Christmas Dinner. Some folks don't do a Christmas Dinner. Some folks go all out. Whatever your plans are.... you have five days left to get to it.

My Doctor Dude has me scheduled for a CT next week. I'll keep ya'll posted on what is going on, just as soon as I know something.

Have a great day.


ps. Toaka says..... ( singing!)

On the eighth day of Christmas, my daddy gave to me....
eight sticks 'O Bullies
seven milk bone biscuits

six breasts of chicken

FIVE BAGS of JERKY!!!!! (woo hoo!)

four nilla wafers

three bites of bacon

two rawhide chews....

and a pig ear for me....and just me.

Dec 18

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Christmas is coming in...

6 more days

Brogue is doing his morning run. He is letting all the other dogs know he is awake now. He jumps, runs around, and pounces on to one of the dogs until they let him know they are not quite awake yet. Brogue then moves to another dog. From dog to dog he goes. He sometimes throws a pounce or two in the direction of the cat. She hates it. She is dead asleep... and... WHAM!!! 20 lbs of Labrador puppy!! I hear a loud." MEOW!!!!" loooking up just in time see Brogue running towards one the dogs. He is shooting me a look from the corner of his eye, as if he is laughing, almost as hard as me.

The UPS dude should be here again today. I have a couple more items I am waiting for. Not being able to go shopping feels kind of weird. Thank god for the internet. There is a small part of me that enjoys the feeling of shopping for that perfect gift. The streets get filled with last minute shoppers. The air has a chaotic feel.... but still controlled. It is just interesting watching the people.

Garvy sent me a funny email yesterday. It's about a man who attempted to rob another man. It's knid of funny. I will share with.... after Christmas.

Ya'll have a very nice day.


ps. Toaka says..... ( singing!) burp!

On the seventh day of Christmas, my daddy gave to me....
seven milk bone biscuits

six breasts of chicken

FIVE BAGS of JERKY!!!!!

four nilla wafers

three bites of bacon

two rawhide chews....

and a pig ear for me....and just me.

Dec 17

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Christmas is coming in...

7 more days

Back to my Doctor Dude this morning. More blood work. I'll keep ya'll posted.

Last year, on this day..... it was 3 degrees below zero here. I was having a snow plowing contest with the County Snow plow Dude. He pushed his snow into my drive-way... I pushed it back.

This year the County Snow Plow Dude hasn't bothered me. He seems to recognize the need for my drive-way to be kept berm free.

The sun just popped over the trees. It wasn't as spectacular as yesterday. It's still kind of pretty though. Everyday, it makes me stop typing and watch the last little jump above the tree line. The snow covering the meadow lights up to a light golden hew. I guess that's the only good thing about snow. It can be pretty. Don't get it twisted.... I would still rather see a light golden hew on a white sand beach this morning. It is still way too cold for my liking.


ps. Toaka says..... ( singing!)

On the sixth day of Christmas, my daddy gave to me....

six breasts of chicken

FIVE BAGS of JERKY!!!!!

four nilla wafers

three bites of bacon

two rawhide chews....

and a pig ear for me....and just me.

Dec 16

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Christmas is coming in...

8 more days

Eight more days?

The FedEx dude and the UPS dude have been making daily trips to our house. Too bad they can't just save it up until the end of the week, and make just one trip. I wouldn't want to be a UPS dude during the Christmas rush. I wouldn't want to be a FedEx dude either. The FedEx dudes have nicer trucks than the UPS dudes though. They even have a cooler looking suit. It's all dark blue, with some orange trim. That UPS dude suit is pretty ugly.

WOW!! The sun just broke through the clouds. It looked like five or six spotlights on a stage some where. Big bright beams of light. Nature pointing out all the cool things in the meadow. Even Brogue stopped running, just to have a look. What a treat. It's already gone. I wish I could have that every morning. Could you imagine the inspiration? I could write about something more spiritual or something. Whew.... that was cool.

The dogs just came back in the house from doing their morning "business". They all come into the house and settle by the fire and wait for breakfast. All, except Brogue. He has to make sure everybody knows he is awake. He runs laps around the dining table, bites everybody...at least once. He knows he is not supposed to hurt the cat, so during his run, he finds a path that leads him right by the cat. He pounces one time, right in the middle of the cat. He then continues his run around the table, the chair, the other dogs, the kitchen island, back around the table....and so on. The cat has launched a retreat to a spot under the wood stove. She will be safe there....for a while.


ps. Toaka says..... ( singing!)

One the fifth day of christmas, my daddy gave to me....

FIVE BAGS OF JERKY!!!!!!,

four Nilla wafers

three bites of bacon

two rawhide chews...

and a pig ear for me...and just me!

Dec 15

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Christmas is coming in...

9 more days.

Big ol' clouds this morning. Weird looking ones. The weather dude says we are in for some rain. He doesn't know. I think he just makes this stuff up. I know he waits until he sees rain on the coast... then says "it's gonna rain". No kidding?

Christmas is right around the corner. You better get your shopping done!

This year, I had to do most of my shopping online. I had all my gifts shipped. Being sick makes it hard to get out. I don't really want to be around anybody... you don't want this. I think I will even stay away from folks on the holiday. The medicine is helping, but this flu just hasn't gone away. I go back to my Doctor Dude on Thursday. Hopefully he will have another idea.

Toaka knows I am sick. She lays on the couch, next to me. She puts her head on my leg and just stares. It's as she is gonna keep an eye on me. I'd like to think she is keeping an eye on me. She's probably just waiting for a snack. None the less, she will sit and stare.... for hours.

Ya'll have a great day.


ps. Toaka says..... ( singing!)

On the fourth day of Christmas, my daddy gave to me....

four nilla wafers...

three bites of bacon...

two rawhide chews....

... and a pig ear for me, and just me.

Dec 14

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Not much happening today. Still sick.


ps. Toaka says..... ( singing!)

"On the Third day of Christmas, my daddy gave to me...

Three Bites of Bacon....

Two Rawhide Chews

...and a Pig Ear for me...and just me."

Dec 13

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Yesterday a man decided to work on one of his generators. His 12v batteries for his solar system were in the same outbuilding. There were also several open containers of gasoline. There was also a gasoline leak of undetermined duration. The outbuilding was a wood framed, wood siding, wood floor, asphalt shingle roof building. It looked like it had been there for several years, so the wood was very dry. This residence is located well off the beaten path, several miles from any paved road, with little to no winter maintenance.

Anyways.... I'm still not sure what he did, I only know what happened. Something sparked! Remember the gasoline leak? Yep. That gasoline ignited, which I think surprised the man, to say the least. The wife said she heard a loud "KA_BOOM!!!". She looked outside, only to see her husband flopping around in the snow. Not only was his solar generator shed gone and on fire.... her husband (aka - the generator dude) was on fire as well.. She said he was really putting off some good flames. The wife dialed 911.

Now.... remember the weather I've been writing about? The snow, everyday? Well it seems these folks were void of a snow plow. Their drive-way is about 300' on a steep downhill grade, and was not plowed. The drive-way did not have a place to turn around. We could only get one 4x4 engine into this fire.

As I approached the house, on foot, the generator dude was walking out to meet me. He had been shrink wrapped in his nylon clothing. He had very little hair left. It was snowing very hard. There was no way to get a helicopter to this man, and he needed to visit a burn center, sometime in the near future. Just then a man.... a looky-loo.... drove over the hill on a 4x4 quad-runner. He had heard about the fire on his handy scanner. He thought he would go take a look.... see what he could see. I smiled and thought....Perfect. I told the quad runner dude to drive the generator dude down the hill to meet an ambulance. The quad runner dude lost all the color in his face and said, "That's a long ways!" I told him to drive there....or lose his quad. He complied. The last I saw of the generator dude? He was on the back of a 4x4 quad-runner, hanging on for dear life, snow and slush flying, the quad-runner dude driving....TOP SPEED! The quad runner dude was not going to let the generator dude die on the back of his quad runner.....not today. All 450cc of quad runner engine were pegged.....wide open! I just shook my head, and laughed.

Now back to the fire. Remember the gasoline leak? Well, the gasoline was still burning, as were all those 12v batteries. The flames had already destroyed the collapsed building, there was very little wood left to burn. The fire seemed to be coming from the soil itself. That gasoline had been leaking for a long time. Remember the snow... and the one engine? This engine had only 350 gallons of water. The eager ambition of the young engine crew consumed those 350 gallons very fast.
Remember the whole solar thing? This residence had no power to operate the water well. So, I thought lets hook our own generator to water well. I asked the generator dudes wife where the water well was. Her reply? "Somewhere in that shed". Of course it is.

Now all we could do is watch the dirt burn. So burn it did. For about another hour we watched the fire slowly dwindle. We had snow, shovels and rakes, and other implements of destruction. We had an abundance of snow, so we used the shovels to shovel snow onto the batteries. We stirred the batteries into a slurry of plastic, lead, and snow. When the gasoline was completely burned, we packed up our implements of destruction and went home.

It was still snowing.


ps. Toaka says..... ( singing!)

"On the second day of Christmas, my daddy gave to me....Two Rawhide chews...and a Pig Ear for me, and just me!"

Dec 12

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Wow!

33 degrees here! Yesterday afternoon it actually rained. It snowed a little in the evening, but has turned to rain once again. I would rather see the rain than have the snow pile up. Hopefully it will rain enough to melt the snow from the driveway, so I won't have to plow.

For those who have sent emails asking.... Yes, the TamiFlu is helping. I am still sick though. I hope none you get this flu. It seems to get a little better, then... WHAM!... it sets you back on your a#$. The cough is the worse part. Thank you for your emails of support.

I received an email from an old friend. He lives in South Dakota..... Don't Ya Know. He said it was 22 below zero there....with wind! Well..... I just sit here, shaking my head. He said he wonders why he lives in such a cold place. Well... I wonder the same thing. He used to live here in California. He works as a hospital administrator. Well... we need hospital administrators here in California.... Don't Ya Know. I told him that we have snow and ice here too ( he won't miss it....trust me ). He has Sturgis and a lot of Harley's once a year. Well.... we have great roads... and a lot of Harley's too..... he could ride his Harley to Yosemite or something... Don't Ya Know. He has Walleye Fishing..... we have Trout... Don't Ya Know. He has Mt. Rushmore.... we have Eureka Peak.... Don't Ya Know. He Has.... well... he has to bundle up a lot more than me this morning.

Don't Ya Know....

Today has arrived! Toaka's 12 snacks of Christmas! I have received several emails, anxiously waiting for the 12 snacks. So....wait no more....


ps. Toaka says..... ( jumping, flipping with excitement! Tail wagging!)

"On the first day of Christmas, my daddy gave to me....a Pig Ear for me, and just me!"

Dec 11

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Good morning.

The stuff that some of our folks smile big about is falling from the sky again. Yes... Snow.

The weather dude said it would start last night.... it didn't. The weather dude missed his mark again. He was right about the snow, just not about the when.

The temps are much warmer now..... 20 dgrees this morning. The weather dude says it will be a high of 36 today. We'll see.

I was reminded of how cold it actually is in sunny southern California. It was a treacherous 36 degrees the other day.....BURRRR!! I think I would have added another shot of espresso to my cup, peeled off my outer layer of down and wool, wiped the fog from my sun glasses, put some zinc oxide on my nose, and shook the sand from my beach towel. LOL

Stay tuned... tomorrow starts the the 12 days of Toaka's Christmas.


ps. Toaka says..... "IT"S SNOWING!!!! WOO HOO!!! SNOW PLOW RIDES!!!!"

Dec 10

Whew! (panting...wiping sweat from brow)

It's actually ZERO this morning. A whole fourteen degrees warmer than yesterday.
The weather dude says we are in for a lot more snow. He says it's snowing already.....?? There is not a cloud in the sky. I think he has become a frequent reader of this blog, and he is just trying make me cranky.

A friend in sunny, warm, palm trees swaying, tanned skinned, sandy beaches, surfing, sunglass wearing, convertible down, NO SNOW in the yard, southern California has advised me I should "get a grip". He said something about a solstice still being two weeks away. He no doubt gripped his morning coffee in the warm sun, with no down jacket on, with bare hands, cotton....not wool socks (doubled), no icicles hanging from icicles, and an outdoor thermometer reading far above the temperature of freezing water. LOL

My Doctor Dude has started me on Tamiflu AND Zithromax. He didn't like idea of me being so short of breath when I walked up my stairs. He said I didn't get my H1N1 vaccine in time. He thinks I was already exposed when I got the vaccine. Twenty-four hours of drugs and feel like a new man. If anybody out there gets ANY flu like symptoms....DON"T WAIT! Call your Doctor Dude! Call before you go see him. Let them know you might have the flu. They may just treat you over the phone. If you are sick....don't go to work, don't go visit friends, stay away from people. You are considered contagious 24 hours before your symptoms show up, until 24 hours after your fever subsides.

Ya'll have a warm day....and let's all try keep each other healthy.


ps. Toaka says..... "Oh Boy...More Snow! I get to ride in the truck again! That means...BEEF JERKY!!"

Dec 9

Woo Hoo !!!!

It's warming up! It was 14 degrees below zero this morning.

Not much happening here. I'm still sick, it's too cold to go outside, the dogs just want to lay by the fire.

The weather dude says "more snow" tomorrow. Great. Just what I wanted. I'm sittin' here drinkin' coffee in a frosted mug and he says "more snow".

I'm thinkin' I wanna move to a place close to the equator.


ps. Toaka says..... "Hey, yesterday you mentioned CHILI.... I would love some warm CHILI."

Dec 8 - pm

8pm .... ZERO degrees!!

Dec 8

Ok.

I am through with winter.

I am ready for warm sun, green grass, and shorter nights.

This morning I awoke, at 6:30am, to 15 below zero. As the sun came up, so did the temp, it has already warmed to 10 below zero. The weather dude says our high should only be in the teens today.


Taken @830am

What do you do when it is this cold? All you snow sport buffs can't bulls#%* me. There nothing fun about being outdoors in this kind of weather. Not a cloud in the sky. The sun so bright, reflecting off the snow, it hurts your eyes. When you inhale... it hurts. The dogs usually spend about about 7-8 minutes, outside, doing their morning "business". Today they stopped short, just about 5 feet off the deck, did their business and promptly turned around. The snow is so frozen they don't even sink into it....they can walk across the surface.

I suppose today will be a day of TV, Egg Nog, some warm soup, and a little Thera-Flu.

To all you fans.... BattChief has had another adventure. (remember the electric fence story?). I am checking the authenticity of the story. It has something to do with Killer Chili, Suicide Soup, Getting rear-ended, and getting home late. I'm not sure in what order it all falls into place. Sounds to me like BattChief had to come up with something to tell Mrs.BattChief. I know making Chili can tempt a man into Transgressions....lol.... I get a little worried about the "I got rear-ended" part. Somewhere in the mix there is a can of tomato paste, several cans of beans, and a fire helmet. I know, don't ask me... ??... I couldn't visualize it either. "Leaving work early to avoid the rush", costco.... it sounds like a mess.

I'll fill you in as details surface.


ps. Toaka says..... "Oh gosh.... it's cold.... Ice Cream! That would be a cool snack."

Dec 7

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We also have available through Frontline Medical....
3000gal Potable Water Tenders Ryans Water Services
Gray Water Vacuum Trucks Ryans Water Services
Handwashing Stations Ryans Water Services, Exceptional Fire Support
Shower Units BrookStone
Tents InTents, Brookstone
Laundry Service Exceptional Fire Support
Low-Boy Equipment Haulers Ryans Water Services
Drivers with 1 Ton 4x4 and Trailers H and H Constructors
Air Traffic Control Trailers Stockdale Fire Support, BrookStone
Copy Service / GIS Fire Dawg
Other Overhead Positions - MEDL, RESL, STAM, RCDM, DIVS, FBAN, INCM
(all OH positions can be requested through Plumas National Forest - Graeagle Fire - or contact Frontline Medical)


16" of snow has fallen in the past 24 hours. Those of you who know me well..... know that I am HAPPY.

For those who love winter sports, ya'll have big smiles on your faces. This a very fine powdery snow. As I type, it is a squelching 12 degrees.... and still snowing. The weather dude says it might stop snowing around 6pm, only to start up again tomorrow.

My day will be spent shoveling and plowing. Toaka will be happy... riding in the truck.

During the Thanksgiving holiday, folks visited here with some sort of viral cold type infections. The infection has finally wopped me. Sore throat, clogged sinuses, itchy eyes. More annoying than anything. At least it doesn't feel like flu. Gives me a reason to drink some thera-flu and sit by a fire..... after the plowing. Did I mention, it is still snowing?

Take a moment today and reflect on our Nations history. Today is the day Pearl Harbor was attacked. Sixty eight years ago, at 06:05 on December 7, six Japanese carriers launched a first wave of 183 planes composed mainly of dive bombers, horizontal bombers and fighters. The Japanese hit American ships and military installations at 07:51. The overall death toll reached 2,350, including 68 civilians, and 1,178 injured.


ps. Toaka says..... "I hope no doggies got hurt at Pearl harbor."

pss. "WooHoo! Look Dad, it's still snowing!"