Therapy of Words

Writing this was actually therapeutic and has helped me move on from the extraordinary sadness I have felt for the past few days. It's like I transferred all that sadness into a computer file. This was an on the job injury and my wounds are healing pretty quickly. It did ruin my perfect record of never being transported in an ambulance as a patient. They called an additional ambulance from the next town over to the scene for me. Those guys were great. As is normal for animal bites I am doing a 7 day regimen of antibiotics and the dog in question was up to date on his rabies. I really don't feel like writing out the incident details again.... I've written it enough times on the reports. 😒 

 

July 18, 2026 at 6:30 PM… A conversation overheard in Heaven

 

GOD: Welcome to Heaven my dear little dog Ash.

Ash: It’s…. It’s… It’s so beautiful! Can I have a cookie?

GOD: You will have all the cookies you want for all of Eternity.

Ash: Why am I here?

GOD: You were badly hurt in a terrible accident and I called to you.

Ash: I REMEMBER!! There was a mean man that was there with my master. I remember I bit him because I was scared and didn’t know why. I’ll bet that man is real mad at me!

GOD: No, he’s not mad at all. And he is not a mean man. His name is XXXXXX, he loves animals, and has four dogs of his own. He was just there trying to help you and your master and now is very sad. Look for yourself.

Ash: God, why is he so sad?

GOD: Because you were so badly hurt and died alone in the rain. It makes him think of his own dogs and how much he loves them and wants to keep them safe forever.

Ash: But…. he didn’t even know me and was only there for a few minutes. Besides that, I bit him…. TWICE!

GOD: That does not matter to the man at all. His injuries are not concerning him, and he understands it was all because you were hurt and scared. He believes there is no such thing as a bad dog, just bad people or bad situations that only make dogs seem bad. What is important to him is that you are now safe here with me in Heaven.

Ash: Now I am a little sad.

GOD: Why is that my precious little boy?

Ash: Because I am sorry for biting that man and wish I could have known him.

GOD: You will get your chance someday when he comes here.

 

Originally posted 7-21-26 16:12

Are You F-ing Kidding Me!!!!

I was on a 24 duty tour yesterday, ending at 6 AM this morning. At 21:43 last night while getting ready to watch the local 10 o'clock news and turn in, I get a phone call from my wife. She hit a deer on the state highway just inside the town line about 7 miles from home. I told her I would call the Chief to see if I could come get her and call her back to let her know. I ended up taking our service truck out to the accident scene once the wrecker was there and state police said she could leave. On my arrival, it was pretty evident her little RAV-4 is no more. HERE WE GO AGAIN!! Another totaled vehicle to be replaced. 😠I brought her and the dog home and returned to duty pretty quick.

We will be heading over to the wrecker station to retrieve the rest of her stuff and make arrangements to get it to the Toyota body shop for a proper estimate. She wants another one and since we can't swing another car loan (I haven't even made the first payment on "Black Betty" yet) we'll dip into our retirement savings and combined with what we get for her RAV-4, just pay for it outright. Not something I want to do, but a catastrophic medical emergency requiring long term care could wipe it all out anyway, so we might as well use it. When we both officially retire, we'll continue working at least part time and our social security will mostly cover our monthly expenses, so our retirement investments are for the extras in life.

Progress on "Black Betty"

Yeaterday, I had a 10:15 AM appointment at the Kommiecticut DMV office to renew my CDL. Unlike non-CDL drivers that can renew at the local AAA office and get a license good for 8 years, I have to go to a full service DMV office and my license is only good for 4 years. 

When I got home, I installed the "Obama Switch" eliminator module and the roof racks. For as much of the interior panels I had to remove to access the back of the Auto-Start-Stop cancel button behind the dash, everything simply unsnaps with the exception of one 10mm retainer bolt. It all came apart and went back together easily making the whole process take about 10 minutes. The module works as promised and the few times I've driven it, I smile every time I see the orange dash indicator come on at startup reminding me that my engine will stay running until I turn the key off. I stopped and had some lunch.

The roof racks took considerably longer but they went up on the roof just fine. It was a pain in the ass to have to go from side to side to get everything evenly lined up and tightened down. Doing the install in the heat of the afternoon wasn't too pleasant either. I now need to get some new mounts for my Yakima "Hull Raiser" kayak saddles to fit on my new aero style roof rack bars. $32.06 a piece from etrailer.com and I will need four.

Yesterday my "in channel" vent shades from WeatherTech arrived and they were installed this morning before it got hot out. We've already had these on her RAV-4 and they install easy and work great. I had them all installed in about 1/2 hour. The windows are supposed to remain fully up for 48 hours for everything to seat properly. After that I will need to reset the auto window up/down to accommodate the extra material in the window channel. On my Tundra which had large upper door frames, I opted for the exterior glue on version from Ventishades. The top of the Highlander door frame is very narrow and has a chrome strip trim piece, so in channel works and looks best. I got the matte finish instead of the shiny version and really like the look. The next part of my order from WeatherTech are the windshield sun shades for the Highlander and Rav-4. Hopefully they come before Monday when I work again so I can use it while parked in the sun behind the firehouse. When I got in my vehicle to come home yesterday it was hot as balls in there when I started it up.

Accessories On Order

The first road trip Friday the 3rd up to MA and back went great. My wife liked the way it rode and so did I. Very comfortable and the A/C is super cold. My taste in music she doesn't really care for, but hey, driver's choice! At least I didn't play the Death Metal I sometimes use as a stress reliever. 

I've ordered some much needed items for "Black Betty." I finished setting her up the way I want and putting some important on-hand gear on board...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1). Portable UHF fire radio

2). 1st Responder Med Bag

3). Brush fire clothes, boots, and helmet

4). Binoculars 

5). 5 lb ABC fire extinguisher (in cargo under floor trunk)

6). Doggy seat protector mat (also in cargo under floor trunk to keep the extinguisher from moving around) 

7). Small OD Green G.I. tool bag that allows me to fix almost anything 

8). Hearing protection ear muffs

9). Hi-Vis orange safety vest

10). Horse lead, dog slip over leash, collapsible water bowls (animal rescue)

11). Folding camp chair (for spending nice days on FD duty sitting out in the bays or other outdoor events)

12). Golf umbrella 

I have the majority of this stuff in the back seat area, leaving the cargo area completely open. If I need to carry passengers I'll toss it all in the cargo area. For a road trip, though, the majority of items will be removed and left home. There is lots of other stuff I put in the glove box and console like eyeglass cleaning wipes, eyeglass case, FD badge & ID, energy bars, etc.

 

The stuff currently on order...

1). The "Obama Switch" (Auto Stop-Start) override module with memory (Amazon)

2). After-market aerodynamic roof rack bars with increased capacity over OEM (Amazon)

3). WeatherTech channel fit window vent shades/rain guards

4). WeatherTech windshield sunshade and carry bag (also bought one for my wife's RAV-4)

 

I hate modern car nannies, but none more than that fucking Obama Switch, turning my vehicle into a golf cart that shuts off when I stop and restarts when I want to go. The amount of gas it "saves" and pollution it prevents is minuscule, but it beats the shit out of your starter and A/C compressor, and probably the fuel system and engine components. What if it doesn't restart... then what? The module I bought was $22.80 and remembers the last press of the cancellation button and re-activates upon starting every time. If... IF I decided I did want to use that feature, a press of the button turns it back on permanently until I turn it back off. But no more forgetting to cancel it until the first time the vehicle shuts off on me. It is guaranteed not to interfere with any diagnostic or safety systems, but can easily be removed in the event I have some kind of issue that requires dealer service so they don't find it and void my extended warranty.

I am holding off on purchasing the Toyota OEM Class III 2" tow receiver until I get my finances back in order. The vehicle is rated for 5000 pound towing capacity which is way more then I will currently use. I can get the receiver from ToyotaPartsDeal.com for $412.45 and install it myself. I have already downloaded and read the 10 page installation manual so I will definitely save myself some dough on a pretty easy but involved installation. IMHO, what makes it involved is trimming and fitting the underside body covers and installing the new bumper fascia covers. I'll easily have it done in one session and nothing seems to be rusted in place like it was when I rebuilt Big Red. 

Took Delivery.... FINALLY!

My wife named my now totaled 2007 Toyota Tundra "Big Red" because it was the biggest and baddest pickup truck I ever had. Late yesterday afternoon I took delivery of my 2018 Highlander LE. When I got home I did a few quick set up items but it was getting dark and starting to rain. This morning at the firehouse I finished setting up the vehicle the way I want it and took the photo. I decided it needed a name. Meet "Black Betty."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yep, just like the song by Ram Jam.

 

 I'll drive it awhile to see if I like the user setup I have now or do I need to make more changes. I will be purchasing an automatic Auto Stop cancellation module to make that fucking "Obama Switch" no longer function killing my engine at stop lights. I seem to always forget to press the cancellation button upon starting the engine, and now I won't have to. I will also be purchasing roof racks and a towing hitch receiver as well. So far, am I really liking it. We'll take it up to MA to see my cousin on Friday July 3rd for the inaugural road trip.