Report From Ladder Company 40 Day 77

Hi Team!

Today was a good day. Kathy, one of the fire buffs, asked if she could join us on our walk so we happily had her meet us at the mall today. We had a good walk and talked up a storm as we usually do!

I drank about 2 1/2 quarts today between water, juice and tea. I slept well last night and Pete recorded 11,993 steps today! Yay me! That makes me 3 for three today. =)

Then I did something that really made my day, maybe the month! On a whim I stopped in to a thrift store. Now, usually it is unheard of to find anything related to any fire department, but without looking for that, I found three items! THREE! The first is my favorite. I found a Firefighter's jacket, the fancy warm kind with the patches on the arms, the inside pockets, etc. THe patch was McChord Fire Department. I tried it on. It was a bit snug but not uncomfortable and I could zip it closed. The price tag said it was only 5.99. And then I heard the most beautiful words. The lady at the register said over the loud speaker that the entire stock was half off today. Then I was looking through sweatshirts and found a Kent Fire Department sweatshirt, my size! And in T-shirts I found a University Place Fire Department shirt! It is a size smaller than me, currently, but I'm getting there. Add to that another shirt and two books, one by Earl Emerson, a Seattle author who writes fire novels and I paid less than TEN DOLLARS!!!

Now, I don't want to masquerade as something I am not. I collect FD stuff and I will wear the stuff I got today, just as when it rains I wear either of the two fire department caps that I own but 1) I am quick to point out that I am indeed NOT a ff (YET) and 2)I make sure I am very careful to mind ALL my p's and q's when I do have on anything with FD logos even if they are clearly marked as Fire Buff and not a specific department. The last thing I want to do is bring shame or ill will to the fire service. 3) I intend to remove the McChord FD patch on the coat and have a custom patch made with the maltese cross and the words "Fire Buff" embroidered in. At some point I will have several items with the FD maltese cross logo which I can buy through the Fire Buff Battalion. What I am really looking forward to is when I can respond for rehab and eventually have my own bunker pants, boots and an orange coat issued. Our fire department has been happy to supply them for us because they appreciate the service we provide and want to keep us protected and warm and dry.

Here is a picture of me modeling my new jacket.



Well, until next time, Stay safe!

Hotflash out.