Monthly Archives: August 2014

Aug292014

“There’s a Secret International Crime Society at the Motel”

Last call of the day yesterday, and it was worth the wait.

911 call came in, and I hear a female voice saying, “There’s a man at the door and he’s trying to kill me.” I immediately ask for her address, but she’s not listening. She’s just keeps repeating that a man is pounding on her door, armed with a knife, and going to kill her. I keep asking for the address, desperately looking at one of my computer screens that maps the caller’s location and trying to determine an address to send help.

Surprisingly, I hear nothing in the background. No pounding on the door. No male voice yelling and/or cursing. No sounds of any kind, except for the caller’s whispered yet insistent voice.

Secret International Crime Society

I ask again for the address, and my caller gives me the name of a motel in a neighboring small city. I use the motel’s name as a landmark and find the exact address. Then I try to figure out in which room my caller is located. So I ask – again and again, and she’s still not listening. Her voice is tight and desperate, and she’s telling me I need to get help there RIGHT NOW or she will be dead. I finally get her to focus long enough to give me the room number.

I now must try to get her name, while getting the call sent in to the local police. I’m still not sure what is going on, but I want to get police headed that direction ASAP … just in case.

We go around and around … caller not listening to and not answering my questions, just her insistence that she is going to be murdered and it will be MY fault, because I didn’t get the police there soon enough. I keep asking her what is going on, and I am told (from what I can understand of her ramblings) that:

She is the victim of a secret international crime society that is going to kill her
She was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and say something she shouldn’t have seen
There is a friend in the motel room with her, armed with a knife and poised by the door, ready to attack whomever gets through that motel door. She will not tell me the friend’s name, nor will she let me speak to them
Someone how a white Chrysler vehicle is mixed up in all this
She has a buck knife in her possession
This secret international crime society is based in Hawaii, with satellite branches in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and (apparently) our little neighboring city which shall remain nameless

Since I have heard nothing in the background for the entire call, and based on the information she keeps repeating to me, I am pretty certain that this is someone on drugs and/or with an over-active imagination. So I keep her on the phone, attempting to get more information (mainly for officer safety) – in between long pauses where she wanders off somewhere and won’t talk to me. I keep an eye on my other computer screen which tells me the status of the police unit that is making it’s way to the motel. I see when they are dispatched, when they go enroute, and then I see the blessed words “On Scene.” I keep an open line, because my caller has again wandered off somewhere, and try to hear if the officers have made contact with her yet. Then I see “1 in custody” on the screen. OK, they’ve obviously made contact with her. Well, looks like my caller will be finding other lodgings for the night.

Another secret international crime society “hit” – foiled!

Aug272014

My Newest Creation – Banana/Zucchini Bread!

What do you do when you have an abundance of zucchini (and let’s face it, anytime you plant a few little zucchini plants you end up with an abundance of zucchini) and an over-abundance of slightly over-ripe bananas? You try not to waste the abundance!

So I was all set to bake banana bread, and then zucchini bread. But I thought … wait, why not combine the two and make Banana/Zucchini Bread. I am all about multi-tasking, and this seemed like a great shortcut. Besides, you can have fruit and a veggie in your bread – how cool is that!

I took a basic banana bread recipe and a basic zucchini bread recipe, both straight from the venerable “Betty Crocker’s Cookbook,” and compared them. Then I wrote out a “mash up” (pardon the pun) of the ingredients for the recipes.

I tried it out, and … it was a hit! I loved it, and so did my two daughters. I am thinking that on the next batch I will add some walnuts ( because that’s what we usually put in our banana bread) and some mini chocolate chips (because sometimes I bake my zucchini bread as “Chocolate Zucchini Bread”).

Here’s the recipe, in case you want to try it:

1 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter or shortening
2 eggs
1 cup mashed bananas
1 cup shredded zucchini
2 cups of flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder

Combine ingredients, bake in a loaf pan at 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes. Check the loaf at 60 min to see if it’s done.

I baked it for 70 minutes with the Pampered Chef stoneware loaf pan that I have. It came out perfect that way!

Let me know what you think! I’d love to hear comments and how the recipe worked for you.

(I just posted this recipe here as well: http://beebiesbabystore.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/beebiesbakeoff-week-4-and-giant-jam-tart.html )

Aug252014

Adventures In Mowing

Adventures in Mowing

Mowing the yard is a bittersweet chore for me. It’s not that I mind it so much; it’s just that it always used to be Robby’s job. It’s been three years since he died, and so I’ve had three summers of mowing, and I still feel almost guilty when I climb onto the seat of our riding lawnmower. There is still a part of me that wishes I didn’t have to be the one to mow. He never made any attempt to teach me how to operate the mower while he was alive – it was just “his thing.” The first time I mowed the lawn after he passed away I had to figure it out on my own. There was a sense of victory as I made that first lap around the yard – and then I dissolved into tears, and cried the whole time until the yard was finished.

Now I don’t cry – I think. That is my time to tune out and let my mind travel. I don’t wear an Ipod or anything to listen to while I spend that time going round and round in circles. I like to see the nice straight swathes of cut grass, and follow the trail from the previous pass. I use the time on the mower to think, plan, make lists in my head, etc. All that is fine, except I usually forget half of what I have come up with the moment I step off the mower. Dammit. Now what am if supposed to do?

We have a huge front yard. And a huge backyard. The only problem – weeds. I would have a great looking place if it weren’t for the stupid weeds. That’s about all there is to my yard right now. They have crowded out most of the grass. I have good intentions every year – get something on the lawn to kill the weeds and encourage the grass to grow back, landscape and enlarge the flowerbeds, build a deck, etc. But all I ever seem to accomplish is to keep the weeds neatly trimmed.

Oh, and another problem? The moles. Or gophers. I’m not sure which is down there, but the fact is there are varmints in my yard. And they don’t go away. I have yet to find anything that will repel and/or kill these beasts. Persistent critters.

So, as a result of the weeds and varmints, my mowing is an adventure. For example, every time I run over a mound of dirt with the lawnmower (courtesy of a critter) there is an immediate cloud of dust that hovers around me until the wind shifts. Anyone watching might think I was detonating tiny bombs in my yard. Tick, tick, tick …. poof! Tick, tick, tick, tick … poof! I need to start billing my neighbor for the inch of topsoil I deposit on his field next door every time I mow.

Also, I look absolutely enchanting after I am done mowing. Think “Pigpen” from Peanuts and you’re not far off.

But when the job is done there is a feeling of accomplishment. I love to see that expanse of yard, even and smooth, cleared and inviting in the afternoon sun. I think about all the BBQ’s and summer evenings I’d like to enjoy in that space.

Maybe I can save enough money, and find the time, to put in a deck NEXT summer. There’s always next summer.

Aug222014

Sometimes I Just Have No Words …

Female caller, reporting that her boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend is threatening her, AND that said ex-girlfriend is keeping too many dogs:

“She is already in so much trouble with the Attorney General of the Humane Society!”

And then there’s the call from two nights ago:

“I need the number for the sleep study at the hospital.”

(OK, I have some words for this one – at least words I WISH I could say)

Sweetie, that’s more a question for 411 than for 911. And sleep study? Sign me up! I could use some sleep right now.

Aug202014

Don’t Leave Your Pet in the Car

One of the calls we see an increase in this time of year is the “animal locked in a car” call.

Just a reminder – don’t lock your dog, cat, or child in the car while you run into the store “for just a few things.”

Depending upon where you are, that can be very dangerous. It doesn’t take long at all for the interior temperature of a vehicle to climb high enough to cause damage to a human or animal.

Please think before you leave them in the car … or better yet, leave them at home where there is air conditioning!

Aug182014

Mom’s Afternoon Out

In general, I tend to have a routine schedule. My work hours are rather structured right now, and I don’t have many other commitments at the moment outside of work and home; that will change once school starts, and youngest daughter’s dance classes start again.

So when I am not working, I am home with my daughter. I have a predicable route that I drive to work each day – you won’t see me deviate much from my schedule and the route that I drive to work. Predictable is a pretty good description of my life lately; or maybe “rut” is a better one.

But that’s OK, because things weren’t always that way until recently.

Friday I deviated from my rut – I had a dentist appointment at noon, and my shift at work started at 2 p.m.

I was on time for my appointment (imagine that!) and (even more amazing) they were ready for me as soon as I got there. No problems with the cleaning and exam, x-rays looked good, and I scheduled a 6-month appointment for February. I was standing in the parking lot by 12:45. Now I had a full hour before I had to even think about getting to work. What to do?

I drove down the main drag of town, looking for inspiration from the businesses that I passed. What should I do with a whole unplanned hour of my day? Lack of funds would keep me from actually buying anything during that hour, so I bypassed most of the businesses that saw.

I settled on a one-stop “price check” trip to Fred Meyers, and browsed through different departments, from Housewares (honestly, how difficult can it be to find a black and white checkered tablecloth; I’ve been looking for one for about a year) to Pet Supplies (my 2 labs sampled an all-natural dog food that this store carries, so I checked out the price – but at almost $34 dollars for a 13 lb bag, I am not ready to forego my retirement or wipe out my daughter’s college fund to buy it) to the Deli, where I bought lunch; turkey sub sandwich and a bottle of blackberry-flavored water. Then I walked down the cookie/cracker aisle (big mistake) and bought a package of molasses cookies. Molasses cookies are my 2nd fave kind of cookie, right behind chocolate chip.

After my wanderings it was about time to head for work, so off I went, feeling very pleased with myself.

So if you were driving westbound on Center Street on Friday about 1:45, you might have seen me. I was the blonde with the very clean teeth, driving my “solar yellow” PT Cruiser with the windows down (mainly because my AC doesn’t work) with Frank Sinatra blasting on the CD player.

Aug152014

Just call me “Emergency Life Skills Coach”!

A female caller, wanting to file a report of harassment:

Me – “What exactly are they doing to harass you?”

Caller – “They are texting me, bragging about their new fiancé, and I’m tired of hearing about it.”

Emergency Life Coach Powers – Activate!

Me – “Did you tell them to stop? And have you considered contacting your phone company to have their number blocked on your phone?”

Caller – “Yes, I told them to stop. And I’ll have my phone company block their phone number in the morning. It’s too late to call them tonight.”

Me – (pause) “So … it sounds like you have the situation under control.” (Crickets in the background)

Caller – “But I want the police to DO something.”

Me – “What do you want the police to do?” (Sometimes you actually have to ask this of the caller) “Is this person threatening you?”

Caller – “No, but they are calling me names.”

Me – “That doesn’t rise to the level of harassment; they can be obnoxious and rude (it’s called freedom of speech) as long as they don’t threaten you.”

Caller – “But they are contacting me on Facebook!” (That’s what the “unfriend” button is for!)

I again try to explain that what she is describing is not harassment. She didn’t like my answer. She hangs up on me, after calling me a few unpleasant names, and lecturing me on how the “justice system” needs to be “working for her.”

????????

Aug132014

See … Mom Is Right Sometimes!

Both my daughter’s are nuts for books, which isn’t surprising given the fact that I am their mother. I have always loved to read, and when I was younger would always get in trouble for reading under the covers by flashlight. I once read the entire book of Robin Hood one summer night while sleeping outside. So from the time they were little my daughters were encouraged to read. Trips to the local city library, reading at bedtime each night, etc.

So it’s not surprising that my oldest daughter ended up graduating from college with a degree in English Lit. She now also has her own blog, called These Dusty Bookshelves. She is always reading new books, and inspiring me to read more as well, even though I don’t have as much time as I used to for enjoying a good novel or biography.

My youngest is now moving from children’s books to “teen and young adult” reading. We went to the library this morning after a hike at the local state park (we live about 5 miles away) and she asked to check out a book or two. We had been talking about favorite authors and writes, and I had been encouraging her to start reading one of my favorite authors, Frank Peretti. Not only has he written adult fiction, but he has also written for the young adult market as well. I told her we should try to find a book called Hangman’s Curse. I had read it several years ago (even though I was long past the “young adult” phase of my life) and thought she would enjoy it.

She didn’t seem convinced, until I mentioned that her older sister had read that book recently. Instantly that become the book of choice. Funny how that happens – older sister’s taste in literature carries a great deal more weight than mom’s recommendations – even when we are recommending the same book!

So we searched the computer listings at the library for the book and, sure enough, it was on the shelves. After locating Hangman’s Curse she wanted to get another book to work on as well. She told me she wanted to find Twilight – just to see what all the fuss was about. Now, honestly, I could have lived my life happily without her ever encountering that book. I think there are so many other BETTER books that she could be reading, and I was never one to read a book just because everyone else was raving about it. Besides, to quote my sister (here’s her amazing blog – The Crooked Fence Blog ) “vampires shouldn’t sparkle.” But I didn’t say anything, just let her check out both books. On the way to the car I asked her which book she was going to start reading first, and she replied Twilight … oh well, I didn’t say anything. She’ll get around to Peretti.

I had to go to the bank before we started home, and youngest daughter was reading while I drove. We had just reached the bank, and she had read all of two pages, when Twilight landed in the backseat, and as I was walking into the bank she picked up “Hangman’s Curse.” When I came out a few minutes later, she yelled out the open window of the car, “Thank you!” I got into the car and said, “You’re welcome. Now … what did I do?” She then thanked me for referring her to Peretti and Hangman’s Curse. SCORE!

Aug112014

Calls Like This Make Me Love My Job!

In the past I have been sharing stories about funny call that I have taken. And there will be more of those, I promise – hopefully, every Friday.
But there are calls every so often that remind me of why I took this job in the first place; calls that make me feel good about what I do each work day. So here is one such call:

I took a call from a female today in a neighboring county. She called to say that her husband was drunk and had just hit her in the face. She wasn’t hysterical or crying, but she had locked herself in one of the bedrooms. Her husband had drank a half bottle of Crown Royal that afternoon, and was pretty wasted. There was a shotgun in one of the bedrooms (not the one she was locked in) and a pistol in her husband’s pickup outside. I started the call, and got the deputies rolling with the basic information. This particular location was out in the rural area of the county, and it’s always hard for me to be patient until I see that “At Scene” pop up on my screen – it seems to take forever, even though I know these guys are responding Code 3 with lights and sirens. Trust me, I have ridden with these deputies when they respond Code 3 – they don’t waste any time!

I asked her if she wanted me to stay on the line with her till deputies arrived. She hesitated, and said there were probably other people that needed my help. Something told me to stay on the line with her until the deputies arrived. I told her that she was the one I was on the phone with now, so she was my main concern. She paused again, then said she would like me to stay on the line. We didn’t talk much, except for me asking her ever so often if she could hear her husband moving around or did she know where he was in the house. I wanted to know this for her safety, and also for the deputies safety as well.

We had three deputies enroute to the house, (one of them was my fave deputy from my ride along back in February – you can read about it here ) and before they could get there I heard her say “He’s outside at his pickup.” I asked for a description of the pickup, thinking that maybe he was going to leave the house and drive off. Then a few seconds later, her voice became more urgent when she said, “He’s heading back to the house with his pistol!” I got that into the information as soon as she said it, to advise the deputies we now knew for certain he was armed. I told my caller to get behind the bed or in the closet and stay quiet – hoping that would keep her “off his radar” and not draw his attention.

I watched my screen as it was updated by the deputies, and was able to tell her “We have a deputy on scene, and he’s waiting for backup to arrive.” “Now we have all three deputies there, and they are going to approach the house and make contact with your husband.” I had already asked her where in the house he might be, and put that in the information for the deputies. In a few seconds she and I could both hear the deputies yelling, as they subdued her husband and took him into custody. She asked if she should go to the deputies, and I told her to stay in the bedroom until they came to find her. They knew which bedroom she was in, because I had her describe the layout of the house to me while we waited for the deputies to arrive earlier. Sure enough, I heard in the background a deputy’s voice as he came down the hall to where she had been hiding. I told her good bye and hung up so she could talk to the deputy.

I actually hung up from that call with a smile on my face. I felt so good about being there for her when she reached out and needed someone. Calls like that make all the other absurdity fade away for awhile.