Seasons

We're no longer saving daylight, as evidenced by the fact that the sun sets before I even eat dinner ( and I eat dinner like a senior citizen... the earlier the better).  The mornings are cold now.  Even here in the land of everlasting sunshine the mornings are getting  down in the 40s.  Yes, I can hear those of you from more northern climes, snickering into your balaclavas.   

"That Californian doesn't know cold."

Trust me, I've had my share of cold mornings.  When I truly was a mountain power lineman, and not a valley power lineman, I had many a morning where the mercury dropped into the single digits.  That's a cold that flannel-lined pants can't cut on their own.  You still have to get out there and move.  

For linemen, the seasons are a little different.  The Seasons of the year are known primarily for the type of damage that is brought to the power grid.  As the year progresses, the stresses that are placed on the power system change.  Summer is a time of overloading.  Spring rain causes cars to slip off the road and hit poles.  Fall is generally quiet.  Winter is where the real fun begins.

Regular folk see the beauty of drifting snow.  The Lineman sees fallen trees, down lines, and broken crossarms.  

The average guy watches the rain fall after a long dry Summer and smiles.  The Lineman knows that soon the crossarms and poles will be smoldering because the dirty insulators are tracking, and soon the poles and crossarms will be on fire, and soon he will pick up the ringing phone, and then he will smile because storm season is here, and Daddy needs a new pair of shoes.  

They're the same seasons - we just look at them differently. Where you see only the beauty of the passing of time evidenced in Nature, the Lineman sees the signs of future opportunity for O.T. (here's a hint - not Old Testament or Occupational Therapy).  We can't help it.  It's hardwired in us from the factory.  It's the same reason that we can't help patrolling the powerlines as we drive on vacation.  We're always on duty, paid or not.

Here in Cen Cal the season has turned.  Last week was the first rain after a long dry season.  I think I worked for 19 hours on Friday.  Not bad for a start.