or if there is no wind, there will be no wave; Patience is the ability to idle your motor when you feel like stripping your gears. And if philosophy had to rethink reality, it would have been last Monday the 26th if July that I missed my last chance to have good brisket BBQ at Mac's BBQ, on Main Street in Deep Ellum. Billy McDonald, closed his business that was founded by his dad 70 years ago. Furthermore, as any old photographer will tell you---the camera always moves away from the action.
So, when the large utility transformer box that sits on its pad not far from where my door and gate is, blew at 12:04 a,m. last Tuesday, it was something that hit my mental power surge protector. It was hot and with no air, the night was not going to be pretty. It was going to be a very long night. The estimate from the Emergency Oncor guy said it would take three or four hours to round up parts. I woke up at about 4 with flashlights shinning in my window from the crews that were now installing the new box but knowing that, that was not going to be " we have to change the light bulbs now and then" when their web site is down. This wasn't some website. This was the whole side of the street and oh, yeah, the transformer on the pole in the back yard area was on fire as well. The thinking was, the utility was in worse shape than they had let it be known after the winter storm six months prior. This was two pole transformers in the past 60 days.Now this! The equipment is old, but we all got new digital meters not so far back in time. Go figure. If that isn't bottom line thinking, for a big utility that already has been in bankruptcy after building their six new gas-coal generating plants.
I haven't been outside since to even look at the new and more modern fixture. It now blocks my view of where planes from both Love Field and DFW are handed off to the High Altitude Control Center at Fort Worth Center. I can't watch planes from home base as they slip past the setting moon. Those images from my porch are now blocked by the "new and better" version of a pad electrical transformer. " I'm only 6, you figure it out." a kid on television said the day following the new installation and a much cooler nights sleep with my AC back on. That set off another round of thinking about why my electrical company and its right arm service provider keep popping up. Speaking of that, today, I got a survey from TXU Energy wanting to know what I thought about their web site where I can check my utility usage by the hour, day and month. Perception is one thing and flat out poor timing is another. They score bad on both counts this year, thus far. They are on the back stretch rounding the turn already about to come down the stretch for the wire. I'm not looking for that horse to win. I'll never bet on those horses.
Usually, I don't get angry. I get frustrated at times, but angry, no. Waiting all month to see a red moon and watch the air traffic from both the big airport and Love Field send their planes on their way gives an old photographer many chances to get some great shots with the blinking red and green light on wings and the flashing strobes on their bellies and air frame tops makes for great shots especially with a full red moon shinning and back lighting the planes. Yes, I was being a bit self-centered, I suppose. There will other days. Hopefully, I'll not be pushing up daisies for the next red moon and the weather is good. Being on the porch had all the bases covered. Next time, I'll have to walk down the alley and try to find the same angle.
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