FUN TIMES IN FOUNTAIN

Fountain, Colorado has been a mess of messes lately.  I don't live in Fountain, it lies on our southern border.  I do, however, work in Fountain, and Dickidoo crosses a section of it to go to work each day.

A week ago there was a train derailment not even a mile from where I always get stuck at the RR crossing (but only when I'm running late).  8 railway cars full of coal tipped.  A few were crumpled and shredded like an aluminum can.  I'm still not sure how it happened but apparently the cars were towards the center (how is that possible?) of the freight train and nobody was injured.

With summer in Colorado comes summer storms.  Colorado has had some of the best storms I have ever seen.  Lots of thunder and lightning, lots of rain, and tornados!  Of course I've never seen a tornado because we never get tornados in my town.  But we do get them in Fountain!  And because every time a tornado watch is issued, every idiot runs outside to 'watch' for a tornado, Dickidoo was able to catch this little funnel cloud on his cell phone.  No, it didn't touch down although one was reported to have touched down else where in the area.  And for the record, yes, I was outside at work 'watching' for a tornado as well, I just didn't see one, dang it!

Two days ago Dickidoo and I were driving down to 'my store', when we spotted a bunch of emergency vehicles across from our dentist's office.  Some guy (drunk) ran a stop sign and plowed into a house on the other side of the street.  And he just kept on going, through the living room, across the hall, through the kitchen and dining room area.... and out the back door.  Seriously.  The guy drove right through the house, leaving a huge gaping hole from the front of the house to the back yard.  And wouldn't you know, with two rival paparazzi traveling together with a combined value of over $3000 in camera equipment, neither of us had a camera.  We didn't even have our camera phones.  Disgraceful! 

About my job... no, I am not part of the management team.  Lets just say that I am in store security and leave it at that.  I can't carry a gun, although I have volunteered to do so and even offered to provide my own firearm and ammunition.  Nope, not gonna happen, dang it!  Any how, today we lost power at the 'Store'.  I guess I'm too new at the job because while everyone else in the store was running around worrying about getting the customers safely out of the darkened store without injury or any unpaid for merchandise, I was more worried about whether or not the automatic toilets would still flush during the blackout.  By the way, no, automatic flushing toilets do not operate during a power outage.  Fortunately the power was restored before any 'accidents' happened.

One of Dickidoo's friends talked him in to inviting his daughter over to demonstrate an over priced vacuum cleaner.  Dickidoo is a good ole boy and will allow the children of his friends to practice their salesmanship on him just for the experience.  We cannot afford an over priced vacuum but I was tempted because not only did this little bugger suck up 7 years worth of dirt and grime, this contraption vacuumed, mopped, steamed, vaporized and sanitized.  About the only things it didn't do was cook and change diapers!  It even got Rocky excited about vacuuming.  Those who know the Oompas know they NEVER get excited about cleaning so this was AMAZING!  That alone sold me.

And I might even had busted out the old check book except for the little fact that the vacuum has a greater Blue Book value than Big Red... and even if I had a checkbook (which I don't) there isn't enough $ in my account to pay for the tax on that machine let alone pay for the machine itself.

Do you remember when a straw broom was good enough? 

Do you even REMEMBER straw brooms?