Based on a true story. The word is real. The word is forever.
cover
For my dad, Jack — who kept the lights on for everybody else, and the laughs on for us. This was your dream. Consider it squozed.— Love, Todd
the dedication
This is Toby. Toby is a lineman. When the lights go out — Toby goes up.
page 1
Every morning, Toby checks his gloves, his boots, his belt, and his lid. "Check it once, check it twice. That's the lineman way." (Tittlepup gets checked too.)
page 2
Last night, a great big wind huffed through town and knocked the power out on Maple Street. No lights. No toast. NO CARTOONS. This was a job for Toby's crew.
page 3
Big Pete drove the truck. Toby rode the bucket. Tittlepup supervised. (Somebody has to.)
page 4
Way up top, the wires needed new clamps — and clamps need a good, strong squeeze. Toby grabbed his crimper. He loves this part.
page 5
Down below, Big Pete cupped his hands and hollered up: "TOBY! Make sure those clamps are good and SQUOZED!"
page 6
Toby stopped. The birds stopped. Even the wind stopped. "…Squozed?" said Toby.
page 7
"SQUOZED!" Toby laughed so hard his hard hat wiggled. Big Pete laughed loudest of all. "Best word I ever invented," said Big Pete. Somewhere, a bird fell off a wire. (He's fine.)
page 8
But here's the thing about Toby — laughing never stopped him from checking. He checked every clamp once. He checked every clamp twice. Good. And. Squozed.
page 9
CLICK! All down Maple Street, the porch lights woke up. The toast popped. The cartoons came back. A kid in a window waved at Toby — and Toby waved right back.
page 10
And from that day on, nobody on the crew ever said "squeezed" again. Why would they? Squozed was funnier.
page 11
Because Toby knows the secret: hard work goes better with a laugh — and a good laugh is like good light. It reaches every house on the street.
page 12 · the end (for now)
Toby's Toolbelt Dictionary
squozed (verb)
What happens to a clamp when you squeeze it exactly right. Past tense: squoze. Extra credit: squozen.
lineman (noun)
The person who climbs up so your lights come on. Often mustached. Always checking.
the bucket (noun)
A lineman's office. Corner view. No chairs.
Tittlepup (proper noun)
Chief Supervisor. Accepts payment in biscuits. Has never once read the clipboard.
back matter · part one
Toby's Safety Corner
(from the real lineman who inspired all this)
If a line is ever on the ground, it is not a jump rope. Stay far away and tell a grown-up.
Check it once, check it twice — shoes tied, helmet on, then go.
Grown-up jobs have grown-up tools. Watch, ask, learn — don't grab.
Take care of your crew, and your crew takes care of you.
back matter · part two — see you on channel 102
CH 102 · TEST PATTERN
The Squirrel Situation
A squirrel makes one bad decision.
coming soon · stay tuned · maybe adjust the antenna
CH 101 · SQUOZED!
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— W·T·O·B, 690 on your AM dial. Click the radio and name that record. —
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The '69 Quilt
Twenty patches of 1969: peace, flower power, the moon landing (July 20, 1969 — the whole street watched on one TV), butterflies and buses and vinyl — plus one utility pole and one hard hat, stitched in where they belong. Grandma-grade. Machine-washable. Non-negotiable heirloom.