Something Nice to Say
Yesterday, work started in earnest. Not for me but for Orange County workers that have been in the neighborhood repairing sidewalks and hazardous driveways. Two sidewalk slabs had already been removed prior to this, but now the driveway slab that gives to the street, between the street and the sidewalk had to be replaced due to tree roots that were lifting the slab causing a slip hazard. Well, I watched and documented all the work from start to almost finish, when I heard some commotion. I stepped outside to find that they had broken a water main to my house with the mini forklift. Fortunately the break came before the water main reached my water meter.
Neighbors came and made sure that all was well. I live in a very nice community, where neighbors help each other. Matt and his wife, Piedad, Pablo and Serena, also came for a minute though they were all watching the World Cup game between Spain and Germany. I had been invited but with my situation missed the game at Matt's house. I know I am digressing, but I wanted to point out that these are real fans, to which Serena is an example, since Serena who is from Germany, had her nails painted for the occasion naturally with the red, gold and black colors of Germany. Her husband, who is from Puerto Rico, might possibly be for Spain. I don't want to imagine the goings on, my plight probably interrupted. They verified that the meter was not running at full speed and that all was well. They stuck around for a few minutes but went right back to the hard fought game which Spain won with a score of 1 to 0. Ole España! It was nice of them to come by.
Meanwhile, communication ensued between one set of County Workers with the people at Orange County Utilities, who sent a fine crew of men to fix the problem. They were all very efficient, willing to get their hands in the mud, and get the job done in a jif. They made it look easy. Of course one of my neighbors had to ask how many men were needed to change a light bulb? In reality, each one had an assigned job. One dug the whole, another drained the ditch with a nifty contramption, the other repaired the line, yet another flushed the system, and then the supervisor taught me how to detect a leak, and how to read the meter, etc. They were totally respectful but good humored and it was nice to have them be the ones to repair the broken pipe.
After all that was fixed, the original team of workers, sent two men to finish cleaning out the tree roots, careful not to cause another break, and to prepare the incline for the concrete that came today. The concrete has been poured and now I only need to wait for it to dry and by tomorrow I should have a working driveway. Today, I feel a little bit like a red neck, pardon my comment, no offense intended, but I am driving on the grass, and that does feel a little odd, and a bit rebellious! Just for one day, though. That's it!
Neighbors came and made sure that all was well. I live in a very nice community, where neighbors help each other. Matt and his wife, Piedad, Pablo and Serena, also came for a minute though they were all watching the World Cup game between Spain and Germany. I had been invited but with my situation missed the game at Matt's house. I know I am digressing, but I wanted to point out that these are real fans, to which Serena is an example, since Serena who is from Germany, had her nails painted for the occasion naturally with the red, gold and black colors of Germany. Her husband, who is from Puerto Rico, might possibly be for Spain. I don't want to imagine the goings on, my plight probably interrupted. They verified that the meter was not running at full speed and that all was well. They stuck around for a few minutes but went right back to the hard fought game which Spain won with a score of 1 to 0. Ole España! It was nice of them to come by.
Meanwhile, communication ensued between one set of County Workers with the people at Orange County Utilities, who sent a fine crew of men to fix the problem. They were all very efficient, willing to get their hands in the mud, and get the job done in a jif. They made it look easy. Of course one of my neighbors had to ask how many men were needed to change a light bulb? In reality, each one had an assigned job. One dug the whole, another drained the ditch with a nifty contramption, the other repaired the line, yet another flushed the system, and then the supervisor taught me how to detect a leak, and how to read the meter, etc. They were totally respectful but good humored and it was nice to have them be the ones to repair the broken pipe.
After all that was fixed, the original team of workers, sent two men to finish cleaning out the tree roots, careful not to cause another break, and to prepare the incline for the concrete that came today. The concrete has been poured and now I only need to wait for it to dry and by tomorrow I should have a working driveway. Today, I feel a little bit like a red neck, pardon my comment, no offense intended, but I am driving on the grass, and that does feel a little odd, and a bit rebellious! Just for one day, though. That's it!
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