The 8-Game was good again, how some won’t believe a telegram, hoping to get lucky when the news has already been delivered to their front door. Stop. Must sleep, for I can feel it, morning brings chaos. And to insure I get a full dose, ready myself with unreadiness, I watch a little TV.
DW says words from downstairs that filter through the closed door: “…are here.”
Last winter’s ice storm caused some concern about the power lines from the roadside poles to the house as they pass through some madrone and dogwood branches. We were not here to witness the event. A good neighbor who stood at the ready with the key to the shed that housed our portable generator told me after the fact. I called the tree guy.
We lost very little foliage during that storm. The same cannot be said for many others in the area. We were triaged for April. April came and went and I called again. “Give me a month and call again.” With no ice in the immediate forecast, I waited for another month to start with the letter ‘A’ before sending a reminder. Two more weeks pass before we have a look at all that needs done, for we have added more to the job to make it worthwhile. Tree guy assures me the next week has openings in his schedule. He stops by mid-September (a month which, if divided by two, has fifteen per part) to reassess and strategize portions of the task. The truck with cherry-picker has no reverse. Another week passes and I nudge his cell phone message. No response. I am nudged to reconsider his services and make a call to another guy.
Tree guy #2’s service says he will call me as soon as he gets in, which isn’t too long after the initial inquiry, and I take this to be a good sign. He tells me that he can come by Thursday to estimate, maybe Wednesday. Fine, just call. He doesn’t. I call Thursday to inquire and service apologizes. He will call. He does not.
Which brings us to this morning. Roused by the utterance, I look out the bedroom window to see that fog has settled in. In the driveway are two vehicles, one that I recognize as tree guy #1’s rig, the second I have a good guess. My phone rings. Tree guy #2 informs me of the conversation he has just had with tree guy #1, and that is that.
I pour a cup of coffee and go to have words. But not too many, for tree guy #1’s price is very good.
3 comments:
Affirmative bidding.
Why so long? Are those guys in high demand, or is it just that they are unreliable by nature?
Job is done. Five hours at an acceptable rate. My brush pile has tripled in size.
Pace out here is different. I, too, have been affected by it. The mantra is, "I'll get to it...eventually."
And hunting season has opened for doe elk.
Yet, there is a high demand for their services, two jobs a day, so Tree Guy #1 says. Not a bad paycheck for risking life and... well, you know.
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