Last Sunday our landline phone stopped working. We put in a ticket with the phone company. They came out in a couple of days and told us it wasn’t in the box that is in our backyard but somewhere in the line. that didn’t surprise us because the underground cables are almost as old as the house.
Because of all cement removal we had also put in a DIG ticket where you “call before you dig” to get the utiliity people to come mark the yard so you know where everything is and don’t break a water main. While I’m in the backyard with the phone guy who has his special equipment that finds the problems in the line, some other doofus was in the front yard marking that we had NO underground phone cable. Hello? The guy in the backyard told me that they bring in contractors to do a lot of the locating and the same guy did it for Comcast and said no to underground Comcast and no to the phone. Well Comcast is overhead but not the phone. We have a big box in the corner of the yard and we know there is cable everywhere. That’s why we want it marked so we can landscape and not have to later bring out a big tree.
So I call the DIG people and tell them what’s up and they tell me they can’t do a darn thing until after 7am tomorrow morning when the 48 hour window is up. She said, “he could still come tonight and mark them.” I don’t think so because the idiot didn’t even bother to go into the backyard.
It would have been nice to be able to buy a house that didn’t have all this underground stuff to worry about right in the middle of the yard but the housing choices were limited back then. I am trying to roll with it and just laugh at the stupidity. I really hope I don’t have to put up a big fight to get the lines marked. i don’t want to spend thousands of dollars on the backyard only to find out I have to take out my pond so they can work on a cable.
On the plus side I came home to the driveway and half the aggregate gone. Yeah! it looks like a war zone right now but it is going to be so nice when it is done.
The neighbors don’t believe I will be able to get anything to grow in the parking strip. They said no one could and that was why they all filled things in with aggregate. Of course I will have to prove them wrong.
Now there is a story–a haunted piece of ground where nothing grows.
Not that your yard is haunted. I firmly believe you will get something to grow there. I suspect the past inhabitants were not adapting to the soil, but trying to force the things they wanted to grow.
But the idea of a fictional place where nothing will grow for some mysterious significant reason–story idea, right?
I’m sorry – I thought I had been back here to reply to this. Sigh. It’s been a week and a half of ups and downs. I love the idea of a haunted place where nothing grows!
you’ve got a wonderful green thumb, i just know so! you can do it Susan, don’t listen to the neighbors. Just do what you do best, and the plants will love you.
Thanks, Erica!
I so wish I could hire your expertise for my yard!!!! Everything is living (yay!), but I’m sure I could do a better job of matching the right plants to my spaces.
I’m sure your yard is quite lovely and if it makes YOU happy, that’s the most important thing. I don’t know how I fell in love with California Native Plants but they have captured my heart. (sorry for the delay in replying.)
What a hassle! But you will turn it into a beautiful retreat when all is said and done (especially done). And hurray for your husband (from prev post)–he sounds like such a sweetie!
Hope it gets all straightened out soon. Enjoy your vacation time!
Yes, a hassle and a half. We STILL have a hole in the ground that is not filled in from the phone company.