WATCHING THE JOB, HOW DO YOU GET THIS ONE?

Well at the beginning of the summer the county saw fit to remove the front of my lawn and some of my driveway due to road work in progress. The lawn looked rank but particularly disconcerning was the removal of the corner of the driveway that I use for a fast cut in on the bike. I complained bitterly and got what was left of the lawn reseeded and the Highway Super promised to fix the driveway when they repave the road, but I missed it all summer. A few days ago the county’s back again to do their best. There’s a Dodge sitting across from my driveway with someone in it. I sauntered across to get the mail and find out what was going on. I said “hi” to the worker in the truck and asked what was going on. I was especially interested if the excavator coming our way was going to take a second go around at taking more of my field. He replies he doesn’t know exactly what is going on. At this point curiousity gets the better and I ask what he’s actually doing. I’m told he’s there to “watch the job” motioning up the road to the three dumptrucks and excavator going at it. He continues to explain that the guy that was supposed to be here called in today (it’s the Tuesday after Columbus Day weekend, so this boy got the 4 day weekend) so he had to come up from Greenwich to fill in. I’m speechless, just for a second. I then have a moment of clarity. I tell him “Now I can see why my taxes are so high, I’m paying for the guy who called in sick, and for you to sit here in the truck all day and watch those boys to make sure they keep from goofing off. If you can’t trust them to do the work why don’t you fire them all and get some people you can trust. I know a lot of good ole boys that want that kind of work and I can think of 6 or 7 people who would love to have your job. When are you retiring?” I can only walk away shaking my head. I just hope when they finally pave the guy “watching the job” that day remembers to fix the corner of the driveway so I can start that little fast lean cut in again. I do miss it. More later.