Thursday, June 27, 2002

Landscapers vs. Pool Builders

They're out there. There are two men, a backhoe and a tape measure scurrying around the pool. These two are from Mission Pools and they've come to add their trenches to the mix. They are disgruntled. They have to dig around the drain pipes and boulders. The drain pipes went in too soon, according to the pool crew. But the boulders they are complaining about were placed by the pool excavators, so I wish they'd stop pointing them out to me; I didn't plant them there. I did promise Carter, the pool planner, that landscaping equipment, and our behemoth playset would be out of the way, and the landscapers assured me that everything would be ready. I believed them.

Oops.

At 6:30 a.m. I was alone dragging boxes of pvc drainage out of the way, and staring blankly at a wooden structure that 4 grown men struggle to shift. It is still standing where it should not, and I am in here, hiding, and thinking mean thoughts about the landscapers. And of course, I had to listen to yet another man tell me he could do the digging that the other guys could not, and then, in a refreshingly straightforward statement the pool trenchers said "We don't get along with landscapers."

Anyone reading "Chicken Blog" and hoping to come use the pool, please note: you must prove your allegiance, and sympathy by reading all the gorey details of this project. Don't skip the boring parts, the politics or the technical stuff, because there will be a test. On opening day, when we all anticipate slipping into the soothing water, you'll be asked to review the rules (no diving, dunking or running etc...) and then you'll take a two part quiz including multiple choice and oral sections. Sample questions might include; Who does 'not like landscapers?' How much did The Boulder weigh? When repairing a septic line how wide should the gap be between the abs pipe and the neoprene coupler? When you can answer these, and other simple questions, I will know in my heart that you were with me in my darkest hours. And thank you for your support.

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