Locate Lines, Schmocate Schmines

Yes, it is essential to have your lines located if you do any sort of digging in your yard.
Well, in Texas it is.

After we purchased our 7 trees to be planted by the landscapers, a neighbor suggested I call to have lines located. I looked at her completely puzzled. What lines??? Cable, phone, internet, water, sewer, sprinkler (ok, they don't do sprinkler...but it would be helpful!), etc...etc...etc....

So I called. All lines would be located within 48 hours. Ok, cool. The landscapers hadn't called yet, so I figured I had time. Surely they wouldn't call the day of....

Thursday morning just before 8am the day of POOP began. The landscapers called at 752am. Ok, I know I have young ones, but seriously, who calls before 8am, let alone 10am?!?! Every single friend of mine knows, you just don't do that. Ok, maybe the acceptable time has shifted up a bit since Eri entered the picture...

I told the landscapers A-OK, since all the lines were located the day before. They started digging and planting and things were going great, until they got to the 3rd tree. He rang the doorbell to alert me that a line was cut. I was in a panic. I wasn't sure if it was just our line or if it was to the whole neighborhood. I'm cursing the lines since I thought I did what I was supposed to! So I'm apologizing to the digger, feeling bad that his manual labor has to continue about 6 inches to the right. So he digs again. Next he hits a white pipe line of sorts. WHAT IN THE WORLD?! Again, I apologize like a fool. He then shifts a bit more to the right (so much for my parallel arborist-like ways), and we're in the clear. But for the entire time he's digging, I'm in a panic he'll hit more.

Meanwhile I'm trying to figure out what line was hit. The phone, internet and cable were not working, so I called the utility company to get it in order. The guy on the phone thought I was a complete idiot because I told him all three were not working and he's trying to tell me that I needed to call 2 separate companies because he was in charge of cable, and I'd have to call for the other two, but really I can't call because my name is not on the billing (this is when I get REALLY annoyed about that stuff). I'm explaining to him, 1 line was cut, how could it be 2 different companies.....so on and on he's trying to explain, and I'm trying to diffuse this bomb of unintelligence I created for myself to this guy. Ultimately, it's not worth my time as N8 has to call anyway.

So I'm without cell phone, home phone & internet and N8 is away this weekend and I didn't feel comfortable with that. Mainly because a lot of our neighbors were going out of town as well. I must have forgotten the conveniences of living in the good ol' US of A, as I didn't expect any sort of repairs for weeks (my bellla Italia days are fresh in memory). I'm sweating out the rest of the landscaping of the 4 other trees and every random tree root that happened to be pulled out, I came running to inspect in case it was another line cut...the landscapers had to LOVE me, and my screaming Eri, "shovel! shovel! I dig! Outside!" and Leo just not wanting to be placed in a seat.

The rest of the trees go in just fine, the cut line ends up being the phone and internet (the cable was off for another reason). Mr. Repairman arrives within a couple of hours (thankfully due to N8 responding to my panicked messages left by my friend's phone, we're without this, we're without that)...and then within minutes of the phone and internet being repaired, the phone/internet/cable line locator man arrives. Really? I look at him, laughing, telling him all was dug. He said, oh good, ok, but not wires cut...um, no, there was a wire cut, the repairman just left. We had a good laugh. N8 arrives to see us laughing and the man decides to still locate the lines just to fulfill the duty.

After the trees were in, and I let the dogs outside, I realized this was a BAD idea. It is dog heaven out there with all of that freshly tilled dirt (refer to previous posting of N8's garden, by Massy). The dogs didn't do anything...yet, but preventative measures were needed. I decided right after feeding Eri & Leo, we'd hit up Home Depot to get chicken wire or something to create a quick temporary fence to preserve our beloved new woody friends. The Home Depot visit has disaster written all over it. Way too much drama to list, but it ends with me standing in the parking lot, scratching my head, wondering for about 20 minutes how I'm going to get a bundle of 50' wired 5' tall fence into the back of my wagon. Forgot I had the smaller car. Forgot I had no rope. Forgot I had two kids as well, apparently. I risked asking the man parked next to me if he had any spare rope. (This was after I called everyone and their brother to see if they were available to meet me at Home Depot to help me). The man very nicely gave me rope and he rigged it for me. You may be wondering, you're at Home Depot, just go back in, buy rope. Well the unmentioned drama prevented that, plus Leo fell asleep in her car (which she so desperately needed) and there was zero chance of getting Eri back into the cart to re-enter that store.

So much for me thinking I can accomplish things solo....who would have thought independence can be stricken so quickly. Bad question...I'm sure a lot of people in the world can answer that one. But I now understand why the families I babysat for, were so anxious to leave their kids in my company, a clueless about freedom kid who was excited to play with the even younger kids.

Needless to say, I needed an escape after that day...but I didn't get one. But N8 did...he's in Florida. How backwards is THAT?!

So, if you learn anything from this little entry, here's some input: Be nice & go babysit for your friend/neighbor/son/daughter/cousin/whatever! They won't ask you, so just offer. Oh, and locate your lines.

Pictures of these obviously young trees to follow...I love them, though. The sound of leaves in the wind is so refreshing to such a tree-less neighborhood. All the neighbors are ooohing & awwing over them. I think we started a trend.