Small Town Sewer Fun

As I have mentioned before I moved "back home"... I left home after High School, and as of July last year I now live in the same home I grew up in.. This is going to be difficult for me to blogg about as it has been an opera from ..... uh-huh..

I moved into the same home my gramma bought back in 1927 on July 1st, of 2008... the first thing I realized is that the sewer wasn't doing it's thing quite as I had become accustomed to sewers behaving.... Picture taking a shower and finding the water accumulating at your ankles...

I went to the people at "city hall" (no jokes-- this is a small town)... to ask what to do, who to call etc... and was immediately told that the sewer was my problem... and that the city has no responsibility... there is NO EMINENT DOMAIN IN BEAVERTON!!!! These were the exact words the city father (that is what a mayor is called here)... I was to contract a plummer, dig up the yard, etc...

Being a very independent woman, and shorter on cash than independence... I rented a back-ho and found a friend of a friend to run it... this is all after calling the Miss Dig people to mark the important underground lines of course!!

We were not too long into the project when the city sewer authorities were standing around watching the job... (life is rather drab here.. and even a back-ho is exciting I am learning).. Well about 3 hours into the project... 6 feet deep, and 15 foot long hole now at the west side of my home... The gentleman running the machine stops and says... "that looks like a gas line" ... it was barely apparent, but there... about 3 feet from where the marks (cute little flags) were located. So, all work stopped at this time for the moment.... The escapade with the gas company is on hold for another sequel.... another comedy of errors.... (what do you expect from a monopoly?)

Well, since we were not going to dig any further since we had, with the help of the big old expensive gas company, decided that the lines were mis-marked... but undamaged by any non-gas company personal....

The next sequel to the present episode was to install the PVC piping... oh, my... there is just something about sewer that means human waste... and knowing whos it is really doesn't make the project more fun... but with alot of volunteer help, the final diging and pipe were installed!!!

Now for the fun, we rented a snake... and of course a dear new friend volunteered to assist me.... it took almost 9 hours of working that snake with him and me pushing and pulling the darn thing... to make it through to the sewer on the other side of the street.... OH, I didn't mention that I live on the oposite side of the street from the city sewer? yeah, more interesting when you consider that there is no emenent domain here... (keep wondering if I need to invest in tearing up the street to replace all the pipe?)

wonder of wonders.... !!!.. I had a working sewer, and could flush, shower, wash clothing... all the things I have taken for granted for years, where on that day a miracle!!!

My miracle was over in a heart beat... or more accurately a month and a half... like purning a bush in the spring and then watering it... the roots that had been inhabiting the old lines I had not replaced were back with a vengence...

Again I went to the City Hall City Father person... he again said that I should get a plummer... ok... this time I ask around... and called the number one person everyone said to call... His wife answered the phone, and told me that their snake was broken, and I should call another plumber.. even gave me a name LMI... that he/they were great people... so I called

The owner of LMI came to the house, ask some questions, and finding out that I am not an independently wealthy widow woman, said that the whole job, after completion would cost no more than $200.00 ... and they would start in a couple of days...and needed my house key, incase the guy needed to flush .... so I gave him the house key (which I still haven't seen since-- yes I have a different lock... now)... and we parted ways...

A couple of days later, LMI's representive showed up and attempted to use the snake alone...(after the experience of using the rental snake... I thought "that skinny guy must be really strong and experienced".... I hoped at least)... well, in about 45 minutes he was packing up his stuff, and told me he was done.. later the owner of LMI called to tell me that his man had broken the snake off....and that it would be a couple of weeks before they would have a new one... but that they would not be charging me until the job was completed...(like I thought he would even consider charging for job not completed?)

Well, later in another sequal I will tell you about my friends from Germany who arrived the next week for a 2 and a half week visit in America... (They have some very interesting memories of Life in America....)

About a week after the friends who spent their whole lives wanting to visit America had left.... I call LMI to ask if they were going to complete the job... and was told that they had "just recieved the snake" and "it would take a few days to put it together" but they would be out as soon as possible...funny the skinny guy, who that day kept asking me if I were "saved" and telling me "I knew your parents".... (no I didn't ask what he was using ...) ...

A little less than an hour the person from LMI was packing up his stuff...and when I ask what was going on...( I knew how long it took two people to open up that sewer the first time... )... I was told..."I snaked it out all the way to the sewer twice" and he showed me two perfectly clean snake heads ... then he said " the problem is that your sewer flows up hill and that is why it doesn't drain well, and the water is still standing in it" .. (I knew better than to debate with him... a lot better)...(remember the broken snake? no mention of removing it...)... and he cut the opening pipe that is the access to the sewer to about 2 1/2 feet below the ground and filled dirt in to cover it up...(remember I live in Central Michigan.. and it gets below zero... ground freezes).

As soon as he was gone, I again went to the City Hall City Father.... and told him exactly what I had just been told, and ask what to do now?.... They didn't have an answer...

About 45 minutes after my visit with the nice people at City Hall, I have a visiter, actually two visiters... The very nice men said they were city workers and in their free time they clear sewers for people. (...why in heaven's name didn't these nice guys get sent to my door back in July?)... He explained that "if they can complete the job it will cost me $100.00 and not a penny more... and if they can't that they would not charge me...(how could I loose)...

After work that same days these men started working on my sewer ... they had the biggest snake I had seen so far, looked like an industrial version..(the kind I was expecting the plummer to own..) these guys worked, and worked and worked... four and a half hours they tried to get through... they were able to move the LMI snake back to a bout 5 foot in under the street... and when they finally gave up... told me that I should really have the LMI people remove the snake, so they can do their job... The didn't charge me!!! they were nice honest men... and worked very hard to help me... I do so appreciate them...

Well, next I did as they said, and called LMI... the first time, I could not get through, so I left a message... about the snake blocking my sewer and that they needed to remove it to either finish their job, or remove it and let the other guys finish the job...

The LMI owner never called me back... instead I received a bill for 243.+.....(remember the statement the owner gave me about not charging me until the job was done, and then it would not be over 200.???). I left another message, about LMI not completing their work, and I wasn't paying for not getting a cleared sewer.... Again I received another bill for the overage amount!! This time I wrote a nice note lining out what I have written here (only with more brevity)... and expected him to be over here working on the sewer.... if he could dig the solid ground... nice that the LMI representative could worry about telling me about my parents, but didn't have enough plumming experience to know not to cut that pipe off well below the ground...

Monday I recieved a notice from a collection agency for 399.00..... representing LMI and a job completed?

Right now I am filing with the Better Business Bureau, and looking into small claims court... as well as asking for any advice my lovely friends have to give me....

No matter where you live, post an answer, what would you do? what is a reasonable responce for me to persue?

Rev T signing off....

Let's Talk About Change--

After the election everyone has been talking about change-- but maybe we should start looking at change from a different perspective!

President Obama is working hard in DC to effect some major policy changes that will eventually trickle down to you and me... but now, here, today we can all work for change that will effect our own lives, and more importantly the lives of everyone we touch.

I welcome your posting ideas you have that we can try in our communities, anything that works for you, will more than likely work for others!!

My favorite response that we hear from young children is usually to "smile"... and we all know the results of that, (so that everyone will wonder what you have been up to)... but seriously, smiling does several things, one- it makes you feel better (gets the endorphens moving), and of course the recipient of your smile feels better, so then smile, and ...

Let's see how many things we can change in out daily lives that may make a big difference in the long run.... Planting a garden, hum, a buck for enough seeds that I can grow for myself and family, give away, or can, or maybe sell at the local farmers market the extra.... yeah, even in the city, a vacant lot could become a small community garden!! and a little money maker, as well as a source of real food.

This spring I plan to plant a garden, using "heirloom" seeds... that simply means seeds that if you grow the plant, in the fall gather the seeds to use next year will grow the exact same plant... not like the kool hybrids we are hearing so much about these days... I tried a couple of those in a container on my balcony a couple of years ago... then saved the seeds because the plants were off the wall great... well, the next plants didn't even resemble my beautiful plants of the year before!!! So that is MY REASON to buy only heirloom seeds....

Why plant a garden you ask... it will be a reason to get my rear out of the house, give me some exercise, connect me with the earth a little, give me the marvel of actually seeing something grow, and oh yeah, the fresh vegetables!! Knowing that no one has been spraying some unknown chemicals onto my goodies... that will be wonderful... I have a friend (sorry Rita) who almost washes the skin off the tomatoes to make sure she isn't eating bug killers (pesticides) or weed killers (herbicides) ..... I really understand her her feelings...

I read a book called Food not Lawns, How to turn your yard into a garden and your neighborhood into a community by H.C. Flores ... It is worth your time to stop by the local library and check it out...

I have a yard that is approx 66x110ft and I plan to put in a lot of edible plants.... a vegetable garden, a fruit garden, an herbal garden, and edible flowers too... even if you only have a balcony as I did for years, there is so much joy in picking your own tomatoes!!!

I have obviously moved, real drastic move-- from big city to small town... and that transition will be the subject of a very humorous blog...the frustrations I have been through are just .... gotta laugh it off or I could scream.... and in a small town, people actually notice things like that!!! they WILL KNOCK AT YOUR DOOR to see if you are ok!!

Here where I now reside a great number people have died of cancers over the last 20 years, so people are changing how they buy their food. Many of he people only buy "organic" beef... I have learned that the average bulk butcher has prepackaged meat that was sprayed with a nitrogen compound to keep the outer flesh bright red.... really fresh looking... and taking it home to find the inner meat is gray... ugh... someone told me that I need to see if the package looks "sucked in" or is "puffy- tight" the more sucked in is fresher... where the bacteria (wee small beasties) produce gas (just like we do!!) it puffs the plastic wrap outward!!

Enough for the day... but please feel free to add any ideas you have, let's make this a place to talk about the changes we can make...

Oh, yes, I am also out of work, and don't qualify for unemployment, so I am trying to help others in my lovely situation... as well as learn more about publication... blogging, freelance writing... what ever you call it ...

Rev T signing out...