“Jim Class” is a feature that airs within The HomeFix Show. Writen by original charter show listener Jim Forrer from Caldwell Idaho, Jim shares his observations, life experiances, and lessons learned in life. Joe Prin reads these at various times in most of the HomeFix Shows. Here is the original written text.
Expanding an existing parking lot seemed to be a fairly straight forward endeavor. This particular job was one that aged me beyond reason.
It began with the removal of an existing gate post and placing in its’ new home which was 40 ft. further on. I had to borrow a fork-lift to extricate the post because the concrete set was huge. I had never encountered such a large post set. That thing contained 85% of a yard of concrete for it measured 42 inches in depth and 36 inches in diameter. Man, that’s a lot of concrete for a terminal gate post. The post tubing was a 4 inch well casing. I strained, and the fork-lift strained accomplishing the task.
Next on the agenda was the removal of the line of fence. The company wanted me to salvage as much material and hardware as possible. Most of the 6 ft. chain-link fabric was beyond saving; however the posts were in pretty good shape. I spent a lot of time knocking the old sets off from those posts, but it had to be done. The reason it took me soooo long was, I had to lie down for quite a while to regain my senses. This one particular terminal post had been placed smack up against another structure and was being obstinate about being disenfranchised from it’s long held position. I was shaking that post from side to side and front to back and kind of rolling it around. It was getting to loosen up a bit. A little more work and I would have it where I could lift it out of the ground. A worker from the plant walking by after his shift’s end said,’here let me help’. He grabbed hold just above my hands and jerked violently towards the red target that was apparently painted on my forehead. I never saw him leave nor had a chance to say my thanks.
After salvaging all that was viable of the old fence, I started the installation of the new placement agreed for the new line. Some of the used posts were too short for the new installation. Luckily I had spares on my truck. I finished all of the fence except for the large gate. The gate was scheduled for delivery two days hence, so I had a couple days to rest over the weekend.
Bright and early on a beautiful Monday I arrived on the job site. And what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a tiny yellow backhoe still running in gear. Fence pieces-parts strewn on the ground and smoke beginning to billow from my ears. Sitting astride his backhoe, this smiling full fledged ‘Dip Smack’, had cut his way through my finished work. He was to install a water line from the pump house to a sprinkler system. He needed to dig a trench to place the pipe line, so he started in the only way he knew how, through grandiose stupidity. Earlier that morning he had probably stood there scratching his head and wondering, ‘what to do, what to do, there’s a fence in the way’.
The assessment or the wanton destruction was supercilious. He incised everything. He cut the three strands of barbed wire, cut the chain-link fabric, pulled and bent the top rail and ripped out one of the posts. This, all to make room to be able to drive through his imaginary obstruction. All he ever had to do was to drive to the other side of the fence. Remember, there was no gate.
Now, I want you to know that there were no nails used in the construction of this fence, but I sure was chewing nails all the way home.