“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.
‘ Once is enough ‘
Early one Thursday morning, I received a phone call from a distressed realtor. He told me that Franklin Building Supply suggested calling me for help. It seems that the Fence Contractor who was scheduled to accomplish the contracted work had backed out. The realtor and I made an appointment for noon so I could look over the proposed job and give him a bid.
The bid consisted of a 6 ft. Cedar fence on two sides of the property and the moving and reinstalling of some field fence out back. After his acceptance of my bid, I informed him that I would start early Friday morning. He then told me that the job had to be done by the following Monday so the house could be in the Parade of Homes.
I arrived at the job site at 6 am , and so did the painters, the carpet guys, the cabinet people, the sprinkler men, the sod layers and the guys setting forms for the concrete drive. They didn’t arrive all at once, but staggered in like the Capistrano birds coming home to roost. Everyone was in everybody else’s way to say the least. After setting all the posts, I started hanging the rails albeit the concrete was still not set. Then ,out of nowhere, I had to quit for the day, for the Ditch Witch operator ran over my air hose and power cord. I must admit I was just a little bit miffed. Believe it or not, but I didn’t jump all over the guy. I didn’t even swear, at least out loud. The man apologized profusely for his errant ways and said that he would make full restitution. I figured that I would stop right then and there and go change the field fence to the new location. At least that way I could hide my frustration and continue working towards completing the project.
The field fence was just North of the Point of Beginning survey marker standing prominent in the pasture. The fence should have been placed on the South side of said marker. After completing the correction, the owner of that adjacent field came running out, with shotgun in hand, and accused me of moving the Point of Beginning marker. He said that I was stealing part of his land, and he had already called the cops. I took him up to the house and showed him the Plat diagram papers with all the surveyed Meets and Bounds. He then calmed down and went back home. I heard nothing more about it after that. WHEW!
Saturday was uneventful and I finished the Cedar fence by 2 in the afternoon. I gathered up all my equipment along with the offal and literally ran from the job site. Payment upon completion was written in contract, so I stopped by the realtor’s office to collect. He told me that he was too busy right then and that he would send the check in the mail. I would have nothing to do with that and told him so. I plopped myself down by the entrance and said I wasn’t going to move until I got my check. I had to wait for quite a while, but finally got my imbursement. Upon leaving his office, with check in hand, I gave him a piece of my mind, et cetera, et cetera. I told him , no matter the situation, don’t ever call me again and that I had never worked for a more disorganized individual in my life. I was HOT! The other subs in the office all had a Cheshire Cat grin as I left. I think they all had the same thoughts as I.
All in all, it was a couple good days and just a wonderful experience,———–Not! You can pull on Superman’s cape, You can spit in the wind, but don’t mess with Jim.