Gulp!

Diogenes supposedly went around with a lamp, looking for an honest man.  He could have put the lantern down here yesterday.  I'd put a call in to Dirt Guy and he drove up just as I finished in the barn.  Over the years, rain and snow have rutted the steep slope of the driveway to the point there is now a gulley that, were a small car to drop in a wheel, could snap an axle.  I'd been telling myself, "Oh, it's not that bad," knowing full well it was getting worse and worse.  I asked Dirt Guy to take a look and give me an estimate of cost to repair the drive.  The economy is bad and work has been slow.  I fully anticipated that Dirt Guy would jump on the job right away.  He told me that he could and would make that stretch of the driveway like new but unless I pushed him, he wanted to hold off until March or April.  If he did the work now and more rain and snow came before the dirt and gravel could solidify, it could be worse than now and my money and his efforts would have been for nothing.  It's only mid-January and the locals who have been doing a rain dance could get lucky.  It doesn't make sense to me to hire a professional and then tell him how to do his job.  DG walked the length of the drive and determined that only the first section absolutely needed attention, saving me mucho dinero.  In the course of our conversation, I learned that a son in Colorado is getting married and a son in Germany has asked him to visit.  Dirt Guy could use the money now; he would rather do the job right than fast.  DG put in the new leach field a few years back so I had an idea of what the cost would be.  I'll admit the dollar figure caused me to take a big gulp, but I know it is fair and we shook hands to seal the deal.  I, like Diogenes, appreciate an honest man.

In the meantime, if you come to my house, drive slow.