Home Improvements (Part Three) 256

I've had a cold/flu/something, but last Saturday I felt good enough to take Buddy for a walk. It was kinda late for E.F. Hutton to be in his shop, but thankfully he was - along with Cousin Bobolink and his girlfriend.

I don't personally know the girlfriend, but my impression of her isn't a good one. This woman, who is probably close to my and Bobolink's age (late 40s) was sitting in a chair next to Bobolink with her leg draped over his - as if she were at home, with no regard or respect for E.F. Hutton or me. My notion of her is that she cares nothing for Bobolink, but cares a geat deal for what Bobolink will inherit. A psychiatrist might say she was showing possession, or ownership of Bobolink (and his stuff) by covering him with her leg in such a disrespectful way.

Men often think with their little heads instead of their big ones, so I don't particularly fault Bobolink for allowing her behavior. But she should have known better. We aren't teenagers anymore. This woman figures into the home improvement saga a little later.

E.F. has known about my home improvement plans from the beginning, and I called Bobolink a few days ago to tell him about it. So, when I mentioned my dilemma about moving the service/utility/whatever pole, they both knew what I was talking about. I told E.F. I was lost about what to do next, and it was so comforting to hear him lay out a plan and explain what happens when the service is moved.

One important thing I learned was that the inspector works for Jefferson County - not AL Power. And when the inspector comes out to inspect, he only wants to see that the pole doesn't lean and how the electrician wires the lines into the house.

Even more comforting was that he was saying "we" a lot. "We'll come up with the pole," etc. However, E.F. told me to make all the arrangements. Bobolink was contributing positively to the conversation, which was also very comforting.

Home Improvements (Part Two) 254

I'm becoming more and more anxious/nervous/whatever about making these improvements. I feel as if I'm standing still on something urgent. Maybe I've just been home too long and need to get my mind on something else. I didn't get anything from Dr. Goodheart today, and I'm beginning to wonder if he sent the letter I need (to get my job back) directly to Dr. Flagman in Dothan.

Back to home improvements. I still haven't gotten an estimate on what the shed itself will cost.

I mentioned yesterday that an engineer from AL Power was coming out to advise me about moving our utility service pole. He suggested putting it on the east end on the house - by my bedroom. He rambled off some other stuff I didn't understand, but one thing's clear; I'm gonna have to hire a high priced electrician to do the work so the AL Power inspector will approve it. And I learned that a buried power line would run from the big utility pole by the road to the house - an expense I'm sure I can't afford. I wouldn't want to have to dig it up later.

The only thing AL Power will physically do is move the power line. But their list of requirements and specifications covers everything I'm responsible for. Which is ... what?

I learned that I have to buy and set the pole. I don't want us to be without power any longer than necessary, so I'll get another pole and have everything ready for a one hour swap. Maybe. But what kind of pole does it have to be?

I went over to the AL Power office in Hueytown this morning and picked up 'Spec Sheets'. This is what they say about the pole itself:



Ok, so it's got to be treated wood. It's got to be 18' long. 4' of that 18 has to be in the ground, so I've got to dig a hole 4' deep. If the pole is round, it's got to be 5" in diameter. If the pole is aquare, it's got to be 6"x6", which is what we have now. And once you put it up, if the thing's not stable in AL Power's eyes, they won't connect the power.

I'm getting a headache. Just for the record, here are the spec sheets in full: