Day 1842 New poles for old

29th August 2022

We had a storm last night, it didn’t seem so bad until the morning, when we saw the results.

By some miracle, or good fortune we escaped the carnage this time.

We noticed that the power lines that ran parallel to us were down and the pole had snapped and fallen in line with our back fence.

Now these are ten inch diameter wooden poles and it had snapped like a twig.

The only thing we had were a couple of cables hanging low over the garden.

Within a short time the area was swarming with yellow jacketed people from the power company assessing the damage. The problem they had was access. A number of pine trees had grown up surrounding the old pole, so they would have to be removed. Getting to those meant driving over a wonderfully flat green lawn belonging to a newish house next to the main road.

I had alway been envious of this lawn because it was alway green and well maintained, but now it was doomed.

No there was the sound of the chainsaw as it buzzed through one of the pine trees, that came down in seconds, then the trimming of branches of other trees around it.

Then there was the heavy squad, tasked with the installation of a new post.

A large crane the drove over the pristine grass sodded by the nights rain, it’s job it was to remove the bits of the old pole and install the new one.

I could see the tyre grooves from the road up to the fence, I felt the pain that it would cause the house owner, and I know what would have to be done to repair them.

The truck then put down stabilisers, more dents in the perfect lawn. One by one the broken pole was lifted up through the new clearing in the trees.

There was a lot of activity, hard hatted men were shouting commands to the crane driver as the fragments were removed. Next was the installation of the new pole.

That went quicker than I imagined, and within five minutes it was in place and in its correct vertical position ready for the next part.

The truck then drove back down the grass back on the road and parked outside our house.

Next a cherry picker drove back over the lawn, taking care to follow the tracks left by the crane. This enabled a guy to connect all the brackets that held the power cables.

At that time we had to leave for Kelli’s doctors appointment and after that a drive to West Olive to collect a single pedestal desk.

It was a busy day, we even got in a dip in the pool, and finished the long dresser ready for the customer to collect tomorrow, I think I’ll have a little lay down.