The Money Pit: Chapter III

I’m at work when the propane company supervisor calls me to tell me that their truck abandoned the propane delivery to the Money Pit.

I ask why.

He responds,

“There’s no gravel left in that part of the farm driveway, blah blah blah,”

So the propane tank truck “might slip in the grassy driveway when it pulls in, blah blah blah,”

On top of that, the driver told him that the overgrown trees in front of the porch are “encroaching the driveway, rendering it impassable, blah blah blah.“

So in order to get the propane delivered so I don’t freeze to death, I am given two choices:

• Move the submarine-sized tank closer to the house…where it will look like complete shit and render the house even more of an eyesore, if that is even possible; or

• Repair the long gravel driveway that leads to the tank…for $1000s of dollars.

The pressure was on. The propane tank needed to be filled within a couple weeks as the temperature was quickly dropping at night below freezing. The 3000+ square foot house’s original windows might as well be made of tissue paper, in terms of keeping the heat in. And I had no money in my checking account.

That’s OK, I am ready for challenges! I put on my Propane Delivery Challenge Superhero Cape.

But my head was spinning. Because:

I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT THE HELL TO DO BECAUSE WHO HAS TIME TO FIGURE OUT PROPANE TANK PLACEMENTS AND DRIVEWAYS WHEN THEY HAVE MORE THAN A FULL-TIME JOB AND ARE DEALING WITH A BUNCH OF EXTREME BS IN THEIR LIVES AND ARE NOT EXPERTS ON PROPANE TANKS OR DRIVEWAYS AND DON’T REALLY KNOW HOW TO USE THE TAPE MEASURE TO FIGURE OUT WHERE TO PUT THE TANK OR FIGURE OUT HOW MUCH GRAVEL IS NEEDED AND THERE ARE SEVEN KINDS OF GRAVEL AND WHAT IS A CUBIC FOOT I WAS FLIRTING WITH THE GUY NEXT TO ME IN GEOMETRY SO I DON’T KNOW HOW TO CALCULATE IT AND I REALLY ONLY KNOW HOW TO WRITE STUFF LIKE PRESS RELEASES AND ARTICLES AND ALSO PET THE DOGS.

DEFINITELY PET THE DOGS.

What is my strategy? Think, think, think. How about:

Overgrown Tree Strategy: Well, hello, neighbor with a chainsaw…can I buy you 99 cups of coffee to handle this? Geneseo doesn’t have a Starbucks, do you like Dunkin’ Donuts?

Grassy Driveway Strategy: Can I just go find a bunch of small-ish rocks at a gravel pit and fill my Subaru with them in the dark of night…just in case they are not “free,” making 100 trips or more, until the driveway looks about right?

Well, turns out I didn’t have to execute either extremely well-thought-out strategy.

I was really at my wit’s end…and my peeps came through for me.

As to the big, overgrown tree…a friend offered to chainsaw the large amount hanging over the driveway. Another removed the massive branches, dragging them a considerable ways into the woods. Their arms were killing them, I’m sure…but they did the work anyway, with no complaints.

As to the driveway…a friend offered to fix it…I paid for the gravel, but they didn’t charge me for the considerable labor to reconstruct a significantly long stretch of driveway (about the length of 6 regular driveways, to give you some context). They didn’t take any shortcuts…although they certainly could have and I wouldn’t have blamed them. That part of the farm driveway is now beautiful, and it helps the house look nicer. On top of doing me a major favor…my friend has been struggling with a serious illness, and despite that, knew the predicament I was in, and as soon as I talked to them, was over to the house within hours. Hours. PHEW. I just called the propane company, and they are coming out tomorrow.

I don’t like asking for favors, and I certainly don’t like being pitied…but eventually, at some point, you have to accept help.

I AM SO THANKFUL FOR THOSE WHO ARE KIND TO ME. When my friend offered to take care of the driveway…and we are talking about thousands of dollars of work that he basically donated…I burst into tears. At first I didn’t even know why I was crying. Then I realized, as I have through the last several months of this whole Money Pit Et Cetera ordeal…there are people in the world who are good, and kind, and care about others, and care about me. And care about YOU!

I will do all I can to pay it back, and to pay it forward.

I CAN DO THIS.

WE CAN DO THIS.

The Money Pit: Chapter IV