Storm Damage Saga Continues

For the first time in a long time I am putting a post together spread over a lot of days. I changed my mind about his post before 11am. See below for the reason. As I sit here Saturday morning June 8th, I hear a light rain outside my open windows. It will keep the lawn green, the one that I mowed yesterday just in case it would rain like it predicted. What's that picture above????

Evidently when the post hole digger was in operation or could it have been from the numerous trucks that have backed up to that pole with their lift sending them up to the cable/internet cables ... have killed the grass and caused deep tire trenches. See the title of this post?? I was told almost two weeks ago that CenterPoint would be back to repair my yard damage. So far as of the close of business June 7th, the man that is suppose to call me to come out and look at it from CenterPoint hasn't figured out how his phone works. Yes ... I have called them back about this problem three times.

Blogger posted these photos in the order it wanted to, not what I submitted. I took this Friday night, almost dark. I had walked out to look at the "finished" job of the AT&T techs yesterday. You will see the photos below and I will comment there. But it was a beautiful night, perfect for sitting outside after watching the Reds beat the Cubs 3-2 for their 6th win in a row. Cool breeze to open all the windows for the night.

As I was walking back to the house from the "scene of the crime", Watson Ava and Henry were beginning a new play session. When I walked out of the house Watson was sound to sleep on the patio enjoying the cool, almost cold, air.

When I came home around 2:30pm on Wednesday there was an AT&T truck parked in front of the yard. I thought that might be the guy that was suppose to call me and check out the yard damage yet he was parked too far down the street from where the damage was. I parked my car in the garage and then walk out to see which job he might be here for. We talked for a long time. He had come out to check out the work BOi did when they hung the three large cables to the new pole. He did give me an answer though, indirectly, on why nothing had been finished. BTW, he said the three cables had been hung wrong and he would send a crew out to fix them.

Basically the goal of utility company, both internet companies are the same in my opinion. That was, restore service as soon as possible and clean up the mess later. The problem is, the same night where I had the pole struck by lightning that morning, there is a lot of damage from the high winds that were borderline tornados, without funnel clouds touching the ground. Needless to say all companies are a little backed up with work with a lot of wind damage around the local area. 

This AT&T rep told me he had 70 jobs on his list to do. I wondered but did not ask him where my current jobs were ... cleaning up the yard with new dirt, seed and straw and hanging that third cable (Astound Internet) up to the minimum of 9' off the ground? He was who told me about the 9' minimum and that he would send a crew out to hang their cable correctly.

I have had so many one man crews show up to "look around" that I have to go out and find out which company they are with and what issue are they looking to fix. Very few of them fix anything but "they call the work order in". It has gotten so bad that I have fixed a brand new spreadsheet where I list dates and what is said by them or what might be fixed by them ... all sorted by company name. The key line will be in red font saying "Job Complete" ... I'd laugh about it but the anger simmers at a low flame inside me.

I forgot to mention I am still waiting for just the written estimate to fix my fence. Jeromy was out here on May 29th to look and assess the damage. "You get the estimate emailed to you in a day or two." .... but when I call for an update "we are extremely busy with a lot of damage to repair and will get the estimate to you in a day or two" ... I finally asked yesterday if jobs were in order the call was made or when the estimate was accepted or material available? I confirmed to her that the material of my fence is available because Mr Fence is posting on Facebook the new installed fences they are doing with the same material as mine. She was speechless.

So yesterday gets interesting as Watson lets me know there is another person in a bright yellow vest with reflective tape near "his" yard. This person was in an area that no others had been ... as he looked up at the internet cables, he was standing behind my fence about 3/4 of the way down from the utility pole side of the fence. To update my spreadsheet and answer my curiosity I went outside and rescued him from Watson and told him I could answer most questions he had if he had any. 

I was a little concerned when it put a ladder up to the second cable (AT&T) and started prying that one smaller cable away from the larger one, spreading out the wire wrap. See my internet service had been working since 3pm the day the pole was struck by lightning (May 26) ... now I had a feeling I was going to lose internet service for no reason that I knew of.

While he worked alone ... I get a text from AT&T telling me my service was out and would be fixed by Saturday (today) at 3am ... AM ??? Was I going to have a crew out here working while the hounds, dogs and I slept with the windows open??? That text was at 1:49pm Friday. At 4:34pm and 5:36pm I received texts from them saying the AT&T crews (2 men) were working as fast as they can to restore service soon.

Soon after I received a text that the AT&T crew had fixed the problem. The problem was squirrels had chewed through about 30' of cable insulation showing bare wire that had been nibbled on a little. A neighbor 3 houses down had called in an out of service report at his house and had AT&T crews out here within HOURS, not days not weeks, but hours .... who does that??? A county sheriff will get a response like that.

So my question is ... did they submit a new work order to have another specialty crew come back out and hang the cable that has been spliced with that black box in the middle photo, come back out and hang the cable to the larger AT&T cable in between the other two??? Or will I need to call them in a week when nobody shows up? Or, just leave them in the bushes on the berm?? Honestly I don't know.

Yes ... that spiced cable is laying on my berm in the bushes and goes behind my neighbors barn shed on the ground!!!! I hope Melissa pays attention when she is back there with her weedeater. 

Saga updates will be added along with some photos of the hounds and dogs from this sentence forward. 

Due to the constant light rain this morning, Walter could see I wasn't going to get many photos taken today. Yard work was out and it was going to be another relaxing day of retirement. Like it happens in MLB at times, after hours of rain some games are canceled or postponed.

Walter has postponed this post and will ask to post it now ... It's a quiet, light rain, cool temp day here in "the tropics" of Southern Indiana. Walter wanted to let our readers know, all of us have a pulse today.