Leftover Halloween photo and the Rear Fence Fiasco
Posted By RichC on November 5, 2025
Let’s start with the leftover “fun” photo since I archived a little about the granddaughters this week, but not Megan and Taylor. So this week I’ll include an “off to a Halloween party around a bonfire with some friends” for the archive. I did look like they had fun. For us, no trick or treaters this year .. again. ☹️
The weather warmed up so both Brenda and I were out working on the yard a little bit. Me with leaves, the front lawn and hauling some branches to the burn pile. Brenda has been putting off pruning the overgrown front landscaping; they do keep growing no matter how much they are butchered back.
On to my depressing and irritating story:
Another (one, two and three) long time neighbor is getting his house ready to sell (presumably in the spring) and hired a worker to fix and stain the rear fence — really the development’s fence but for the last 30 years each homeowner has taken care of it without much complaint. So I decided instead of putting our “rear development” fence repair off until spring (a car went off the road and hit it without telling us) … I would see what he would charge to keep right on going and fix and stain our fence too.
Unfortunately the guy who was polite, nice and hardworking … wasn’t really very capable at first bidding out the project and two actually doing satisfactory work. As the project progressed, there was interruption after interruption … from a wheel falling off his truck, to a sick child and wife with a broken foot, to his Spanish speaking helper misunderstanding the project and cutting down more existing fence posts than he was told to cut. The “out of money” to buy new posts ended up on my nickel since the fence was already removed. The work continued “after he recovered from COVID” (who knows) and he worked diligently with his 13 year old son. I pointed out that he needed to run a string line to get the fence straight but one thing lead to another and he “slapped it together” with excuse after excuse as to roots in the ground to salvaging boards from the old fence.
Eventually I decided he needed to get it done and that I would do exactly what the neighbor did — renegotiate the last payment for a lousy job.
As I approached him with his 13 year old (nice kid) in tow, I explained that the work was subpar and that if he wanted a final payment it would need to be less than we contracted. Then the grown man started to tear up and explain that he needed the full amount for his rent money and to take care of his family. With his son looking on … I just could discount the subpar work. I wrote his another check and explained to Brenda. She teared up hearing the story and wants me to do something for them come Thanksgiving and Christmas for the family.
Here’s a guy with a wife and 2 kids TRYING to work and do the best he can rather than asking for a handout or government help (from what I know). I’d rather help him than those I see thanklessly expecting government assistance and turning it into a way of life.
As the saying goes, “charity begins at home” … although I’m not sure it really applies?
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