Thursday, August 12, 2021

Penned In

Despite the vaguely worded construction notice our neighborhood received "Please remove all vehicles from the roadway and adjacent driveways", I was surprised to discover our entire driveway and garage would be completely inaccessible during "Phase 2" of a four phase plan:


I was relieved I noticed this scene unfolding prior to being completely blocked in but was a slight bit miffed at the inconvenience.

I woke up the next morning and gave myself a good talking to. Yes, this is a slight inconvenience. But it is for the greater good. The City is taking care of a water main replacement that wreaked havoc with our ability to access running water last winter. It was not just us. As the City remedied one problem, it created a new one. A domino effect of water main woes in the middle of a Saskatchewan winter was not fun for anyone.

I am so very grateful to live in a city where they take over and fix the problems. It is one of the benefits of paying property taxes. 

As I moaned and groaned about being "this close" to not being affected by the road closure, I was reminded that this repair was for the entirety of our street. If we weren't affected now, we would be next in line. 

The City has supplied us with running water, at no extra cost or inconvenience, while the water main is under repair. All in all, we must be grateful that such a major undertaking is affecting us as little as it is.

This has been a particularly busy week with out-of-home errands, appointments and commitments. As I saw that red fence going up I longed for the COVID stay-at-home recommendations. What if we had to stay home as long as it took for the repair to be completed? How would that feel?

As I found a temporary parking spot directly behind us and talked to my neighbor across the alley to explain the need to park in front of their home (immediately reminded of Mom's irritation when people she didn't know parked in front of her house), I felt myself feel relieved that we haven't been entirely confined to our home.

We have the freedom to come and go, while major repairs are underway. We have running water. We have everything we need while the City takes care of all of the heavy lifting.

I can't believe I'm writing this. I am relieved we are not as penned in as it appears. 

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