Another resolution that can’t wait for New Year’s: Never sign anything unless I’m to get a copy of it before the other party takes off.<\/p>\n
I’m still worrying about a slip of paper an electric company representative had me sign in April. He came out to inspect a dead tree in the yard to judge whether the utility would cut it down. Two others from the power company had come out separately in the previous six months, each with different verdicts on if the elm was their problem or mine, if the tree was an electrical hazard or when it fell it would clear electrical lines (none cared if TV cable snapped, including the cable company, which told me about another tree to phone them AFTER damage occurs, if it happens).<\/p>\n
In short, the matter is whether I am to pay many hundred of dollars to a tree service to fell and haul away the elm or if it’s the utility’s problem, and expense. Of course I don’t want an unnecessary and large bill, but also essentially all reputable tree services will not work on any tree near electrical wires. Their reasoning is obvious, and there you have a homeowner’s Catch 22.<\/p>\n
This power company representative in April had me sign something to the effect that I heard him say this was not their problem. I did have him note on the slip that previous tree estimators said it indeed was the utility’s problem but as it was not an emergency the tree would be cut down in the power company’s maintenance cycle. That’s why it hadn’t happened yet and why I called, to remind them. I waited for months; it’s not like I phone every Monday morning.<\/p>\n
But I don’t have a copy of that little form, and he or someone could fiddle with the slip to make it read differently, apart from my signature. Drat. -30-<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Another resolution that can’t wait for New Year’s: Never sign anything unless I’m to get a copy of it before the other party takes off. I’m still worrying about a slip of paper an electric company representative had me sign in April. He came out to inspect a dead tree in the yard to judge […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-222","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-body-home-street"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":312,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2007\/05\/getting-perpendicular\/","url_meta":{"origin":222,"position":0},"title":"Getting Perpendicular","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"May 8, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"A pair of problems seem as different as their solutions in huggable Fayetteville, but they're not, really. It's all about power, after all. The scary power play is how the local electric company, Southwestern Energy Power Co. (called Swepco everywhere but the phone book when you need to report an\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Body, Home, Street"","block_context":{"text":"Body, Home, Street","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/body-home-street\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3812,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2012\/07\/saturday-surprises\/","url_meta":{"origin":222,"position":1},"title":"Saturday Surprises","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"July 14, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"The Tibetans -- terriers not people -- Mani and Hopper needed a vigorous walk today. The humans' leash schedules intersected once: me and morning. I aimed my Prius, Kar-L, toward Wilson Park. It's empty, maybe not too odd going toward noon on a July Saturday, but to the west we\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Body, Home, Street"","block_context":{"text":"Body, Home, Street","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/body-home-street\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Mani and Hopper with a Hank Kaminsky \"sacred stone\" April 2012","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Mani_Hopper-0412-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2641,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2011\/01\/north-east-west-south\/","url_meta":{"origin":222,"position":2},"title":"North East West South","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"January 13, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Copyright 2011 Ben S. Pollock When teaching (it's been awhile) or just yakking, I find greater utility in broad definitions. News, for example, \"is whatever is new, whatever is different.\" Meaning front-page, top-of-the-hour news. That's where are found recountings of heroism, and more often tragedy. Print and broadcast are front-loaded\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Life Lessons"","block_context":{"text":"Life Lessons","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/life-lessons\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":123,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2005\/08\/go-hogs-quickly\/","url_meta":{"origin":222,"position":3},"title":"Go, Hogs, Quickly","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"August 13, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"Copyright 2005 Ben S. PollockSaturday, Aug. 13, 2005: News item: The Razorback football team of the University of Arkansas is ending a decades-old tradition of open practice. Starting this summer, the sessions will be closed to the public in general and the press in particular. If a tree falls in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Body, Home, Street"","block_context":{"text":"Body, Home, Street","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/body-home-street\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":197,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2006\/06\/know-thyself-dot-blog\/","url_meta":{"origin":222,"position":4},"title":"Know Thyself dot Blog","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"June 11, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Among the advice people my age and older got when we went to college was to avoid campus protests -- \"even though, son, you agree with them\" -- because someone might take your picture. When you go for your first job, someone may remember seeing you in the paper. Worse,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Life Lessons"","block_context":{"text":"Life Lessons","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/life-lessons\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":108,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2005\/09\/goody-a-poem\/","url_meta":{"origin":222,"position":5},"title":"Goody, a poem","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"September 28, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"Copyright 2005 Ben S. Pollock Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2005: My Oak \"How tall you want it?\" \"There's a choice on the tree stump?\" \"Sure, put a plant there.\" After a day of thuds, They've cleared the boughs: They're rotten. The trunk's thud thundered. 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