Z House Again

Well, I'm dead tired and I still think it is funny. We have to open the septic tank, right? So, the inspector poked holes all over the yard to find the line and the tank. Pop and I dug a 4 foot hole where the guy said the tank was. No tank, not a pipe either. (See Photo)

Exhausted, Pop says, "Call in an excavator."

After several calls and not reaching anyone, I say a prayer and call Spectrum Construction for whom I have done embroidery work. I get a hold of Jim the manager. Explaining my plight, I ask Jim for some help and advice. He says, "I'll be there in 1/2 hour." "God bless you!" I say and give him the address. "We'll be there digging." I cry as I hang up.
Jim shows up in 15 minutes with a shovel, hammer, and metal rod. He and Pop did 4 more holes, each closer to the back of the house.

Finally, the men move the concrete pad that is right next to the blocks. They had to use a pick to loosen the soil. With each hole they are making more and more jokes, like, "We should charge them for aerating the yard." and " Longie, if you don't help us out here soon I'm going to go stomp on your grave! JUST kidding!" Finally, with that 6th rocky hole (Dad tossed all the rocks from the yard up by the house.) they find the pipe. It made a 45 degree turn right out of the wall and headed east.


Jim aerates the lawn some more. They dig a trench following the pipe. That would be a long hole # 7, dug mainly by Jim, who sent Pop and I to back fill 5 of the holes as they are no where near where the tank would be. I think we were just getting in his way.


I offered Jim drinks, crackers, Fig Newtons but he would not take anything. Oh, did I tell you it was raining, sort of? But, we were all working so hard that we were wet with sweat anyway.


Jim sights a line on the trench and our little dried flowers that we put in the holes that struck pipe(it was cute), walks back about 20 feet, sights again, sinks the rod and Hot Dog, hits the top of the tank! We think.
I don't know how well you can see this, but Pop is head down in the hole checking to see it this is the lid to the septic tank. AND IT IS! The men had been asking me to flush the toilet to see if they could hear the noise. I asked if they wanted me to do it again now, but, for some reason, they said they would have none of that.
Now, we had to dig the hole larger so that Ashtabula Septic could come in, pump out the tank and put on a riser, so no one has to go through this again.
Do you see where the tank is? Almost to the green house, about 60 feet from where the expert said it would be. If we had brought in an excavator, we would have had a hole big enough to put on an addition with basement before we found the septic tank.
God Bless Jim! For his 4-5 hours of digging he charged us NOTHING! He is going to get a case of good beer, that's for sure and maybe his own "Jim Blanky"! Some of you will know what I mean by that. He sure showed us what life is for, helping and loving even strangers with septic problems.
Pray for Jim, and us, and your family, and the world, and your friends, and................