A Close Call and a Disaster Averted

Well, here's Charles, fixing our pump situation this morning. 

That's the new yard hydrant in the hole. 

Do you think he had enough help? 

Neighbor Troy came over to help Charles... as Keith can't pound any more.  They drove a steel t-pole in behind the hydrant.  

Now... look in the first picture, please.  Note the junction box on the wall just to the right of Charles? 

Good. 

None of us noted it. 

See the wires in the picture above, about where Charles is zip tying the standpipe to the t pole? 

He hit those with his shovel, and it split the shovel scoop an inch down.  It's a 220 line. 

Thank God he was not electrocuted. 

He had to dig 3 feet past the line to get to the buried water line.  Of course, they shut all the electricity off to the outbuildings, though we did not lose it in the house. 

Scared us all to death. 

Stupidity, we admit it. 

So, we called another fireman (okay, Troy called him) and waited for him to hook us back up. 

Charles and I and Troy buried the water line up to the level of the electric line. 

Both Charles and Brian, the electrician, are on our volunteer fire department, as is Troy. 

You note that the hydrant is now on the outside of the chicken house porch, Beau's old stall. 

We couldn't figure out how to get the old hydrant out, so Keith decided we would put it on the outside. 

As it happened... they got the old one out, and if we had put it in the same place, we may have missed the line. 

Oh, well.  Maybe not. 

A lesson learned, and thank the Lord, not a severe lesson. 

I tell you these things, friends, so that you don't do as we did.  Never before have we dug without a locate. 

While we were working, they were playing.  I had gone in and gathered up all the feed, inside and outside. 

I finally put them back in their pen. 

I left to go to church at 4 PM... and the electrician was on his way. 

I got home at 5:15 to this... it was as if it had never happened!  Brian had gotten here, done the splice, and shoveled the rest of the dirt in before I ever left church. 

What a relief to have it all fixed.  I have carried buckets from the house, or lifted buckets in and out of the Duck Pond Express all week, so it's a blessing, let me tell you.  The ducks were happy, before I even fixed dinner, I filled their pool. 

And here was our beautiful moon as I was coming in tonight. 

I found something on Pinterest as I was doing this post... it takes a while for the pictures to load and of course, I look at Pinterest while waiting sometimes. 

I thought it was very apropos: 

There was no citation with it. 

I thought it was good advice going into the next ten days. 

I'm thankful, believe me! 

Thanks Charles, Brian, Troy and Keith!