† September 11, 2007

Better Things to Do

     It's been over half a year since I checked in with my journal but it's not for a lack of things I could expel or share, whatever the case may be.  My lack of blabber has more to do with having too many things on my plate to do and this one (journal entries) being one of the least profitable, is at the bottom of the list.  In fact and considering what I have had to expel lately this journal could actually hurt my profit margin.  Then again, maybe not, for when your profit margin is hovering somewhere close to zero how much worse could it get?

     Well, depending on how you feel about being socially accepted within your local community, it can get worse than just being financially challenged.  The community I live in is small and words get around.  They don't always get around unscathed and untwisted but they do travel from mouth to mouth and what's true or false at the end of their journey is open to anyone's interpretation.  Or maybe (like in Homer's case, when he put all of Springfield's dirty little secrets on his website), people just don't like their laundry to be hung out to dry on line.  And who could blame them, for there are plenty of things I don't like about what some people will do to suit themselves, forsaking the effect it may have on others within close proximity.  Which brings me back to what I've been talking about through my most recent journal entries.  The uneasy easement on my property.

     For those who would think that they have heard enough, I'm sure there is a room out back somewhere where you can go and masturbate in private.  As for me (albeit a self induced curse it seems), this public forum is where I choose to perform the act of self-service.  So if you're still with me and not off doing the unspeakable act of self satisfaction, here's the latest in an ever growing list of uneasement issues.  Someone call a plumber.

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     It all started on the day I decided it was a good time to rent a splitter and get my firewood stored away for the coming winter.  Being that I no longer choose to support my neighbor's hardware and rental business, I rented the log splitter at Lakefield Rentals, located in a town a half hours drive from where I live.  A bit of an inconvenience but a price I am willing to pay.  And if you are willing to read a little further on or back to previous journal entries, you might understand the reasons why.

     After getting a good early start on the logs and in need of a break, I went into the house to have a coffee.  As I passed by the bathroom I became aware of an unusual sound coming from the toilet, like it was running on or something.  I lifted the lid off the tank and looking in I saw the tank was empty, but thinking it was a seal or something, I did what I could to try and fix it.  Problem was, it made no difference because there was just no water to fill it.  I opened the tap at the sink to confirm my suspicion.  No water.

     What now?  It's not like it's been a dry summer, we've had plenty of rain and the water levels should have been fine.  But then, my well is another part of my uneasy easement with my neighbors.  In other words, I have to share my water source with them as stated on my properties deed.  After running downstairs to shut off my now overheated water pump, I went to the well to see what the problem could be.  Lifting the lid, I looked in to see the problem was that the well had been run dry.

     A brief history on my well.  In the years previous to my new neighbor's acquisition of the easement property, only once was the well ever run dry.  This occurred when the former owners left the water running all night long.  An accident.  Since they sold the property to the present owners, it has now run dry twice more.  Once is forgivable, twice is a problem.  The former owners raised seven children with this well, without a problem.  We used cloth diapers with Samsara when she was a baby and did mega loads of laundry, without a problem.  We have gone through droughts when the leaves on the trees were all but falling off in the middle of summer because of no rain, without a problem.  I could go on but I would hope you get my point.  The well is not the problem.  The people using it are and our personal water consumption has basically stayed the same, if not, been reduced in recent years.  So Dr. Watson, in putting two and two together I would say the problem is the new neighbors and their rate of consumption.

     Having come to this deduction and having to deal with plumbing problems not of my own making (while a rented log splitter sat idly by in the driveway), I was none to happy.  Add this event onto the six month long commercial logging operation run across my property without a word from my neighbors and one might wonder, who the hell are these people who moved in next door?  And who the hell do they think they are, that they can act with impunity and total disregard?

     There was no one to complain to that day and after doing something during the night which left the well close to dry in the morning, they were off and away.  Leaving it to me to flush the toilet and suck up the last remaining water, until air was sucked into my water line, leaving me without the prime needed to make the water pump work properly.  Good thing I was home to hear the pump running uncontrollably to the point of overheating so I could shut it off.  If my pump (taking into consideration where I purchased it) had brunt out, I'm not sure I could be held responsible for where I might have thrown it.

     Anyway, taking time out of my day of splitting logs I spent an hour or two re-priming my water line in order to once again bring water to my home.  And for the rest of the day, watched the well level to make sure the prime was not lost again.  Then, getting back to splitting and reaching the end of my ability to do that for the day, it was time to inform the neighbors of what went down.  The water to be specific.  Here is the email I wrote to them and their lawyer:

 Dear Fill in Blank's Lawyer:

     On August 21st 2007 the water within the well located on Part 6 of Lot 32 Conc. 12 Methuen Township, County of Peterborough, Ontario was drained of all water. It reached the unacceptable level where the pump within the residence of Petrus Boots and Stefanie Clark lost its prime and plumbing repairs where required. This was no fault of Petrus Boots and Stefanie Clark the residents of 761 Jack Lake Road. I say this with proof of past years performance of the well on Part 6 of Lot 32 Conc. 12 Methuen Township, County of Peterborough, Ontario.
    Before your client, Fill in Blank of 736 Jack Lake Road, took possession of the property there was but one time where the pump within the residence of 761 Jack Lake Road needed to be re-primed as a result of negligence by the residents of 739 Jack Lake Road. In this instance the former owner inadvertently left the water running all night, which concurrently drained the well. For one full year before your client took possession of 739 Jack Lake Road there was a family of seven in residence at 739 Jack Lake Road and not once did the well reach the level where prime was lost. Since your client Fill in Blank took possession of 739 Jack Lake Road, the well pump on 761 Jack Lake Road has lost prime not once but twice because of excessive use by your client. This is unacceptable.
    The cause for this excessive water usage as a result of your clients negligence is not only unacceptable but unprecedented. As to the reasons why the well has gone dry twice since your clients possession of 739 Jack Lake Road I can only speculate. One of my suspicions is that since your client took possession of 739 Jack Lake Road he has raised the water pressure level. If this is the case, I put in a request that he lower the pressure tank level to the level it was previous his possession. If it is as a result of negligence in leaving a tap running all night I put in a request that your client become more responsible in his and her awareness that they are not the only people relying on the well located on Part 6 of Lot 32 Conc. 12 Methuen Township, County of Peterborough, Ontario.
    That said and if your client is not able or unwilling to abide my requests perhaps it is time that he drill a separate well on his own property which he can run dry through his negligence without having a negative effect on his neighbors water supply.

Sincerely
Petrus Boots
761 Jack Lake Rd.
Apsley Ontario
P.O. Box 282

Petrus Boots reserves the right to publish any and all correspondence sent to and from www.petrusboots.com , petrus@petrusboots.com whether it be electronic, verbal, written or other.

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     Receiving no reply, I sent the message again with this added at the top in red:

This message concerning the well water on Part 6 of Lot 32 Conc. 12 Methuen Township County of Peterborough Ontario was sent previous August 23, 2007. In receiving no reply as to this breach of the easement (assuming that perhaps the email was not received) I will continue to send it until the problem is (at the very least) acknowledged.

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    This is the message which came back:

From: Fill in Blank's Lawyer
To: petrus@petrusboots.com
Sent: Monday, August 27, 2007 2:45 PM
Subject: Fill in Blank - Water Well on Part 6 Lot 32, Conc. 12, Methuen Twp.

Dear Petrus Boots:

I acknowledge, on behalf of my client, your e-mail of August 27, 2007.
Would you please be more specific and advise of the time or times that the well was drained as alleged in your correspondence.

Yours very truly,
Fill in Blank's Lawyer

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     What does one have to do?  Take pictures of everything?  I wish I had taken a picture of the drained well but then they would most likely accuse me of being the one who drained it.  "Alleged", nice, just call me a liar and basically ignore me, as per usual.  Here is my reply:

From: Petrus Boots
To: Fill in Blank's Lawyer
Cc: Fill in Blank
Sent: Monday, August 27, 2007 8:09 PM
Subject: Re: Fill in Blank - Water Well on Part 6 Lot 32, Conc. 12, Methuen Twp.

Dear Mr. Fill in Blank's Lawyer

The last time on the morning of August 21st, as stated in my initial email. The first time was not long after your client took possession of the house at 739 Jack Lake Rd. Not an allegation, just the truth.
A question for you and your client. What is the water pressure set at within the house at 739 Jack Lake Rd? If it is above 40 cut off I want it lowered to that level immediately.

Yours in all truthfulness
Petrus Boots

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     To date I have not heard back from my neighbor or his lawyer.  And as far as what his water pressure is set at, how am I supposed to know where it is at.  This easement deal has reached close to the point of becoming a mission impossible.  Equalizing the water pressure levels within the respective homes using the well would seem fair to me.  It is just a small step in trying to find some sense of balance.  Having no control of how much water they use, I thought I could at least have some control over how fast they use it.  And they say, once the oil wars are over, the water wars will begin but here at 761 Jack Lake Rd the water lines are already drawn.

     It was time for me to take more time out of what I should be doing, painting, and look into easements and what the respective rights are in a situation like mine.  In digging through the internet on the subject, I found one rather disturbing definition with regard to easements.  The property which provides the right of way, water source and or the clear air for the passage of a hydro line (did I mention that, that my neighbors hydro line crosses my property, more on that later) is labeled the subservient property.  The property which requires the use of such impositions is labeled the dominant property.  Shit!  Just the sound of that sucks.

     Of course, there is more to this easement description then it just sounding sucky.  I searched further and found some ugly stories of people who had easements under their property.   They found out the hard way that when one of their trees roots destroyed what was buried there, they were at fault and the responsibility to rectify the damage came out of their pocketbook.  Which brings me to the stipulation within my deed which states "easement over part 3 of my property".  And what travels and is placed over part 3 of my lot is my neighbor's hydro line and transformer pole.  From there it conveniently travels safely underground to my neighbor's house.

     It would seem that now it is my turn to start cutting down some trees.  The reason for this and if I don't, if one of my trees should fall onto the line knocking it down, it would be me who would have to arrange and pay Hydro for it to be replaced.  Wonderful.  I have nothing better to do.

     Begrudgingly, I fired up the chainsaw deciding to rectify the fact that numerous trees were directly below, touching and reaching beyond the hydro line.  What I decided was, if I cut down all the trees six feet to either side of the hydro line, I will have done my easement duty.  And if a tree beyond that distance should fall and knock out my neighbor's power, at least I will have this preventative action taken, to take with me to court.

     So... not exactly happily cutting away trees I would rather let grow, I feel a sharp pain on my elbow.  Shortly followed by another on my right hand, then my left, and over my eye.  With the chainsaw blaring and my ears muffled I could not hear the yellow jacket hornets attacking me for having stepped on their underground nest.  I did say I had nothing better to do, right?  Needless to say to anyone who has had the extreme pleasure of being repeatedly stung by yellow jackets, a certain sense of panic prevails.  All you want to do is drop everything and run!  But I had the extra burden of a running chainsaw to shut down and once that was taken care of, in a flurry of curses I ran back to the house.  With all the shit I have had to deal with regarding my neighbor, someone up there has a real sick sense of humor.  A way sicker then mine, although, and it's a good thing, I still have it.  I mean, you have to keep your sense of humor in this world, where at the resent OPEC (or was that APEC) summit in Austria (or was that Australia) George and the boys have come up with a non-binding resolution to plant more trees in the world, finally taking care of that pesky climate problem once and for all.

     As Homer J. Simpson would say, "Oh... save me Jebus!"or from a larger global perspective, "Oh... save us Jebus!" *

     But something tells me Jebus, like Elvis, has left the building and we who share this planet are on our own and largely responsible for the mess we make.  I may feel predominantly impotent when it comes to the global issues but there has to be some way that I can make this easement deal work, without working myself to death.  As far as I am concerned, this easement is about as fair and balanced as Fox News proclaims to be but I do have some plans in order to make my future work load as light as possible.  As I have mentioned, I have better things to do.  Better and more important issues to take care of, then providing an unobstructed conduit for my neighbor's power supply, right of way and water source.  A minimalist approach is what is required for me to find peace of mind on the issue.  The only other option I can see is dependant upon the wisdom of my neighbor and that sense of wisdom I have not been witness to.  You see, it is only he who has the power to change this situation, I on the other hand can do nothing but bare it.

     One of the ways in which I can grin and bare it is in spewing it out through this journal and if most of what I have had to say lately is boring you, sorry but I do this for my mental health.  If only Merck or Pfizer could provide me with a magic pill, I might be tempted.  But then again, I don't believe in those kind of cover-up drugs, preferring the expansive ones.  And if my neighbors have a problem with how I mentally deal with their continued transgressions, then perhaps they should work on not giving me things I need to write out of my head.  I not only have better things to do but I also have better things to think about.  For another example (like I need one), I was criticized for putting up Watch for Children and Children Playing signs during the logging venture, like it was unnecessary.  Last winter the Children Playing sign was close to being knocked down because the neighbor dove into the driveway too fast on a slick day.  Good thing that wasn't a child instead of just a sign proclaiming their presence.  And this, after I had cleared the slush away from the entrance by hand in order to make it safe.  Ironic, don't you think?

     Ironies set aside, what of the side effects this writing has created through sharing my experience on line?  One such side effect involves someone I recently painted a sign for.  After spending more hours on the job then I was getting paid for, it turned out that the undercoat which I used was a mistake.  And perhaps ironies shouldn't be set aside because I used this undercoat on the recommendation of the paint expert at... you guessed it, my neighbor's hardware store.  If you can believe it.  And if you can believe this, I used this undercoat not only on this sign but on four other signs created in sync, including the three I created for our gallery Art Unseen.  The end result of this recommended undercoat is that all the work put into creating signs which border on fine art, is they are slowly but surely falling apart.  The paint I applied over the undercoat is cracking and peeling before my very eyes.

     Now my own signs is one thing but the work I did for others, well... I'm the one responsible, right?  Assuming full responsibility, I informed the client of what was wrong and that I would fix the problem.  Fixing the problem entailed taking the signs down, bringing them home, taking them apart, stripping, repainting, essentially making a new sign and reinstalling them.  This I did at my own cost.  So imagine my bewilderment when in seeing the client at a school function I looked to catch her eye only to have her look away, leaving me with the feeling of being shunned.  Her and her husband, after all the trouble I went through to make them happy with their fucking sign, wouldn't look at me even though I was standing right in front of them.  People.  My only conclusion as to this spurn-full reaction to my presence, is that her husband works for, you guessed it, my neighbor's hardware store, the place where I purchased the recommended undercoat.  Oh... irony, I wish you would just go away.

     I guess it's true, people have to lick the ass of the one who pays them.  And fear of economic woes is a powerful force upon our planet but for that shun they will not be forgiven.  And as for the sign, now they truly are on their own with it and may it fall apart.  Because at this point the damage to my reputation as a qualified sign painter (trying to make money so I can do the real work) is done.  This, despite the truth that recently I have refurbished two signs for my home town of Orono which lasted over fifteen years.  You see, the work I do is also my advertising and my most recent sign work within the Apsley area would give people pause in hiring me.  And to take full responsibility for this unfortunate set of circumstances, I guess it's taught and reminded me to trust my own instincts before listening to anyone else's advice, expert or otherwise.

     Another aspect of this unfortunate set of circumstance is it proves it doesn't pay to talk about the boss if he is within earshot or possesses the ability to work a mouse.  Because no matter how much of a prick the boss may be, it will be you getting fired and paying the price.  "Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me", is a nice sentiment but completely untrue in our society.  If I am to break this old adage down, I would say, sticks and stones are bad because when thrown they hurt where as names or words are of little concern.  But these days to tell the truth or letting the cat out of the bag is held in contempt even (or especially) if the act spoken of is horrendous in nature.  All you have to do is look at how the Abu Ghraib torture deal went down.  The soldiers who are doing the time are the ones who took the pictures.  Rummy and the rest of the crew who were responsible for setting the stage, have all but been allowed to quietly resign and skulk back into the dark holes from whence they came, unscathed, unburdened.  Bush carries the weight of God only knows how many deaths on his back but to point it out, you run the risk of being ostracized or worse, accused of being a terrorist yourself.

     When I look out at the world these days, most times I can't believe how far to the edge of disaster we have come.  When I created my drawing "Harmonious Convergence ~ 1984-87" I had hope.  Hope for a brighter tomorrow.  When in a quirk of fate, I finished it on a day when people gathered in various groups across the globe to pray for a shift in consciousness toward a more peaceful harmonious future, I felt assured.  Now I am beginning to think that the event known as the "Harmonic Convergence" missed the mark and humanity like the ice fields of the arctic are going south.  I mean really, if there had been a shift in consciousness towards the positive I would be driving an electric car.  Instead, I have to watch a doc on peek oil which basically states that most people are living in the dark of the fact that one day in the not to distant future, the worlds human population will have no choice but to go cold turkey.

     I am seriously beginning to wonder if not only I and Bugs Bunny made a wrong turn at Albuquerque but rather that the whole of humanity has.

     One more story with regard to my personal set of challenges, a bit more irony if you will.  I recently heard about an artist originally form Orono who has these neighbors at his home in Apsley which he has to share his driveway with.  From what I understand, his neighbors hold an easement of right of way over his property.  He told me these neighbors who he has to share his space and lake view with are nothing but problems.  Sounds like I could be talking about myself doesn't it?  I'm not.  And if you want to know something even more bizarre, these neighbors make their permanent home at 739 Jack Lake Road and they run a hardware store in Apsley.

"Jebus where are you!  Homer to Jebus oh..." *

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     Time to wrap this up and perhaps next time May, I won't let my thoughts pile up at the back door to the point where I can no longer get out of the house or think clearly.  With all these recent issues taking up valuable real estate within my brain it is amazing that I should get anything else done at all.  But as I have said a number of times, I do have better things to do and think about.  One of these more pleasurable projects, was finally finishing my daughter's bed and bedroom.  If you would like to see what I am capable of when not distracted by plumbing, road work or hydro cuts click here or on the image of Samsara's bed and check out the slide show.

     Having spewed and expelled the mind crap of recent days I have to say I feel a bit better.  Not 100% for there is still work to do but having gotten that out of the way, I now have a plan to minimize my contact and concern over the easements and those who use and abuse them.  I have no doubt that some will not like to hear or read what I have had to extricate through these writings but it is better this than "sticks and stones".  Trust me.

     They're just words, right?  Or are they?  Perhaps the adage of the pen being mightier than the sword still holds some weight.  Lets hope that's true and that we find it in ourselves to speak out when disrespect comes knocking, taking into account but not fearing the consequences.  As I and Homer have found out, alienation is one of these consequences but then what's the point of hanging out if you can't share the truth.  When friends no longer come knocking, leaving you wondering what it is you might have done to offend them, just call and tell them to fuck off.  Then you'll know without a doubt the reason why they no longer come around.  And George... that's what you call a binding resolution.

     Well... having cut down the trees along the hydro line it seems that I have left a big ol' mess of trees lying around.  I have no doubt the neighbor is beginning to wonder if my new plan might include cleaning it up.  According to the stipulations of the deed, it says nothing to the effect and I'm within my right to just leave it.  I mean, I do have better things to do.  Perhaps I could make a non-binding resolution that I will clean it up sometime or maybe later.  Non-binding resolutions, I just don't get it.  I always thought resolutions are by their nature, resolute.  Ah... but leaving a mess behind is not my nature and the truth is, I had to exterminate those pesky hornets before I could finish the job.  And like a Dutchman I know well, they are stubborn nasty little buggers when it comes to protecting their space.

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* Special thanks to Matt Groening for the laughs.

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Godspeed Mark

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Note:  To reach other entries of the past just use the Index on the right by choosing the date, a flyout title will also appear to help in your inquiry.  Or click here for Page 3 of the Journal.

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