Good Work if You Can Get It

As I sit at the computer and gaze out of my window I notice what appear to be three utility trucks at the corner but they turn out to be a local road maintenance company. There are six men standing around, one on a cell phone, looking at the street. Finally one takes out a metal detector and begins walking up and down searching for something, meanwhile the other five are still standing around. Eureka, the one seems to have found what he was looking for; the others are still standing in a huddle. A different man retrieves what appears to be a tool that will cut into the blacktop; the other five are standing around. Maybe I should apply for a job with them; it would be nice to get paid for standing around. Later, as I leave my house, the number of men has increased to eight and the number of trucks to six; however they are all just standing around. Two hours later they are still just standing around. No matter how hard I looked I could see nothing that had been accomplished. Fast forwarding to the next morning one of the trucks returns. The driver exits the vehicle, stares at the street for a few seconds, gets back in the vehicle, makes a U-turn, and ran the stop sign and leaves. Wow, good work if you can get it. Fast forward three more days. Finally I have found what it took 4 to 6 trucks and 5 to 8 men to do. A line is marked down the middle of the street by black paint and an orange cone stands at the end of it; must have been exhausting to do all that. The next day four dump trucks and a plethora of other equipment descended upon us; a short stretch of the street was resurfaced. Now it is Saturday 8:15 a.m. Two trucks arrive; one dump truck one extended cab. Seven men emerge from the trucks, all grab what appear to be shovels or brooms then all seven men stand in the middle of the road joking, laughing, and performing some sort of dance for twenty minutes or so. A road grater drives up; they all climb back in their vehicles and leave. Are we paying for that?
As is sometime the case when applying for jobs, tests are given to separate the wheat from the chaff. Tests are not one of my favorite things especially when math is involved but luckily there was no math included in the one I took. Being ever observant without being obvious and keeping the antennae up for any news or potential news, I sat quietly appearing not to be paying attention to anyone. The first thing was a guy behind me who constantly cleared his throat. I thought if he did that throughout the test someone, maybe me, was going to strangle him but as soon as the test started he stopped; it must have been nerves. As usual there were the little clicks of people who knew one another and whispered just loud enough for everyone to hear what they had been up to and what gossip was going around about their mutual “friends”. Just before starting the examiner gave us instructions, clear concise instructions and in a flashback to high school days the same questions were asked as would have been then. She told us precisely what sections to do and what sections not to do and true to form some had to ask whether they were supposed to do those sections. I guess paying attention and following instructions does not improve as some mature. I enjoyed the test. Beginning the exercises made me relax and it became fun to do. Did I do well? I do not know but I felt good about it when I left.
New plants are going in today at Calhoun Park. The irrigation pipe has been laid, hooked up and covered over. Heavy equipment is reshaping the area and shrubs are going in. It should be beautiful this spring. There are Tea Olives, Azaleas, Beauty Berry, Black-eyed Susan, Larapetalum and a few others scattered about.