The Trauma of the Trench

As I mentioned before, we have to dig a trench to put the electrical cable in, in order to connect to power. We had our favorite excavator out about a week ago and he dug the main trench. My husband had already dug about 4 feet of trench from the edge of the pad with a shovel and pick. Well, the electric company passed the trench and we will get the cable this Friday. However, we want to put gas, phone, and cable TV and Internet in the same trench. The communications with the gas people have been rather confusing. Finally, we got a diagram from a So. California gas utility and lo and behold we needed another 12 inches of trench depth!!! I think my husband has been out every day this week trying to finish it off. He decided the time had arrived to call back the big equipment. Of course, like every other sub here, the excavator was booked and said he'd get here by Thursday afternoon. So we were out there again this morning. We discovered a thick slab of concrete across the bottom of the trench in one spot. Couldn't break it but did manage to clear a space under it. Then we got a call that the excavator had had a cancellation and would be there shortly. Even with his backhoe he couldn't budge the concrete. But the rest is done and with just a bit of trim work we should be able to put in the electric cable, cover it, and have gas put in. We will buy "smurfs" (remember those blue characters from the '80's?) for the other utilities. Actually, they are bright orange flexible hosing with drawstrings inside, that we can lay in the trench and cover with dirt. Then the phone company, etc., just attachs their cables and pull them through. The digging of this trench has been tramatic but we are getting done just in time. The weatherman is predicting that we will reach the triple digits next week and probably stay there until the monsoons arrive.