random thoughts – Day 2,236 (Friday) – one hour today

Around 9:00 this morning, as I was still in my pajamas and on the couch reading a book (Defending Jacob, by William Landay), it occurred to me that I should probably get dressed. Barely five minutes later, a building supply flatbed delivery truck rolled up and parked across the street from my house. It was the materials for the roof replacement, and boy was I glad I was dressed. I’m also glad I have learned to listen to my gut or the voice in my head or whatever it is that nudges me in the right direction to avoid embarrassment.

I went outside to tell the driver the plan was to set the stuff under the carport and moved my car out of the driveway so that was possible. After parking next door in front of Mom’s house, I popped in and told her what was going on. By the time I got back to my house, the delivery guy had determined the forklift was too tall to clear the carport and stuff would be set along the driveway. Cool, cool.

The forklift had a problem.

I returned inside and the forklift returned to the driveway with a load of stuff. That’s when activity suddenly ceased. All was suspiciously quiet. Then I heard the delivery guy talking on the phone. He told the person at the other end of the call that the muffler had fallen off the forklift, and when it did, it nicked a line. Copper wire could be seen. There was smoke. Still 3,000 shingles on the truck. I heard all this from inside my silent house.

There was some pacing in the driveway and several more calls made. Someone somewhere was informed by the driver that maintenance was on the way. (And arrived promptly). Under the advice of Guy #2 (maintenance), Guy #1 (delivery) managed to move the forklift from its crosswise position in my driveway back to its roost on the back of the flatbed.

Busy on the street.

Guy #2 left in the maintenance truck with the liberated muffler. I continued monitoring the situation from the VIP area of my living room observation post. Before long, a second flatbed loaded with lumber arrived on the street. While I observed from the window, Guy #3 observed while Guy #2 lowered the forklift from the back of the truck and parked it alongside the original truck with my roofing materials. Guy #3 leaned on the truck and watched Guy #2 transfer pallets with shingles from the flatbed to the edge of my driveway. The forklift was returned to the second truck. Within a few minutes, both delivery trucks, forklifts, and drivers were gone.

The entire production, from the initial arrival, forklift troubles, arrival of other parties, and the departure of the trucks, took less than an hour. But what an hour it was. During the time the big trucks were on the street Meals on Wheels had an obstacle course to navigate to deliver across the street and neighbors were walking and driving by. It’s kind of fun having a front row seat to the action, even if the now-flowering tree is a bit of an obstruction.