Trini told us Wednesday that a big truck would be coming early Thursday morning to remove the mountain of rubble in the back yard. We set our alarms for 6 so we could put buckets full of rubble out front to reserve a parking space for the truck. I've been doing this every morning at 7 for Trini's vehicle and it's been working fine. There are hardly any cars parked on the street overnight.
Well, Thursday morning a car was parked right in front of our house. What to do? I was in a state of anxiety for a few minutes and then I just let it go. I thought they wouldn't be able to do the job. Silly me. In about 15 minutes I heard horns blowing and a very big engine idling. El sr J looked out the front door to see a giant truck blocking the street and the driver giving the finger to all the horn blowers. Soon the neighbors began appearing at their doors to see what all the racket was about. A woman up the street came and moved the offending car. The finger-giver parked and got out and I guessed why she had acquiesced so quickly. He had a shaved head, piercings in unusual places and a very menacing presentation. He hung around the truck all day while two other guys did all the work. Hmmmm. . . .
This guy is using el sr J's wheelbarrow and the work crew's shovel to make many trips back and forth through the house:
A second guy packs the truck by hand, carefully separating the reusable bricks and blocks from the dirt and powder. I didn't take a photo of the menacing guy even though my sister wanted me to:
To celebrate the removal of the escombros we went to a local nursery and bought some fruit trees.
A pomegranate:
A fig:
A juice orange:
A mandarin orange:
As a person whose psyche is generally dominated by existential dread, I am always aware when I am filled with joy. These trees give me joy.
Meanwhile, inside the new building, a copper pipe is installed for the gas line in the kitchen:
And the walls are chalked for the electric lines and boxes:
Installation of these lines is a loud and strenuous job. A trough is gouged out of the concrete block by a workman using a hammer and chisel. Whack. Whack. Whack. The red plastic hose placed in the groove is a substitute for conduit, which will guide the electric cable to its destination, in this case an outlet and a light inside the pantry:
You've got to wonder what happens if you forget where the plastic hose is hidden under the stucco and inadvertently drive a nail through it. More outlets, and a light switch above a countertop:
More lines will be installed under the floor, an easier job since it will be done before the floor is poured.
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