Man vs. The Man Douglas Holub   © Copyright 2022 by Douglas Holub

Photo of house at Johnson City.by the author.

Here are two stories about some amusing encounters with "the powers that be":

We bought a small house in Johnson City, Tennessee back in the 80's. It had a dirt/gravel driveway, and the water meter was located in that driveway. We soon discovered that the water meter leaked so that a small, steady stream of water would constantly trickle out of the meter hole and down our driveway out into the street. So there was always a little muddy mess in our driveway.

I called the water department, reported the leak, and asked them to come out and fix it. After a few weeks and no action, I called them again, but still no response. So I wrote the following letter and mailed it to the water department:

Dear sirs, 

I've called a couple of times to request that my leaking water meter be repaired because it was making my driveway a muddy mess. I'm writing this letter now to let you know that there is no hurry to make that repair. I have determined that the leak is on the city's side of the meter, and I've found that I can siphon the water out of the water meter hole with a garden hose and use it to water the trees in my front yard. I would appreciate it, though, if you could make the repair sometime before winter, because I'm afraid the ice forming on the driveway could be a safety hazard.

Best regards,

Doug Holub

I am not making this up: two days later the water department came out and fixed the leak.

*****

Click here for Story #2