Yardwork nightmare

My Houston friends do not understand how I can not find reliable gardeners in Del Rio. For years we have hired persons that do not have a good work ethic, that show up when they feel like it, and/or never complete a job in the time frame that they promised and to top it off do lousy work.

Last week I hired a guy (David) that was doing tree pruning in the neighborhood and was supposed to cut the grass, prune trees, and take out a few of them as well. He called me Monday to let me know that his helper would be arriving...the guy never showed up. Tuesday his helper did a good job but Wednesday he was a no-show. He called David late that afternoon to let him know he had found a full-time job. David would later mention that he was happy for him as he was on probation.

Friday some other helper shows up that was frankly...scary looking...not to be judgemental but he looked like he had spent some time in prison. On his first day, he took a two-and-a-half-hour lunch even David thought he would not be coming back. I found out via El Zócalo that there would be a Covid-19 clinic at the mall on Friday so I made plans to attend.

When I returned it was almost dark and I drove into the neighborhood the back way. That is when I saw all the limbs strewn along the outer fence line across three lots because his helper was too lazy to drag them to the front gate and was chucking them from the fence to the street.

We had rain, strong winds this weekend as a cold front made its way here so I did not expect him to show up and he didn't but I did not mind because I frankly needed a break.

This morning the guy shows up at 7:55 a.m. and the only reason I know this is because the neighbors dogs were going crazy. I bundled up got my mask and went outside to tell him what I told his boss that I needed those limbs moved and piled together so the County's heavy trash truck could pick them up. A short time later the county heavy trash truck came by and he spoke to the guy. I went outside later only for him to tell me that the guy said: "it was OK to leave the limbs as they were". Who the heck is paying this dude me or this county employee?

I have no idea where David (his boss and person I hired) was as he never called me to let me know he would not be here this morning. His helper was here for six hours and did the bare minimum spending his time on his cellphone. I was furious I could have done more work than this able-bodied man more than half my age.

I called David and asked him when he was going to show up...he told me he was on his way that he had to attend a funeral. The first thing I asked him was not to call this guy and say I ratted on him as who knows what kind of background he has. David said he would call him and tell him he could go home and he would go by his house to pay him tomorrow.

Not ten minutes later he is banging on my kitchen door and I debated whether or not to open it. He said that David had just fired him thanks to me...asked what he had done to make me mad that he was doing a good job it just took time. I let him speak as I had no intention of getting into an argument with this person had it been anyone else I would have owned up to calling his boss but if you saw this dude you would understand why.

I called David right back and demanded to know WHY he told him I had called him. Of course, he denied it but I have my doubts. Now I have a new thing to freak out about...like having gang members come to shoot up the house in retaliation.

There is an old Mexican saying "Mejor viejo por conocido que nuevo por conocer" verbatim it does not make any sense but basically means "it's better to stick to old known people than new acquaintances whom you have yet to get to know".  I suppose I will have to stick to El Pollito and his wino sidekick from now on...grrrr!!!

So if I'm found murdered you can alert the Val Verde Sheriff's Department as to who might have done it.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams...I will have Del Rio nightmares!

Aunty Acid