It seems that ever since I moved back to this town, I have had a money hemorrhage just about every summer. I remember one summer, an irrigation line in my front yard broke. I had a city technician come out to look at it, and he said that my water meter wasn’t running, so it was possibly an underground spring. A week a later, I received a phone call from the city water department informing me that my residence was using several hundreds of gallons of water every day. In addition to paying a gargantuan water bill, I also had to paid for a well service to come correct the problem. Another year, the same problem happened in my backyard with my inground sprinkler system. I caught it early, but it was still a few hundred dollars to have whatever was broken replaced. Another year, a tree fell down in my backyard, breaking through a couple of sections of my fence. I haven’t had them repaired just yet, but mainly because I can’t find anyone willing to do it. Every company I call or reach out to ignores my request. One company gave me an estimate of $500, then ignored my emails. Of course, that $500 is just for the repair. Painting it will probably require another couple of $100 at least.
This year, it was a trifecta. First, my sprinkler system wouldn’t turn off unless I unplugged the control unit in the garage. Apparently, a lightning strike shorted out the unit, so that was a $500+ replacement. Secondly, my cat, Patches, go in a fight last week. I came home Wednesday evening to find her covered in blood with one of her fangs askew at an unnatural angle. I had to take her to the university emergency vet teaching hospital. I was worried she was in significant pain, especially with that tooth the way it was, but she was apparently all right. Still, that was a $400 bill at 1:00 AM in the morning. She lost the tooth, but she seems to be comfortable and in good spirits at the moment.
Finally, I got my very first speeding ticket. I am a partner in a lumber farm located in middle Georgia. My uncle, who is another owner who manages the farm, invited me to a county landowner’s meeting. I took the day off and proceeded with the 3-hour drive, but I apparently didn’t leave early enough. When I got on the final stretch, a straight road in dry conditions, I didn’t think it would do any harm to drive above the speed limit. Unfortunately, those small towns are often speed traps, and I got busted going 82 mph in a 55 mph. Thankfully, it was a four-lane road, so I think I avoided a super speeder charge.
My court date is Monday, May 23rd at 9:00 AM. I think I’m going to take a half day off to appear as opposed to just paying the ticket. If I want to plead no contest, I need to do so, and that’s the best way to keep those points off my license. I completed a defensive driving course yesterday, so I’ll bring that certificate with me and hope that persuades the judge to deal leniently with me. I otherwise have a clean driving record. Unless the ticket is reduced, I’ll be paying around $800 in total. As long as I can keep my insurance from going up, I’ll consider it a win.
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