Frustrating Dilemma

I had 8 yard waste bags of leaves that I had to haul out to the street.  I did that Monday and just about killed my back and shoulder for doing anything significant on Tuesday.  Well, guess what?  The Yard Waste company did not pick up the bags yesterday.  

It was suppose to rain all today, so last night, I went out and tried to lay a sheet of plastic on top of the bags to protect them.  I had a few fallen branches from my Maple trees that I laid across the top of the plastic.

When I woke up this morning, the plastic sheet was laying on the driveway, along with a couple of the branches.  Must have been a wind that blew them off.

So, I put the plastic back on, and sort of latticed the branches on top.

I called the office to see when the Yard Waste pick-up was going to be, they replied the next two Tuesday's in a row.  The Newsletter they sent out at the beginning of the month clearly stated, "Yard Waste pick-up will be EVERY Tuesday during the month of November."  

I didn't even argue, even though I was sitting and looking at the statement in the Newsletter.  Nothing I could do about the missed Tuesday and bringing it to their attention wouldn't have solved a thing.

I had just hung up the phone when my lawn mowing guy, or at this time of year, my leaf raking guy drove up. He comes every other Monday, but today is Wednesday.   Since it takes him more time to rake up leaves than it does for him to mow, I could see why he was days behind.

He was here 4 hours.  He did Dar's and Jackie's.  Their lots back up to the woods so he just blows them off the lawn and into the woods.

Then he started on mine and my neighbor's.  I told him about my frustration and said, "Now the bags you fill today will be in the rain until next Tuesday.  I can't seem to get the plastic sheet to stay on top to protect them."

He said, "Don't worry.  I'll figure out something."

So off I went to the Food Bank.  

When I got back, I noticed he was finished up with my lawn and working on my neighbor's AND using some of my bags for the neighbor's leaves.

While I realize that it is difficult to tell whose leaves are laying on whose lawn--it still kind of irritated me.  My neighbor makes a couple hundred thousand a year.  I get about $12K.  

Oh well, a stack of yard waste bags only cost about $1.98 at Walmart, so I can be generous.

He put all the bags he collected over on the end of my driveway.  That's okay, it will be easier for the Yard Waste company to pick them all up in one spot.

I notice he had put the plastic sheet back on as best he could.  But, where it had covered 8 bags, there were now 14 bags there and it wasn't covering the tops of all the bags.

So--as I watched it rain all day and know that we have two more rain days and maybe a rain/snow mix day from now until next Tuesday--I am wondering.

The bottoms of these paper bags are going to be wet.  When the Yard Waste people go to pick them up and throw those heavy, leaf laden, wet bags into the back of the garbage truck, are all the bottoms going to break and I will have leaves scattered all over my driveway?

And, if they do---guess whose responsibility it will be to clean them up?

And I have no Yard Waste bags left to use.