Okay, so I was wrong about the backyard...

Well, I was pleasantly surprised to find that our lawn and backyard did not end up looking like a miniature scale model of the Battle of Verdun. In fact, the contractor that was hired by Comcast to lay their new cable hardly left any trace they had been in anyone's yard.

How, pray tell, was this modern marvel of engineering accomplished?

First, they didn't put anything in the ground in the easement in our yard! It went under the pine trees in neighbors easement (he he he, though I may not be laughing if the trees die and fall in our yard, despite the free firewood I can then claim via nuisance).

Second, they didn't actually dig any trenches. They used what is called horizontal directional drilling. A friend in the ward here actually did that sort of work as a teen. His father owned one of those types of businesses, and so I've heard him talk about it. But, I had never seen the work or any of the machinery used, and it was already getting dark when I noticed what was in progress the other day before making the sarastic rant against mindless corporate entities that feel the need to invade my easements.

Here is a picture of a machine very similar to what was parked in our neighbor's yard for about 24 hours. It may actually be the same model. Anyway, it is about the size of a small bobcat front end loader.



So, anyway, the only signs that any work had been done are as follows: 1. the Comcast box sticking up out of the ground is not completely closed and has cable sticking out of it; 2. lots of mud on top of the mulch under my neighbor's pine trees; 3. about a 10 ft square area of sod that was dug up and replaced around all the utility boxes; 4. the spot where the machine had been sitting (on a pad no less to keep from damaging the ground or grass); and 5. a temporary path of pressed down grass where the machine had rolled across the easement in our yard to leave.

So, even though I still despise Comcast (having been a former customer), I guess it is a good thing the yard didn't get dug up. I'm fresh out of little green plastic army men to play in the mud with.