We have a Hobo!

It is true. He came by the house a few weeks ago and ask if he could mow our lawn. I told him sure. He took off on his bike and returned a few minutes later with a second Hobo. Okay, Is Hobo the right word. Probably not! It is just the term Trenton used when he saw them drive up onto our lawn pulling their little wagon full of lawn tools. As the night wore on, they worked away. My lawn never looked so good. Trimmed the trees, and the bush, swept the porch and my whole driveway, mowed the lawn and trimmed the edges. Wow! Russ was so impressed he offered to let them come and do the back jungle, I mean yard.

The next day they returned. They stood on the back porch looking..... Then they said WOW! Okay, so it has been a while since we have been out back. They went to work. We told them they could throw anything they wanted into the hole that Trent and his friends make in the garden. (That is a whole other story!) They worked hard all day. I took them Gatoraid a few times. So did everyone else. When they left the yard was much better. I had a presidency meeting at my house. They all couldn't believe I had Hobo's in my yard. They went to investigate. It was true.

That would be the end of my story if our plumbing had not gone out. The pipe in our front yard is collapsing. Fun. We decided Russ and Trent could do it in their spare time. Russ began the dig. A few days later our Hobo returned. He thought Russ was crazy and was letting Trent now dig a big hole in our front yard. I told him about the plumbing and he thought it sounded like a job for him. Why not. The digging began.

Russ noticed that there was a boot sitting by the hole. He also noticed that they were both wearing boots. Strange. He asked about it and Hobo 1 told him that his foot got really wet while he was digging out sludge and when he went into the back yard to get the wheel barrel, he found an old boot laying in the yard and thought it would be nice to have a dry foot for a bit and he would put it back. Russ told him it was an old one of Trents and the other one should be out there somewhere. "So if I can find it, I can have it" he said. Sure! Wow! it's like Christmas. Russ also noticed they were sharing their work gloves and gave them both a pair from his truck. The rest of the time they were here he was singing Christmas Carols.

The next night only one came. The other one was sick with food poisoning which he got from the food bank dinner he had eaten the night before. Because he was here so long I told Russ to give him some tostados. I didn't mean to invite him in to eat at the kitchen counter but...whatever... He loved the house. These were his comments:

Wow! you guys eat like this everyday? What time?

Your house is sweet. Maybe someday you can come see my shack.

Man someday you kids will look back on this and say one day I had it really great.

Are you guys Mormon? I went to that temple once. (Sorry if this offends anyone, I am only repeating what he said!) I saw that big statue of Jesus. I had no idea he was so buff. That guy really had guns on him.

He is very ADD but seem really nice. Everytime I go outside he asks me if he is getting shorter. Because he is digging deeper and deeper. He tells the kids that this is why they should stay in school. The kicker was today when I returned from eating lunch with Lynnsi. We had gone to Serranos. Cassie met us there and none of us ate our beans or rice. We put it all into a take out container with some salsa and chips and brought it home. I didn't want to offend so I wasn't sure how to give it to him. I said, "Would it offend you if I gave you our takeout leftovers?" He replied, "Would it offend you if I ripped it out of your hands leaving you with a bloody stump?" So, he took it and devoured it.

Funny guy, I like him better outside. I think of Elizabeth Smart and it scares me a bit. He works hard and has asked for nothing except honest pay for honest work. It has been entertaining and a little thought provoking. I just can't wait to get my bathroom back.