Boom in the Woods

My phone rings. It's my next-door neighbor calling to tell me there are 2 oil delivery trucks and an excavator in my yard in the country. I'm in my apartment in New York. I call the oil company to find that they're desperately trying to reach me. No, they haven't struck oil. My oil tank exploded as they were adding fuel.

Ironically, I had been thinking about what it would be like to lose your home to fire. I think I saw a news item earlier in the day about people who've lost everything to a fire.

No, my house wasn't on fire. I can't even imagine the pain of that. The tank, old and rusty, had broken apart and filled my yard with oil. They were already applying absorbent pink material on the affected area. Then they would dig up a layer of soil with the backhoe and contain the waste in a safe manner. All I could think of was my poor little brook would be renamed Love Canal.

I spoke with my insurance agent, and instructed the oil man to install a temporary tank until we could get a new one. We're meeting with the adjuster Saturday afternoon to see where we stand and how much it's going to cost. In the meantime, because the Department of Environmental Concern had to informed, the waste has to removed immediately, which should have happened today.

It should be an interesting weekend.