Drilling For Oil Right Here In Town

ExxonMobil was outside my studio this morning doing exploratory drilling in hopes of tapping an as-yet-undiscovered oil field. Or, so it seemed. When I looked out the window, it was only a crew from Pennsylvania Gas and Water, an air compressor courtesy of Ingersoll-Rand, a jackhammer and three guys with hard hats and thick gloves.

“Dig we must, for a better New York,” was the slogan many years ago. Probably as a sop to the residents and drivers who were getting tired of the jackhammers and blocked roads. Roughly translated: “It’s for your own good.” Or, as the pavement might be saying, “This hurts me more than it hurts you.”

The dentists of the street, cutting out rot, performing utility root canals, with no Novocain for either asphalt or eardrums. Soon enough it will be over, the pain will end, the work done, the patching material laid down and all will be forgotten.

We have a pretty good cavity out on Union Street. It’s been patched in a rather sloppy manner, or manners, over time and there’s quite an open spot near the curb. That one requires some good DPW dental work before it spreads and needs six guys with hard hats and thick gloves, an air compressor and maybe two jackhammers.

I was thinking of having it stocked with, maybe, trout or some other sport fish. At least on rainy days; the rest of the time we could get old tires from the riverbank and stick them in the hole as a recycling project.