Regional Government

By Liz Brock

Maybe it was the memories of landscaping outdoors in my younger days or the fact that I had a desire to take on a physical challenge that motivated me to leave my job as a clerk in Public Works and become a water meter reader in Finance for a year. It has been a year of interesting experiences - some good, some bad, but all memorable.

There was the large naked man who came to his window my second week of work to treat me to his small nudity. Some meter readers have to wait years to see that! As the weather got colder I discovered that I would rather be warm than stylish. Working in the snow pulling your body through waist-high drifts is incredibly exhausting. You must make friends with your feet because once they are wet or cold, you are done for. And the bathroom is always an issue since as a woman, even an emergency situation demands some privacy.

It’s the residents that add flavour to the job.
One hot summer day in Springdale when it felt like I had about a million reads to do, I was dry, tired, thirsty and started talking out loud.

As I walked in front of a house, I muttered "God, am I ever thirsty." "Then come up and get some water," beckoned a smiling man from his balcony. Now that’s a prayer being answered fast!

Most people respond with a kind word and appreciation when you talk to them or enter their house. Little boys think our job is fascinating and want to know all the details of what we are doing. As a meter reader, I dream of having an Inspector Gadget-like arm that can open any gate or bound over them with my Go-Go-Gadget Legs.

Then there are the scary dogs. There was a brindle coloured mixed breed dog of great ferocity that made my hand shake as I read the meter at the house next to him. He was tied by a massive chain and looked like the dog Cerberus from Harry Potter. His fangs were bared, drool was running from his mouth and he always seemed to be saying my name.

But the best part of my job was being outside - the breathtaking beauty of a new snowfall down by the lake; the heady fragrance of hyacinths in spring; the summer tapestry of flowers; grasses and trees as heat rises from pavement and concrete; the lovely smell of wet leaves and apples in the fall, and the gorgeous aroma of tomato sauce as it is patiently stirred in Italian backyards - these are the things I will miss most of all.

So to Mary J, Aubin, Leslie, Michelle,
Rai, Mary F, Frank, Steve, Peter and Barb:
I respect what you do and I salute you.

Thank you Region of Peel for
the opportunity and experience.

And to all those dogs that had their eyes
on my you know what and never got a piece of it…..
... gnaw, gnaw, gnaw.