Slim Randles'  Home Country

Code dilemma hits plans for dream cabin

[January 10, 2009]  Steve, the long-limbed cowboy of our band of coffeed philosophers, rumbled into the Mule Barn coffee shop and stopped before taking his seat at the round table. He reached down, unwrapped the napkin from the fighting tools and handed his spoon to Doc.

"Here, Doc, hit me." Steve held out his hand and closed his eyes.

Doc tapped the back of Steve's hand, and Steve sat and flipped his coffee cup to the upright and fillable position.

We waited.

"You fellas know I've been looking for a little place off somewhere to build a cabin, right?"

We did.

"I bought one."

"That's great!"

"Then I called the county and they told me I had to leave a 10-foot setback on each side of the lot. Can't build on the setback, you see."

"So what's the problem?" asked Doc.

"The lot's only 25 feet wide by 100 feet deep. This means I can only build a cabin that's 5 feet wide."

"Well, yeah," said Dud, "but it can be ... what ... 80 feet long? Right?"

"You can build an indoor archery range 20 yards long and still have 20 feet left over to live in," Herb suggested.

"Problem is," said Steve, "the county says the cabin has to be a minimum of 16 feet wide..."

"Meaning?"

"Well, sir," said Steve, "since I can't build on it or live on it or anything, I thought I'd just put a sign there with a collection can that says: 'Idiot's Lament. Please leave a dollar in the can.' If enough people come to look at it, I might get my money back someday..."

[Text from file received from Slim Randles]

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