Catching Idle Butterflies

In the middle

There are times I wonder if I chose the right path, and today is one of those days.

To those of you who don't know (and to those who do I'll keep it brief) I went to college with the intent of earning an Associate degree in Drafting. After taking a land surveying and civil engineering course I changed my mind. While I enjoyed drafting, I loved the mathematics and law of land surveying, and the challenge of engineering.

I loved surveying enough I worked toward earning my Registered Land Surveyor's license in North Dakota, and have now been licensed as of February 14th for 6 years.

One of a land surveyor's greatest duties is to determine boundary line locations. Therein lies the rub when adjacent land owners disagree about said boundary. The land surveyor must step in the middle of arguing neighbors and find a solution.

People have been killed over land disputes beginning the moment one person decided to establish the first boundary marker.

I hate being in the middle like that.

But that's my job.

Now, before I go further, I don't expect a literal shootout. However, I do have to meet sometime this afternoon with two land owners arguing over who has to pay for a new plat. This has been going on for near a year now. What happened is we created a road right-of-way that was never properly conveyed to the county. The buyer of a lot assumed his property went to a a fence line that happened to include said right of way. The owner assumed otherwise.

I thought they had come to an agreement that the buyer would get the right-of-way strip, so I did a replat of the subdivision eliminating the strip of land and giving it to the buyer.

Now the original owner wants to be paid for that strip of land.

Since many assumptions were made from one plat to the next as to who owned what, I have to talk to them both in the same room to describe what happened.

Oh, goodie.

I had tried to do that over the phone, but each one heard something different, even though I tried to explain to each in the exact same way. As I did so the buyer and the owner complained about the other to me. I kept telling them, "That's between you two. I honestly don't care who pays for what as long as I get paid." The new subdivision hasn't been filed yet, because our $1500 bill hasn't been paid. That's another part of the argument. Who's fault is it that wrong assumptions were made? Whoever made the 'mistake' then has to pay the bill.

See why I'm so not looking forward to this?

I am curious why they haven't arrived yet, though. The day's almost over.

Part of me wants to come down with a sudden illness and go home, or have them not show up at all. *Andra says a little prayer*

I don't want the responsibility of being a land surveyor any more. When we're dealing with land, something that people will do anything and everything to protect it, if I do something wrong, I'm suddenly in the crosshairs - still talking figuratively thank goodness. But still, the last thing I want is to end up in court, either as a defendant or witness. Never done it, never want to.

The only thing that decreases my worry is both the buyer and owner are very nice people. They have yet to express any frustration with me. They merely want to get things straightened out.

Well, shucks, I never intended for this entry to go on so long. I merely wanted a place holder, because I decided to attempt a blue month for March. Sorry.