In the category of “be careful what you wish for” (and that’s really more than a category; it’s an entire branch of philosophy), the Boss surfaced today. I had as much contact with him as I could have hoped for, and then some. He phoned for the first time at about 9:30 am, while he was driving through the snowy Sierras, about two hours away from his office. I honestly thought that could be the last time I ever talked to him. I’ve seen him drive. I’ve even (shudder) ridden with him.

But no, he called again at 12:30 to tell me he was going to lunch. I sort of stopped him then and went over what we’d talked about earlier. He pretty much gave me the green light to do things the way I’d outlined them. I think he was happy to have a decision made, and to have it made by someone other than himself, in case it all turned out wrong. I have no problem with that, since I’ve thought of about seven ways of turning it back on him, should it be necessary.

Once we started talking, it was hard to get away from him. He kept coming up with questions and comments and fine tuning that we needed to do. I know he appreciates what I do, but I don’t think he knows what it takes to do it. Still, I was so glad that the lines were back open that I cheerfully responded to every call. When I do that, and act as if nothing could possibly faze me no matter what comes up, it makes him very happy.

In fact, that’s what he told me when he hired me over twenty years ago. If something went wrong, he didn’t want to know about it. He just wanted it solved. Well, life and the construction business don’t work that way, and I never hesitated to bring him into any problem I couldn’t solve myself. But I was amazed at how many I could solve, almost from the start. That’s what I’ve been doing for the last week, in fact, twenty years later.