War With Amerigas

Around ten days ago I was standing at the kitchen window when I saw a man in my yard.  He wore a white shirt and blue pants.  He was around 5' 10", and on the chubby side.  His hair was very short brown, but not balding.  No beard.  I would say he was between 45 and 55 years old. He was within a couple of feet of the "No Trespassing" sign.   He turned just then and walked up the driveway to a propane truck that said, "Amerigas."   I have a propane tank in my yard, but I had not called Amerigas to come by.  ??  That seemed strange.  Weird and surprising.  

The days passed, and yesterday when I decided to check the propane gauges I was startled to see that there had been tampering with the propane tank.  A rectangular plastic thing had been put into the line from the propane tank.  I lifted the lid that covered the gauge.  The gauge had been covered with duck tape.  With the modifications from tampering with the tank I was not able to read the gauge.

And so it was that this morning there was no heat because we had run out of propane.   At first I wasn't totally panicked.  I called the propane company that I usually call, since Amerigas isn't in this county.  After some explaining of not being able to read the gauge but knowing that I was out of propane, they told me that their company will not fill my tank with the gadget on the line.  So therefore I can't buy propane.  

I called Amerigas to find out what they had done to the propane tank.  Soon I was speaking to someone in India.  What did he say?  He didn't actually speak English.   He tried in vain to communicate, and seemed to understand that I was calling about the thing they had installed in the line of the propane tank.  I think he was trying to say that I had only myself to blame.  I heard the word "monitor." Also he sounded like he was saying that Amerigas was not the culprit.  It was a third party Amerigas had contracted to.  Oh really?  And did Amerigas give the third party an Amerigas truck?  

Calm down.  Calm down.  I've been without heat in the winter before.  How did I manage?  Well, I used to have a sheepskin coat and a very warm sweater.  I got dressed, put on my coat and a little beanie hat and stayed covered up in bed for two weeks.   So did Jim.  This was during an ice storm.  THIS is why I bought a beaver coat  and a sheepskin jacket.   So we won't freeze.   I do have two space heaters.  One I use in my room.  The other is now heating the living room where Mom lives, but it isn't enough heat for that.  I'll put plastic over the windows.   But things should be OK, maybe not cozy and warm.   Unless the electric goes out in a storm.  That's what I thought was a plus with using propane.  

These people came into my yard without my permission and never said a word to anyone about what they were doing or got permission for that.  The propane isn't even on my account.  My stepfather is still the account holder, even though he passed away a long time ago.  The fact that a man that is passed has an account with them doesn't give them the privilege of violating my property that is clearly posted no trespassing.  

Stay tuned.