Things have been hectic.  Stuff has been happening.  Computer access has been limited through a series of unfortunate cyber events.  The only sign I have been given that times might get better has been the opening of a huge hole in our sidewalk occasioned by a call to Entergy from one of our tenants who smelled gas in her living room even though our house's appliances are currently all electric.  They decided to jackhammer it at nearly midnight last Wednesday night, which I vaguely made out through a haze of sleep when some books fell off my bookshelf at the same time and shouting at the jackhammerers was heard through my walls.  We awoke the next morning to chilly weather and the sight of this just outside our gate:

The only thing separating the passersby from falling into a four foot deep hole just beyond that pile of dirt and concrete was a flimsy line of caution tape.  Reminded me of people taping off big swathes of territory on the sidewalks at Mardi Gras time, with the added peril of a moat involved.  Throw me a new sidewalk mister!

Stage 2 came the following Tuesday afternoon:

Caught the tail end of two fellows from Entergy filling in the hole and carefully separating out the concrete from the dirt as you can see here.  The fellow finishing it off with the shovel told me it would be repaved by the end of the week.  I should've gotten his name so that I could wield it like a talisman when the end of the week passes and no fresh concrete is there.  I'm not very optimistic.

Stage 3 allows us to have street parking back but pedestrians can still go jump:

Things could always be worse, of course.  It could be the Sewerage and Water Board opening up this hole and leaving it 'til Mardi Gras time.

Aside from all that, it has been a good Hannukah with the little guy's birthday right smack in the middle of it.  Cannot believe he's eight years old.  Did I really bring him this far through life on this planet without his losing a limb or something?  Apparently, both Dan and I have.  Amazing.

Update, 12/17: Stage 4: 

and...slight drum roll please....Stage 5, done yesterday:

WE HAVE PAVEMENT...with a small debris pile beside it.