Today, I'm contributing to the employment of 10 people.

[MineralMan]

There's a paving crew demolishing my old broken up driveway and the driveway of the neighboring house. It's a shared driveway, 28 feet wide by 70' long. The're almost done with the prep work, and the paving is about to begin. I've been watching, off and on, and they're working hard at the job, after paving another driveway this morning in a nearby suburb.

My wife and I can't really afford this, but it absolutely needed to be done and the neighboring house, which has been lender-owned for two years, now has a new owner, who is rehabbing it for sale. We're splitting the cost of the driveway, right down the middle.

So, 10 people are working today, or at least half a day, on this project. That makes me feel good, even though the hit on our finance is going to be pretty tough. Another house down the street got a new driveway last month, and the driveway paving companies were all pretty busy. It took a few days to find one that had the time to do ours.

Are things looking up...just a little? Perhaps they are. In any case, 10 guys are working today on my place. That's a good thing.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Good for you.

This is how recoveries work. A few people, doing the work that so desperately needs to be done.

Now, if we could just get the folks who run the big corporations to play along, then we might see better employment numbers.

Enjoy your new driveway!

:hi:

[MineralMan]

3. Yup. Things feed off each other. When I painted my house

this summer, it started a cascade of other improvement projects in nearby homes. Painting, landscaping, things like that. It seems like one person doing something gets others started.

[Warpy]

2. The improvement in your curb appeal

will likely add more to the value of your house than the cost of having the work done. In any case, you're not going to have that mild disgust every time you come home, looking at the mess you're parking your car on. That alone is worth the cost.

It's really good of you to split the cost with the guy. It's great that the crew has half a day's work. That means they'll eat.

In addition, the beans and rice you'll be eating for a while can be spiced up and made incredibly enjoyable. You can also turn it into loaves and patties, soups and stews. You can go to a teabagger demo and let them enjoy the aftereffects.

Been there, done that.

[MineralMan]

4. I'm sure you're right. The main benefit, though, is in

snow removal this winter. The uneven, broken up asphalt really played the devil with that. Now, it's going to be a lot easier. My wife and I will be living here for many years to come, so the property value isn't really the issue right now.