This fire hydrant on the corner of Gottingen and Falkland, which has been recently repainted a delightful bright orange—unfortunately, some of the surrounding sidewalk also got sprayed. Orange sidewalks? In your dreams, hippie.

Remarks: A very helpful MacDonald said he’s never before received a hydrant-painting complaint, but that he would look into it and see if it could be fixed. Is a sloppy paint job the end of the world? Not really. But whether painting a fire hydrant, or writing a funny little paragraph about painting a fire hydrant, shouldn’t we take the time to get it right?

Who’s Responsible?: Chris MacDonald, superintendent with the Halifax Regional Water Commission. 869-4337.

This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2007.