Well... crap.

Vindication is a nice feeling, but there are reasonable limits to everything. At least I made him laugh.

Himself came home early today. It's a beautiful day, so weather is not a factor. He's in fine health, so it's not a sick day. All of the work vehicles are in good working order, so equipment malfunction is not an issue.

The boss called up everyone down in the pit and told them to park their vehicles. No, don't finish the task at hand. Park them now.

In work circles, this is known as A Bad Sign. The signs got worse when it was revealed that M had gone to cash her check and was told in straightforward but kindly fashion that the account on which the check was drawn was empty.

In work circles, this is known as Wow, That Sucks. It began sucking further when the boss gathered everyone together and announced regretfully that he had enjoyed working with them.

In work circles, this is known as The Shaft. Himself lost his job.

The details are sketchy at best. All that is known is that the State swooped in and seized all company funds. It may have something to do with the fact that the owner of the quarry's parent company declared bankruptcy right aroud the time that Himself originally lost his job.

This strikes me as an amazingly stupid and shortsighted action, if it's the case. By keeping people employed in a sales environment, the State will be able to collect sales and income tax. By throwing everybody out of work, you have folks lining up for unemployment while the State enjoys owning a large chunk of hole in the ground. This is, of course, only my two cents. The full scope of the backstory probably costs much more.

Himself and I sat at the table in fairly stunned silence. We looked at each other. This news is a hard blow, especially in light of the fact that his unemployment benefits ran out just as he went back to work. He shifted uncomfortably and hung his head.

I considered the situation and spoke.

"See? This is why knitters have stash."