The Girl in the Green Tent

She seemed nice, but I wasn't handing
her a check worth $thousands.

Normally we just mail in the property tax check--in California the first installment becomes delinquent after December 10th and the second after April 10th--but because we were nearby the County Government Center we decided to pay the taxes in person.

Parking was sparse, but I wasn't tempted to hand the payment to the girl in the green tent by the curb.

Too many things could go wrong. We walked into the building and found the Treasurer's office.

Where we pay for civilization.

There were two cashiers open, and the line moved quickly. The average age of these San Mateo County "customers" was well over 60.

The oldsters had their tax vouchers and checks made out before hand. Everyone asked for a receipt. Yes, these precautions were probably unnecessary, but over the years everyone has had a bad experience with the bureaucracy. Everyone knows from the news that having the right documents is better than not.

Heading toward the car, I waved at the girl in the green tent. She'll be real busy at the end of the week.