Let Me Tell You About Osh: Fixit Man and Reluctant Detective

Even into the late 90's Pine Valley, a bucolic village in the mountains above San Diego, CA was a divided community. Not by race or religion but by propane vs electricity, piped in water vs a walk to the well, and septic vs outhouse. Responsible for the maintenance of all of these was Osh Oshman, the premier fixit man in the hill country. In his propane powered, ancient Ford truck he putts up and the down the dirt roads to keep his neighbors connected to the conveniences of modern living. His other attributes include baking the best bread anywhere, talent on the banjo, and a penchant for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Now in his mid forties his recent marriage to his boyhood sweetheart has brought a dislocation in his life and his diet. The new little bride worrying about the longevity of her man, insists on organic, vegetarian meals and, a waitress only for a lifetime, as a cook the things she turned out often didn't turn out. When three outhouses in the area were rendered unusable by the deposition of a dead body in each, Osh reluctantly decides that it is his responsibility to stop this desecration of the time-honored edifices. With the aid of a Cocker Spaniel, reluctant courier of the bad guys, and a half-grown and half-tame mountain lion with a penchant for chasing motorcyclists, he investigates the deaths successfully. It requires a good deal of local knowledge but fixit men who are in an out of the backdoor of all the houses in the area when the owners are not at their best, know a lot about their neighbors, and common sense, while uncommon does bring results.