Give Thanks...Home Repairs

 We're approaching the time of the year when the city turns off our irrigation water. Thankfully, our little valley has had enough water to keep our plants and trees alive. Soon, winter will blow in and we will have no need for the life-given water that comes from the pipes.

Problem is, when those pipes are no longer connected and the water is not turned off.

See those muddy pipes? They were once a foot underground. But when they came disconnected (unbeknownst to us...), all the dirt above the pipes washed away exposing the problem.

When I found out the water was off, I checked the box and found a good Samaritan had turned off our water. I also saw all the ground surrounding both our box and my next-door neighbor's was affected. At the time I did not see the disconnected pipes. I thought the problem was somewhere else and I dreaded the thought of fixing it.

We hired a professional to put in our system last year. He did a great job. I've worked on sprinkler systems before, but not the main lines. I'm good at fixing a sprinkler head--minor stuff like that. The main line...nope. When I investigated a second time, I noticed that since all the dirt had been washed away, I spotted the problem right away. 

Long story short, I picked up some supplies at the hardware store, connected the pipes and locked them in place. We turned the water back on and watered the very thirsty plants and trees. I'm grateful things worked out the way they did. I'm glad we didn't have to pay someone to come out and fix it. I find home repairs sort of an interesting topic. Even though I HATE it when things break, I realize I gain experience when I'm able to fix them. Still, I hope I never have to "learn about" some of those nasty indoor plumbing situations. Of course (as always...) time will tell.

You Never Know What The Day Will Bring...

This morning, as my mind regained consciousness, I thought about the day ahead. Except for a couple of things, my day was pretty much wide open. My first obligation wasn't until 11am. I had almost the entire morning to myself.

I decided to send a book to a friend. She said her son was getting excited about reading and my book is perfect (IMO...) for a ten-year old. I was amazed at how little it cost to send a book to California--if you don't mind it taking a week to get there, that is.

I took my daughter to her first day on a new job and helped her get set up. As a parent, you worry that your children will be okay. Will the job be too much? Will people treat her well, or will they be mean? Will she want to go back tomorrow?

Time will tell.

Funny thing about time. At noon I drove a few towns over and helped a family as they uprooted their lives and relocated. I was one of many which made light work (speaking of which, I was not part of the piano-moving crew...). It felt good to help out.

I came home and logged onto Facebook and found out my friend's father passed away.

Talk about not knowing what the day will bring.

With both my parents gone, I now watch the parents of my friends succumb to age, accident, and illness. I've always said if you live long enough, you'll attend at lesat two funerals, your mother's and your father's. The advice of my friend who lost his father was good and always appropriate--don't take life for granted.

We never know what lies ahead--it's the mystery that causes either great stress or a sense of wonder. Tomorrow is Sunday. I have a general idea of how things will go, but there are no guarantees. And when we boil it down to its most basic parts, those same three words pretty much cover it.

Time will tell.