Accident Prone

Our family seems to have problems with trees (limbs, roots, stumps, etc.) and sharp objects. About 7 years ago we took out some trees and in the aftermath of attempting to remove the roots we broke several sections of the underground sprinkler system. And then a friend came to help us, and the first swing of the ax broke the main water line into our house, resulting in a geyser that watered our house until we could get a curb key to turn it off. (Did you know that no other wrench, pliers, hammer, etc. will turn the water off? Only a curb key. It is worth the cost to invest in one, or at least know which neighbor has one handy.) And then last year the stump that broke the patio door.

So yesterday Randy was working outside and he decided to cut out a section of root that was getting close to the front sidewalk. He and Travis worked and got out a section and then tried to get another section and whack! He hit another section of the sprinkler system. And since it was close to the sidewalk, it was hard to clear out the roots and dirt to fix the problem. You need to know that not only did Randy hit the one pipe, but also the one lying directly underneath. And the one he hit connects to the main control box for the sprinkler system. Too much fun! It was quickly declared a 2-day job, and after a bit more analysis, work ended for the day. Of course, Travis may not be the best helper, only because sharp tools are involved, but I say we need to teach him how to fix things if we are so accident-prone. Today, the repair effort continues, and with one more trip to Home Depot, we should be done.

Oh, and the patio door? Still broken... We're working on it... Other things just seem to come up...