Plugs and Pickets

Okay, I got my buddy Chris to fix the pipe I busted - thanks Chris! Fortunately I was nearly done trenching before calamity struck so I was able to start right into installing all the PVC pipe and sprinkler heads.

Everything went in pretty well. I got all the valves working too. Since I don't have electricity to the property I have to use battery powered valves. Home Depot has em' that run on a 9 volt battery. I set them to turn on a 5:30 am and run for 30 minutes. Not to bore you with the details but something went wrong and water filled up the valve box and shorted out the valves and one didn't turn off. Fortunately my good neighbor Dean called and alerted me to the flooding. I drove right over and shut the main valve off.

I stood there for a good 10 minutes scratching my head. I could not figure out what the problem was; no leaks, broken pipes, or overflow. The only thing that I should have done different was put the valves above ground level. Anyway, the valves were ruined and I had to reconfigure my orignal setup to get the replacements above ground level.

Everything is working fine now. I plugged the front yard of the Blue Myrtle House (Lot) with grass from the front yard of our house. Once I'm sure the sprinklers are going to work like I want I'm going to plant a tree in the west side of the front yard.

I've been working on a picket fence to replace the one that was at the end of the driveway. The original fence was pretty old and falling apart, besides that someone decided they needed it more than me and walked off with it in the middle of the night. All 22 feet of it! The old fence wasn't secured into the ground either. The fence I'm working on now is being constructed out of the old 2x4s from the house. I ripped and cut for a few hours to get the pickets the size I wanted.

These are pics of the where grass isn't in our front yard and where grass is in the front yard of the Blue Myrtle House (Lot). The holes in the front yard of our house should be overgrown in about a week. The Blue Myrtle House yard should be almost covered by November. I'll keep you posted!

Irrigation = Irritation

My goal has been to do has much as I can myself. In other words, not have to pay anybody to do something I am able to do myself. When I say myself that includes family and friends. It has been the help and prayers of family and friends that I am as far as I am. Without them I'd be nowhere.

Okay, having said that. Even though there are things I can do, I really really don't want to do them. For instance lawn irrigation. I am so tempted just to hire someone to do this, but I want to do it all. I'm not above renting machines and tools to help me in this endeavor which is what I did for this job. I started out with a pick and shovel, but the heat was too much. I decided I'd rent a trencher from Home Depot. One of the better decision I've made. It saved major time and effort. Todd helped me trench out about 100'. It was still grueling work, it was 100 degrees out, but we got it done. The only bad part was when I hit the main water pipe to the house. GEYSER! Man was I "unhappy" about that. Fortunately Dean and Charlie from across the street saw what happened and came to my rescue. I didn't have any tools with me to turn off the city valve. Dean was able to shut it off pretty quickly but there was water everywhere, mud too. The only good thing about it was I got cooled off from all the water raining down on me.

All right where we at; cost of renting trencher and cost of having pipe repaired. Hmmmm, what would have been cheaper me and Todd doing this or hire a professional? I'm still not done with this job, I've only got the trenches dug. I still gotta lay the PVC and put in sprinklers. I got the valves done, at least those are all ready to go.

Have you ever noticed that Todd is usually wearing a red shirt and I'm wearing a yellow one?