Tom Rupp commentary: The ins and outs of sprinkler repair

Our backyard sprinkler system saga continues. More than a month ago, as the weather began to show signs of warming up, we did what many families do – ran a new season check of our sprinkler system. A lot can happen over the eight months of inactivity. We have the added factor of a goofy dog who likes to chase squirrels and let the neighbor and their dog know that he is around, keeping watch. I guess all of that running around resulted in broken sprinklers and even a few cuts in the line. Although we can fix all of this, we decided to call someone who advertised such a skill and see if they could come and help. The one guy I spoke to came out, gave us an estimate, we replied and said OK, and four weeks later, we have yet to hear from him. In addition, I contacted two others from online ads and didn't hear from either of them. So apparently, it was going to be up to us to try and solve this problem. Suffice it to say it has been a long, tedious, often unsuccessful project so far for two amateurs. Yes, it is still going on. We think we have a nice piece of line installed and then suddenly it comes unconnected and water sprays. Carol has done much of the successful repair, and I add my minimal expertise. And yet to this day, we are not completely finished to the point where I can turn on the timer and trust what we have done to work properly. In the meantime, I water the perimeter by hand at night. Since our small garden is already getting this treatment, why not add a little more for now? At this point, it would still be nice to have a sprinkler expert come by and put their final touch on things. Slowly but surely, the job is getting done. On a side note, we started attempting to install a string of solar-powered lights around the new gazebo we got last year. Carol's son Adam found out about this and, in an act of mercy, came and saved us from ourselves. He had them up in no time. While he was here, I should have asked him if he does sprinkler repair. Better not push my luck. I write impressive Yelp reviews (for good work). Tom Rupp is a Folsom resident and weekly Telegraph columnist. You can reach him at truppfolsom@yahoo.com.