Water, Water, Everywhere

I'm dry now.

Today was the day I had been waiting for, for weeks. I am well again (though still experiencing a round of morning coughing): that's one criterion for The Day; two, I actually had some energy; and the third requirement was a genuinely warm day, because I knew that I would be soaked before I was done.

Today was Fix the Back Bank Sprinkler System Day.

Along the 60 foot stretch of garden, I have installed a "drip" irrigation system. None of it "drips", however, as each emitter is a sprayer of some sort. The ground doesn't freeze here, so I don't have to worry about split pipes except in freak years ... and in such a year I'd just replace the whole thing for about $30. No worries there.

The main line is 1/2" tubing, and little 1/4" flexible lines come off of that, each ending in a spray emitter of high or low flow as required. Easy. Kind of like plumbing tinkertoys. Every spring, once the need for watering returns, the system has to be checked, groomed, and if necessary, repaired. After an initial test run about two weeks ago, I knew I had some repairs that needed to be done; the streams of water spraying 20 feet across the garden gave me a hint that winter had been cruel to my emitters.

Today I donned my reading glasses, squinted at the automatic sprinkler instructions in the garage, and turned on the system. There's just no efficient way to find out and fix broken emitters and sprung tubing without the water running.

Some of the emitters had just fallen over, but others, being plastic and in the full California sun, had disintegrated. I started at the south end of the bank and carried my bucket of parts, pulling the emitters out from under weeds, setting them up where they had fallen down, replacing the ones which were dead-o. All of them, of course, were emitting water. Cold water. And if you try to replace a tube or an emitter while the water is running, of course, it sprays all over the place under high pressure.

Howie thought it was a wonderful project, water spraying everywhere, his Mama soaking wet and shouting "Aughhh!" every time a new emitter failed to make positive connection with the water line. He helped so much by following me along and pulling the emitters out of the ground the better to bite the spray.

But now it is done, and my cherry tree and my nectarine tree are assured of regular irrigation. Not to mention all the rest of the plants, too.

Refreshing.

I'm dry now.