We make a pretty good team, Mr. A and I. I've always said the real tests in a marriage are if you can hang wallpaper, raise teenagers, build a house or run a business together and come out on the other side unscathed; we've done all four. And you don't get through 43 years of marital harmony without knowing the tasks that are among your spouses least favorite things to do. In this case, that happens to be sprinkler repairs. But when we had three that didn't turn and they all needed to be raised up, my roommate was forced to join in...and to his credit, he did so with a smile.
So we made the first trip to the home improvement store for new heads and risers...that was Thursday afternoon. But it was another day of excessive heat and we agreed to wait until after dinner to tackle the project. At the appointed hour, we dug out the first faulty sprinkler and readied the new one with its extension when we realized that wasn't going to work. We needed an adapter so it would all screw back together correctly. Since it was almost dark by the time we returned home from Trip #2, the repairs were put off until the next day.
Morning brought great progress and soon all three heads were turning again. And nary a cross word had been spoken. Good news...right? Well, not exactly. In investigating whether yet another head was working improperly, we found water bubbling out of the ground about three feet away. This was far more serious that a faulty head...and it took lots more digging too. Time for Trip #3 to purchase a whole new set of repair parts.
By now it's early afternoon. It's hot. We're sweaty and dirty. The only saving grace is that we had shade to work in and it was a relief when the water hit us as we were testing each cycle out at the end. The good news? The big repairs worked like a charm; nothing leaked. The bad? The head wouldn't turn. Not only that, one of the previously installed heads now looked more like a fountain than a sprinkler thanks to a defective part.
What do you want to do now? he says. And I'm smart enough to read between those lines. I volunteered to go get new heads and replace them and he could hit the shower. No need to press my luck since he hadn't complained about doing a job he hates. Besides, I can replace the heads; it's the other things I wasn't sure how to do. So off I went on Trip #4.
You know the first rule of home repair: Nothing can be done with only one trip to the home improvement store. And the second rule? Fixing things is good but doing it so you're still speaking at the end makes it a success.
Brenda, we're on the 25th year of marriage and I totally agree with you (we just haven't tackled the running a business thing together - ha!). We've spent the better part of the past 8 days trying to fix the blasted mower. It's involved about 4 trips total to 2 different home improvement stores, plus an order to Toro. We're about $160 in the hole so far. Me? I voted last week to go spend $300 for a new one. Oh well... at least we didn't kill each other. Time to go mow the homestead now!
Posted by: Jane | August 07, 2011 at 09:19 AM
I agree with you that partners do come to know when The Line has been reached. If you love someone, you care about making them happy. So you'll be a good sport about helping with projects that you would rather pass on, and the one you are helping will know when to knock off for the day and let you have some relief from the torture. It's always a give and take situation. I think that's what makes it fun. Every time I recognize The Line, I am secretly happy that I have paid attention to Dennis, or that he has paid attention to me, enough to know it's there and not cross it!
Posted by: Jan C. | August 07, 2011 at 12:18 PM
lol! Yep, I agree, it is very important to know where The Line is. Sometimes I have to give our teenage boys the signal that they are ON The Line with Dad and need to step away!
My husband and I agreed that if our marriage survived year one with baby #2 (who screamed between 1:00 and 4:00 a.m. every morning for his entire first year and both of us were working full time), we could survive anything! We are in year 25 now and still going strong thanks to some "reading between the lines" along the way. ;)
Posted by: MilliD | August 07, 2011 at 03:25 PM
Oh, you are so right. You do have to know which tasks your spouse hates doing. So how's the DIY sprinkler repair now? It's good to see him doing what he hates the most. Although it looks like he had a hard time. Anyways, that's great for both of you.
Posted by: Hardy Coufal | August 25, 2011 at 09:46 AM