Okay, so I know I have said this many times before, but I really could not be more grateful for our neighbors. We really lucked out in that department. So what amazing thing did they do this time?! Well, allow me to tell you the whole story.
Chris has been in England for the past week, catching up with friends and family, and although it is strange to have the whole house to myself, I have managed to keep myself pretty busy. Of course, his absence couldn't be punctuated more perfectly than with a sad, sob story (like that one time he was in Philadelphia...). '
Monday morning, I dragged my sore, DIY-addicted body out of bed, got ready for the day and headed to Whole Foods in search of all things tropical for my fruit salsa I was bringing to a BBQ later that day. When I returned home, I was getting the groceries out of the car when neighbor, Maureen, came out of her house. "Did you know that one of your sprinklers is broken in the back yard?" she asked. "Ummmm, no. No, I did not." She went on to explain that when she went to take the dog out at 5:30 that morning, she noticed a big 'fountain' coming from our back yard! Goodness gracious. Chris is gone, and yet again, I always pretend to fall asleep when he tries to explain how these things (ahem, sprinklers!) work.
So, of course I picture something like this...
I am, however, very resourceful so I did what any sensible woman in my situation would do: I texted Chris in England. Before I could even get a response from him, the doorbell rang. Maureen! She said that her and her husband were on their way to Lowes and would pick up whatever part I needed to fix the sprinkler and then they would fix it for me when they got back! What?! "Nevermind, hubby, I have help!" After me insisting several times that I was happy to go get the parts myself, they really didn't need to do everything, I gave in. I think secretly they figured they would be better off getting the parts themselves, lest I come back with some unknown sprinkler parts that had nothing to do with the problem.
I decided to use my time wisely, I whipped up my pineapple, mango & papaya salsa at record speed, then decided I better tidy the rest of the kitchen and family room, should they accept my neighborly offer to come inside for some lemonade after they saved the day. I didn't actually have any lemonade, but nevermind. It sounded like a good idea in my head.
After several rounds of trying the sprinklers (of which I had to FaceTime Chris for him to show me how to turn on that section of sprinklers!), we had successfully fixed the problem. At least for the time being. Chris will have a bit of work to do when he returns, but at least the fountain situation has been resolved in the meantime!
One of many signs that I have allowed myself to be 'taken care of' since finding my hubby. I would have taken charge and figured things out by myself in the past, but it's often easier to let someone else handle some things, or as I like to refer to it: divide and conquer! Unfortunately the headlight and indicator bulbs on my car all burned out this week as well. I hear you, Universe. Figure. It. Out, Sarah. Or just drive the other car until Chris returns. (Ha!)
I still think it's okay to loosen up the control strings a bit and not do everything yourself, but I will definitely be paying closer attention the next time Chris wants to explain some seemingly boring home-related system to me.
Oh, and the best part? I asked my neighbor how much I owed them for the parts. "A glass of wine one evening!" Done!
