Hmmm, what to do next, concrete apron on the front, vinyl siding, or gutters? Gutters it is, simply because that's what I have materials to do. Bought some different gutter guards, called Gutter Stuff. Foam with some kinda special treatement that has bacteriacide, etc, etc. Wonder how long that's gonna last.
One thing I've learned about companies that make gutter products is that they don't make everything they need to make. I got gutters, 'invisible' hangers that are a little visible, downspouts, on and on, but the one thing I could not find is a gutter guard that would clip into the tops of the hangers which have slots for that very purpose. Had it explained to me by the 'expert' at Lowe's that the hanger was to put the gutter up. Well, DUUUUUUUUHHHHHH. I figured that out all by myself. So WHERE is the gutter guard that actually fits on TOP of the hanger? "Well, sometimes manufacturers send us whatever they want, and we don't get all the parts for a complete system." Yes folks, that was the actual answer. I'll refer everyone back to the thread about "Parents should be ashamed". This is what happens when 30 somethings operate a big-box store, but have NO CLUE what folks really need or when a manufacturer is selling them an incomplete product. I wanted aluminum gutters, but they were beat up so badly and chafed that I would have to spray paint every section just so I could actually use it. One would think the store would comp me a can of semi-gloss spray paint since I'm forced to buy a defected product. Nope. Not happenin'. So I switched to the vinyl which seems to have no matching part for the gutter guard. I had a severe headache by the time I left Lowe's yesterday, and the frustration made me completely forget that I also needed a buried valve access pit. Then, when I got everything made up, I looked at the existing water main, and then at my new line to the shed. Uh oh. Somehow, I remembered the water feed to my house being 1" PVC. I was VERY wrong. It was 3/4". Well, I need the valve pit, so off to Home Depot first thing this morning. Hang on, that was actually about 3rd thing. First thing was connecting 50 feet of PVC pipe in 10 foot sections. Second was connecting it to the stub going into the shed. 3rd was going after the valve pit and reducer bushings. Cut the water off at the meter, closed the valve in the house, and cut the water main feeding my house. Popped in the T connection (with the very recently purchased reducers installed). Sat on the deck and had a Gatorade. My son came over just before I finished turning five 10 foot lengths into one 50 foot pipe and helped by cleaning out the trench in a few places to make sure I stayed below frost line, and rode to Home Depot with me to get the bits I forgot at Lowe's the day before, or didn't realize I needed. Sadly, I'd uncovered the main water line two days ago, and STILL didn't check the size nor even notice it was 3/4 pipe, not 1 inch. I felt like a complete idiot, but fortunately, did not cut the pipe to the house until I was sure I could complete the job in 30 minutes or less. Then I read the label on the glue can. This stuff looked like something I've blown out of my nose with a really bad sinus infection, and required TWO HOURS before applying full pressure to the pipe. If you know anything about city water supply, it's either full pressure, or OFF. So, my optimistic estimate to my wife about 30 minutes max water outage went to hell in a handbasket. She was not impressed with my change of plan, but being the wonderful woman she is, she, like me, blamed it on the crappy PVC pipe glue that takes so long to set. My eldest granddaughter slept through most of the drama, but showed up just about the time it was time to turn the water back on. She'd been out feeding and walking a neighbor's dogs.
FINALLY, I get the water turned back on at noon with the house still valved off, and the valve to the shop turned off to check the new Tee for a leak. Cool, no leaks. Opened the valve in the garage, and on the front of the house to blow out anything I might have got in the pipe as well as bleed some air. Turned the tap on the front of the house off. Still, no leaks. Opened the valve in the pit to pressurize the line to the shop. COOL BEANS! No leaks! Opened the valve inside the shop to feed the sill-cock on the front wall. FIGJAM!!!! No leaks! Purged the lines with a hose attached to the new sill-cock on the shed, and all is good.
Fired up the LX2610SU. Swapped the SS for the QH + BB, lost (and found) one of the pins for the stabilizers, and then pulled all the soil back into the trench. I'm liking the lack of shoveling, raking, and hoeing. Time for lunch.
Got the other itty bitty orange tractor out, and let my son cut the lawn. Had him spread the clippings on the area where I trenched for the waterline to give it a chance to grow some grass before the next monsoon. I got the Swisher Predator brush cutter out, and decided to let it abuse me. Crushed my right hand between the handle bar and a tree. Only once, though, and didn't lose more than a half cup of blood. Found a yellow jacket nest, which I've been waiting for since May. A lot of 'em died after ONE stung me four times. They're not done dying yet. One asked me about getting a drink of 87 octane, and I promised to bring some by.
Eventful day finally ended around 4 PM, that's 1600 to you military folks, and decided it was time for a nice cold Rapier Wit home brewed beer. And after that, a McSorley's Black and Tan (also home brewed). The temperature has dropped nearly 20 degrees at this point because it rained everywhere around us, EXCEPT in my yard. It's OK, though, because it rained ONLY in my yard the other day when I was trying to dig the trench.