It’s the small things – End of the Day for May 11, 2014

Ah, the finer joys of home ownership. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE having my own house, despite its cost, its flaws and its constant need for maintenance. Sometimes, though, it has a way being vert needy. Today wasn’t too bad overall. Nothing too expensive or difficult to repair. After a fairly quick stop at the local hardware store I did the following — all in just a few hours this afternoon.

Repaired/replaced the clothesline in the back yard

It needed new line and new pulleys at each end so it was basically a wholesale replacement. Luckily the one tree and one tree stamp that anchor the ends appears to be fine, so a quick restring and larger pulleys at each end should make it last for a few more seasons.

Repair hose and house end to part of irrigation system

I re-used older hoses as short jumpers between soaker hoses in the garden and on had decide to break off the end of a large brass 1-4 outlet water manifold a few weeks ago. I quickly and easily replaced the manifold, but the brass fitting was totally stuck in the hose end. A quick cut of the hose and the addition of a new hose end solved the probably pretty rapidly. I have gotten very use to repairing and replacing these as I have done probably a dozen over the 18 years we have owned the house.

From previous repairs and reinstallations

Replacement of entire hose in front yard

Finally, the easiest task was removing a burst hose in the front garden and replace it with a new one. It seems we go through hoses like candy around here, but I am sure if I went back through my records I would find they all last 4-5 years. It only seems like the break every day.

I accomplished all this along with a client call, my daily New Media work and making dinner, so not a bad day overall. I was about to start this year’s batch of limoncello, but while I picked up the supplies, I had finally worn myself out. That will have to wait until tomorrow or sometime later this week.

I share these small things with you not as a boast, but rather as a reminder to myself of everything that can and MUST be done sometimes and how well I do it. We all need to give ourselves a little credit for all the small things we do to keep the world from falling apart around us. Without these small things, most of the bigger things would ever get accomplished.

Previously on End of the Day: