Adventures in Home Ownership

Last week I discovered that I had a broken sprinkler head in the front yard. I went to the Home Depot and got what I thought would fix it, but it did not. I went back to get something else, but it didn't solve the problem. My lawn (and foundation) were desperate for water so I decided to let the sprinklers run a few times anyway until I could figure out what to do. So tonight, the Smiths were dropping me off from a trip out to their house-in-progress when my favorite neighbor stopped me to let me know that I had a broken sprinkler head. (This guy is more worried about my sprinklers than I am! He's the one that was talking to me about coordinating my system with his before I ever even closed on the house! Then a month after I moved in he was telling me that I was creating a bog situation between our houses with my sprinklers. Yeah, remember last June....when it rained every single day? But it was MY sprinklers creating the bog situation. This guy really works my nerves.) But I digress.....Luckily, Bob and Natasha got out of their car to have a look at it and Bob told me that I would have to dig a little deeper to get a better look at it. Bob told me that he would come back tomorrow night to help me look at it, but I was so annoyed by my neighbor that I just started to dig. While I was digging my neighbor from across the street came out to let me know that I had a broken sprinkler head in my front yard. I was like, yeah, thanks, that's why I'm DIGGING A HOLE IN MY FRONT YARD! Yes, I seriously said that. He didn't offer to help me fix it, nor did the first guy. I figured out what the problem was, made my 675th trip to the Home Depot this summer and fixed the thing myself. I get such a rush fixing things myself. Once I pulled it out of the lawn, it looked like the pop up part didn't pop back down and someone ran over it with a lawn mower and cut it clean off. I'm a little dismayed that either my lawn service or my other neighbor broke it and no one bothered to let me know. And while I appreciate my others neighbors letting me know that I have a problem, I quote Bob Smith, don't just tell me what the problem is, tell me how to fix it.