It is crazy! Yesterday was a nice sunny day, a bit on the cool side, perfect for removing my old out of control bushes and replacing them after working up the soil and removing all the weeds and grass. Sounds simple, maybe 4 hours work, tops, but what did I find but a lot of large, shallow buried rocks and bushes with roots that were tough and defiant. I had my 6-foot sixty-pound pry bar made from an old antique buggy axle, working as a fulcrum, getting the last bush pushed up like a dentist pulling a tooth when I saw the last offending roots a couple of feet down. I used my sharpshooter trench digger shovel to chop it and with several mighty blows, I severed it and also the main sprinkler line hidden under it.
The blast from that 1 1/2" line knocked me back and sent me getting the main turn-off rod and shutting the system down. I finally got the bush removed and then baled out the water in the hole. I realized I was exhausted and had gone way beyond my healthy safe level. My chest burned and my breathing was shallow. I gave it up thinking I would get an early start this morning and get the water back on before things got too dry since we were on day 4 of no rain and while the wind was moderate, it would dry the soil out fast.
It rained all last night and is still raining today. After feeling defeated and not being able to make the pipe repair today, it occurred to me that with the rain I don't need the sprinklers, so all is well. But the awful mess cleanup, pipe repair, and planting new bushes still nags me because I hate not being able to finish a job.
Also, the 2' deep by 4' wide hole is filled with rainwater. So here I am with a day off from yard work and rural road walking and can't find the attitude to go grocery shopping or cook chili and make cornbread.