Rabbit Stew

Rabbit stew.  That's what I want for supper.  Not really.  I've had rabbit, but don't really like it.  I'm talking about those pests in my back yard that are ruining my garden.  I typically grow a garden with tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce.  My wife likes to add broccoli and squash, but in reality our garden is pretty small, about 8' x 16'.  I built the garden with landscape timbers and imported dirt (not from France, from the landscaping shop).  Building the garden was a lot of fun.  My son helped out, and we hammered, sawed, and shoveled to our hearts content.  This is the garden in the new house, and it went straight down the tubes on the maiden voyage.  It started out the same as always.  I noticed that the lettuce didn't turn out so well, but didn't understand why.  It just didn't grow.  Then, one morning I looked out the window, and all my tomato plants had vanished...  into thin air.  I've never seen rabbits eat tomato plants before, but that's the only thing I could come up with.  I planted them again, and they vanished again.  I've got to protect these guys some how.  What to do?  Read on.

My first try was a big mistake and time/cost are not included in the summary metrics.  I didn't do my usual bourbon/Google meditation to come up with the idea.  I just went straight to Lowe's.  I reasoned that building a cage around the tomatoes would protect them.  Long story short, I built a circular cage around every tomato plant with wire fence and used some old stakes from behind the shed to secure them to the ground.  I replanted the tomatoes for the third time.  Do you think this worked?  Almost, but not 100%.  I was angered when I looked out the window and saw a rabbit eating a tomato plant through the wire of the cage.  Grrrrrrrr.  I started throwing anything I could find at the rabbit, and actually hit it once.  He wasn't happy, but was otherwise unscathed.  Lesson: don't skip the bourbon.

At this point I have 3 options:

1. Give up and have no fresh tomatoes
2. Hire a hit man to sit in a lawn chair all summer and kill rabbits in my back yard
3. Bourbon meditation and come up with a better idea

You know which one I picked.  The hit man idea sounds cool, but too expensive and probably more dangerous to my neighbors than the rabbits.  I didn't use Google this time, just bourbon and wits.  I theorized that a large fence around the entire garden would be the safest protection for my poor garden and headed to Lowe's again.

The fence section is foreign territory for me.  I haven't had the best of luck with fences or fence guys.  The pictures below were taken before the second fence guy built the fence.  I settled on a spool of 4' tall wire fence and bought 7 metal posts.  First, I hammered the posts into the ground.  I had some extra wood behind the shed and built a gate.  I found an old brass latch in my garage junk box that I installed on the gate.  Heavy duty staples hold the fence to the landscape timbers and also hold the fence to the gate (staple guns are a must for jobs like this).  Zip ties hold the fence to the posts. 



Garden in back yard



Garden, side shot with tiller

I decided to bet on the battle scarred tomatoes from the third planting.  I just didn't have time for a fourth set to grow.  I got 6 tomatoes in September from the rabbit-damaged plants.  Don't even try the math.  For what I'd invested, I probably could have flown to Japan and purchased a bucket of very nice tomatoes.  (If you've never been to Japan, the fresh fruit and vegetables are out of this world.) 

An unexpected thing happened after September.  We had 90 degree weather throughout October (2010), and the tomatoes started producing!!!  We had fresh tomatoes almost every day in October and even into the first part of November.  I didn't even see rabbits in the yard the rest of the year.  I heard they moved to an unprotected garden down the road.

Cost:  $75 for the fence and posts (already had the other parts)

Time:  3 hours

Special Note: metrics only include the solution that worked

Result: Rabbits are gone

 

  

Current Year Garden (2012)
Lettuce and Broccoli are already up

 

Faucet Install and Scope Creep

Scope Creep in project management refers to uncontrolled changes or continuous growth in a project's scope. This phenomenon can occur when the scope of a project is not properly defined, documented, or controlled. It is generally considered a negative occurrence, and therefore should be avoided.  (Wikipedia)That's exactly what happened to me on the latest project.

 

Old Delta Faucet

See the faucet over here on the left?  It started leaking right after I had the crazy notion that I could someday run out of content for the blog.  My home assured me that the blog will be running strong for years to come.  No problem, I've handled leaky faucets before.  Time to head to Lowe's for a Delta seal kit. 



I've got a great tip for all you Lowe's shoppers out there.  Get a Lowe's credit card and save 5% on all your Lowe's purchases.  Application is right here.  I'm figuring that I'll save enough money in a year to restock the old bourbon supply a few times.  At Lowe's, I head straight to my nemesis, the plumbing aisle.  I pick up a seal kit, whip out the new credit card, and head back home for an easy fix.

 

Tools:  Channel locks, flathead & phillips screwdrivers, washcloth

Part:  Delta Seal Kit $10 (or $9.50 with a Lowe's credit card)

Bourbon:  None

I pull the faucet apart and try to unscrew the piece that holds the ball valve in place.  A combination of He-Man torque and Gorilla Glue seem to be preventing this piece from coming off.  I wrap the part with a washcloth and pull with the channel locks. It doesn't budge.  A little Googling shows that lime deposits can lock up parts of a faucet.  I pour vinegar (as directed) on the faucet, and it still won't budge.  I try a little He-Man strength of my own, and I start to get worried that I'm going to ruin the sink before this piece comes off.  What follows is a few explicit words and a sudden urge to put my channel locks through the other side of the mirror.  Calm down, and think about the options:

1. Call a plumber and spend $100 to put in a $10 seal.
2. Install a new faucet for $60 (or $57 with a Lowe's credit card).



New Delta Faucet

I've got a minor in math, but my 4 year old can figure ths one out.  Another trip to Lowes, and I've got the new faucet (and my first bit of scope creep).

Tools: Large crescent wrench, small crescent wrench, phillips screwdriver, allen wrench, towell, flashlight

Difficulty: Easy

Time: 1 hour

 

Install is simple:

1. Shut off water valves
2. Loosen the bolt that holds the drain stopper and pull it out
3. Undo fittings that hold feed hoses to water valves (big crescent wrench)
4. Undo nuts that hold the faucet to the sink (small crescent wrench)
5. Pull out old faucet
6. Use allen wrench and screwdriver to install the proper handle on the faucet.  This particular faucet has a clear plastic handle as well as a metal one. The clear plastic on goes on.
7. Clean up sink and put new seal on the bottom of the faucet
8. Install is reverse of steps 1-5
9. The kit comes with a new drain kit.  I don't put it on, because it looks over my head.  My drain isn't having issues anyway.  I put the spare parts in my box marked "plumbing" in the garage.

I check out my handiwork, make sure there's no leaks, and toss the old faucet in the dumpster.  As I'm sitting in my recliner having a celebration bourbon, two thoughts comes to my mind.  First, after 15 years, Delta has changed styles on their faucets a bit.  I've got 2 sinks in the master bath, and now they don't match exactly.  Also, the new faucet has a new feature known as "scald guard". 

 

Scald guard is a tiny switch in the faucet that stops the handle halfway between hot and cold.  This would be the perfect feature for the kids!  A new plan is starting to form as well as the next phase of scope creep.  I could move the faucet that I just installed to the kid bathroom, install another new one in the hall bathroom, and move an old one that matches back to the master bath.  How many bourbons did I have? Only one, it was not alcohol induced scope creep.

The next weekend, I get the other faucet at my favorite store and get to work.  I start by reversing the hour of work I've already discussed.  Next, I take out the old faucets and pop in the new ones with scald guard activated.  No more hot water getting on little fingers.  I also opt for the chrome handles that are easier for the little buddies to pull up and down.  I'm rocking through this in record time.



New Faucet in Half Bath

New Faucet in Kid Bathroom

Now I'm on the last step.  Install one of the old faucets in the master bath.  Halfway into the install, my wife comes in and says that I'm installing the one that has been used the most into the master bath.  She wants me to put in the other one.  I offer to install the new seal kit in this one, and we're both happy.  No problem (but more scope creep).  Install is pretty straightforward, but very messy.  Due to black rubber residue all over my fingers, I've got no pictures.  Install is literally 15 minutes if you've already got the faucet torn down.

1. Unscrew the cap.
2. Pull out ball valve and clean off deposits.
3. Pull out springs and seals
4. The kit also has seal that sits on top of the ball valve.  There's 2 in there, but you only need the one that works with your particular model. I also don't use the o-ring that's only for kitchen faucets.
5. Put in new springs and seals
6. Put a little petroleum jelly on the ball, so it rolls smoothly
7. Drop in the ball valve, new seal, and screw the top back on.  You don't need to put much torque on it.  I have firsthand knowledge that if you do, it'll never come back off.

After I get the faucet back in, it's time to attach the supply hoses.  I look at the distance and get worried.  Neither of the old supply hoses are long enough.  My supply hoses from the old faucet are at the dump by  now.  Crap.  Another trip to Lowe's is in order for new ones.  To get the length I need, I have to hook 2 together to make the distance (so I bought 4). Another $20 invested.

  

 

 One word of caution in plumbing.  If you've got a fitting that has metal threads going onto metal threads, don't forget the teflon tape.  Use 2-3 wraps of tape on each part of the threads.  I've got to meditate and get my mind in a happy place before using teflon tape.  It never goes where I want it to, and I throw away at least twice as much as I use.  One more tip (or maybe two).  People say "don't overtighten the metal fittings" all the time.  Don't listen  My philosophy is to grab the biggest wrench in the garage and pull until the veins are popping out of my head.  They always leak if I don't.  Check the fittings for leaks after install, then a few hours later, then before you go to bed, and then the next morning.  If you get 24 hours without a tear of water coming out, you're probably good.

 

To summarize:

• New Parts: Seal kit in old faucet, 2 new faucets, 4 new supply hoses
• Trips to Lowes: 3 (a record for a job this small)
• Cost: Roughly $145
• Difficulty: Easy to Medium (teflon tape always gets a higher ranking)
• Time: 4 1/2 - 5 hours
• Results: No leaky faucet, no more scalding water on little buddy hands
• Scope Creep: High

 

 Click here for another bathroom article about replacing fill valves and flappers.