Hills of Hayward

Our previous owner of our house installed a Rainbird watering system for our lawn controlled by a single interface on the wall in the bowels of the basement. I have been pretty hesitant to try to fiddle with this device, following the mantra, “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.”

All I know is… in the “On” position, the our lawn is watered regularly, although I do not know what the schedule is. The “Off” position is for rainy season and winter, when no watering is needed.

That is the extent of my extensive interaction with the device.

Prompted by news that this summer may be one of the driest in Californian history, I decided to confront my Rainbird timer, and begin a deeper relationship with it. The conversation was initially rocky, due to my inexperience with its native language; however, I used “The Google” to find a handbook that outlined its vocabulary and protocols.

This was the breakthrough that the bilateral talks needed. Ten minutes later, we reached an accord. It would only spread water on my lands every two days and only in early morning. In return, I will continue to provide energy for its operations as a sovereign republic with its own currency and language. It was a win-win negotiation.

According to this Water Conservation Tips page, this would save 750-1,500 gallons of water a month. I wonder what else I can do in the next 10 minutes….