Musings from Brian J. Noggle

Report from the Burbs

As the beautiful wife and I have begun landscaping our beautiful suburban home in Casinoport, Missouri (an inner ring suburb of St. Charles, Missouri), I needed to replace the repeatedly-run-over hose with something that continued to fit onto spigot. We replaced the old Sentry Hardware $1.99 Long Straw model hose with the $2.99 (inflation) Ace Hardware Long Straw model hose. But when it came to the nozzle, I insisted we purchase an heirloom-quality water flow control device. I warm pleasurably with the thought of my great-grandchildren spraying each other as they wash the aerocar using the nozzle I bought.

So of course we chose the Nelson Model 2280 Industrial Metal nozzle. This nozzle includes a long list of features, including:

Water pressure rated to 100 psi. Granted, my Long Straw hose cannot handle that, and my spigot would rather sprinkle the basement than spit out anything beyond 1 TPS (Trickle Per Second), but just in case we get a nuclear-powered water pump in the future, we will be ready.
Hot water rated to 160°F, which is what the Azalea prefers. Unfortunately, this model cannot handle water that's actually boiling, but when we need to scald the petunias, we can continue to use the tea kettle.
Heavy-duty zinc construction. It's not titanium or Kevlar, but when it oxidizes, it will double as a sun block.
THERMOGUARD insulated for hot or cold water comfort. You don't want Anything less than THERMOGUARD, like THERMOBARKINGDOG.
Reinforced brass stem and nut. Although it sounds slightly dirty, it's not, but merely sounding phallic is feature enough.
Crush-resistant glass-filled nylon handle. Because crushable glass-filled Rayon handles are for wussies.
Threaded tip for hose accessories. Definitely a plus, since the type of person who buys an industrial water nozzle will be easily influenced to buying additional accessories.
Lock-on water clip. I haven't tried it yet, but I assume this means something like a tone like the fighter pilots hear for those exact moments when I have the rose bushes lined up for a primary "soak shot."

All of this for just $11.99, which is much more than I paid for the hose, but worth it. For aside from the features denoted above, the nozzle has the word Industrial right on the handle. Each time I grip it, I will remember I am above the hoi polloi who use lesser water nozzles.

Of course, when we bought it on Saturday, the nozzle became an instant part of our family. Lawrence, as he prefers we call him, instantly bonded not only with me, but also Heather and the cats.

He's moved right in and has adjusted to life outside of the hardware store and outside the blister card with eager anticipation for what each new day brings. Freed from the NASA-style sleeping arrangement hanging from a hook in Ace Hardware, Lawrence prefers a medium-firmness pillow and likes to sleep late on Sundays.

Although he sleeps late, Lawrence is not lazy. He's ready to get to work dispensing water to the parched flora (and occasional fauna if one of those "cute baby rabbits" gets too close to any of our hundreds of dollars on nursery-bought flora). He understands the impact of the rain, which has left him on the bench this week, but he's encouraged when we tell him that July and August are coming, and with them, the annual unprecedented drought.

In our conversations, Lawrence and I have developed a deep respect for one another. Although we don't always agree on the finer details of some issues, such as how long to deploy a spray upon an individual perennial, we agree that water is an absolute necessity for flowers, and that when April showers are a distant memory, it's only our teamwork that will preserve the order we have established with weedblock fabric and mulch. And that's enough to make our relationship start, and undoubtedly it will grow over time.

Lawrence Sleeps In

Lawrence looks out the window wistfully, ready to begin

Lawrence waits for the sun to come out so he can get to work

Some people wondered how a cosmopolitan, artistic, urban soul like me would fit into the rustic, drive-to-the-strip-mall life in Casinoport.

I fit right in, thanks.

- posted by Brian J. @ 8:35 PM