I'll Do Whatever It Takes

     I thought yesterday was going to turn out a complete wash but with a bit of determination and the use of the internet, I was able to turn it around to a small success.

     A friend gave us a lawn mower that he now has no use for. It's fairly new but I'll be damned if I could get it started. I was ready to give it up and take it in for repairs. Another $100 that I didn't have but the lawn was in desperate need of mowing. I asked my neighbour about repairmen in the area and told him what was going on. He suggested a few things I could try and I decided to give it my best.

      I downloaded the manual and went to work. I removed the spark plug and it looked pretty good but I gave it a good cleaning. With help from Michael, I was able to tip it and drain the oil and the old gas. Then I proceeded to clean underneath. There had to be 2 years of dried grass and weeds. It was about 2" thick. I replaced the spark plug, added new oil and gasoline and I was ready to try it again. Voila, it started on the first pull. The smoke came out a deep blue but I assumed it was burning off the old gas that was left over. After about a minute it was running clear and clean. I spent two hours mowing and I've barely put a dent in the front yard but it's a start.

     I'll try to finish the front yard today and then maybe tomorrow tackle the backyard. Note to self: Do not rent a house with a big yard ever again. I'm getting too old for this shit.

     Learning something new is always a confidence builder. There's a riding lawn mower in the old shed that looks fairly new but that one won't start either. A leftover from the previous tenant. She moved to the city and left it behind. I have the manual for that machine and I'm going to try my hand at getting that working. It would make my job much simpler.

     People have often asked me why do you even bother? You should just move to an apartment in town. I love my privacy here and the peace and quiet are priceless. I'll do whatever it takes to keep my life as uncomplicated as I can. Out here in the little town of Spanish, life is simple, just the way I like it.