Monday, April 23, 2012

Success!

We've been so busy lately that I haven't had a chance to work on my gimpy machines. After a good night's sleep, I felt like I had a new lease on life. 
I did some writing this morning, and this afternoon I went to the parts place to pick up a new carburator I'd ordered last week for the riding lawnmower. 
The wind out of the north made the temps unseasonably cool, but the sun was bright and warm, so I let Ol' Buddy ride shotgun. He had to bark up a few hounds that ventured too close to the truck as we drove down the highway.
When I went inside, the parts lady said, hmmmm. The price is more than I would have thought. I'm not sure how many of you work on your own stuff, but I can tell you, that is a sentence you really don't like to hear.
I found myself toying with the notion of trying to finance the carb for say -- two years, but I bit the bullet and paid cash.
When I got home, I put the new carburator on, and said a silent prayer to the god of nuts and bolts that the old mower would crank.
I turned the switch and it sputtered for a moment and went dead. 
My heart sank. I almost cried like a little girl that just had her kitten scarfed up by an ill-tempered doberman pincher with bad breath.
I felt defeated, as I sat on the ground beside the old beast. Just then I looked at the motor once again and noticed a wire dangling beneath the carburator. I'd forgotten to reattach it when I installed the new part.
I felt hope flitter up my spine, as I snapped the wire into place. When I turned the ignition, it sprang to life. 
It seem to run better than the day I bought it in 2005. I cut every blade of grass on the farm and I smiled so much, I had grass-stains on my teeth. 
Sometimes little successes can mean so much.

9 comments:

  1. Nothing like the sound of a mower doing what it does best...unless it's the quiet of the mower when it's done (and so are you) doing what it does best! I do love to mow.

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  2. Sort of like getting someone in to fix your computer and they tell you it wasn't plugged in (ok, I used to do a lot of 'fix the computer' in schools around our district in the 'old days' of Apple IIE and early Mac's). Glad it was a 'not attached' wire for you today and nothing worse.

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  3. I love the picture image of grass stains on your teeth! Bwhahaha! Glad you got your mover goin' and life is good!
    Hugs~

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  4. Awww it's good to cry like a little girl now and again!! Sometimes the simplest solution is all it takes to make a big difference! Enjoy your lawn mowing! Take care
    x

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  5. Anonymous6:19 AM

    Yay!! Good for you.

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  6. Yeah! When The Hubby and I were first dating he used to get old lawn mowers from garage sales for like $5 and put a few parts in them, tune them up and sell for $30-40. I used to love to watch him tinker. He does it sometimes but on our own stuff!

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  7. Grass stains on your teeth!

    Laughed out loud at THAT one. The LOC, in contrast, just got the neighbor to volunteer to mow our "half acre of Paradise". Not sure how he pulled that off, but he did.

    Ahhhh, the sweet smell of success, or...newly mown grass ... or both!

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  8. I love the smell of cut grass - I'm glad you could make it happen.

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