Catching Up

Wow, 2 weeks since I posted here!  Well, I've been busy. 

1.  My lettuce trays on the deck "bolted" in the August heat.  Time to replant.  I have a large shallow plastic tub I use for mixing potting soil for Spring plantings.  Fine for dumping the soil in the trays and mixing it around to add new slow-release fertilizer, too.  

I did that on the deck.  No rain forecast for 2 days, so time to let it dry a bit for easier mixing.  Naturally, it rained.  And then more forecast for the next day, so I covered it wit a piece of plywood that almost reached the edges so I added a a big trask bag to reached over the sides.

The rain got in there anyway!  So I tilted it and siphoned the water out.  Muddy water doesn't siphon well, so I had to keep fussing with the tube.  I got most of it out.  And realized I had a dry tray inside, so I added that to soak up the rest.

That's not exactly rocket science, but it does take time.  I covered it better today.  The remnants of Hurricane Ida are coming straight through here Wed and maybe dropping 2-3 inches of rain on us.  The last thing I need for the trays is mud.  It compacts as it dries and I want to replant soon.  I miss my bright red leaf lettuce in my salads!

2.  I bought a battery-powered mower in 2018.  It's pathetic.  I went by Amazon ratings (no offence to Amazon) but I sometimes forget that their ratings only apply to customer ratings about things Amazon sells.  So if they sell average stuff, the best ratings are still about average stuff.

The Greenworks mower I bought has batteries difficult to remove (I devised twine loops to pull them out),  the batteries die after 10 minutes, the power is so weak that the mower cringes at 4" grass being cut down to 3", and it is entirely push/pull.  I've hated it for 3 years!

So I went to Consumer Reports magazine website (I have a subscription) and went looking for the best self-propelled models.  Wow, what a difference!  The one I bought in 2018 was rated poor.  

The best Top 3 ones at CR were about the same.  I bought a Ryobi "40V HP Brushless 21 in. Cordless Battery Walk Behind Self-Propelled Lawn Mower with (2) 6.0 Ah Batteries and Charger", model RY401014US (if you are curious).

I used it yesterday and it worked great.  Powerful, long-lasting. cut down 16" high weeds in an old bed for renovation (with a bit of care).  I had let a tall-growing weed grow there to smother the others.  I love the self-propelled rear drive wheels.  I WAS disappointed to realize that it didn't self-propel in reverse, but apparently none of them do.  My DR brush-mower does and I made an assumption that forward also allowed back.

But I use it in tight spaces and around trees where the riding mower can't go.  It's the forward self-propel that helps the most.

3.  And speaking of the DR brush mower (brutal thing that can cut down weedy shrubs and wild saplings 1.5" thick, turns blackberry canes into mulch, and is self-propelled forwards and back), I left it with gas in the tank 2 years ago (well, I expected to use it again soon but didn't).  Won't start now.  Have to inject the fuel line with "starter fluid".  Sounds like an old boy scout joke about smoke shifters, sky hooks, and 50' of shoreline, but it is real.  

If that doesn't work, back to the repair shop and and they both slow and expensive.  One thing I hate repairing is gasoline engines.  I can fix a lot of things, but those aren't one that comes easily.  

A neighbor once climbed up on the fence and asked if I was good at repairing things.  I said "yeah, as long as it isn't a 2-stroke gasoline engine".  You should have seen the look on his face; that was exactly what he needed help with, LOL!

I am switching to almost all-battery stuff these days.  They just keep working,

4.  Time for my first car maintenance visit.  13 months and I've driven 600 miles!  Laugh if you want to; I just don't drive much.  But I'm going to have to drive 120 mile round trip sometime in September to adopt my female Tonkinese cat, so I need to make sure the car is ready for a trip.

5.  The garden is producing a meal's worth of flat italian Romano beans every other day.  Not bad for a 5' long 1' wide trellis".  My 3 cherry tomatoes have fruits and I expect to strt picking ripe one in 2 weeks.  The regular-size tomatoes were planted late and are just beginning to open blossoms.  It will be a contest between warm-weather growing and the first frost on late October.  I expect a month's worth at least.  Maybe 6 weeks.

6.  The deck Mums are starting to bloom.  Yellow, orange, and red.  That will be nice.

7.  The Black-Eyed Susans are blooming nicely.

Actually, they are very numerous and spreading.  Well, they are native here. so no threat.  I encourage them.  They bloom for a few months.  My plan is to transplant the Susans in the garden paths to the meadow bed and add purple coneflower transplants (from places I don't want them).  Yellow and purple together look good to me.

Answer Mode "On"

1.  Planted the Fall veggie garden.

Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, pak choy, brussels sprouts for "cole" crops, carrots, radishes, beets, leeks, corn, beets, cukes, spinach.

2.  Got new checks.
Hurray, I can spend money the old-fashioned way again!

3.  Attached trailer ball on riding mower.
Cavebear's First Law Of Applied Geometry:  If you can bend it enough, it will fit.  Cavebear's First Law Of Physics:  The bigger the bench vise, the more you can bend stuff.

4.  Bought new car.
New checks burned a hole in my pocket.  Actually, it was a race to see if the checks would arrive before the dealer incentives ran out.  I deliver the check today after the towing hitch is installed and they drive the car here.  More about the new car tomorrow.  But it looks like this.  I like green.

5.  Figured out new edging better than that plastic crap.
Randomly-cut pressure treated wood 6-12" high, connected with stiff zinc-coated wire attached throgh screw-eyes at the top and bottom.  I'll show pictures when I do it.  I was going to do stackable concrete blocks but the neighbor beat me to it and I don't copy.
6.  Got non-subscription 2019 MS Office for Mac. 
MS demanded an annual subscription on $69.95 per year, but I found a site that sells it for $99 no renewal cost or expiration.  I'll be good for 10 years with that.
7.  Made a pizza from scratch.
Bread machine has a "dough" setting.  But their recipe sucks.  I used a 20 year old one taped to the inside of a cabinet.  But I screwed it up royally this time and had to add water during the process.  Amazingly, it came out perfect.  I won't ever be able to duplicate it.  On the other hand, I know what dough should feel like.  I make a loaf of bread* every couple of weeks.  Pizza dough can be a bit thinner for easy rolling.

I have a pizza stone, that helps.  And a paddle.  I usually simmer crushed canned tomato until it is thick.  Spread some thinly on the dough, add sliced pepperoni (or hot italian sausage), green peppers, mushrooms, and onion.  More sauce, then add provelone slices and bagged "italian" shredded cheese.  Not too much cheese.  Baked on the pre-heated pizza stone at 500F about 10 minutes...

I can't understand why my pizza (with a tossed salad) isn't considered the healthiest food on earth.

* Use beer instead of water, and add a heaping tablespoon of oregano, crushed garlic, and onion flakes and friends will BEG you to bring bread to the party...

Garden Equipment

I bought a John Deere riding mower in May.  It was highly recommended by Consumer Reports magazine and it had high ratings at a couple other sites.  Well, my previous riding mower was approaching 20 years old and more expensive to keep repaired every year.

I bought the previous one (and a cheap riding mower-that-came-before that lasted only 5 years) because I had been mowing lawns with the push kind since I was 12 and was damn sick and tired of it.  I mowed our lawn with a push mower and several local lawns with one for spending money.

I was the eldest son and so responsible for mowing the lawn.  The year I went to college, Dad bought a riding mower because my younger brother simply refused to mow the lawn. 

The immediately previous mower was good.  20 years is impressive.  But it was time for a new one.  I researched everywhere.  It's good, but the tires could be better.  They slip in damp grass a bit.  There are better treaded tires available, and chains.  I might consider that.

But this post is about ball and coupler towing.

My car has a trailer ball.  My 5'x8' utility trailer has a ball coupler.  My 2.5x4' yard cart has a pin attachment.  My new mower has a pin attachment.  I bought a trailer dolly that has a ball so that I could move the empty trailer back and forth to keep the grass growing under it and mow where it was previously.

I decided that was altogether too awkward!  So I found a ball receiver (the coupler the trailer ball goes into) that fit over my small yard cart.  I haven't installed it yet because I haven't needed to use it yet, but I made sure it fit.  I wil have to drill a second hole in the yard card handle, but I know it will work.  So I put a trailer ball in the back onf the riding mower to move the larger utility trailer. 

The trailer wouldn't go that low!  So I went online looking at ball mounting kits.  There are so many kinds.  Interestingly, none were returnable.  Well, I suppose buyers beat them up a lot and then want refunds.  Whatever.

There is a metal plate on the back of my new mower.  There are even some pre-drilled holes for various company attachments.  The farthest apart were 10". 

I found one I thought very stable.  It attached to the lower pin hole and raised about 10" with 2 arms near the top to attach to the rear metal plate (pictures lower down will help).  $70.  OK, fine, but seemed high for simple metal braces.  I ordered it.

I recieved it a couple of days ago.  Assembled it per instructions.  Remeber I said the predrilled holes were 10" apart?  These braces were designed for 14".  Not that they specified that...

I was about to try to pound the braces into shape, when it occurred to me I might get better leverage using my very strong metal bench vise.  I was actually able to bend the metal braces rather easily .  How far each time was a problem though.  I went too far at first and not enough back the second.  And each time, I had to clamp the braces to the hitch and measure the distance between the holes.

I eventually got them to 10".  Took a good 30 minutes.  But I went out to install it with various wrenches and vice-grips. 

That was tricky.  The gas tank is nearly against the back metal plate and it seems the purpose of the metal plate is just to protect the gas tank.  I wasn't try to put metal bolts in where the gas tnk would rub, and access to the back of the metal plate was very limited.

The bottom was open, but the holes were 8" up and I couldn't get my hand up that far holding a bolt.  There was a 1" hole in the side but neither my finger nor tools could reach.  Time to stop and think...

Well, I collect weird tools.  I have a funny flexible grabber.  You press the top and 4 small stiff wires open at the bottom.  I tried that holding the bolt in the grabber part and bending the flexible spring around.  It took 10 minutes of frustration, but I finally got the screw-on part of the bolt through the hole in the mower plate.

The nut has a nylon inside that holds it on.  Which made it nearly impossible to screw on because of the resistance.  I had to use a weird very long-necked plier to finally grab the hex head bolt  while I used a ratcheting wrench to tighten it.  The plier kept slipping off.  It took 20 minutes to tighten that bolt!

So, I went to the right side.  It was worse!  first, the brace hole didn't match the mower plate hole by 1/2".  But I did a "Hulk" and just squeezed until it matched.  And I paid for it later with a muscle cramp.  But you have to do what you have to do sometimes.  There wasn't even a hole in the side.  But, I discovered I could get my head under the metal plate if I held my ears flat.  I did plan that approach.  All my tools were laid out in a line next to me. 

I'm far-sighted.  So my close-up vision is not good.  I had to remove my reading glasses to get my head under the mower and then get the glasses back on.  And it was dim light under there.  But once under there, it was actually easier to get the bolt in (facing outwards) and clamp the hex head bolt with the vice-grips.

The difficulty was that I had get a washer on the outside part and tighten the nylon coated nut with the ratchet wrench by touch.  It kept slipping off, which drove me nuts at first.  Then I realized that I was thinking of the direction to turn it backwards.  Yeah "lefty loosey, righty tighty", but I was looking at it in reverse. 

When I figured that out, things went a bit better.  Got every tightened and scraped my head out from under the mower.  The slight scar on the ear is healing well, thank you...

After that, all I had to do was attach the trailer ball.  Naturally, I had taken the big wrenches back into the house thinking that I wouldn't need them any more.  Fortunately, there was enough friction on the ball attachment so that mere hand twisting tightened it beyond any natural loosening.

The entire assembly is as solid as a rock.

The ball is at a good height for attaching to the utility trailer and the assembly comes with a pin hole attachment at the bottom.  But I probably won't need it (I also bought a ball receiver for my small yard cart as I mentioned above). 

So now I can haul anything around with trailer hitches.

I mowed the lawn today and tried out hauling the utility trailer around.  It worked great!

Riding Lawn Mower, Part 2

Well, I was discussing the new riding lawn mower.  Now for more...

As I pulled up in front of the house, the cross street neighbor waved hello and asked how things were going.  I patted the mower, so he came over to take a look.  I keep forgetting his name.  So I tried to back it off the trailer ramp.  Couldn't figure out how to start it!

OK, this is kinna "guy stuff" but maybe educational to you ladies (but you know you want to know).  Here is a great "guy" day.  Laugh all you want...  Works for us.

The neighbor was admiring the new mower.  And I don't know how to start it.  Nor does he!  And he had a John Deere mower previously.  Everything is different!

So I and the neighbor were examining the push-buttons and control icons and labels "Hey this one says "cruise control" and moves up and down.  And the neighbor "This pedal of the other side looks like a brake".  Meanwhile, we can't find a key or keyhole, so we assume there is a button.

As we were examining the new (and rather odd icons on some buttons) a guy jogger stopped.  Guys have "new equipment" radar, you know.  So we were looking at the different controls, and a guy in a van saw us and stopped too.  I know the guy across the street mainly by waving while we do yardwork. I've never met these other two.  It is routine for guys who don't know each other  to gather around new equipment.  And part, not ever meeting again.

So there are 4 of us figuring out how the new mower (sitting in the hauling trailer) worked.  Keep in in mind that I could have asked the salesman how everything worked except for 2 things.  First, I expected it would be obvious.  I'm not used to buttons and levers labeled with icons (some of which are rather bizarre).  What on earth would a little box with a spray mean?  And arrows that go in and out mean up and down?  OK, whatever...

And keep in mind that the manual was in my car 10" away.  But what's the fun in reading that?  There are some usual routines with riding lawn mowers.  To start the engine, you need a key, the brake pedal has to be depressed, the parking brake has to be off (or on), etc.

We finally found the keyhole.  It was covered by a label.  Yet, there was no key though the salesman had driven it onto the trailer and taken nothing away!?  We decided there must be a master key.  I said, aha, and grabbed the envelope with the manual,  No fair looking at it yet, but there was a lump of 2 keys.

I took a key and inserted it, turned it, and NOTHING!  OK, it had to be a combination of pedals.  Probably depressing the brake and then turning the key.  NOTHING.  Baffled...

Then the van guy said "Hey, look, there are instruction on the floor of the deck"!  Ladies, if you ever wondered why we don't notice a lipstick color change or even hairstyle, it is because we see the "whole you" and details be darned.

We all immediately focused on the floor instructions.  Why that is different from reading the manual in the first place sort of escapes me, but it mattered that we as a group found it.

It wasn't a written list.  Rather, it was just arrows pointing to levers and buttons with actual words (no weird icons).  It was simple from there.  I set the speed control to beyond "fastest" (guessing it was the "choke", depressed the brake pedal and then pushed the yellow button with the fountain icon and turned the key.

Started right up!  So obvious...  The guys helped me guide the mower off the trailer and down the 6' long 8" wide ramps onto the ground.  I drove it into the shed.

I came right back out of course, because the guys knew I had to secure the ramps into the trailer, and I owed them some thanks and "guy talk".

So we discussed hunting and fishing and one guy said he had seen turkeys, and there are deer everywhere here.  And we each took a turn bragging about some hunting and fishing.  We all one had some experiences at something, so that made it a great day.

And things turned to our times here.  Why one 200' street is called "Uncle Willies Way", another is called "Garner's Road and why the upper area was a field before garden apartments were built there.  Apparently, the area was once a farmland owned by "Willie Garner".  The good news is that there wasn't a beer in sight.  We were just collected randomly figuring out the controls on my new riding lawn mower...

When I pushed the ramps into my trailer, everyone decided that it was time to get along with what they had been doing before.  I bet I never talk to jogger and van guy again,  But it sure was nice of them to help.  And I have sometimes been "van guy" (in an SUV) stopping to help someone randomly.

What a great day Friday was!

A New Riding Lawn Mower

It was time!  The old 'White Outdoor" riding mower was nearly 25 years old.  I limped it along the past several years.  It needs annual professional repair (about $400 a shot).  The charging system stopped working last year, so every start or stall needs a jump-start and it complains "NNOOO" even then.  And it cuts unevenly these days.

The tires go flat in a few weeks and, they are sneaky about it.  The tires are stiff enough so that air-pressure loss isn't immediately visible.  Until, I make a sharp turn and the bead breaks (tire separates from rim).  If any of you have ever tried to re-bead a small stiff tire, you know how difficult that is.   I should have put inner tubes in them years ago.

The local outdoor yard equipment shop is awful.  High prices, and it takes a month.  When it opened, there were good owners, but they sold it to people who are sullen and greedy.  Most mechanaics understand "make it go good", but with these new guys, you practically have to write a detailed repair ticket yourself.

So this year, when the engine started clunking and clanking when I jumped it making grinding noises as it s l o w l y started, I decided I had had enough.

I research Consumer Reports (CR) magazine, of course.  They got me my last 3 cars (all really good) and with pricing information that made the salesmen complain bitterly at first and try to deny the data.

This year, all the top models of riding lawn mowers were John Deere.  But I made the "mistake" of looking for negative reviews of them "just in case".  Naturally, I found some.  "The transmission is weak",  "you can't tow anything uphill", the dealer doesn't honor the warranty".  But other people loved them.  Well they sell snowplow attachments, back soil plow attachments and give a full 2 year warranty, so how weak can they be>  And CR tests equipment very thoroughly.

After carefully comparing the suitable riding mowers in the most recent CR  article and ratings several times, and considering my modest requirements (not trying to tow anything heavy around, gentle upslope, high rating for even cutting, good mulching rating, etc), I settled on an e-130 John Deere.


Naturally the local Big Box store didn't carry it, but going to the John Deere website, I found a local dealer (who actually had the CR price).  I called.  First, they answered a long list of questions I had about the E-130 that weren't in the specifications.  Like, do the tire valves face outwards or inwards (inwards ones are REALLY awkward).  I said we had a sale.

They told me they could give me the best price if I went back to the John Deere website and my Zipcode would actually direct the sale back to them (manufacturer incentives are really high right now).

When I expressed some doubt about that, the local guy stayed on the phone and directed me through the website, getting me to both the appropriate mulching kit and inner tubes.  I purchased.  Sure enough, in 15 seconds, they got confirmation of the sale!


I picked it up today.  Cant use it yet, it has been raining.  Well, it should dry out By Sunday morning (slight chance of rain in the late afternoon, so say 1PM mowing. 

But here is a separate nice part!  I got help!  I am saving more for a post tomorrow, but if you have read this far, tune in tomorrow!  I pay myself by the word (joke).

Frozen Indecisively

Have you ever hit a decision where you kept changing your mind?  I had that problem the past week and that sort of thing really gets me locked-up internally and I can't really get anythng else done until I resolve the issue. 

It doesn't have to be a really serious problem like a decision about medical treatment or a big financial decision.  Just something where you can't make up your mind.  Military training teaches you (I have read) to deal with a 50-50 decision by just choosing one.  But my profession was an an analyst and the thought there is that nothing is "50-50".  That there has to be some additional information that will make it at least 51-49...

My issue this past 2 weeks was my riding lawn mower.  A little background...  I mowed the family lawn starting at age 12 (and hated it).  I got several summer jobs at 15-16 (and hated it).  My first serious Summer job was mowing lawns at an army base during Summer Vacation (and I hated it).  And I still had to mow the family lawn (1/2 acre) until I left for college.

Not-very-fun story:  The month I left for college, Dad bought a riding lawn mower because my brother (who was only 2 years younger) simply refused to mow the lawn, and Dad sure didn't want to use the push mower). 

At my first 2 rental houses (with other people), part of my contribution to the general maintenance was (naturally) mowing the lawn.  When I bought my house, I had to mow the lawn.  When I bought the house, I was broke and owed my parents money for the down-payment.  When I paid that off in a year, I had to replace the old car. 

So, don't be surprised that my first voluntary purchase was a Riding Lawn Mower!  I was thrilled.  It was a rather cheap model but I kept it going for 11 years.  By that time, I could buy a GOOD One.  It is 18 years old and needs serious maintenance.  I can do the basics, but this time it is suddenly hesitating, then stalling.  If I let it sit for about 15 minutes, it starts right up again and runs well for another 10 minutes, then hesitates and stalls again.

I decided it was time for a new riding mower, and equipment always gets better, right?  I am a True Believer in Consumer Reports magazine ratings.  They never steer me wrong.  So when I looked and saw that Jogn Deere riding mowers were the top 4 rated ones, I felt certain that I should choose one of them.  I found 2 that seems to suit me.

But, as I've mentioned, I'm an analyst, and I read the negative reviews of those mowers on other sites.  I was shocked by what I read.  Apparently "new" is not always better.

The first thing I learned was that virtually all riding mowers made in the US are made by a single company with minor differences (according to brand names) about the engine and deck construction.  Like major brands and store brands of canned beans etc all mostly coming from the same producer.

The complaints I saw involved 3 problems.  Most new riding mowers use "hydrostatic transmissions".  I won't pretend to understand the details, but it seems that they are cheaper to build.  The cons are that they lack durability and require frequent maintenance. and are not good under load (hauling a trailer or mowing up even mild slopes.

The 2nd problem was that most of the newer engines are damaged by ethanol gasoline (the routine gas at gas stations).  You can by premixed gas at auto shops or a stabilizer yo add yourself.  Either way, it doubles the cost of fuel.  That adds up.

The 3rd problem is they are more expensive to maintain and repair. 

I didn't just look at one site about this.  I searched several.  They all said about the same thing.  And some were so technically detailed about the problems (many by repair-persons), that I had to accept their negative opinions about the newer riding mowers. 

So my option was to have the current one repaired again, hoping that in a few years, the current problems would be solved.  Basically, up to $400 for the current one this year vs $2,000 for a new one that would be more expensive to run and maintain and could well be expected to last only 5-6 years.

So tht has been keeping me uncertain in the day and worrying at night.  I had "bad lawn mower dreams" 2 nights.

To make it worse, "Angies List", a site that collects user ratings of business and denies business postings gave the only local repair shop I have used for lawn mower repair a C rating.  But I looked at that closely. On the lawn mower repair only, they got seventeen 5 ratings, seven 4 ratings, one 2 rating, and one 1 rating.  And the bad ratings were for "promptness".  And they got a good rating for price. 

So I delivered the riding mower to them Tuesday.  Sure enough, they said it would be a week before they got it up on their bench to provide a detailed estimate and a week after that before the work was completed if I accepted their quote. 

The good parts were that the desk clerk you writes the repair ticket seems to know exactly what I was describing about the hesitations and stalls.  And the guy "around the back" where I actually turned over the mower  asked a few good question and wrote down my answers.

So...  I bet it will take 3 weeks and the mower will be working great for a few more years.

Meanwhile, I'll have to use the battery-powered push mower a couple of times.  A battery lasts 20 minutes on that (but there are 2 of them).  So I'll have to mow the lawn in pieces. 

But at least I finally made a decision about whether to replace the current mower.  I slept well that night and got busy outside the next day.  Nothing like having a weight off your shoulders...

I'm going to send Consumer Reports a letter asking about their ratings.  But I suspect they will say they rate existing products and are not really in the business of comparing then to older ones.  Seems fair.

Another Day In The Life, Part 2.

So it was Friday.  The mower still wasn't starting.  But the battery was turning over the drive shaft like crazy.  It should have started.  I mean, all that happened was that it was running fine, ran out of gas and I refilled it.

I'm not a gas engine mechanic.  I know the theory better than the reality.  But theory helps.  I can do some simple things.  So after trying to start it again, I went for the basics.  I removed the air filter and beat the dust out of it.  I checked the oil (fine).  I checked the throttle to make sure it was working (it was).  I looked at the manual to see the things that would prevent the engine from starting (blade engaged, brake not on, no gas, spark plug wires firmly attached, etc).  None of those.  Mower just wouldn't start. 

I tried a trick I learned from a mechanic about spraying some carburator cleaner into the carburator and then trying to start the engine.  I saw some drops of gas spitting out of the top of the carburator.  No go.

It was hot and humid and I was getting pissed.  I went inside and made lunch and drank a lot of water.

Later I went back out and asked the mower why it wasn't starting.  I pulled the spark plugs.  They were fine.  Very clean.  No deposits or oil.  The gap looked right.  Put them back in.  I decided the carburator just wasn't getting gas. 

So I took off the gas cap and looked inside.  There was a BUNCH OF DEBRIS ON THE BOTTOM!  HUH?

So I figured I had to get that stuff out.  As far as I could tell, you can't remove the gas tank with out removing the engine and I sure wasn't going to do THAT!  Far beyond my skills.  I was about to try crushing an aquarium net to "fish" around in there to collect the debris, but I remembered a weird little "grabber" gadget I had for retrieving lost screws around engines and under tool benches. 

I grabbed onto the largest piece and pulled it out carefully.  It was a piece of gasket!  I looked at the gas cap and saw it matched a stud to hold the piece.  OMG!  The gas cap gasket broke and fell into the gas tank after I filled it the day before.

I took several more pieces out.  And, to my surprise, some of them were bits of leaves!  I can't figure out how THEY got in there.  Long story short, I removed a dozen bits of junk out of the gas tank. 

So the mower started right up after that, right?  Wrong!  But I'll say one thing for Walmart batteries; they keep chugging.  I got weird sounds, hisses, and a slight thunk.  And all of a sudden, it started.  I was not expecting that. 

And you better believe I drove it all around the yard for an hour mowing the last parts of the lawn short and recharging my brave little battery!  I even got all the grass clippings piled into two 3'wide rows.

That was so I could rake them into piles and cart them to my compost bins.  You can't lay down grass seed on clippings because the emerging roots need soil contact.  I collected 3 trash barrels full of grass clippings. 

Success sometimes comes hard.  A bit of knowledge, a bit of "just trying stuff", a bit of looking for the odd problem, and a bit of luck makes a difference.

Now all I have to is rough up the bare spots with a rake and spread the grass seed all over the lawn.  I have fescue grass here.  It clumps rather than spreads, so it needs to be reseed every few years to stay looking full.  But it is a vigorous grass.  Bluegrass would look nicer, but it gets too hot here and I don't get enough sunlight for it.  I spread a sun/shade mix of tall turf fescue when I renovate.

And I read up on the procedures each time I overseed, just to make sure I don't forget good hints.  Apparently, my experience is better than many internet sites, because you wouldn't believe some of the nonsense I read this week!

And THAT is tommorow's post...

Another Day In The Life, Part 1

So, I decided to renovate the lawn.  That means cutting the grass down to 1",  aerating the lawn, collecting all the grass-clippings so that new seed can reach the ground and get some sunlight, and watering the lawn slightly 2x a day to keep the seeds moist.

I thought I had the timing perfect.  Aerate the lawn with my core aerator (pulls 3"x1/4" plugs of soil out of the ground and deposits them on the surface.  That allows air and water and fertilizer to get deep into the soil, and reduces compaction.

And since I was going to be dragging the aerator across the lawn with the riding mower, I would mow the grass short in a pattern that threw the grass clippings into just a couple of 4" wide rows.

Then I would rake the grass up and save it for the compost pile.  Then spread the grass seed.  The weather forecast was for occasional rain for the next week.  Perfect for the seeds to germinate in 80 degree temps.

Well, that was the PLAN...

The aerator has a tray on the top for putting heavy stuff on the top to make the aerator tubes sink deeply. 

I bought solid cinder blocks for it years ago.  And I added more weight this time (the ground was a bit dry).

No plan works...  As soon as I started (1 pm Wednesday), I discovered the aerator tires were flat and one was tire was off the wheel.  I had to take all the heavy stuff off and raise the end of the aerator off the ground supported by bricks.  Taking off the tire was awkward.  There was one bolt on the outside and 2 on the inside.  Only the farthest inside bolt held by a wrench allowed the outside bolt to be loosened.  With the wheel off, I had to reinflate the tire.

Of COURSE it didn't have a tube inside.  That would have been too easy.  I had to get the tire re-seated onto the metal wheel in order to get any air to stay in it.  I know from past experience that pressure on the outside of the tire can get the tire re-seated onto the wheel.  I spent an hour struggling to do that, to no avail.  Well, I worked at a tire company briefly, and I remembered they had an air-pressurized tube that went around small tires to press the tire to the wheel.  I don't have one of those.  I was dripping with sweat and worn out, so I stopped for an hour.  Drank 3 glasses of water.

When I was cooled down, I tried to think of ways to squeeze the tire onto the wheel.  I have an air pump to add a lot of air through the valve all at once.  With that attached to the valve, I tried twisting a rope around it, and I tried turning a loop of rope with a crowbar.  That didn't work.  I tried putting the tire in my bench vise and using some wood clamps across the tire in 3 directions.  That didn't work.

Damn!  I finally thought of ratcheting straps (like you use to hold a boat to a trailer.  That was awkward.  12' of strap around a 8" tire takes a lot of winding.  And the straps I had only get to 6' short (from 12').  I finally managed to hook the end of the strap at a point where the ratchet would really tighten.

It didn't work.  Well, not the 1st time or the 2nd or the 3rd or 4th.    But eventually, by pounding the sides of the tire with a rubber mallet, the seal finally caught suddenly!  YAY, HOORAY, and HALALULEAH!!!  It caught suddenly and filled...  I couldn't find anything on the tire that said what PSI to fill it, but I went for 12 as that seemed tight but with a slight "give".

So I brought it back outside and put the wheel back on the axle.  Being a sensible type, I also  checked the other tire.  It was at "0" but the bead to the wheel had not broken.  So I dragged the air pump outside and filled it to 12 psi too.

By that time it was 5 pm.  I decided to stop for the day and make dinner.

Thursday, I went all around the yard, aerating and mowing at the same time (very slowly so the aerator tubes could sink into the soil).  Just before I was done, the mower ran out of gas.  Well, I had more gas in the can, so I refilled it.  And then the mower wouldn't start again! 

OK, I guess I put a lot of stress on the riding mower hauling the aerator around with all that weight on it.  But why the mower wouldn't start was confusing.  I'm barely competent with gas engines.  I thought maybe I flooded the carburator.  I decided to stop for the day and I covered the mower with a tarp due to the possibility of rain.

And the next day is tomorrow's post...

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The Good:  I had planned to go to the post office to mail the Cat's cards and my own on Wednesday.  But I got up too late.  Don't laugh, I keep REALLY weird hours sometimes.  But then I realized it was going to rain all day Thursday and I figured that would keep the customer line short in the morning.  I was right, "maybe".

I walked in and there was NO line.  But before I got my turn at the counter, there there 10 people behind me!  So it was just REALLY lucky timing.  It took me less time to BUY the 52 domestic mail stamps and arrange for the 9 international envelopes than it took to APPLY the 52 stamps to the domestic mail envelopes than it did to arrange for the 9 international.

But thank you USPS for inventing peel&stick stamps!

More Good:  With the time I saved not standing in line at the Post Office, I was able to get to the meat&liquor store (a really neat place) before the lunch crowd rolled in to crowd up the deli counter.  I was in and out in 15 minutes.  If I get there with the lunch crowd or when the high school next door lets out at 2:30 it can take an hour!

The Bad:  I've been going a little nuts trying to mow the lawn.  Yeah, so that doesn't seem a big deal...  But I haven't since early September when I had the soil level raised and sowed new grass there.  The grass was too new and the soil was too soft until November.  I wanted the new grass to develop deep roots and deep roots come from high grass (they each power the other).  And then it has rained just some every few days since.  You don't want to cut wet grass (fungal diseases).  So I finally got 3 dry days and went to mow.

More Bad:  Dead riding mower battery since it hadn't been used for 3 full months!  Even the boat battery I keep in the toolshed was dead.  Fortunately, I had just bought and charged a portable power pack and jump-started it.  Started right up, so it wasn't old gas, fouled spark plugs etc.  Mowed the lawn and mowed it double.  Thats because I don't rake leaves, I shred them in place.  It's good for the grass and the trees to keep the nutrients in place.  The leave shreds disappear into the ground after enough cuts.  But the next day, the mower battery was just as dead as before.

I have to keep the power pack on the mower between my legs as I mow now.  &*@#  Everytime I stop the mower, I have to jump-start it again.  When batteries get too low, the charger won't detect the "too low" battery.   A glimmer of hope though:  I've just read that if you put a charger on a good battery and connect THAT one to a "too low" battery, the charger detects the good battery and the good battery transfers the charge to the Too Low battery.  I haven't tried that yet.

The Ugly:  The planting of tulip and hyacinth bulbs in vole&squirrel proof cages is WAY behind schedule.  The soil is what was below the ridge I had removed in September, and it is a lot harder to dig in than I expected.  My cages are 12'x14'x4".  They have to be buried  at least 8" deep.  It is taking 30 minutes per hole.  I acted like a crazed lunatic on one just to see how fast I could possible dig one.  and plant the cages with the bulbs and compost/topsoil mix and 2-6-3 fertilizer AND put a labeled styrofoam plate pinned with a metal tent peg.

20 minutes, and I was exhausted...  Best I could do all out fanatic crazy was 3 cages in 75 minutes!

Its the stones, tree roots, and clay.  And all the other details (sprinkling fertilizer, scooping the compost/topsoil mix into a bucket to pour over it all, and then covering it with existing soil takes a lot more time than I realized.  10 days of that (in non-rain days) and I have 11 of 20 cages planted.  And I have 150 daffodils to plant (which at least don't need cages, being toxic to mammals, and I can use an small auger for those.

But the worrisome thing is that tulips, etc, need chilling time, and the ground here is usually frozen by December 1st.  So it is possible that none of all these bulbs I am killing myself planting will bloom at all next year (they would grow foliage and bloom next year if there is enough chill-time), but climate-warming may make all my work futile!

More Ugly:  Winter is coming, and even though my 11 year Toyota Highlander is kept in a built-in garage, the battery routinely dies.  The experts say I just don't drive enough.  So I might be looking at 3 months of having to jump-start the car in the garage everytime I want to go anywhere (everything I need is within a mile usually and once every couple weeks I drive 10 miles to the meat/wine store).  I have to keep a fully charged boat battery in the car for jump starts.  It isn't the battery, new ones die too.

Hey, some people love to drive, I don't.

It begins with the first hard freeze and ends with the last hard freeze.  Yet the garage temperature never falls below 45F.  Drives me nuts.  I KNOW there has to be some car component that is drawing on the battery in cold weather, but I can't image what.  One of the many things Dad didn't teach me about was cars.  The experts at dealership and online just say drive it 30 minutes every few days.  ARGH! 

The Return Of The Mowers

I love Angie's List!  I have had nothing but superb service and value from every contractor and medical service I have selected since I joined.  Consumers Union for the local community...

Angie's List gives letter grades for quality, price, responsiveness, punctuality, and professionalism.  I focus on price and quality.  Price and quality together = value.  You can search for service providers many ways, but I only look at the ones with straight A ratings.  If the only ones were too far away, I would accept a couple of B ratings but price and quality HAVE to be A rating.  So far, that has not been a problem. 

And also so far,  I found dad a geriatric doctor when he first arrived, a dentist specializing in elderly patients, a vinyl siding replacement company, a roof replacement company, a tree removal company, and most recently a mower repair company.  Every single experience has been outstanding!

Today I got my riding mower and regular walk-behind mower back.  The regular mower wouldn't start this year, and when it did last year (with great pulling of cords and bad words) the deadman lever didn't work and I had to stop the engine by shorting the spark plug against the engine block.  They took apart and cleaned the carburetor, emptied and cleaned the gas tank, replaced a broken deadman lever cable, added about the same amount of new gas back, and sharpened the blades. 

The riding mower was running well enough, but developed a sudden banging/rattling sound under the deck just as I finished mowing last week.  Fearing a loose drive shaft or blade, I stopped immediately.  And even more suspiciously, there was no bad sounds with the blades disengaged while just driving the riding mower to the trailer to bring it to them.  They removed and replaced the drive belts, and found what they initially thought was a bent part of the blade undercarriage.  It was dried grass clippings, but so hard after sitting all Winter that the blade was actually bouncing off it.  They said they had to use a regular chisel to remove it and then they cleaned off the dried grass from the rest of the undercarriage.

That was embarrassing.  I ought to know enough to scrape the packed grass clippings from the undercarriage by now.  But I haven't done that for 3 years; its awkward to get a riding mower up off the ground for access to the underside, so I always think "well, maybe next time".  But at least it's done now and I should think about a way to get easy access to the bottom in the future.

When I was a teenager, the house had a sunken basement with cinder block walls and concrete steps steps leading up the the lawn level.  It just so happened to be exactly the width of my car tires, so I had a wonderful spot to change the oil and do the very simple car stuff I knew about.  I need something like that for the riding mower.

But the point of all this is that this place (Tool Solutions, Inc) did great work, nothing more than needed, and the cost for both mowers was...  $98!  My guess was $200 at best.

And so I will go over to Angie's List and give them a straight A rating.  I used both mowers today and they both worked better than ever, the price was great, they did the work quickly, discussed the needed work without exaggerating anything,  and were very (but quietly) professional about the whole repair.  And they are 3 youngish guys, only in business for 4 years.  I will be glad to go back to them for anything.

They don't know I am writing this...

Lawn Mowers

OK, the regular rotary mower I use for tight spots hasn't started this year, so I tried to fix what little I know about.  I took out the spark plug.  It was clean.  I gapped it (checked the gap between the little folded-over part where the electricity comes in and where the arcing occurs to the gas, for those of you unfamilair with that) and sanded the surfaces.  No go.  I checked the oil.  OK.  I removed the old gasoline with cloth to absorb it and put in just enough new gas to let it start.  No go.  I tried a trick a mechanic taught me about spraying carburetor cleaner in the primer hole.  That didn't work!  I left the air filter off to see if that was the problem.  No go.

I should mention that the deadman lever stopped having any affect a few years ago, AND last year I had to stop the engine by shorting the spark plug wire against the engine block.  So there are obvious problems and I haven't been able to do any trim work this year.  There is an area in the corner of the yard where I can't mow without it.  I was embarassed (but thankful) that my neighbor did that part last week.

So I went to Angie's List to find a good repair shop.  I found a 100% A rated place only 2 miles from here.

But yesterday, I was mowing the rest of the yard with the riding mower.  Just as I was about done, a rattling sound started from under the mower deck.  And I had just noticed that the mowing strips were looking uneven.  My guess is that something is loose in the drive shaft to the blades, and I'm SURE not going to use it if that's the problem.  Of course I checked all the simple stuff (loose deck, low oil), but it runs fine WHEN the blades are not engaged.  I bet THAT repair is expensive.  I'm almost hoping the repair is expensive enough to justify buying a new one.  My current one was highly rated by Consumer Reports but I've never really liked it.  It would almost be nice to be FORCED to buy one of those zero turning radius ones, LOL!  The current one IS 15 years old and they DO wear out.

So I suddenly need to bring BOTH mowers in for repair.  I will call that local repair shop in the morning (naturally, I found them 5 minutes after they closed yesterday) about repairs and estimates.  All the reviews say they are great on speed, cost, and quality.

The grass grows SO fast this time of year.  The yard needs mowing every 5 days.  I hope they can repair either one fast.  If not, I may have to beg a neighbor to lend me a mower in exchange for filling up the tank when I return it.

I sure hope there are SIMPLE CHEAP repairs for both, LOL!

One problem is delivering the 2 mowers to the repair shop.  I have a hauling trailer, but it was filled with Leaf-Gro compost (a wonderful local product).  So I spent 2 hours today using my mulch-fork to unload it into a wheelbarrow and from there onto the framed bed gardens.  Temps in the upper 80s and humidity at about 100% .  It was brutal. I sweated buckets.  I soaked 3 kitchen towels with sweat but I got it all done.  I hosed down the trailer to remove all the last bits of compost.

When I was done, I stood on the deck for an hour drinking 2 beers.  And then I drank a quart of Gatorade.  At least I sure get good exercise!!!

The trailer has a pin that, when removed, allows the trailer back to tilt backwards to sit on the ground.  I can drive the riding mower up on it (causing the front to tilt level again).  And I can lift the regular rotary mower onto the trailer.  Well, at least I know I can get the mowers to the repair shop and save the cost of them coming here to get them.

Mowing Again!

A few days old, but I didn't want to leave the subject of the mower repair hanging...

Yay!  I got my mower back Saturday.  I was about to haul out the old push mower, but the repair guy called Friday and said the riding one was fixed.  The grass was getting a BIT high.  Here are some pictures of the first swaths I cut...

The grass was 10" high! And I keep the blade 3" high for good grass health and weed suppression.

Another view of the tall grass.

And another.  I would have felt embarrassed, but my neighbor's grass was the same height and HIS mower is working.

It took an hour with the old push mower to get all these corners and edges mowed clean.  I sure am glad to have it back working!

My next big yard project is to reduce the amount of lawn I have...

Marks (Murphy's) Law

I love my riding lawn mower.  But it seems to develop a new problem every Spring.  This year the choke knob broke off in my hand.

I'm one of those people who NEVER have normal problems.

My "Top 30" plant provider sent me the wrong plant 5 years ago and it turned out to be "wickedly invasive".

My twice-spayed cat STILL goes into heat.

Any repair problem is "Wow, I've never seen THAT happen before.

My "Murphy's Law" event is what "Can't happen",  does.

So, naturally, the choke knob problem was "that doesn't happen".    Well, it did.  I pulled the choke out as usual a few days ago and the shaft snapped right off.  I could feel it.  And it just came out loose when pulled.  You can't start an mower that needs the choke adjusted when you can't adjust it...  I felt around inside the engine compartment to see how it was attached, but couldn't see a clue to how to get at it.  It turns out later that the entire gas tank has to be removed.  "Not something I want to mess with".

So I called a guy who will come and fix mowers on site.  I've used him before.  He does good work and is honest and his deal is "fix on site".  But to be honest, he usually has to take the mower away.  But at least he will do that.  He did something neat that I will have to remember.  He bypassed the choke by spraying carburater cleaner down the removed air filter!  That primed the starter!  Hey, I didn't know.  Maybe you did.  LOL!  I'm a gardener and woodworker.  When it comes to engines, I'm lost.   I have 2 gas chainsaws in the basement and I can't make them stay running.  That's why I have an electric one.  It always works!


So he started it right up (Starting the mower was not the problem when the choke lever worked) and drove it onto his truck.  If I had known that trick before he came, I would have mowed the lawn first.  It is already 4" high and growing.  When I get the mower back in a week, it will be 6-8" high.  This time of year, you CAN actually watch the grass grow!

Oops, Been Away...

I can't believe I haven't posted for 3 weeks!  I've been busy, just not with stuff worth taking pictures of.

I planted 400 crocus bulbs.  200 at a friend's place, 200 in my yard.

My parents visited.  That took 3 days of attention and cooking, and 2 days before to clean house and 1 day of downtime afterwards!  I had to watch Science TV for 2 days to get over having to listen to Fox News while they were here...  (Shudder)

I cleared out all the dead tomato vines.  Carefully.  There were disease problems and I tried hard not to leave any vine debris behind.  After I collected all the debris on the lawn and bagged it for disposal. I stacked all the cages far away from the garden.  I don't think fungal diseases do well on rusty metal exposed to cold Winter temperatures.

I raked all the leaves out onto the lawn.  That's right, ONTO the lawn.  I shred them with the mower until there is nothing left but leaf dust among the grass.  It really works well!  Free fertilizer and organic bulk for the soil.  My surface soil was clay when I moved here; now I have 6" of topsoil.  You don't get that by applying commercial fertilizer...

I chopped down most of the spent flowers.  That was quite an effort.  I have a lot of asters, coneflowers, monarda, sedums, etc that are 3' tall.  I had to haul a lot of flowerstalks to the slow compost pile.   And I made sure to leave the seedheads sticking up in the compost pile so the birds can get at them.

The tricky thing was the thistle seedheads I discovered.  They were hidden among the asters.  I cut one and a few seeds fell off.  So I covered the rest with plastic bags and taped them shut, THEN cut them.  I sure don't want those damn things next year.

Related weed subject:  Bindweed.  I was after them ferociously all year.  I don't think a single one got more than a few inches long before I pulled them up.  I know they are perennial and have deep roots, but if they can't grow above soil for long, they will die.

It has been raining for almost 4 days.  Leftover from Tropical Storm Ida.  That has kept me inside.

My cat LC had her annual shots and exam.  But I didn't have a stool sample.  With 3 cats, it can be hard to tell who's is who's.  I closed LC in the guest bedroom Friday (with food, water, and a litterbox of course).  No luck.  Tried it Sunday.  No luck.  LC really likes to "do her business" outside.  I finally had to leave her there Tuesday and Wednesday until I got a poop sample!    I went to the vet Thursday morning, but they were closed.  I had to wait til Friday.  Doing shopping and errands with cat scat in a plastic bag in the front seat is not my favorite thing to do.

But I got it delivered earlier today and the results were negative (she is as clean of scat-identifyable problems).  For multiple cats who like to be outside a lot, that was great news.  And, as LC is approaching 17 years, she might be expected to have some problems.  None there, anyway. 

So things are going well and I have been active.  I should learn to post about things even when I don't have pictures to show!

Back on track tomorrow, I hope.

A Few Days Without Rain?

Wow, that will be amazing! I was able to mow the lawn yesterday. It was 6" high and falling over. I had to do it slowly because there was so much grass it was choking even a lawn tractor. And I think I have to get at the bottom of the mower deck and pry crushed grass off of it. It reduces the area where grass blades can be recut. I bet the stuff is an inch thick.

Speaking of the lawn tractor, I have to start it with a portable battery pack these days. The battery is just dead! But the problem isn't the battery. I replaced that last spring and late last summer. The problem is whatever recharges the battery. I'm not good at that stuff.

I assume there is an alternator or a generator that has failed. But the last time I took apart an engine, it stayed "taken apart".

I've taken a look at the engine and couldn't even figure out how to GET at any of the parts. Things are actively designed these days to deliberately thwart owner repairs. I can't even get at the spark plugs without detaching the engine and raising it, which I can't do.

It seems I will have to jump start the mower, drive it onto my trailer, haul it to a repair place, then jump start it again just to drive it off the trailer into the repair shop. ARGH!

I am very close to just buying a new one. Consumer Reports says great things about a John Deere 42" lawn tractor. I've only had this White-Outdoor brand lawn tractor 8 years, and it has given me nothing but trouble. It doesn't even cut level no matter how I adjust the tire inflation. My cheap Hechinger model lasted 12 years and worked better.

Hmmm, I think I've talked myself into a new lawn tractor... Now what do I do with the existing one? I bet it can be fixed, so it must be worth something... Sell it $200 "as is"?