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...

Resolved Issues

This past week...

1.  Planted the Fall veggie garden.
2.  Got new checks.
3.  Attached trailer ball on riding mower.
4.  Bought new car.
5.  Figured out new edging better than that plastic crap.
6.  Got non-subscription 2019 MS Office for Mac.
7.  Made a pizza from scratch.

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!

Garden

Between one thing and another, I got SO behind on my gardening this year.  But I'm hoping to catch up.

I only got my tomato seedlings planted last week.  Granted, they were in large pots after 2 transplantings and 18" tall, but I can only hope there is time for fruits to grow and ripen.  They should.  Most take about 85-90 days and I have 120-150 days before first frost.  But this will not be one of the great tomato years for me.

I also planted corn, and that will be "iffy".  I planted pole beans and cucumbers, and I'm not sure how they will grow.  All the cucumber seeds came up.  The pole beans are about 50%.

But for once. I am on a Fall planting schedule.  That is best for some crops.  They grow faster on the Summer heat and mature in the Fall coolness.  The cole crops (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, brussel sprouts prefer that.  Root crops are protected from early frosts, bein underground, so I may finally get carrots and beets larger than a single bite, LOL!

I need to plant more carrots, beets, radishes, celery, and lettuces

I would provide pictures, but a 1" corn plant is not very impressive.

Lost The Checks, Part 3

In the previous post, I described the frustrations dealing with Walmart's Check Printing Service.  I messed up the first order because their website was confusing.  The checks arrived short 4 digits of my bank account number and therefore unusable.

So I called them and an agent helped me get it all entered correctly.  Walmart sent me an email several days later that the checks had been shipped.  Then they emailed me saying they were recalling the package due to "security reasons" that they would not explain.

But I kept getting tracking data say that the package was moving in my direction.  So I thought maybe the email was in error, that they had changed their minds, or that they couldn't get it back from the US Post Office.

A package did arrive.  It was the extra check register I had requested...  Whoop-de-doo!  I fired off an email to Walmart telling them how angry I was about the whole thing in the strongest language I thought might avoid a defamation suit and telling them I would mention my unhappiness at every oppurtunity.  I'm sure Walmart is quaking in their boots...

So I called my bank and threw myself on their tender mercy.  I knew getting checks through the bank would be expensive, but at least surely they knew who I was and would make sure the checks were printed correctly.  And it occurred to me that my blank checks might be out there" in some stranger's hands, so I assumed I needed to get my account number changed and that required a personal visit.  I made an appointment.

An hour beforehand, a bank representative called to ask exactly what I thought needed to be done.  I exlained, and she said she thought she could help me without a personal visit.

First, she said I didn't need to change the account.  That it would take some effort on my part because I had automatic deposits and payments.  She said she could just put a hold on the missing checks.  Since I didn't know the exact check numbers, she said she would just put a stop order several hundred numbers ahead.  I asked about the fee and she said she would waive it.  Wow!

So she asked about new checks numbered after the stop range.  I asked the cost.  She said $36 for a box of checks (100?).  I said "Wow, Walmart only charges $3.95".  She said she understood that, and was waiving the cost of the checks as well.  WOW!

I used to buy theme checks.  Pale ones so that I could see what I was writing.  Landscapes, hummingbirds, cats...  Some choices are positively psychedelic.  I don't understand how anyone can even write of those.   But checks are barely used these days.  And I have no personal need to impress my water/sewage company, the IRS, or magazine subscription companies.  I opted for a pale blue.  I use black pens.

I got a shipping confirmation from the bank's printer.  It said delivery by July 4th.  Pretty darn slow considering they are coming from only 200 miles away (New Jersey), but free is free.  But I received a delivery update changing that to June 29.  And since they are being delivered by the US Post Office, I bet they arrive sooner.

Funny afterthought...  The check printer is in "Mountain Lakes, NJ".  To my knowledge, NJ is almost as flat as a pool table.  I can't picture either a mountain or a lake in NJ, LOL!

Today is the 1 month anniversary of trying to get replacement checks.  It has been an adventure.

Some people have car problems that get fixed.  Some people have appliances that need to be replaced.  Some people have leaky raingutters that get fixed.  I never have normal problems.  On the other hand, my strange problems are never all that serious, just oddly frustrating.  I am satisfied to have only odd but non-serious problems.

So in that sense, they are almost funny to have and write about...

Lost The Checks, Part 2

I mentioned 2 weeks ago that I couldn't find my shoebox of old statements, old check registers, and unused blank checks.  Well the situation has become both a comedy of errors and a source of anger and frustration!

First, I have become convinced the shoebox is no longer in the house.  On 2 different occasions, I have searched the house square foot by square foot for anything resembling a shoebox.  This morning, considering the possibility that I decided to dispose of the old statements, I looked for any spot tat could hold just a single pack of checks. 

Nothing...

Second, Several months ago, I did some rearranging  and cleaning.  Mostly, moved a bookcase into the bedroom and boxed up a 100 out of date science/nature/information books (what use is a 1960s astronomy book?) and recycled them.  I suspect that somehow, my check shoebox got included by accident.

My shoebox search started in late May, I wrote the last of the checks in my checkbook and went to get the next.  I know I had some because the last book of checks always has a "reorder now" note on the top.  I would have reordered checks.  The first time I couldn't find them, I decided to just order more and I went to Walmart Check-printing Services online.

I messed up my account number.  The form offerred 9 digit and mine is 13, so I assumed the last 4 weren't important or that somehow they knew what they were for my bank and would just show up on the checks.  I can be very stupid sometimes.  But when I received the checks and the 4 digits weren't there, I called my bank.  They said the last 4 digits were essential. 

So I called Walmart.  They said the form offerred 9, 11, 0r 13 digits.  So it was my fault.  I accepted that, and the Walmart agent took a new order for checks (and corrected where I had entered my address 2x on the previous order.  I paid a fee for rapid printing and delivery. 

Two days later, I received an email from Walmart saying the checks had been shipped.  Two days after that, I received an email "acknowledging" that the order had been cancelled.  That was confusing.  Before I called them the next day to see what I had done wrong THIS TIME, I received an email saying the order was cancelled due to "security concerns" and that they would not answer any questions because "it might reveal information about their security system".  And, they said, they were taking the shipment back.

I called anyway.  When I entered the order number in their initial automated system, they terminated the call.  I called again and chose to speak to an agent.  I told the agent that I didn't want to know anything about their security system, but if there was any information I could provide on the phone or by email I would be happy to do so.  The agent said he had no information on the cause of the "security concern" and was not permitted to forward my call to the security office.

I suspect it was because their security system detected 2 orders for the same series of check numbers.  The first one that I messed up and the second that the previous agent had helped me with.  That would have been easily explainable, but I was refused the chance to do so.

But there was the email saying the checks had been shipped.  How could they stop the delivery?  I had the tracking number and checked it.  It gets weird here.  The tracking data showed that DHL had gotten the package to Maryland and then missent it to Louisiana and was resending it to Maryland via the US Postal Service.  Well, who can take back a package from the USPS?  So I expected to receive it anyway.  It bounced around in Louisiana for 2 days, then showed up as arriving in Maryland again and scheduled for delivery June 19.  Hurray, at least I would see what was wrong with the checks (if anything).

It arrived.  Only it was just the "extra" check register I had requested.  Walmart actually did grab the package of checks back.  And then it occurred to me that there were blank checks "somewhere" out there (unless they are still lost somewhere in the house).

Third, so Saturday morning, I accepted the inevitable.  I needed to have the bank cancel my checking account number, establish a new account, and THIS TIME order the new checks through the bank so there could be no errors or "security concerns".  I have an appointment with them on Monday to do all that.

I vaguely suspect that someday I will find that missing shoebox of old statements, registers and blank checks in a weird place in the house (and suddenly recall why it is there).  I will be amazed.  And I will just burn them.  But for now, I can't imagine living without checks.

And BTW, HAPPY FATHERS DAY to all the dads out there.

Busy Days

I've been slacking.  Distracted and sad, really.  I started staying up late and getting up late.  Laying in bed for 10 hours.  Bad weather, Covid-19, not shopping, Iza's departure, repetitive news, clutter, ignoring my veggie garden, 2 crazy neighbors, no sports on TV, etc.

Suddenly, I feel a bit back in control.  I got the bike and air pressure charger and 2 trailer tires sold (less clutter).  I finally purchased a new riding mower to replace the 25 year old one that had been limping along and getting worse.  Still missing Iza so much but accepting that she is gone.  Laz was really difficult the first month, but is doing better (though I am learning he was poorly socialized when young).  I watch science and nature DVDs and listen to CDs more than the news (I understand the importance of current events, but 2 weeks of "Breaking News" on the same 2 subjects wore me out), no longer much worrying about dying everytime I had to buy food, and watching previous sports games.

Friday, I finally had enough of just laying in bed and got up at 7 am.  Which may be late for some, but I spent 35 years getting up at 5 am and I'm not recovered from that yet.  I got up and made breakfast.  For me, that is a weird meal when you normally get up at Noon.  But I make a very good 2x-folded cheese and minced bacon omelet  or 2 soft-fried eggs on a pancake breakfast when I feel like it.

So I was outside by 9 am Friday.  So many things to catch up on.  I had planned for it, charging up all the battery-powered tools.

First thing was to use the electric mower to cut the lawn 2 rows along the property line and around the utility boxes on the property line.  I mentioned recently that the next door neighbor has little concept of property lines and LOVES his big gas weed-whacker.  And I saw him cutting around shrubs and trees IN MY YARD.

He said he didn't know where the property line was So I yelled at him (he wouldn't shut his gas weed whacker off) to stop and I pointed out the property line.  And as I walked back to the house, he went FURTHER into my yard and started whacked one of my trees.  Some people are just clueless.  I ran back out and demanded he never step foot in my yard.  He was offended.  This is the same family that started burning bruch under dry low branched trees last Fall next to my wood fence and only put it out when I said I would call the Fire Department.  Having only a small child's bucket from a wading pool...  I was ready with a hose.

Weed whackers strip the bark of trees.  Diseases and insects get in (that's what bark is FOR).  So, since he is only there on weekends (none of my business to know why) I mowed the lawn and trimmed around the trees with sheers to avoid his temptation Friday...  And I keep my ears open for the sound of him mowing.

And then I used the electric mower.  Trimmed under all the shrubs and around stuff the riding mower can't handle.  That was a lot.  Recharged the batteries.  Powerful electric but the 2 batteries only last 10 minutes each.  But I got a lot done in the 20 minutes.  Used and recharged them 3 times in 2 days.  Lots of trimming needed.

My garden is mostly unplanted.  I think the pH is all out of whack.  So I scooped some soil and added some distilled 7.0 water and shook it thoroughly.   I can use pH strips to check the pH, AND as the soil settled over 2 days, it will tell me what my soil components are.

The soil has settled around Iza's grave.  I will lift all 3 memorials and rake the soil level, put down a cut-up heavy cardboard from a bookcase, and smother all the weeds around the area.  The memorials should show up better.  I don't want weeds around them.

I cut down all the weeds between my garden frame boxes.  I tried te string-trimmer, but the weeds were so tall, they just wrapped around the trimmer head and it was difficult to remove them.  I tired the electric mower, but it won't turn the corners between framed beds and lifting it around the corners was damn hard.  I finally discovered the hedge trimmer worked best.  I will cover the paths in packing paper.  That should smother the weeds.

I carefully mowed the daffodil bed.  There are some pavers there, so it took a while.  I also have briars and weeds between the daylilies, but again, the hedge trimmer worked best.   Stuck it in between the daylilies and moved it back and forth carefully to not cut the lilies.  And it doesn't kill the brambles and wild blackberries, but after I see what turns brown and pull those out,  I can use the razor hoe at the roots of the weeds after that..

I discovered the new riding mower gives a great even cut on 4" grass but fails at 5"  so I will be diligent.  I like tall grass becaus tall leaves mean deeper roots.  But there are limits.  3' is right fo my fescue grass.

The other crazy neighbor is the same guy who was here several years ago having screaming matches with his girlfriend and taking off with their toddler late Summer nights.  But so far they are quiet.  If they are peaceful, I'm fine.

Buying A New Car

Car salesmen are amusing.  I used to find them scary, (purchased my first new car at sticker price as if I was at Walmart wanting to buy a shirt) but after the first couple cars, I discovered Consumer Reports detailed dealer cost "by option package".  For $11, I got the actual dealer cost ad it saved me about $1,000 to $2,000 each time for 3 cars.  Sadly, CR ended that service several years ago and now they just send you to Truecar, which merely gets you nearly instant offers from most local dealers (which turns out to be useful).  But I learned enough about discussing costs with dealers to still do pretty well.

This time, I demanded each dealer provide an emailed breakdown of the cost basis.  That's the various categories of costs for dealer prep, each option, delivery charge, etc.  Here's the cool part...  Each have different categories they try to get their profit.  For exaple, one dealer wanted $1,100 for a towing package, but another offerred that for $700 but wanted more for dealer prep.  I took the lowest in each category added it all up, dropped the total a few $100, and offerred that back to each.

I didn't expect to get my price.  Never try to negotiate down from their price.  Make them negotiate up from your own informed one.  Some salesman somewhere is having a bad month and feeling desperate.  If you are lucky, you find 2 of them.  And always do it by email.  You have it in writing!

So "Bill" at dealership X sends you a breakdown of costs at $28,000.  So does "Fred" at dealership Y at $29,000.  Let's say it is the towing package that differs most.  So you email Fred that you have a $28,000 offer and it is the towing package at $1,100.  Can he do something about that because another dealership is offerring $800?  AND the local trailer company will do it for $485.  And you email Bill and ask about the dealer prep fee because another dealer is $400 less than his charges.

It is important that you not lie, BTW, they KNOW what everyone else charges... You are just trying to get the best combination of the lowest prices by category.  The salesmen are looking to get $1,000 profit clear, plus incentive bonuses from their dealership and the manufacturer you are trying to get them down a couple hundred.  The whole advertised car-pricing s a massive kickback and bonus game.

I was pretty much settled on final negotiations with one dealer, then discovered a another dealer's bid was based on a higher trim model.  So we discussed that by phone today.  The salesman apologized and is redoing their price for the base model.*

So right now, I have one salesman trying beat another's offer.  I will have more information Monday about that.  Actually, they will come out nearly the same, and quite frankly the difference won't matter much to me.  It's more about the fun of playing with THEM for a change and who can get me the car first.

* I could easily afford a high trim package.  I just don't want it.  Features have changed.  It used to be that if you wanted and adjustable seat and steering wheel, those were "options".  Now all that stuff is standard.  Now, options or the improvements to the base model are fancier infotainment systems, fancier navigation systems, 16 speakers, cameras, etc.  I have a cordless phone and a desktop computer.  In the car, I listen to the all-news or the classical radio station.  I don't even WANT that distracting fancier stuff.  

And another note.  I am negotiating for a new 2020 Subaru Forrester. #2 in Consumers Report small SUV rating.  I would have preferred the Mazda CX-5 (#1 and having some parts of the ratings I valued).  But I discovered the local dealership closed and the nearest one is 25 miles away.  I fear Mazda is on its way out...

So, right now, I have a written offer for a Base model Subaru Forrester, all wheel drive, a calm green, no options but towing package.  The best current offer is about $26,800 (depends on towing package) from an out-of-state dealer.  The salesman I spoke to today at the dealership practically across the street from me is trying to match it (and you know he COULD).  

Now here is the part about why car salesmen are funny.  I have the money they desperately want.  Yet they pretend they are in charge of the price.  And they try to upsell so desperately.  You tell them you want the base model and even explain why, and they come back with a higher trim line price.  Maybe you'll go for it!  You remind them that you wanted the base model.  They extoll the virtues of the moonroof on the higher trim line.  You tell them monroofs always leak.  They say they give a 3 year warranty on the moonroof.  You tell them you are more concerned about years 10-15.  

So they drop the price of the higher trim line.  You decline, saying you positively DO NOT want the additional features.  This baffles them.  They expect every one want EVERYTHING they can possibly afford.  

If you are in a showroom (never buy a car face-to-face in a showroom), you suggest a price and they nearly cry, but have to go discuss it with it the Manager, leaving you to sit there for 30 minutes while they laugh and tell jokes and come back and say "maybe possibly if you agree to the wire spoke stainless steel alloy wheels".  

It's all a scam.  It SEEMS to me that these guys started by playing craps in back alleys, graduated to sidewalk 3 card monte, went to selling used cars and finally proved they were talented enough to sell new cars to suckers (Iike me on my first car purchase). 

So we will see what happens next week. 

Soothing Cats

I swear, sometimes I walk around telling The Mews "its OK, nothing's wrong, just relax".   I collect laundry to wash when they are napping on the bed, they leave.  Marley won't use the litterbox if he can see me but Iza would use one while I was cleaning the one next to her.  When Ayla wants to go outside, she circles away from me at the door before she goes out...  If I reach out a hand to scritch Marley, he flinches at first and then loves the attention. 

They love me when I am not moving...  It's not like I step on tails or paws.  I'm careful.  Its not like I pick them up unwanted (well Ayla likes that and I do it when she asks).  They come to me when I'm not moving.  I understand I'm way bigger.  But I am SO careful around them.

On the chair as The Lap, fine.  In bed trying to fall asleep not moving, fine.  Sitting at the table eating lunch and TRYING to read the newspaper?  They are all over me then.  They love me when I don't move. 

Cats are endlessly strange and inexplicible.  Is that why men love women and women love men?  Not really understanding what to expect day to day?

Lost The Checks

They have to be around here SOMEWHERE but I'll be darned if I can find them.  I kept them in a shoebox (they fit perfectly).  I wouldn't have thrown them out.  If nothing else, the old statements are the records of my past addresses.  And I had more checks.  Or I would have ordered more.

I am utterly baffled.  I have searched through the house.  I've gone through every small box.  Room by room, drawer by drawer, file by file.  They have to be here. but I can't find them. 

What is worse is that I discovered this 3 weeks ago while writing my last check.  I ordered new ones as a precaution (sometimes you really do need checks and I am trying to buy a new car).  And I think the account number on the new checks are missing 4 digits. but I'm not sure if those 4 digits matter. 

Of course the bank had closed when I discovered this and won't open for 2 days and the lobby is closed anyway.

Losing my mind...

IF the car dealerships agrees to my offer (which I expect they will) I can't use these replacement checks unless I know they work.

I'm trying to buy a Mazda CX-5 Sport (I don't want a moonroof or fancy tires and I don't care about the comfort of the rear seats that will never be used).   But I need a working check... 

Baby Fish

Baby Fish survived!  I mentioned in a few weeks ago. 

In a community tank egg-layers don't even try much.  Livebearers can't help it.  But for them. thhe babies are expelled and immediately eaten.  It is probably healthy for the othher fish.  But it always bothers me.

So I mentioned when one seemed to be hidden among the live plants.  2 large eyes on a tiny body.  Then I didn't see it for a week.  I assumed it was caught and eaten.

WELL GUESS WHAT?  Baby fish is still here!  It is larger, but still small enough to be eaten (fish mouths open wide).  But pretty soon, it will be of safe size.  I just hope it doesn't get over-confident too soon. 

Here is a bad picture (but the best I could get).  It is almost 1/2" long now.  And I have been crushing some regular fish flakes around the top for it...

Keep hiding in the live anachris, Baby Fish!

Neighbors

Things are getting weird.  The bad neighbor who had screaming fights with his girlfriend, kidnapped their toddler child and pushed her with the car has moved back into to the rental across the street.  Who returns to a previous rental place?  But they aren't yelling this time (yet).  Summer seems to trigger him...

The next door neighbors are nuts.  The guy only comes on weekends (there can be good reasons for that).  The lady started burning cut-down brush last Fall.  Under small dry trees and next to my wood fence!  When I saw the flames, I ran out and told her to stop.  She wasn't sure why she should, but she did get her young daughter to bring small buckets from the kiddy pool.  I was ready with an actual garden hose "just in case".  The brush is still piled against my fence.  She might decide to light it at any time. 

The guy arrives on weekends to mow the lawn.  I looked out the window and he was attacking my shrubs with a weedwhacker.  I ran outside and told him to stop.  He said he didn't know where the property line was.  So I showed him the line.  It IS kind of obvious. 

Partly, their grass is crap and mine isn't.  But mostly, any idiot could see that the line inside from the fence corner to my mailbox isn't his.  I showed him the property line with utilities across it and a concrete pad at the street.  I thought that was sufficient.

But NO!  After I turned my back, he went FURTHER onto my yard with his gas-powered weed whacker bark ripping tree killer machine and started attacking the slight grass around one of my trees.

I was stunned, so I went back and yelled at him (I had to yell; he wouldn't turn of the gas engine) and demanded he leave my yard alone (I treat it gentley).  HE got pissed (over loud gas engine whacker he wouldn't turn off). 

I showed him the property line AGAIN.  Stood on it.  "This side yours; this side mine.  Don't ever touch my side again".  He seemed offended.

How does one deal with utter idiots?

I think I stay here because of the cats buried here...

Good Day

I had a good day and it wasn't about the cats.

I sold a bicycle that had been sitting around for 12 years unused.  For $98,  The buyer examined it closely with some understanding, and seemed pleased.  That made me feel comfortable.

I sold a big air pump pressure tank to a person who wanted that exact thing.  For $50.

Two things out of my basement that I wasn't using and someone else definitely wanted.  From my POV, they were both awkward clutter.  To the buyers, they are useful things.  It can't get much better than that!

After a week of people "promising" to come and not, 2 people finally did on the same day and loved what they found.  

:)

Pricing A New Car, Part 3

When I was a teenager, Dad did a lot of car work on the family cars.  He also bought a few.  He never let me help on repairs or go along when he bought a new one.  I received an old car he purchased as a birthday gift when I was 20.   I drove it to college and had no idea how to maintain a car.  After a couple years. it died.  The mechanic showed me that the oil was like tar. 

Well who knew you had to change that?  Dad never mentioned it.  So I walked miles and rode buses for year because I was DEAD BROKE and living on Hamburger Helper.

I didn't ASK for help, but Dad took SOME pity on me and bought another old car.  It lasted 3 years.  My BIL replaced the engine from another old car but that lasted only 6 months.  After that, I never mentioned problems.

Not knowing anything about negotiating car prices, I paid sticker price for a used Chevy Vega Hatchback.  The car has a terrible history, but I actually got a good one.  After it died, I asked a friend to drive me around to several local dealerships to find a new one.  I didn't want a used car.

Now, my friend was an experienced negotiator.  Did contract negotiations.  Had bought several cars (and explained later that he had worked the price down).  We finally landed at a Chevy dealer and I asked to see the cheapest car on the lot.  I said "OK" to a Chevy Scooter at full price.  I didn't know you could negotiate.  My experienced friend did not so much as whisper a suggestion in my ear. 

And a knowledgeable friend would do that, right?  He didn't.  He just let me go on being a real sucker. I only understood what a sucker I was later.  HE said "Well, it was up to you".  Some friend... I think it made him feel "superior".  Well, we had some other things in common like fishing and games.  But I finally dropped him like rock in 2011 and am greatly relieved for having done so.

The next time I needed a car, I researched.  I found Consumer Reports car pricing site.  Loved it.  But that is all detailed in the previous 2 posts.

I've learned to negotiate and rather strongly.  I've learned that "best offers" are never the best.  I will survive without the CR pricing data.  I've learned to never offer the fair price, because salesmen just consider that a starting point to increase.  I probably won't get as good a price as I used to, but probably will pay well less than average. 

You do what you can with the information you have...

Pricing a New Car, Part 2

So, I have discovered Consumer Reports (CR) magazine no longer provides detailed dealer costs for new cars since 2015.  My Toyota Highlander is 15 years old (with only 30K miles) but is dying from general age fatigue.  There are car parts that just decay from age.  I could keep it going for another year for $3,000 (new timing belt, other belts, replace worn tires [age not tread], and general maintenance).  The charging system is failing, so I have to keep the car on a "battery- minder" (smarter version of a trickle-charger).

I could generally live with a small electric car.  I haven't left the County for 3 years.  I don't drive much.  But there are those days when I need a trailerload of compost or need to haul stuff to the County landfill.  So I need an SUV.  I suppose I could rent an SUV for special purposes, or arrange for compost to be delivered. 

It is all a bit uncertain.  But I decided on a small SUV.  The top 2 two-seat versions at CR are Subaru Forester and Mazda CX-5.  The Mazda has slight advantages (better interior, more reliable, and better driver seat),  The Subaru excels in things I care less about.

So, I went to the CR car pricing page on their website.  They sent my to TrueCar for "pricing" and all I got from that was offers from dealers.  OK,  I had chosen a specific model, color and AWD, no options (I actually didn't want any of the options). 

I responded to each of the dealers with the details of the car (taken directly from the Mazda website) and offerred a total price, delivered.  Eternal Blue (because they don't offer a dark green as I would prefer) , 2020 Mazda CX-5 AWD drive, Sport version (least fancy) no options.  And asked if they would accept $23,000 total all fees and taxes, delivered, certified bank check on delivery. 

Half ignored my question and sent upgraded car offers.  Several made offers above the MSRP and would not specify the additional fees and taxes, though they surely know them.

So I responded to all requesting more information and reminding them that I had made a specific offer on a specific vehicle in detail.  1 did.  Offerred MRSP (Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price in case the acronym is unfamiliar - which is always a joke) and said he couldn't go lower.  Idiots!  I'm 70 years old; I know better.  I know car sales are WAY down.  At this guy wants full price?  I suggested he reconsider.  He wouldn't.  I sent him a joke insulting car salesmen.  He deserved it...

I checked on another site that listed all their cars.  Apparently, the CX-5 Sport is not one they want to sell.  But one of those "chat now" boxes opened.  Considering I hadn't been able to get any reply from that place to my emails, I clicked.

We chatted.  I repeated the details from the previous emails.  Her initial offer was MSRP.  I sent her a ROTFL icon and suggested she get real.  She promised to get "her team" looking at my offer.  I bet they never reply.

So I have 2 places I'm waiting for a reply from.  They all want $28,000 and change.  I'm offerring $23,000 o let them know they have to get seriously lower.  If it gets down to $25,000, I will probably accept after something like "throw in a trailer hitch and floormats" and they will say no to the trailer hitch ($450) but OK of the floor mats and we will have a deal.  I've already checked with the local trailer store and they will add one for $250.

And if none of them go for my offers, I've not contacted the Mazda dealership in town.  Yeah, I'm saving them for last.  If I can't get the car for the price I want, I may take it.  I could buy a Lexus if I wanted to.  I just don't drive much, and impressing the neighbors is not my thing.  I just refuse to get ripped off by some slick salesman. 

And if I buy the Mazda at the local dealership for the same price the ones further away want, they don't get to gloat AND I have the Good Will of the local dealership.  When I bought the Toyota locally, the dealership added prefferred repair scheduling (a real thing by experience), shuttle service to and from home, and they were true to that.

But back to the car pricing.  Apparently, no matter how desperate salesmen are for their commissions AND having few sales these days according to news reports, they don't willing to accept less than $1,000 profit these days.  Maybe it is company rules...

I'll do the best I can.  Quite frankly, a difference of $2-3,000 doesn't really matter much on a car I expect to drive for 15 years.

I just don't ever want to be ripped off again.  That's Part 3 tomorrow...

Pricing a New Car, Part 1

I have depended on Consumer Reports magazine for fair and honest evaluations on various products from cars to cookware all my adult life.  I am a member.  I subscribe to the magazine.  I have sent money.

I loved and depended on their car reports ratings and actual dealer pricing.  I loved their detailed report on every possible option package on a car and the cost.  They gave information to ME that only the salesmen knew.

I ONLY buy vehicles that CR rated at the top...

The first time I went to buy a new Ford Taurus station wagon in 1986, they gave me information about the detailed different option packages, the actual cost to the dealer, and the things you didn't need from the dealer at extra cost.

The salesmen screamed like he was being robbed.  He said the data was false.  He complained there were other costs.  But I held the CR data in my hand and I eventually got the car for $500 above their actual cost and considering sales incentives.  They had to order my particular version from the factory, but it didn't sit on their lot costing them anything.

In 1998,I was in a carpool, and one member had this real cool Dodge Intrepid.  I researched it at CR and discovered its fancier upgrade (an Eagle Vision) actually had a much better deal with standard options than the Intrepid with added options and was a better car.  CR pricing came to the rescue again.  It was a model that didn't have a large production, so I ended up paying $700 above cost (and had to wait 6 weeks, too).  Sadly, it was not a very reliable car.

In 2005, I got the same data from CR about a Toyota Highlander.  I had them nailed to the last option package (and ones they claimed were required but were not).  I got out $500 above their actual cost including incentives.


15 years later, it is time to replace the car.  But CR doesn't provide that information anymore.  Apparently, CR was taken over by "less consumer oriented managers" around 2015.

Last week, I sought the same past information about 2 cars than seemed suited to my current needs.  The CR website offerred some information on the cars and then offerred "pricing information", which was what I wanted.

All they actually oferred (via TrueCar) was an "average sales price".  And within 5 minutes, I received offers from 5 dealerships.  All telling me they had the car I wanted.  At full price with a tiny fake discount.

CR has a deal to just send you to local dealerships!  I find that disgusting and a breaking of the Consumer Reports habit of decades.  I am both depressed at the loss of a trusted site and a betrayal of my trust in CR.

In reply to a query, CR said they ended their detailed car pricing program in April 2015.

Their decision to end the detailed car pricing information is not unimportant.  It means that, finally, after all the decades, they are willing to sell out.  They have left us at the "tender mercies" of the car salespeople. 

It is the end of an era...  They have just become another redirect-site to car dealerships...

I'm looking for a new car...    More tomorrow.

Memorial Day

Remembering and Honoring...

And, if I may, I would like to add my appreciation to those who risk (and sometimes lose) their lives fighting to save the lives of others during this Covid-19 pandemic...

Iza Burial

Part of the reason for this blog is to opine on various subjects and part is to just document my life.  And some of that involves sad events.  That can sometimes be disturbing to my readers and friends.

This is Iza's burial event.  So be aware there are some pictures that can upset gentle souls...

I mentioned previously having to wait to dig the hole due to a knee problem that flares up now and then.  And after that, I had difficulty with the hard clay soil under the 6 inches of topsoil that has built up in the flowerbed over the years.  Filling the shallow hole with water each of several days helped, and I finally got through the clay to sandy loam beneath, and the full 2' deep was easier.

First, I placed a blue towel on the bottom.  She always looked good on blue.

Then I placed Iza's body on the towel.

She loved to rip the skin off her rattley mousies (I sure bought a LOT of them during her life)  and I scattered most of them around her.  I saved a few as remembrances for me.  I also added 1 brand new one.

I will leave out filling the hole...

I placed her marker over the spot.

Iza has now joined the original Mews, Skeeter and LC.

And 2 pictures of her memorial marker, in place...

With the shrub behind them cut down, I plan to place a large sheet of heavy-duty corrugated cardboard under the markers and covering the area where the shrub was to prevent weeds and shrub roots sending up new shoots.

By the time the cardboard decays in 2 or 3 years, the area will be weed-free and I will plant some nice non-spreading weed-smothering perennial flowers behind the markers and place a narrow strip of plywood under the markers to keep the markers weed-free.

Busy Sunday

First, aren't computers so much fun?  I imported 38 pictures to iPhoto and processed them (crops, definition, and exposure).  On the last one, the Apple Spinning Beach Ball Of Death attacked and stayed on for 15 minutes.  I decided the previous adjustments had been made and "forced quit" iPhoto.  I can redo that last photo.

It took away everything after April 27!  I can understand that it didn't same tonight's photos, but I have NO idea why any previous ones vanished.  There isn't even a requirement (or option) to save each processing session.  After they are processed they are done.

Note:  I save all the original pictures because I have the space and that is the easiest way to decide which pictures to select each day.  That's why I have a 1 TB computer.  I desire to stay "cloudless" and keep things under my control as best I can.

FORTUNATELY, my current camera does not have and "auto-delete-after-importing".  So I merely re-imported all the pictures and deleted the older ones from the imported (not the camera "just in case")

There were a lot of Laz.  But there were also some of my work clearing the site for Iza's burial spot, so I can show some progress.

There was a shrub I disliked with 3" roots spreading.  I decided it had to go.  And the roots were not cuttable with a chain saw (dirt destroys chain saw chains).  So I bought a 3-pack of carbide-tipped pruning blades for a reciprocating saw (aka "saw's all", though mine is a De Walt brand).  It came with a 4th as a freebie.  Cool.


Today, I massacred the shrub.  It wasn't as easy as you might think.  The small branches were hard to cut because they just vibrated, so I used a hedge trimmer.  The large branches fell on me with the briars poking me.  I had to keep switching tools.

THEN I finally had room to dig around for a deep hole for Iza the rest in.  3" shrub roots!  Well, that was what the special pruning saw blades were for!   I used a spade to get rid of a dirt around the roots as best I could and attacked the roots.  It wasn't like a "hot knife through butter" but it worked well enough and I was able to pry them out of the soil.  If I wear out one saw blade that cost $3, worth it.

But I finally got them out of the way to dig the hole for Iza.  And with the shrub gone, those roots will die and decay.

So I started digging the hole.  3" and stop!  Hard clay.  I managed to get it 6" deep and stopped.  I was pounding on the soil with a sharp spade and pounding on it with a "mutt" .


And I know what happens when I do that for too long these days.  3 hours later, my hands would do that awful "twisty-clenching".  I'm getting older and things are harder.  And they did.  Some Aspercreme rub and and ibuprophen helps.

So I filled the hole with water to soften the clay.  It took hours  to soak in.  I didn't realize the soil was so bad.  Filled it again.  Within any luck, I will dig through softer clay tomorrow.

The hole will be at least 2 feet deep and wide.  I have the marker finished for her spot.  I lifted LC's to match it and that will be returned.  I think I will lay down a large piece of heavy corrugated cardboard to stop weeds growing around them and the cut shrub from regrowing.  I measured one carefully and it happens to fit perfectly.  It will probably last 2 or 3 years.  I have other large corrugated cardboard for them.

I will never let weeds grow among the markers again.  Lift the markers, set down new corrugated cardboard...

Is This How Drug Buyer Feels?

I went shopping at the Safeway real  this morning with the other seniors.  Now that's not a term I've used before even though I am an AARP member.  Well, I dont go out for the 4 PM chicken pot pie special at Golden Corral. 

I did get fresh fruits and veggies.  Happy to get home to put them away.

But I took a chance and drove the the local butcher/deli/liquor store that has had an hour long line outside for weeks.  I confess, I absolutely LOVE "Twisted" Brand zinfandel


Medium-bodied with aromas of wild blackberry, plum and a hint of spice. Concentrated ripe stone fruit, dark berry flavors and toasted oak carry through to the palate. Nicely balanced acidity and plush tannins lead to a lingering finish.

And it is as cheap as I am (buy me a drink; I'm yours, LOL!).  $9.99 for a 1.5L bottle

My favorite joke:  And forgive me if this offends, but I just think it is hilarious...  A guy is sitting at a bar and a women sits down next to him wearing the most skin-tight jeans you can possibly imagine.  The guy is an engineer and you know how sexy engineers are ("cough, cough, see ya later buddy").  But he is actually mechanically intrigued and finally asks "maam, how DOES one get into jeans like that"?

And she says "Well, you can start by buying me a drink".  

I'd like to think the drink was a glass of Twisted Old Vine Zinfendel.

It's the only wine I drink.  It doesn't sell worth a tinker's dam around here, but the store I mentioned above NICK'S OF CLINTON special orders it for me 2 cases at a time.  With the covid19, they had lines out the door an hour long.  I fought waiting but I was down to my last bottle, so I decided to go stand in line.

There was no line...    I walked right in and asked the manager if he had my 2 cases of wine.  He said he did and was worried I had died.  Well, he understood that I didn't like to stand in an hour line.  And he would have 2 more cases next Thursday.

But that's not why i mentioned all this.  I scored bread machine yeast!  And at a normal price.  I was down to my last tablespoon!  It is selling online for $50 a 4 oz jar...  I'm good for 9 months.  I can "deliver" my bread needs, LOL!

I'm a good person.  I only bought 1 (they had 3)  But I scored a hit and the cops didn't catch me Bwa-Ha-Ha...  I will use it carefully, interspersed with flat tortilla wraps to hold me over until the lean times are past.   Must make it last, yes my Precioussss, make it last...  Bread once a month, that would be enough right?  Keep the nasty Hobbitses away from my y e a s t i e s.  Or SHE will detect it and takes it away.  So, just a loaf once in the dark of the moon.   Yesss, she won't detect That will she...  I am safe wit hbreadness...

Iza Marker

I finished making the Iza Memorial marker yesterday.  I couldn't find the right size brass letters at first and then it took 2 weeks for them to arrive.  Apparently, 2" brass letters are actually only 1 3/4", so they match.  BTW, these came with simple slot-head screws.  Any company who provides such nearly-unusable screws should be ashamed.  Phillips heads are managable, square heads are better, star heads are amazing. 

And, naturally, I had to make it match Skeeter's and LC's markers and I had gone all fancy then.  Couldn't be a simple box or upright stand.  No, I wanted an angled front so the letters would show up.  Now I have to keep doing that.

Well, I don't mind; it's a labor of love and remembrance.  But I keep having to figure out the angles of the cuts, and after 10 years, I didn't remember exactly.  I messed up a couple of pieces.

But all turned out well...

I had initially removed the perennial plant between Skeeter's and LC's markers a couple days after Iza went over The Bridge, but my right knee fails sometimes so I couldn't dig deeper.  I have been careful with the knee for weeks, so I was ready to dig again today.

Shrub branches and briars were in the way, so I used a cordless hedge trimmer freely.  The briars were interwoven with the shrub.

But I plan to remove that large shrub anyway.  Golden Euonymus.  Evergreen to yellow leaves.  The label said 5' high and 3 feet wide,  HAH!  They grow to 10' high and 5' wide.

I only mention that because the spot where I want to bury Iza is covered with 2" thick roots from one.  I spent an hour yesterday digging up offshoots, briars, and poison ivy.  Can't have those above my sweet girl!  I think I will place black plastic or corrugated cardboard over the soil under the 3 markers to keep the weeds down.

But the shrub roots are thick.  I could cut some with an ax, but I have serious tree roots from a neighbor tree on the surface and making mowing BUMPY like driving over railroad ties.  So I've ordered "landscaping blades" for my reciprocating saw.  They will arrive in a week.

Every delay hurts.  Iza needs to be properly buried deeply and with some few artifacts of her life.  But Iza's spirit is free even if her body is triple-bagged in the freezer.  I hate that, but I have to wait yet again...  I need the saw blade to cut through the shrub roots and pry them out.

Damn, digging holes with a pry bar and shovel in frozen ground for both Skeeter and LC was actually easier.  But I am determined that Iza will be buried no less deeply nor without a few things she loved.

New Riding Mower

On May 2nd, I mentioned that my new purchase sitting on the trailer attracted attention from a neighbor and 2 passerbys (male).

No we did not practice social-distancing.  Not because we are guys, not because we are "brave", and not because we think we are immune.  In the moment, we just forgot.  A new piece of equipment made us forget about the present problems.  We were back "before".

I equally feel sure that somewhere at almost the same moment, there were some women gathered together who engaged in some accustomed group activity (I will not speculate on the activity, it doesn't matter), and equally forgot about masks and social distancing for a brief few minutes.

But yes, we were careless.  But, after we got it started, backed off the trailer, and I drove it to the shed and returned, we talked for a awhile.  And (equally without thinking about it), stood about 6' apart.  No one specifically mentioned it, but we just did it automatically.

I sure hope nothing comes of it, and the odds ARE rather slight.  Some habits are hard to break.  We want to shake hands, we want to be close to other people, we want to communicate without having to raise our voices.

Habits are old; the pandemic is new.  We err in this new situation sometimes.  All we can do is our best.

The Historian Anthropologist in me says women hug to express trust and closeness.  And that men shake right hands to show they are not holding a weapon (which is one of several reasons "lefties" were viewed with suspicion LOL).  It also determined which side a warrior would pass a stranger by assumed sword-arm and that carried through to cars by habit.

One could argue that we in the US drive on "the wrong side of the road"due to a lack of historical sword-culture.  I think of the oddest things sometimes...

Birdie Surprise

While sharing the view of Birdie-TV with Ayla a few days ago while sritcinbg her on her windowsill, I noticed something odd.  At the goldfinch thistle-feeder, there was a bluish bird very likje te finches eating seeds.  There's a "blue finch"?

I tried to get a picture right away in case it was an "exotic" but it flew away too fast.  I had a pair of "exotics" once in a front yard tree.  I could only think of them as "small black egrets".  A few weeks later, I saw a 'Wild Bird Seed' store newsletter mentioning that a pair of "Enhingas" had been spotted in the area and it showed a picture.  That was them and they had spend time in MY yard!

The newsletter is a bookmark in my Peterson Guide.  They are tropical to semi-tropical.  Why they were here, no one knows.  There hadn't been a freak storm to pull them here.  Maryland is hardly even semi-tropical (though you wouldn't know that i most Julys and Augusts).

So I thought this might be something similar.  I considered flipping through my Peterson's Guide, but quite frankly, the internet is better.  I typed in "images of US blue birds"  It showed several and one was a direct match.  I have a male Indigo Bunting in my yard.  I've seen it at the feeder several times over a few days, so I hope it is staying here.  I hope there is a female and a nest.

Reading up on Indigo Buntings, I understand they are natural here and I am practically in the middle of their Summer range.  But I have never seen one before.  My guess is that my yard has slowly evolved into a place that attracts them.  They like wood edges and shrubs; insects and small seeds. 

Much of the backyard used to be wooded, but over the 33 years here, I have been changing it smaller specimen trees and shrubs.  I have planted a patch of meadow flowers and one for bee/butterfly/hummingbirds.   The yard is mostly organic (but I can't keep the poison ivy at bay with careful herbiciding).

So here's a free internet picture...


Wouldn't it be spectacular to see some male Indigo Buntings, Goldfinches, and a Cardinal in the same picture?

I've read there are Baltimore Orioles in my area too, but they stay high in trees and I've never seen one of those either.  That would be nice too. 

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!