YARDWORK!
After the requisite large breakfast, it was outside with the ol' edger to get things spiffed up for NEXT Saturday's party. But in a departure from the usual way of things, I actually had some help this time. Cat decided she wanted to be outside, so I had her go get the broom and start sweeping up the edge clippings. And in a minor miracle, she actually stayed after it until we'd swept everything up in to nice neat piles! Which I then blew everywhere with the lawnmower. Silly me.
I was just glad to get the lawnmower started--seems SOMEone left gas in it last season, and didn't put any fuel stabilizer in it, and it was VERY hard to crank. Stupid person, who shall remain nameless!
But before THAT bit of motorized mayhem, it was time to get the fearsome two-stroke whirling fury of death out of the shed and cut down some of the weeds popping up everywhere.
For some reason, that baby fired right off.
Blu.Bluah.BluEWah.BLAHWHAAAAA AAA AAA AAAAAuhhhh WHA AAAAA AAAAA AAA AAuhhhh WHAuhWAAAHuhhhWHAA AA AA AAA AAAAAA!
Man, I love that thing. Even if attempting to replicate its sound screws up the formatting.
And totally wrecked the cutter head on it. Several seasons back I'd gotten one of those heads with the three nylon swinging blades on it, and while great for cutting big brush, they have turned out to be a bit delicate in actual use. Two of them sheared off, and the mounting plate got a huge crack in it.
Hmm.
No fun!
Well, might as well put back on the string trimmer head, which had been buried under several season's worth of junk in the garage. I did find it, however! Although it was all out of string, which is one of the reasons why I'd gotten the other thing to begin with. ::sigh::
Well, poop.
Off to the hardware store!
String, bright yellow, full of deadly cutting edges.
Home, wrap, insert into end of machinery, and then go to restart the high-pitched drone of destruction, and--
Uh-oh.
GRRR!
If it's not one thing...
The little clear squishy plastic primer bulb on the carburetor had deteriorated, and was now cracked, meaning it couldn't be squished in any possible way to bring fuel up, and even if there was fuel in it, it couldn't hold it.
BAH!
TO THE HARDWARE STORE AGAIN!
All this time, I'm fighting the clock, because we'd agreed to meet Reba's mom and dad and Ashley's other grandparents over at the Olive Garden in Irondale so they could treat her to supper for her birthday. We had to be there at 5, and it was 1:30, and I still had to cut the grass. GRR!
Oh, wait, already said that.
ANYWAY, off to the local yard tool emporium down on Main Street at the foot of the hill, who have all sorts of parts and junk for stuff like string trimmers. They've been in business for a LONG time, although how they manage to do that AND CLOSE AT NOON ON SATURDAYS, I'll never be able to figure out! ARGGHHH!!
Off to Home Despot. GAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!
No primer bulbs. In fact, few parts of any kind.
Off to Lowe's. GA--oh, wait! PRIMER BULBS! But--but these are the WRONG KIND! And they only have ONE KIND IN STOCK! AARRGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!
Dang it all. Dingderndangintall.
Well, crap.
Back to the house, put away the weed whacker, and get to work on the lawn mowing. Get the front done, but only the front, before it's time to come inside and clean up.
Grumble.
DINNER, on the other hand, was quite nice. Long wait, but the service was very good, and the food was pretty darned okay as well. And we managed not to have to pay for anything.
Home, bed.
Posted by Terry Oglesby at March 27, 2006 02:31 PM