Fifty-five years of stone-cold naivety! That is what I have suffered. But what do you expect? I was a kid when I became familiar with Mae West. It took sitting next to my darling wife while she was watching a biography of Mae’s life before I realized just what she meant when she asked, “Why don’t you come up and see me sometime?” Oh. Come up. Got it. Shit.
Apart from that, today, embarrassingly, I took our youngest with me to check in the farm stores in town to see if I could find a carburetor rebuild kit locally. I checked one, got no help, just a “wait here while I get someone who would know” from some kid. After quite a long time waiting, I decided we had been forgotten as unimportant. I could not see a kit anywhere on the aisle that would obviously have been the place to have it if it were there at all. I was bummed, because that was my favorite store in town. It is diminished.
Next I checked the outdoor equipment shop on the other end of town. They could order one, but it would be a few days. Not good enough at all. I thought about where else to check, and my daughter suggested NAPA. Duh! Of course! So we went there, and it would be in in a couple of days again. Same at O’Reilly’s. But Big A, the guy looked up the number and walked out onto the sales floor and pointed right at one. It was not a Briggs & Straton branded one, but what the hell? Got it and went home with young one and we rebuilt the carb together. Then I got to learn how to start this old motor. It may be a problem after it has sat for a while. I’ll be looking for smoke due to bad rings. But otherwise, it ran. I got about a third of the yard mowed, too!
Mowing was a total pain in the ass. I killed it quite a few times. But unlike the battery mower, I could usually tell when the gas mower was bogging down and going to die, and I saved it a lot. That notwithstanding, I killed it a lot, too. And then it was pump the bulb three times and pull three times or so, and it would start again. It could really do with an electric start. Oh my! That really wore on me. The grass was still wet from this morning’s rain deep down. So, there was that, too. It was not just the 18 inches of lawn, or the dull blade that was causing me the problems.
I’d like to have filmed today and get a video up on YouTube. But the grass has been so outlandishly out of control, and it would look nothing but terrible. And there is the fact I am trying to get ahead of it because we are entering a potentially dangerous fire season. The grass poses a serious danger. Not even to mention that long grass makes it easier for mice to get to the house, and I would like it so much better if the cats could see them moving along.
So, no video. Will one come soon? I don’t know. I am not sure still if YouTube is for me. The money is, sure. But that’s no reason to take on a career change. The state of the car is, on the other hand. But I still have not centered my niche.
Right. This evening after a restorative nap to recover from the pain I was in from the day, I rested a bit, then got into the bathroom and cut my hair and had a shower. I feel human again! Tomorrow I will be in town working again. Six days a week, just to earn a little. Never enough.
I will try to fit in short mowing sessions to get the rest of the yard caught up. We really need to keep on top of it. Damn I wish Cub Cadet had not build such a shitty riding mower! And of course, all the brands go back to one manufacturer, MTB. I don’t know what happened to anti-monopoly laws. But I think more than 75% of the brands are just one company. The parts are interchangeable. Check before you spend! And order MTB, because they are the cheapest ones.
I have a fan in the window of my room as of last night. Maybe to cool things off. Maybe to block the sounds of the night, such as whatever swooped out of the sky the other night and killed the Baba Yega that lived in the field next to me. Or maybe it was just the odd sounds of cows. Could have convinced me either way. Where does someone get giant chicken legs to build their house on?
Now it is time to rest and see if the night will relieve me of the rest of this pain. I will need the recovery to work tomorrow. I would like to see me earn $150 for the day, though I have serious doubts since all the college kids have either left town, or taken up DoorDashing. Sensible, right?
Good Night!
From the Peasant.