mower tune~up, from a woman’s perspective…

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Charlottesville Power Equipment, filter, home chores, home ownership, lawn mower maintenance, mower tune-up, NON-Ethanol fuel, spark plug, spark plugs, spring chores, Toro lawn mower, Virginia

Last week I decided it was high time to spend real time with my 2008 Toro lawn mower. It was a splurge back then, as I chose the Personal Pace with electric start. After all, I am a single gal who is not getting any younger…ahem…and mowing commences here in central Virginia by April Fool’s Day. Back in 2000, I reduced my turf size to 3000 SF, and although a small patch, it requires weekly cuts taking about 15 minutes. I-CAN-DO-THIS! It’s about time, Toro moaned!

This year’s mower tune-up began by rolling the machine out of the shed, hooking up the charger and cord to the battery…the oil was drained last fall, and fresh synthetic was added this day.

my little powerhouse with wheels…

While the mower charged, I decided that the filter and spark plug needed changing too. Simple task, yes? Way overdue grumbled Toro!
Now I am an intuitive gal, and the filter was straight forward; a screwdriver was required to loosen the fastener, which required a trip to the basement for that tool. Easy-peasy. With filter in hand, I drove to the home improvement store where dazzling mowers are proudly on display. I did not have the special tool required to remove the spark plug, yet I thought surely the guys at the store could walk me through this step and sell me the plug I need. Hah!

what is it about spark plugs???

Without assistance, I found the filter, yet the spark plug was another story! Once I hunted down a salesperson, we both scoured the shelves of spark plugs. While scratching his head, Mr. Sales Guru headed to the computer for assistance, where hundreds of choices appeared on the screen! Hundreds! Still scratching, the man confessed he could not help me, and without the original plug, I was out of luck. Ahem…
This gal resides in a utopian countryside, and I was not willing to retrace my steps, and add twenty miles to this venture in order to retrieve the plug! Instead, I drove down the by-pass to a great little spot named Charlottesville Power Equipment. Why did I not know about this place years ago??? I drive by it often on the way to the bank, yet this store’s inventory never lured me to it’s entrance…until this day! WOW-ZER!

this place is alive with all kinds of mowers, cutting tools, phew, a man’s mecca! They should serve Man-ville Coolers here!

I was the only gal in sight!

The day I strolled into this hot spot, I was exasperated, I will admit. Why should a little-old spark plug be so difficult??? Within minutes of entering the store, I had both counter personnel laughing out loud — loudly — as almost falling on the floor laughing. Once composed, the two men decided which plug I should take home. $2.95 please.

Then the topic of fuel came up… “I always use Shell”, I proudly announced. Furrows quickly appeared on both men’s brows… “Ethanol is ruinous to mowers, ma’am” one man offered. “It eats up your engine…mowers are not designed for Ethanol…ma’am…”  OMG! Here we go. My poor little, hardworking Toro! I am slowly killing it! It’s guts surely dissolving before my very eyes! My hard-earned dollars melting away with each electric start! OMG!

After the second set of laughter quieted, these gents handed me a list of five places where I could find NON-ETHANOL fuel within a fifty-mile radius! OK, now field trips are required for filling my little gas can…yippie! I was instructed to pour the old gas into my vehicle, and go find the nearest NON-tank of the good stuff. Another day, another errand added to my full spring schedule.

Once home with my filter and spark plug, my generous, super-human neighbor who-has-every-tool-imaginable, loaned me his super-duper spark plug extracting tool.
I CAN DO THIS! In a flash, filter and plug were installed. Finally, chirped Toro.

By now the battery was charged and all that was left before Toro’s 2014 maiden voyage across the turf, was the trip into the hinterland to find the NON-ETHANOL juice.

not a pretty destination, yet where the good juice is found…

By now, you are yawning or laughing. I admit I learned a lot from this exercise — not that I needed to know all this trivia — yet days like this are only the tip of the iceberg where home ownership is concerned. Just like I know more than I ever wanted to know about septic tanks, surface water, and the size of gutters…

Happy Spring chores to you too. 😉

PS: Today when I fueled the van, I asked the Shell dealer if there is Ethanol in the regular gas (87). So glad I asked, as regular Shell is Ethanol-FREE! So no more trips to the boonies for the other pump. So glad I took the minute to ask! 😉

Copyright © 2014 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

a bit of envy

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aging, downsizing, home ownership, responsibility

Last week I met with one of my widowed senior clients who, at the age of ninety-three, continues to live independently. As I entered the lobby of her residence, I was greeted by a congenial doorman who directed me to my client. Aided only by a rolling walker, she guided me down the halls to the elevator.

During our three hour project, I realized how simple her life has become. As we purged her filing cabinet, we discarded former home documents, auto sales receipts, maintenance documents, and other home ownership information. All this is behind her and she is free of these tribulations. Outside I noticed the beautiful gardens, full and lush and I felt a bit of envy.

Today my client merely pays rent each month for this dwelling, where all else is managed by the residence, including meals. Ongoing paper maintenance will be limited to her investments, medical statements and reams of junk mail.

Oh the simplicity!

As I gaze into my landscape while the temperature warms above comfort level, I find solace within my air conditioned walls, resigned to my responsibilities of home ownership—until I choose change.

Rising before dawn to check the gardens, I water the few plants that need nurturing, enjoy the voices of birds, and escape the inevitable heat index of the oncoming day.

Yet the visit with my mature client was a reality/mortality check. In time I must choose to nurture myself and select an easier lifestyle—where daily demands are limited to those I truly enjoy. Less responsibility appeals to me, along with the freedom to roam.

Therefore, I must ponder these matters and plot my path ahead.

Have any of my followers had a similar epiphany?

Copyright © 2012 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

the thing about catching one’s breath

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Dominion Power, home ownership

The third of July turned out to be one of the most challenging days of home ownership. Grand bolts of lightning struck all around Swallowtail Cottage, leaving the power lines and step-down transformers ruptured both above and below the ground. Shards of porcelain insulators were flung over the house into the front yard. Full extent of the damage took Dominion Power nearly one week to restore.

Personally, forty-one hours without air conditioning and all other utilities, during humid 90+ degree temperatures, made for long days and nights. Food lived in 5-day coolers. Other residents on the road were without power for nearly one week, as Dominion assessed the damage, eventually bringing in specialized equipment to bore new cable under the entire area.

What was the lesson here?

• First, I have a new regard for Mother Nature and her random doses of rage.
• Second, I have the utmost respect for the crews of Dominion Power.

These highly trained individuals work round-the-clock, in all weather conditions, hanging in buckets, brushing close to lines that could easily jolt them to the great beyond.

Furthermore, these men were courteous to me, the concerned homeowner, who regularly appeared to ask questions whenever I noticed hard hats roaming my property.

The pole supporting the main cable into the area is located on the rear of my property, near an important tree line. As the repair strategy unfolded, there was talk of cutting down my precious trees to make way for large boring equipment. Had I not sweetly protested, perhaps they would have had their way. Instead, they found another access, through a nearby farm, where impact was minimal and days inched along.

You might think, “She had it easy! What about all the folks around the world who have it much worse?” Yes, I agree with you. I have immense compassion for those folks who survive catastrophic natural disasters and spend years recovering, if at all. Yet when “disaster” strikes so close to home, it becomes paramount, especially when reduced to survival mode.

I am grateful to live in a community where extremely dedicated professionals strive and risk their lives to bring comfort to those around them. I will never gripe about the cost of utilities again.

Copyright © 2011 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

the thing about home ownership

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home ownership, humor at home, septic tanks

I definitely have a love/hate relationship with my home. Having lived here for ten years, the majority of my time is spent managing projects, contractors, and tearing out former owners’ mistakes. This home is the reason I quit my full-time job (with benefits) and began working from home. In 2000, I was full of optimism and energy; today I am cranky and exhausted as holiday money is usually spent on yet another maintenance issue. I have not had a proper getaway since 1999.

Nearly two months ago, I had a slow running drain in the basement sink. When consulting all sorts of “experts”, the verdict suggested a septic system inspection. When the contractor began to dig up the yard to expose the septic tank, he suggested that the thirty-year-old distribution box be examined as well. Upon further excavation and inspection, the distribution box was found badly deteriorated and in need of replacement. Therefore, a simple $295 pump became a $2000 renovation, not including the expense to replace the damaged landscape. Work was scheduled for the following week, after the county inspected and granted a permit.

Then record-breaking rains began for weeks. Then the contractor had a death in the family. Then, upon his return, he contracted pneumonia! In a perfect world, this project should have taken a week. Instead, it took until today, nearly two months. And for my effort and expense, I have an area of lawn and garden paths that are totally trashed by heavy equipment and backfill. With current temperatures in the low 100’s, and soul wrenching humidity, renovation of this area will be delayed until fall, or whenever Mother Nature delivers cooler conditions. That said, heavy thunderstorms send red rivers across the nearby mulched beds, requiring immediate intervention. I will call erosion control next week. Perhaps sod is the remedy of choice.

So my thought for this day is: Home ownership is tricky, expensive, and riddled with dysfunction. This experience has been far from fulfilling, nor is it the way I wish to spend my retirement. Home ownership is a seductive temptress, who promises the naive serenity, only to empty one’s purse in the process. Perhaps this property will reap profits when it is sold, yet that too is debatable when listening to Nightly Business Report.

PS: The upside of this essay is the song of the small toad I hear tonight. It was delighted with all the excavation, finding plenty of hiding places, yet I feared that final day, it was crushed or buried by the traffic and closure. How could such a tiny creature survive such disruption? Alas, its song is loud and clear—a comfort along side the strong chirps of the nestling tree swallows residing in the nearby bird box.

PPS: Following all the septic efforts and expense, the drain in the basement continues to run slowly…go figure! Turns out the kitchen drains needed Glug! Now the lower level runs fine. So goes the contest…

Copyright © 2011 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved