The Little Red Engine that Could -- and Did...

So I was 30 minutes into shaving my lawn nice and short, in preparation for my two week extended stay in the basement (© Andrew Toney), when black smoke started coming out of the mower's engine. That was followed by some serious sputtering. Then, less than 24 hours from the basement, the mower up and died. I attempted to resurrect it for about 10 minutes before I stomped inside, rounded up my troops and announced Daddy needed to go buy a new lawnmower. My Oldest (eight) got excited and asked, "Are you going to get a riding mower? I like those!" I took a deep breath. Followed by two more even deeper ones and announced that NO! WE WERE NOT GOING TO GET A RIDING MOWER!. Forty five minutes later, a brand- spanking-new-shiny-red-Toro was in the trunk of the Camry. Out $297, I was not in a good mood. However, that changed once I got it out of the trunk and set it up. My Youngest (five), took one look at it and stated, "It's really shiny and red. I like it."


I hope to update later. I did my Friday weigh-in today and am celebrating our final meal before heading into the basement (©Andrew Toney) with my old friend -- Mr. Steak on the grill.