Racing mowers?

It was very ironic that I had made a video of all our animals the other day, as the following morning, the dog, allegedly slaughtered all the chickens and we got rid of her. We had had the stray dog for 3 weeks, and had gotten very attached to her, but not fenced her in, thinking still that she might belong to someone. She stayed here most of the time but wandered off on occasion. One morning I never saw her kill a single chicken, nor saw any traces of blood or feathers on her, just three chicken death scenes and no chickens. Similar to when the hawk took a chicken. Even if the dog didn't kill the chickens she didn't protect them either, and cosmo is very small and fluffy like the chickens, so the big dog had to go. the local chicken farmer tells us she probably buried the chickens somewhere for later.

We have had some gorgeous warm weather, and I decided to pull the rotten kitchen window frame with the broken glass out of the wall, making a huge 55" x 32" hole in our kitchen. But not before I pulled a double pain window out of a huge three pain frame that came with the house, rotting in the back 40. I did get pictures, but if you can imagine a window about 50" tall and about 100" wide with three 50" x333" pains in it. I managed to take it all apart without damaging two of the three panes, and then salvage enough of the frame that wasn't rotten, to make one frame that holds one pane. The rest is really too rotten or split to re use. So then the old grinder with a masonry disk to cut through the stucco, I made the hole in the kitchen even bigger, to fit the new window. Perhaps I can get a picture of the fabulous window installation, and even more amazing was my color match on the house and a nice fade in job I did on the filler blocks at the top of the window, because the new window was not as tall. Wile I covered up the mismatched wood filling the missing stucco, I also sprayed over the big black stain on the wall from the old chimney drip. If you recall our big black reverse icicle from earlier posts, it stained the wall bad. I pressure washed it steam cleaned it and gave up, painted over it, now it looks like the cleanest part of the house.

I ran over a small 5" stump with the lawn tractor. It knocked the stump right out of the ground, exasperating it from its somewhat rotten roots. But not before snapping the cogged blade timing belt. The mower continued to work, but only one blade cut, and it would contact the other blade as the other blade randomly vibrated around on its bearings. I have serial numbers and model numbers, but no massey furguson dealer within 100 miles can come up with a part number to order a belt for me. They are pretty sure they can order the wrong belt, at a cost of $100, and a week to get here. So Michelle has convinced me that she needs the lawn tractor to drive to work here in Andrew. She would drive the dune buggy, but I think it is the coffee holder on the lawn tractor, and the casual speed that really has her loving driving it. I said I will dial it up for her and enter her in the mower races, that can be found online at letsmow.com And the search began for a new to me lawn tractor. Like the racing web sight says, the best kind are the free kind. My buddy with the salvage yard is retiring, and he has 3 in his yard. Plus he has an old 40's Fargo truck, which he wants to sell. Flat head 6 and all. It is a fair bit cooler than my 57, but in far less shape to drive. I am considering buying the body to go on the 57 frame which would be a very sexy truck. I should be able to get these lawn tractors and the Fargo for a very reasonable few hun, and we can make our own little racing circuit, plus still have something to cut the grass, with a little work. Further more I think we could have more fun on a couple o 40mph lawn tractors, than we have on the much more expensive, and expensive to repair dune buggies, and therefore they could be sold, untying our tether to material objects. "You want to take possession tomorrow, sure, keep the lawn tractors."

We have had all kinds of computer drama over the last month. My hard drive died on my Lenovo 3 days after the warranty, then 2 of the three lap tops would not bring up web pages. That still isn't fixed, but it is far too nice outside to be inside for hours fixing computers. I can't believe I am inside writing this.

For pictures I think I will just add the before and after pictures of the roof and house, I have been itchin to work them in somewhere. The after picture was wile there was a gaping hole in the kitchen wall too, where the ladder sits outside. The roof looks finnished, and it almost is, just some caulking and screwing to Finnish it.