WHERE’S MY BELONGING?

I haven’t actually winterized my yard for the past three years. But with the weather being so nice this week, I thought it’d be perfect to spend the day outside doing the final cut, and prepping the yard for winter.  My mom was going to have Ellie all day, I had my to-do list written, and a highlighter in hand ready to start crossing things off.  Let’s do this!

The temperature was mild, the sky was overcast.  It was a perfect day for a fall clean-up.  I had my coffee cup in hand, and my I-Pod playing my mellow fall music playlist.  The first thing I needed to do was cut the grass.  I have a small yard and only takes me about fifteen minutes.  I also cut my neighbor’s and my grandma’s grass.  She lives just a few blocks away and has a small yard as well.  So realistically, it should only take me about an hour to cut all three.  Or so I thought…

I go to start my lawn mower and it doesn’t even grumble.  I replace the spark plug and use some starter fluid.  I try again.  It grumbles, putters, and then quits.  I repeat this process four times.  It quits every time.  And then it stops even rumbling.  I pull the chord again and somehow it springs back and slaps me in the face.  After spending an hour messing with this I decide to just go to grandma’s and use her mower.  I have to go there anyways, I might as well cut hers first.  It’s still nice out, I’m feeling good.  This is just a minor setback.  Or so I thought…

I arrive at grandma’s ready to bust this out, but her lawn mower won’t start.  What?!…  Are you kidding me?!  I think I can fix it, but I just need to bring it back home first.  So I’ll fix it, cut my lawn first and then go back to grandma’s.  Luckily I get it started pretty quickly and I start to cut my grass until BOINK!  The front tire breaks off.  I’m not talking about a loose bolt, the weld broke and the whole front tire fell off.  EFF.  Seriously!?  Well, now it’s time to call my folks.  Can I borrow your lawn mower?  I already broke two…  Pleeeease.  Luckily they agree.

Finally!  I successfully cut grandma’s lawn, my lawn, and my neighbor’s.  What normally takes one hour, took four.  Ugh…  Now I want a Fall Festival Party Cake.  I want to edge and use the weed whacker to really trim it up before the winter.  No such luck!  After a half hour of trying I realize it’s not going to start.  Well I’ll at least use the blower to blow off all the loose grass from the sidewalk.  After 10 minutes I realize I’d flooded the engine.  It wasn’t starting anytime soon.  Ugh.  This is getting old really quick.  How about I use the rototiller on the garden.  That’s what I can do.  Yup!  That didn’t work either.  Now I want a box of Fall Festival Party Cakes.

I admit defeat and decide to go inside and start cooking dinner.  There in my kitchen, the mixer works, the blender works, my oven works, the stove-top works.  Maybe this is where I belong…