I slept in this morning. I took my time with breakfast and watched some more Survivor 50. I’m still on episode 1. It’s a long one, and I’m not able to watch a lot of it at once right now. It would have been so much fun to discuss this season with Ambrose.
I drove to Payette to shop today. I wanted to restock on the high protein milk, and it’s nice to change things up when I can to get other foods that aren’t available closer to home, like the brand of sardines and mackerel that I like. I might end up ordering more items online instead of driving at some point, but for now I like the drive.
When I got home, I ate lunch and then set to work on upgrading my mower. I had two things to do. One, install the quick lock string system, and two, replace the busted mower ball. All the rocks in my “yard” had busted four holes in the mower ball, and I wanted to fix that, because there was so much debris lodged up in the thing that it smelled like toast whenever I ran it. The quick lock string system looked to save me time and string, and spare me from huffing exhaust fumes while trying to force the strings through the holes.
I read the instructions, perhaps a bit too quickly. One tool needed, Phillips head screwdriver long enough to pin the assembly in place. In addition, and generally one at a time, I ended up bringing out a rachet, two sets of sockets, a small crowbar, WD40, a wire cutter, and a box cutter. I ran into problems with the mower ball. It wouldn’t turn, and the bolt that the instructions suggested loosening seemed to be set too deep for my socket to lock with.
The mower ball and, well, everything above it, was chock full of dirt. Grasses toasted brown from the heat of the mower, dirt, dirt compacted into rock shapes, one live earwig, and actual rocks flowed out of every space. When I smacked the assembly with the crowbar, dirt would just rain down.
When it came to putting the new pieces on, I was disappointed by the fact that they had sent me pieces without clean edges. There were little lips of plastic that prevented the plates from sliding up the shaft. That’s what I used the box cutter for, to trim away enough of the plastic so that they’d fit.
This project definitely went in fits and starts. I would make a little progress and then get stymied again and again. I thought about how I would have asked Ambrose for help by this point if he were available. But I muddled through it. I got everything assembled and putting the strings on is a breeze. Easy. Cakewalk. I can’t believe they sold the old kind at all. What used to be a struggled that could take minutes is now going to take seconds. I’m looking forward to trying the mower out, but I didn’t start it today.
No, instead, I forgot that the handle was locked far forward and I flipped the mower down while squatting next to it. My action caused the handle to smack into my temple, and it was an owie, and it was a bonk on my head. I iced it before I rode the trike into town to feed my friends’ dog.
The trike did well. It was a pretty nice day, though the sun wasn’t out very strongly. It was only on the way home that I realized the front tire was running a little low. I filled it up when I got home, and then went on a quick ride to spin the tire and get the sealant in whatever crack had opened up. There’s a hole in that tube that I’ve slimed, and if I don’t ride often enough, it tends to get flat.
I did dinner and exercise. I only did the knee workout. I decided to push the shoulders. That means doing two workouts on Monday or using Wednesday morning again so I can catch up. Plus two tomorrow. And I’m planning on hiking. And cooking. Oh, also cleaning.
