The alarm clock woke us up around 7 AM. From then on, it was one thing after another. The great weather convinced us to do something outside. So we packed snacks and piled in the car, destined for Falls Lake Dam for some hiking.
We also hoped to look at some houses in the North Raleigh area, so we drove by a few. We spent a good long time at one house: a bargain price but in need of quite a bit of work. We’ll have to decide if its worth the trouble.
Got to D-Daddy and Grandma’s house for a visit. Hallie ran around and didn’t want to go, but we were only supposed to be there for a quick visit, then off to the lake. By the time we were back in the car, it was nearly noon, so we bagged the hiking in favor of going to a park near home. At least that was the plan.
We ended up going to The Home Depot next to pick up materials for fixing up our house. THEN it was back home for lunch and Hallie’s nap.
Once Hallie was napping, Kelly and I got to work. I replanted the leaning mailbox post so its no longer leaning. Now it looks funny from the front porch: all straight and whatnot. I didn’t realize how used I got to seeing it keeling over. Twenty minutes of work and it took me five years to get around to it. Typical.
Kelly then planted flowers in the bed under the mailbox. Now our house has that “curb appeal” realtors are always blabbering on about. She did a wonderful job. Kelly then moved on to scrubbing the porch and front window frames to where they almost glow. She really got the house looking great!
I was then set to mow the grass, which had grown considerably in the two weeks since I mowed it. Our lawn mower is still out of commission, as I’m still waiting on a replacement part from Texas. Fortunately, our neighbor Ann volunteered the use of their mower. Only there was a catch: it wouldn’t run. If I could get it working, I could use it.
I love a challenge, so I brought their mower to our driveway and began to crank it. After three or four pulls, the engine would turn over and run for a second or two before stopping. I cranked it again and again and again but got the same results. That is, nothing.
After a minute or two, I had some things ruled out, like the fuel line being clogged, any spark plug problems, or a dirty air filter. For grins, I took the air filter off and looked at the carburetor. I noticed the throttle control wasn’t pushing the airflow plate closed when it was set to “choke.” To test things, I cranked it and held the plate closed with a screwdriver. This time, the engine kept on running. Success!
I smiled and gave a nice shave to the front and back yards, making them look fantastic. Once I returned the mower, Ann told me I had fixed what her husband and two other neighbors couldn’t fix. I couldn’t reconcile how my 30 minutes of work could do what the others’ work could not. I mean, I remember some of what I learned in high school auto mechanics, but I’m no greasemonkey by any means. It was fun fixing it, though.
Next, it was on to car washing. The beautiful day seemed perfect for it. Kelly started on hers and I moved mine behind it to wash them at the same time. Soon they were both glittering, inside and out. Its embarassing how much dirt and grime had collected on our cars. Now they sparkle, baby! Until tomorrow morning, when we’ll wake up to at least one pollen-covered car: mine, sitting out of the garage.
Sometime last week, we broke the news to our neighbors that we’re moving. They were disappointed, but understanding of the circumstances. We bought a “for sale” sign today, but its going to feel funny putting it in the yard. Moving is a big leap. Though you can plan just about everything, still you never know how it will all work out.
We’ve certainly enjoyed living in this neighborhood. We just hope our next neighborhood can be as good or better.
