Lawn Mowers

I've got this push mower that I've had for seven or eight years.  Little green and yellow, hunnert-dollar Wal-Mart special.  You've seen a zillion of them.  I use it for cutting around trees, in the back yard, and in the ditches where the big mower won't go.  It thrives on abuse, and only needs a new spark plug occasionally.  Once a year or so, I change the oil and the air filter.  It runs good, although it has its little quirks.

The starting procedure is easy.  It's got one of those little push-bubble carburetors, and I give it five pushes, then pull the starter cord.  It runs for about five seconds, then dies, so I give it two more pushes and pull the cord again.  It starts and runs as long as there is gas in the tank.  It's been a great little lawn-mower.

Yesterday, I started the derned thing and like always, it ran about five seconds then died.  No, problem, I gave the carb two more squirts and pulled the rope.  It started and ran, but I realized that I was still holding the short end of the  rope in my hand.

Well, shit.

It was running, so I tucked the little rubber handle in my pocket and did the mowing I needed to do.  If I let it die, that was the end of mowing until I put a new starter rope in it, and I've seen that dragon before.  It's a nasty, horrible job that deals with springs and rotating parts and is designed to make me loose my Christianity.  Before I'm through with that job, I'll be cussing like a shipwrecked sailor.

Monday, I;ll take that starter mechanism over to Squyres (our local lawnmower shop) and have him put a new starter cord on it.  I'll even buy a new air filter, just to show my goodwill.