I reek of plant bedding. And cut rosebushes. And blood…because, rosebushes. It’s not spring yet at BangShift Mid-West, but when you have a clear day of weather, you do what you can and I decided that today is the day that I would have a “no car” work day around the house. I blew that, by the way, when I put the front struts together for the Great Pumpkin Mustang, but overall, I did well. I laid down mulch, I trimmed up the plants, I checked on my fruit trees and moved some of the yard decor around, and gave the local feathered wildlife something to nibble on. All that completed, it was time to go into the shop and look at a project even more neglected than my wife’s car, the lawn mower.

Our Craftsman riding deck mower showed up in great condition, ready to do damage to the huge field we have as a yard. And it lasted exactly ONE mowing session before things went south. The cylinder filled with gasoline from a leak through the carburetor, and with those two items dealt with, we discovered that the magneto for the engine had crapped out too. The mag is on order and will be here soon enough, but for now…I’m eyeing three engines I’d love to jam into that mower. Actually, that’s not quite accurate…two are spoken for and one is beyond all hope. But I’ve been on YouTube enough. How neat would a 302-powered lawn mower be? That super-tall grass that grows in the far section of the lot wouldn’t stand a chance, mulching leaves at my in-laws’ house would be a breeze, and I could help fertilize the lawn of my neighbors three houses down with the clippings from my yard. Plus, burnouts for distance on a riding mower. Yeah, buddy!

With luck, the 18-horse Briggs and Stratton will come to life so that I can use the first dry, somewhat warm day of Spring to cut down the field of onion grass that the yard has become. But I can dream. What about you? Thought about adding nitrous to the weed eater lately?