We had a lot to do yesterday and in order to get it all done, we had to split up and share the chores. I ran to our little burg and bought gas for the mowers and picked up the mail that was held. Mr. FixIt headed to town to pick up the cat.
The grass was really thick, and still a little damp with dew in the shady spots, but I got right to work. I filled the gas tank and topped off the oil and started the mowing. Things were moving right along…I had about 15-20 feet all around the edges of both fields and the yards done when…the blades stopped turning on the mower. No sound, no sudden problems…they just stopped turning. Although it’s never happened to me, I knew the belt had either broken or popped off the pulleys. Well, that was not what I expected.
I drove back to the big building and pulled the old tractor out to finish mowing. Mr. FixIt changed the oil this spring so both tractors would be operational. I hopped on, turned the key, and…nothing. The battery was dead! Hmmmmm…I sat there cogitating. Now, taking a mower deck off and changing out a belt is not part of my skill set so the next best thing was to jump the old tractor with my truck.
I pulled my truck up close and hooked up the jumper cables, started up the truck, and hopped on the tractor. It started right up! I felt so empowered! I sat there for a little while to let the battery start to charge up a bit. I thought, “I’ll just leave it running and unhook the jumper cables and turn off my truck, then I can get back to work. I started to get off the tractor and the engine promptly threatened to die. Of course! There is a safety switch under the seat. The engine will stop when you lift weight off it.
Ok…Plan B. I tugged on the jumper cables to disconnect them, but I parked a little too far away to get leverage. By this time, the tractor had been running for a good five minutes. I was sure it would start again. I turned it off, disconnected the jumper cables, turned off the truck, and hopped back on the tractor. I turned the key and….nothing. Grrrrrrr. I pulled the truck up closer, repeated the steps above, got the tractor started, disconnected the jumper cables and thought, “How am I going to turn off the truck?”
Well…the answer was…I wasn’t. I had a full tank of gas and Mr. FixIt would be home any minute, so I just headed out and mowed. When he got home, I drove up to my sweetheart and yelled, “Turn off the truck!” He shook his head indicating he couldn’t hear me and motioned for me to turn off the tractor. I shook my head and said, “I can’t…the battery’s dead!” He shook his head and yelled, “Turn off the tractor!” I yelled back, “Turn off the truck!!!” lolol We both ended up laughing when he finally figured out what I was asking him to do. I’m sure the neighbors thought we were a sight!
Taking the mower deck off and cleaning it then running to town for a new belt and blades (one was cracked in two places) was not on Mr. FixIt’s agenda today. The old tractor really beats me up so I felt like I’d gone ten rounds in the WWE by the time I was done. I told my sweetheart, if he’d let me stretch out for 10 minutes, I’d go to town with him and buy him dinner. It was a fair trade, but the icing on the cake came as we drove home and the Pink Moon rose over the hills of West Virginia and took our breath away!
We are so incredibly blessed to live the life we have in the most beautiful place in the world. (OK, I’m biased.) I thought as I mowed…how this ground, this West Virginia red clay…has formed me as much as God forming Adam. My blood runs blue and gold and my heart will always be a Mountaineer.
Montani Semper Liberi…Mountaineers are Always Free!
“Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.”
1 Peter 2:16 ESV