Just a quick update on the tractor. I got is all put back together and wouldn’t you know it…it did the SAME thing it was doing before I started. I looked at even more YouTube videos and I finally fell onto a couple that talked about the brake. If the brake is at all engaged, the mower will not move forward. After seven years of mowing five acres, sometimes twice a week, the spring that brings the brake back up in a disengaged setting was getting a little old. I tried mowing and holding the brake up with my foot and bingo! The mower drove like a champ. So, being the mechanical girl that I am, I said, “Why don’t we just use a bungee cord to hold that pedal all the way up? It would still be stretchy so I can hold the brake in to start the tractor.” Mr. FixIt said he thought that might work, and sure enough…I was mowing in five minutes.

Then…I smelled something hot and there was a big clank and the mower blades stopped working. The deck belt came off. I drove it back to the building and looked underneath. The belt didn’t just pop off. It was shredded! It turned out, I didn’t tighten one of the belt guides in the right place. Ugh! Fortunately, Mr. FixIt had another deck belt in the building. (Of COURSE he did! lol) I got the belt on and we changed the position of the guide to be sure it didn’t rub on the belt anywhere and I was back in business.

I mowed the whole five acres and I’m telling you, by the time I was done I was done for. I ended up having a nice Mother’s Day. I spoke to both of my Colorado girls and the WV family, as well. I’m going to knitting group this morning then, if it’s not raining, I’ll go out to the farm to mow. If it’s raining, I need to bake bread…today or tomorrow.

Hope you had a nice weekend. The weather was perfect and things are so green it hurts you eyes! Oh…the “Black Iris” bloomed just in time for Mother’s Day!!!

Well, actually…in a certain light…my iPhone makes them look very dark purple.

🩵

“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.”  ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

***Gratitude Journal***  
Today, I am grateful to have a patient husband who enjoys teaching me how to do things around our little homestead. He never gets mad at me for making mistakes…even when I ruin a $55 mower deck belt!