What wonderful quotes; they tell us that we can go anywhere or do anything, even if it's only in our minds. Before anything can be accomplished, it has to be imagined, first.

Been a bit busy with the yard to respond before now. It's now due for another trimming with the Toro self-propelled I ended up with (a 2hr plus task last time that is bound to take a bit longer this time since I skipped one side yard and the front yard the first time round). As for the Craftsman...I've drained the fuel on it (the fuel had stabilizer in it but better safe than sorry) and will be taking the battery out to place it on a trickle charger until I can get it over to the one place that will service it since it doesn't look like they will be picking it up for me after all. Perhaps I was just plain unlucky but the problem I've been having was NOT due to lack of maintenance on my part. I've been very careful to do the recommended maintenance and have had no problems with the engine, etc. A defective safety switch is not a maintenance issue. I just wish the problem hadn't been intermittent for so long or I would have considered coughing up the $50 service charge when it was still under warranty. I was concerned that the problem wouldn't show up and I'd be out the $50 with nothing to show for it (okay and I -was- irked it cost that much when the lawnmower was still under warranty). With just one mower to base this problem on I can't say whether it's a common one or not...just that other people I've talked to seem to have had similar headaches with service and it's something well worth considering when purchasing a new lawnmower. I've also found standard air filters, etc. to be far more expensive than other brands so that's another thing to consider as well. Fortunately the most expensive part, the air filter which runs $25 at Sears, appears to be a standard Briggs and Stratton part that can be obtained elsewhere for less than half that (quite the discount, eh?). Now...to get back to that lawn. I don't suppose anyone has some sheep I can borrow for a bit...say the rest of the summer? Actually now that I think about it...anyone know if replacing a safety switch on one of these things is a DIY project? So far I've heard...it depends... From the way it's acting I've been told it may be the clutch safety. Perhaps I can work on it after fixing the trailer lights...or before since I then wouldn't need it so desperately... Just as an additional point...sometimes the inconvenience of having something like this out of service for so long can more than make up for a couple hundred dollar price difference. Now if one's talking about several hundred dollars...I'd go for the sheep myself...;-)

It's great that you are considering rescuing this little dog, and I can't think why being blind would affect housetraining. For that matter, I actually doubt being blind would make the poor dog more likely to get hit than her predecessors; dogs don't generally bother to "look both ways" before crossing the road; if they avoid cars at all, it's because they hear them coming, rather than see them. But, after you rescue this one, your neighbor is going to get other dogs and they will get hit. You (and your soft-hearted husband) might as well start wrapping your hearts and minds around that truth, or you will wind up just as heartbroken over the neighbor's next dog. My mother and her boyfriend do not take the greatest care of their pets. They live in the country, let them run, mostly keep them outside, etc, and they mostly wind up getting hit by cars. (yes, I've pointed out my feelings about this). I deal with it by reminding myself that (mostly) the animals came from the pound or are feral strays, and she generally gets older animals who are less likely to be adopted anyway, so they are still getting a couple more years out of life than they probably would have without my mother. sigh. It's not perfect, but I have to live with my mother, and you have to live with your neighbor...

The flower looks like a monkey who had too much botox treatments. But it is an interesting and nice flower.