Tarheelman, I did have the cd pack replaced some 10 years ago--when it could not be restarted when hot. I don't really know how to test for spark--have to take the spark plug out, right? I've never done that. fordtech, I guess that would mean the repair shop also for me! Thanks for both of your suggestions. I was hoping for something simple--like, you know, siphon out all the gas, do the sheboygan ritual foozie dance around the container, put the gas back in and voila! working mower!

I like your feather quilting on the Fall quilt. I would like to learn how to quilt the feather design with some sort of confidence. I can barely DRAW it on paper, much less quilt it! Need to practice more. You and your friend are both very talented! Love the colors in the last quilt. Julie

I use that same BB cream and I love it. I thought it was the same as the dark spot removing cream but with tint. I don't know why I thought that so I could be wrong. When I wear foundation I use the dark spot remover underneath. I don't have dark spots but it evens out my skin tone (I believe it uses Vitamin C to do this). But I picked up the BB cream off the supermarket clearance rack (that's where I buy a lot of name brand beauty products) at some point and would occasionally use that instead of foundation (I need lighter coverage since using the dark spot remover.) I ran low on foundation and I've been using the BB cream exclusively for a few weeks. I use a transluscent mineral powder over it. My latest and greatest find (from the supermarket clearance rack!) is Nexxus Split End Mender. I used to barely use a hair dryer on my hair and rarely saw a split end but I've become addicted to the flat iron, which comes with a price. This stuff really disguises the split ends. You only put it on about once a week. My other sort-of-recent favorite, since spring, is Mary Kay's Microdermabrasion kit. It's just a really fine-grained exfoliator. I know there must be a less expensive comparable product out there but I haven't found it yet. The kit was $58 but it lasts a very long time. It comes with a rejuvenator (moisturizer) but that hasn't moved me one way or another. You can buy the products separately - I will probably only buy the exfoliator in the future. A friend of mine started selling MK products in the spring. I tried several things but they ones I really like are the eye firming cream, the microdermabrasion cream and the Satin Hands, which she gave me half price. I don't think I would pay full price for it but I love it. It's basically just rubbing your hands with Vaseline, exfoliating, rinsing and moisturizing. That routine does wonders for your hands. For hair straightening I've been using John Frieda's 3 day straight and Brazilian Keratin Therapy Flat Iron Spray. I didn't think the 3 Day Straight did anything at first and I put it away. But it was about $9 so I decided I would use it up anyway so I wouldn't end up tossing it and I noticed my hair was staying straighter (could also be that I first tried it in high humidity weather and then started up again when the humidity moved out). Straightening your hair is like heroin - it's a pain in the butt to keep up and you wish you never started but you can't stop doing it even though you know it's causing so much damage.

My comments weren't personal at all, gyr, I'm sorry you need to go in that direction. I hope you don't blush, I think you've barked up the wrong tree. life outside your little pocket - an unnecessary personal comment unsurprised if you discount it all anyway - Thanks. I do because I found nothing in your comments that suggested there was anything wrong with what I'd previously said. Blah, blah, then too "amateur" to replace a dryer fuse - I know nothing about dryers but would guess it's a part with a wire that clips on, and it either screws in to something or is screwed on. I wouldn't know where to find it or what it looks like. Knowing now it was a thermal fuse suggests it's a protection against overheating, an important part. If it needed to be replaced, that may mean the dryer was overheating. Why? Did the cause of the problem get identified and fixed too? As I said before, how does an untrained person know what it is and that that's what the problem is? And not something else or also something else? And you ducked my question - do you engage untrained and unskilled people to work on your home appliances? If you do while being able to afford skilled services, I'd suggest that's a foolish practice. They might have completely dismantled and rebuilt tractor engines, while still in high school- Sure, I think farmers try to look after their own machinery, it's traditional, especially on family farms. They have the time and not necessarily the money to do otherwise. It's not all that hard, I'm sure most can develop adequate skills for tasks learned young and repeated annually and through the year. Does repairing a tractor mean they know how to repair a home heating or HVAC system? Or a clothes dryer? There were no tractors where I grew up. Is that part of my being in a different pocket than you? I did dismantle and rebuild a car engine. And did several brake jobs - all were drum brakes at the time. And rebuilt a starter motor. And did the simple stuff - lube, oil change, tune up, adjust timing, etc. Cleaned a carburetor (that was tricky). In high school auto shop, a class I elected to repeat several times to broaden my skills. And, some years later, balanced dual carbs on my own English sports car that a mechanic was having trouble with. Are you chuckling now or laughing at me? Have you done any of these tasks? You're suggesting there's a large, truly rural middle class that earns its living where it is and doesn't commute into more populous areas? Not counting those who desired an escape from cities or suburbia or can work from home or are retirees? Where?