As stated earlier you can freeze the engine and all engines by removing the spark plug and inserting starter rope into the cylinder.. On 4 cycle with OHV you will need to make sure both valves are closed. Then go ccw fron the blade side 1/2 .Turh cw and the piston will jam against the rope. As for tightening you can put a socket on the flywheel nut and tighten the screw. If you try to loosen it this way you may loosen the flywheel nut. BTW is your mower a Stripping Mower? I have one and I love it!

Thank you all! Live oak lady you had me rolling with your story! NOT that they got hurt but their names! I LOVE IT! Ya'll going to laugh at me now but I'm going to tell you another idea I had. I had told my daughter awhile back that if I could find me some baby monitors I could put the unit out there and we could hear them quacking if something tries to get them. She thinks the monitor wouldn't pick up from that distance. The pond is pretty close to the front of the house and I could sit the other one inside so I could hear them. I found me some monitors the other day at the thrift store and bought them. They are Fisher Price and they are old ones but I think I can fix something to put the one in that will be close to the ducks. I thought about a birdhouse with screen wire over the hole so the sound would enter........that way I could sit it in there and stick it up on a post at the middle of the pond on the side so I could hear them if something started trying to get one. I know you all are going to laugh at me but I have raised these things from tiny babies and am attached to them. We had one one time that we named Launch Pad after the cartoon duck. That thing was a mess! I raised that one as well. I found him dead in a wash out by the pond and he was my last one. That's been a few years ago and I am just now getting ducks again. SO I want to do all I can to keep them safe!!! They are spoiled rotten! lol We have 11, 6 males and 5 females. The ducks are big now, they're not little babies. They look full grown. There isn't a lot of bass in the pond so they should be fine in there as far as that goes.

YES! That is it! Thank you so much, Allison. BTW, I have seen just a couple of pictures of your home and it is just beautiful. I do a lot of searches for 'stucco' 'old world' 'european' etc. and see the posts about your home. And then, I see the dreaded message that the pictures are no longer linked. I would love to see more; but I understand you not wanting them posted for the whole world to see! Thanks again for the Poggio link, you are a sweetheart! Necia

Irene General advice is not to use layer of pebbles on bottom of the pot. You did say:..."Putting pebbles in the bottom of a dish is the best thing so the water can drain out of the soil"...and if you meant saucer/drainage dish, then I am reading your message wrongly and misunderstood. Using layer of pebbles to raise the pot higher will work, but there is still standing water. If you mean container itself, there shouldn't be any layers. This is faulty advice that will temporary slow down possible rotting of the roots of plant kept without proper drainage - and that is potting mix, and the container. Container should have drainage holes - anything could be a container and look good, but drainage holes should be drilled in it. Different materials need to be thoroughly mixed, they should be of approx. same size to create fast draining mix, not layered. These are considered best growing conditions for succulents. Sure, you can grow in water retaining soil or in sand, or in a container without drainage and even in water - and plants may look fine for a while. But those are not best conditions for a long term of heath of plant, and even for convenience of the grower (has to be much more attentive to the watering...)