I'm not convinced that it was an oil related failure. At least not directly. Straight gas generally causes massive piston scoring and eventual piston siezure. This appears to be a rod cap or rod bolt (broken?) failure similar to what my Duraforce did the other day. (Not a loose rod bolt) I see no evidence of piston siezure beyond what the rod and needle bearings may have done during the final seconds of running. The crank doesn't show bearing scoring marks either. The black deposits in the crabk case are from blow-by of combustion gases that leave carbon and tar-like deposits behind. Blow-by is from worn or stuck rings and that could be oil related. When a two stroke has partially obstructed exhaust ports blow-by increases somewhat and the overall power output related to throttle position is decreased by a significant amount. Therefore the governor increases the throttle opening to maintain the preset rpm range. Engine temperature increases dramatically. The rod failure could have been caused by this increase in temperaure and strain. Other factors may have been involved. Sometimes people set the governor up to a higher rpm to compensate for an engine that isn't making power like it used to. Sustained higher than normal rpms could definitely cause a failure like the one pictured. Anything is speculation at this point but I see no signs of direct lubricant related (or lack thereof) piston or bearing failure.

Thanks for the responses. There's a large body of thought (and evidence, actually) that "juvenile spaying" is the way to go. I did a LOT of reading on the topic before taking THE BABY in for the procedure, and all of it was very in favor. It's only considered a juvenile spay if they're 16 weeks or younger and she was right at 16 weeks. In shelters, they're spaying them at six weeks old. The new anesthetics (I'm told) are a world apart from the older anesthetics - which was the main reason for delaying surgery until a dog had some age on her. The pros are, the puppies heal much faster and there are fewer complications. The cons are (this is my own opinion), it's not pretty to lock a puppy in a crate with an e-collar for most of her 24-hour day. This is precious socialization time, and she *has* to be quiet so she has to either be on drugs, or spend a bit of time in the crate - for the first few days, anyway. And now with this complication, she's in there until the infection heals (which I hope is no more than a couple days away). She can not be running around and/or jumping - which is what she longs to do. Prior to this, we had a lot of fun, taking long walks and going to the dog park every day and playing catch in the back yard. She was a tired dog and a good dog. Now she's been cooped up for six days and is all fired up. I dunno. The juvenile spay is supposed to be THE thing. I thought it was the best thing to do for my little dog and I spent a whole lot of time doing my research before I made these arrangements. We got into trouble when she licked her stitches and/or when she insisted on jumping up and down like she was a coiled spring. Rose

Awwww... Most of my own woodworking tools pretty much came from a friend's father's workshop. He was too infirm to get up and down the stairs, and pretty much gave his tools to me. He was excited that I was teaching myself and was actually going to use them. He has since passed. I read this because I have no kids and no relatives not only in my area, but who have a clue about making anything with their hands. I worry about my extensive Japanese maple collection. My incredible collection of interesting, unique ornamental plants. I worry about my woodworking tools. I am sad that probably no one will like my home because my aesthetic is definitely not the norm. I have a file on my desktop titled, "If you're reading this, I must be dead." In it I'm listing how to contact people on the MidAtlantic Gardening board here for my gardens. Different boards where I'm very active. Where family heirlooms are, why they're heirlooms, and from whom. What artwork is valuable and/or family. Where the life insurance policy is to cover the care of my cats with a friend. Where to donate my life-long collection of quilting fabric. Online accounts and passwords. I was working on this today when I took a break this morning and read this thread. Sad, isn't it? That there isn't anyone lusting after the things that let you create.

I reduced! Dug up the roses I really wanted, combined some others to fill the beds and replanted other beds with veggies, flowers, annuals. I offered the buyers one year of free rose pruning and consultation, a one-year membership in the Phoenix Rose Society, along with 2-3 fertilizations for the 70 roses they inherited. Made the tags look nice, mulched the beds and checked the irrigation. We made up an 'owners manual' for the house and gardens. Here it is 18 months later and we get an occasional email from the new owners. We only moved about 15 miles and stayed in the city limits so the trip isn't a major ordeal. I gave them a pair of Corona hand shears and a pair of rose gauntlets after the last pruning. When they decided to remove a few roses, they texted me whether I wanted the roses and if I preferred to dig them up myself. I really don't miss any of the roses I left behind. The ones I couldn't easily replace came with me and the big ones stayed behind. The new owners will also allow me to come and take cuttings of the OGR's if I want. If we had moved farther from the old house, I'd have still given them a one-year membership to the rose society and left them a local contact for a Consulting Rosarian. Seventy roses can be overwhelming for novice gardeners.