Two for Two: Mowers Down

  Last week when Tom was using the self-propelled Toro mower he said it wasn't working right. "This thing needs service," he said. I forgot about it until yesterday/ I hadn't planned on mowing at all - it's been much too hot and wet - but I decided mid-afternoon that I had no choice.

 I quickly found what he was talking about. When the mower is pulled backwards it makes a ratcheting sound. It does sound a bit serious. But at least mowing forward things seemed to work reasonably well.

 So I called my service guy and he said he'd be by this morning with his truck and pick them up.

 Then I switched to the John Deere lawn tractor - something I've had no recent trouble with - and got the sides of the yard mowed. But while I was mowing around the henhouse, it began to cough and sputter and sound like it was running out of gas. I headed for the garage. I didn't make it.

 The last dozen yards I had to push it and pull it (with a rope) as a thunderstorm approached from the southwest. I got it into the cover of the garage but I think every muscle in my chest is strained.

Tom (l) and Jay Short

 That's a frame from one of our security cams of us loading the mowers into Jay's truck. He said he's buried in work but will try to get to them next Monday.

 In the meantime, I'm having a neighbor's teenage son mow our back yard (which I didn't get to at all). It's about half an acre and I plan on paying him $40. That sound seasonable to me, neither cheap nor extravagant. If I ever have him mow the whole yard, I'll offer $80.

 So now to wait and see what this costs.

Later [07/01]: Jay returned the Toro but the JD is pretty much shot. The cam shaft broke internal to the mower and I'd need a new engine. Is it worth even putting a used one in a very old mower? I bought it used many years ago. And the mower was only produced for three years (2008-2010) so it is at least 15 years old.

Me (l) and Jay - returning the Toro

 Tom and I drove to Lowe's yesterday but they had none of the model I'm interested in (a John Deere S100). I suppose I'll drag my feet and order online. They say delivery and assembly is free. I'd pay over $2500 with tax so it bears some thinking.

 In the meantime we'll mow the yard with the Toro. It's certainly not designed for an acre (nor am I in the heat) but it'll buy me some time.

 It looks great mowed with the Toro ... but never again (if I can help it). We mow an acre and that's two much for two old men.

07/6: Bought a John Deere S100 at Lowe's today. They'll deliver for free this Friday. The mower will  be assembled.

07/11: The mower was delivered at about 12:45 pm. They gave me a four hour window (9 am - 1 pm) and the text messages and e-mails were quite timely and accurate. One of the drivers called about 12:15 pm and said they'd be here "in about 45 minutes". That was a nice touch.

 Now all I have to do is fill it with gas and read the manual Since I've used a JD rider for years it shouldn't be too different. I seer that there are different pedals for forward and reverse and that sure beats the way  the old mower was put into reverse (with a small pedals you pulled backwards with your heal). 

 

Footlooose the Musical

  Yesterday (06/21) Tom and I attended Footloose the Musical at Carlisle High School. Our cousin, Bentley, has a part in it (his third play this year).

 Though photographs and videos are prohibited during the  show, I hope this shot is OK. It was just as the play opened and the curtain began rising to find a row of feet dancing to the music. The play is full of 80's era music, all of it memorable and performed well.

 There were plenty of scenes I'd have loved to have photographed but I kept my phone in my pocket. Nevertheless, I saw people occasionally snapping a shot.

 The program was designed by Mel, my cousin's mother and a graphic artist. Look at the back of the program (fourth page) for donors. Credit for all printed material posted here goes to Children's Performing Arts of Miamisburg.

 After the play we briefly met with Bentley and his family. We all hope he continues with his love of theater and that it will develop into a career. But at age 13 it's early. The start is promising, though.

Tom (l-r), Bentley and myself

 I was also greatly impressed by David Hopkins who took the lead of Ren McCormack, and told him how terrific I thought he was. We shook hands as Tom and I prepared to leave. And the minister (Lucas Koerner as Shaw Moore) and the girl who played his wife (Miriam Siff as Vi Moore)) had the voice of an angle. 

 The entire cast was very impressive. High school theater has come a long way since I was in school.

Storm Damage

  We'd had advance warning that late Wednesday (06/18) there would be the potential of severe weather. During the afternoon I watched the radar and that forecast quickly became a foregone conclusion.

NWS 06/18/25 3:39 PM

 Most of Indiana was placed under a Tornado Watch. I knew the storms would get here after 6 pm, the peak heating of the day and the most dangerous time for damaging thunderstorms.

 Later it looked like we might have a Tornado Watch of our own. We didn't ... but we had an area-wide Severe Thunderstorm Watch till 10 pm and also a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for us.

 Late afternoon I walked back to the field behind our house and watched the line approach. When I took these two shots the storms had just crossed the Ohio border and was no farther away than 20 miles. This first shot looks NW.

 And this one, minutes later, looks SW. I noticed that the line, which was advancing east, was being accompanied by two thunderstorm cells sliding NNE from the Cincinnati area. The  two met atop us.

 Just after 7 pm the storm was in full force. Our power went out about 7:10 pm and was off for about two hours. Tom got out a candle and lit it. Parker continued to play as usual. I read that nearly 50,000 AES customers were without power in the Greater Dayton area. We're lucky the power was restored before we went to bed.

 Now, the next  day (Thursday, 06/19) I went out for my morning walk back Millie's lane and the first thing I saw was a spruce which had been topped by the wind and the top laying across the barn roof.

 As I approached Millie's I saw that a tree was laying down in the field.

 It had fallen over, ripping its roots out of the ground and just lying down intact. Recent rains have made the ground soft. This storm, by the way, dropped 1.05".

 Back to our property, our wild cherry at the western edge, had a major limb snapped off.

 Another white pine lost a large branch.

 In our nature reserve, a tree snapped cleanly off and was laying in the path I mow.

 And yet another white pine lost its entire top. It's lying to the north of the tree in the nature reserve. We're going to have to have professional help with clean-up. This is too big of a job for two older guys. Plus we don't have the proper tools.

 Along Clayton Road branches of various catalpas lay in the yard (and also in the road just north of our property). They've been run over and mashed and were small enough to cause no traffic problems. I understand Farmersville Pike was closed with downed trees and power lines.

Our north lawn looks like all the others, covered with scattered debris. We'll be picking up limbs for days.

 On the bright side, I've found no damage to the house.

Added 06/19:

Credit: iWindSurf.com

Dayton wind speeds

 I wanted to mention that the airport recorded a high wind speed of 69 mph, pretty much at 7 pm. That's when we had all the damage.

 Another view of the White Pine nearest the potting shed.

 Tom's got quite a stack of twigs and branches to burn. We picked these up from the yard today.

 And here's a view of the path I mow through the nature reserve. There'll be no more mowing until we get this tree removed.

I called Westfield Insurance this morning and filed a claim. This afternoon a rep called back. I have a $2500 deductible for "hail and wind damage". I doubt this will cost that much to clear so it's all on my shoulders. I also called my tree guy but I haven't heard back yet.

Johnny Appleseed & I Cross Paths

  I remember when I was a little kid in Miamisburg Mom telling me the story of Johnny Appleseed. I never knew the two of us would cross paths.

 Recently Tom brought me this book to read ...

 In it the author mentions Chapman's travels and they include southwestern Ohio.

 I did a little research on the Internet and found that Chapman was actually in the Dayton area. Oddly, he was known to plant some of his apple trees in what is now Moraine, Ohio. And specifically at the foot of Dorf Drive. I lived there from 1980 through 1986 and passed the spot in my car daily. I didn't have a hint at that time.

In 2010 Moraine honored Chapman with this plaque on his 236th birthday. It commemorates the planting of apple trees at this site in the 1820's.

 The apple trees that are growing there are actually second generation Appleseed trees.

 To learn more about Chapman, click here.

Jim Visits

  It's been almost five years to the day since Jim last visited here but he and his wife are staying near Cincinnati and yesterday Tom and I had the pleasure of spending some time with him. I met Jim at Miami University - Middletown in 1970 and we hit it off in a geology class and have been dear friends ever since.

Jim (l-r), Tom and myself

 He arrived about 11:15 am in his wife's ruby-red Ford Bronco and after maybe half an hour to get reacquainted, we drove to Brookville where we had lunch at a fairly new Mexican restating, El Bronco.

 Of course we had plenty of time for conversation, but Jim offered to do some work: show me how to remove honeysuckle stumps. How could I turn him down? He said he figured out a technique when he lived on a farm in West Chester, Ohio. It involves cutting the side roots with an axe and them hitting the stump with a sledgehammer. It works!

 He removed more than two dozen in half an hour and I am grateful that I can now mow the path in our nature reserve without hitting stumps.

 Larger stumps remain and this technique won't work as easily for them. But at least now I know there is an option rather than burning or digging.

 Jim took a shower after this exercise and left about 5:30 pm to head back south. Let's hope it's not another five years before we get together again.

 [For my own record, it was five years ago (06/2000) when we found some Kentucky Coffee seeds at Miami University and I brought them home and managed to get one to sprout/ Tom even filed the hard shell to get germination underway. That tree is not about five feet tall!]

No Bake Pineapple Pie

  I found a recipe for a No Bake Pineapple Pie, though I can't find the source. It's easy and can be and with the added toasted coconut on top it reminds me of a Pina Colada.

 The recipe doesn't say how many pies it makes but I found one graham cracker crust was easily filled and there was plenty of filling left over. I made two dessert dishes as well as the pie and it's just as good eaten that way ... and easier.

 I think if I make it again - and I likely will - I will just make two pies or all dessert dishes.

Recipe:

 1-9" graham cracker crust (I think it will fill two)

For the filling:
1-20 ounce can crushed pineapple (reserve 1/4 cup of the juicer)
1-8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1-8 ounce tub Cool Whip, thawed

For the Topping (optional)
Extra whipped cream (unnecessary in my opinion)
Toasted coconut flakes

Step-by-Step Instruction
1. Prep the pineapple: drain and save 1/4 cup juice for the filling
2. Make the filling: Beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and reserved pineapple juice until; smooth
3. Assemble the pie: Pour filling into crust and smooth the top. Chill for at least 4 hours
4. Add the toasted coconut flakes (as much or as little as you like)

 It's a great and easy summer pie.