I did a lawnmower tune-up today. Yesterday after I got done cutting the grass I drained the oil out while it was still hot and thin. Today I put in fresh oil, a new spark plug, and air filter. I also took off the cover to the self-propelled gear assembly and cleared away dead grass from the pulleys. Finally I wiped off a bunch of oil and grass dust from the engine block.

Yesterday I took off the blade that I have had on the lawnmower for MORE THAN A YEAR and put on a freshly sharpened one. I normally change the blade twice per season. I put on a fresh one at the start of the season, and then swap in a sharpened one about half way through the season. It makes a huge difference. The engine doesn't slow down when I go through a thick patch of grass with a sharp blade, but it does with an old blade. I also don't get clumps of grass left behind on the lawn with a sharp blade. The grass looks better to when it is cut rather than ripped.

I will take the dull blade I removed yesterday to the hardware store to have it sharpened so I will have it ready for the next blade change. It only costs $6.00 to have it sharpened and balanced.

I dug up 4 root balls yesterday from some evergreen shrubs I cut down in the back yard last fall. Today I worked the soil from the dig spots. I am just trying to loosen up the soil now. I will eventually turn some peat moss into the soil to get it ready for whatever we decide to plant there next. Mom and Dad are going to help us plan the layout later in the summer.

I am on the patio now taking a breather. I am going to put away all of the yard tools I have out while Sheri goes to the store for a watermelon. After I get cleaned up I will cut up the melon into a bowl and we will take it upstairs to the office to eat while I work on my resume.

We went to Jimmy's for lunch today. We like going there on nice days like today because they have a HUGE patio right on the street in downtown. It is fun to watch all of the people going in and out of the nearby stores while we enjoy our lunch. (Lots of cuties too!)

Gas has been about $1.96 - $1.99 for regular here.

I accidentally turned off our new gas water heater yesterday. I took me about five minutes to figure out how to relight it. I went down last night to turn the temperature up on the heater, and I thought the knob was set to "Light Pilot" rather than "On", so I turned it to what I thought was On. I thought the red button that you have to push while lighting the pilot was the indicator mark. It is not. There is a little molded-in notch on the front that I should have lined up the knob with. Sheri asked me this morning if I turned the temperature down rather than up because it didn't feel very hot. We don't need a match to light the heater. It comes with one of those buttons you push like on a gas grill. It makes a little spark and lights the pilot light.

I think the next three home investments will be a battery back-up sump pump, a new dishwasher, and a new air conditioner / furnace. The sump pump and dishwasher will probably happen this year. I am not entirely sure about the AC and furnace. The furnace is fine, but the AC unit outside looks pretty shabby. If I put money into the AC I would want to match the interior components to it. Maybe in a year or two. The dishwasher is also working fine, but the racks are starting to rust where the vinyl cladding has been damaged.

Sheri set up her hammock while I was working on the lawnmower and yard.

I bought a new push broom at Sears today, but the broom head and the handle have mismatched attaching points. I have to take one of them back and get the correct one. I used to have a really nice push broom, but I think it got left behind when we moved to Chicago.