Saturday, September 09, 2006

Equipment.

So our older daughter helps me with the lawn. She mows all the flat stuff, it's a big help. I mow the slopes and do the weed eatin', don't want her pushing the mower on the steep parts. We don't have a huge yard, it's regular. We are on a hill, and on a hill. Our house sits about twenty feet above street level with old concrete steps going all the way down. We park in the alley out back, don't really use the front door except to get mail, sit on the porch sometimes. Neighbors on either side of us and all the way up the block are in the same situation. That's how things are here on the east end of town.

My daughter is done with her part, my weed eater dies. First I pull and clean the air filter, the two cycle motor sounds a little starved. I can get it to run, prolonged acceleration however, that's not so good. I'm thinking spark plug or fuel filter, maybe both. Don't really feel like running to the store, got most of what I had to do done anyway. I finish with the push mower. That's a job 'cause like I said, we got slopes.

Our younger daughter just made sandwiches, I'm going to eat now. Pick this up when I'm done.

Oh yeah, that was good, salami and Swiss on a whole wheat roll. She dropped some salami, the dogs cleaned it up, they're good that way.

Coffee time, hang a smoke, life is good. Gotta put some music on for the The Bird, so's he don't scream and wake up my wife. She's gotta work overnight again tonight, she's gotta train a new girl too. She'll be needin' her sleep to be sure. "BRB", isn't that what the kids say? Man that sounds so old.

Okay, The Bird is happy, on his perch in the living room. Our older daughter is in there reading, got the jazz station on, he's got lots of good food. He's pretty easy going when he gets what he wants, never wants much. Good food, good music, good company. Now I can write, forgot what I wanted to say.

Hey Tommy, almost got that old BMW back on the road. Needed a new master cylinder, damn thing cost sixty-five bucks. Lady at the auto parts store had to order it from some place in Chicago 'cause the car is twenty-five years old. Friggin' Germans, they build great cars but they sure get you when it comes to parts. I'll still have way less than two grand into it when I'm done, including what I payed for it. Hell, I've already got my moneys worth out of her, been drivin' her for three years already. Did I tell you that my daughter named her Myrtle? Yeah bro, seems the original owner bought her in Myrtle Beach back in 1981. We got the original paper work from the guy I got her from. Hey, whatever happened to that old Scout you got? Wasn't it like a '72 or '73? Yeah, the IH Scout, had a 360 and a three speed manual right? I remember that huge push bumper on the front. That thing was a tank, all bottom end, could pull a house down the street if you wanted. Hey bro, you wouldn't friggin' believe what four wheel drives go for these days. It's outa control man. Every yuppies gotta have one, working man just can't compete with that. No shit Tommy, I'm serious. What did you used to say? "Serious as a heart attack". Bro, you would not believe how many brand new four by trucks go rollin' down the street, never even see a job site, or a dirt road. Got shiny new beds, no dents. Leather seats and power everything. It's crazy buddy, I'm tellin' you straight man, they cost more than you can earn in two years. You buy a truck like that, payments gonna be more than your mortgage. I'll stick with old used junk, beg borrow and steal to get through inspection. Things have really changed man. But hey buddy, The Stones are still touring, Tom Petty and Bob Dylan both got new albums out. Yeah, the good shit lasts forever. Maybe I'll get me a new truck some day, it could happen. Even guys like us, we do happen to "get lucky sometimes".

Yeah Tommy, I'm done cryin'. You're right, I need to take a lesson from The Bird.

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