Sibling Rivalry

There comes a point with all children when they begin competing with their siblings.  L seems to grow more independent every day.  Most of the time I don't think he or N remembers that he isn't even two yet.  Almost as soon as he could walk, L would watch for N to stop playing with something, sneak over, and then take off running with it.  More recently, the fun of just swiping a toy has given way to a genuine desire to play with it like his big brother.  Of course, this competition goes both ways.  L has started playing more with "big boy" toys that N has interest in playing with as well.  L has passed the stage where he will instantly trade toys with N, and assume that he is getting something good just because big brother was playing with it.  It is going to be a long spring and summer for both of them learning to share and take turns.  Given equal toys though, they can play together pretty nicely.  This was evident on Saturday.  It was too muddy to play in the dirt, but I let them play in the rocks.  They both had loaders, and, for the most part, could take turns loading the dump truck.  Watching the boys play nicely together, in the sun, with the flowers in bloom, was a very beautiful sight.

The sibling rivalry apparently also rubbed off on my tractors this week. After my successful mowing exercise last weekend, I declared victory on Johnny and finally turned my attention to the carburetor rebuild on the Cat.  The carb, while complete, looks pretty nasty from years of neglect.  Upon starting the disassembly  process, I saw the nastiness continued on the inside.  I'm certain the carb has been rebuilt at some point during the tractor's 82 year life, but I suspect it was before the advent of ethanol fuels.  I have no way of knowing what the condition of the float would be otherwise, but whatever coating was on the cork had severely deteriorated.  It's no wonder it didn't meter fuel very well.

I didn't get too far on the carb before Thursday, when we had a break in the rain and I thought I better get the yard mowed.  I enlisted Johnny's help in doing the back yard, and as I was almost done, the engine speed started racing much faster than I wanted it too.  I guess Johnny didn't like me giving all my attention to the other tractor.  Fortunately, it just turned out that the governor needed readjusting.  Still that relatively easy fix took up most of my limited shop time over the weekend.  I'm going to have to hit the carb work hard this week if I want to have the tractor ready for the Route 66 show in two weeks.

I'll close this entry with an invention I came up with today.  I can remember Dad grumbling about the grass in our Easter baskets making a mess as I was growing up.  This morning I got to have one of those moments for myself.  I was cleaning up after breakfast as C was getting ready for church, and turned my back on N as I was getting L cleaned up and out of his high chair.  When I turned back around, N was standing on the couch using the yellow grass from his Easter basket as "pixie dust", sprinkling it all over.  I immediately commanded him to clean it up, which he begrudgingly started to do.  L, ever the little helper, jumped in too.  However, it didn't take long before we had built up enough static charge that more grass was sticking to our hands and arms than we were putting back into the basket.  This development quickly frustrated all of us, and I could see we were getting nowhere fast.  The whole thing seemed very similar to picking up the fake pine needles our Christmas tree leaves behind, which I usually do by wrapping masking tape around my fingers.  I didn't think that the boys would be able to help much that way, but then I saw their monster trucks sitting there and I had an idea.  I wrapped the truck tires in tape, and had them see who could pick up the most grass with their truck.  We filled the tape several times before we were done, but it was a good way to get them to help, and it did a good job of picking it all up.  We will probably still be finding pieces of grass for months, but at least we got most of it.

Mowing with Johnny

It was another wonderful weekend.  Saturday's crummy weather was ideal for finishing up the last little details for putting the mower deck on the 110.  It was also a good day for dyeing Easter eggs with Baba and Grandpa.  After the eggs, we played in the garage.  N really loved kicking the soccer ball around with everyone, and going out for pizza afterwards.  As C was putting N to bed he told her, "Baba and Grandpa are the best".

Of course Sunday was Palm Sunday, which we thought N would enjoy at church. As we got to the sanctuary, they ushered N into the room where all the kids were waiting to parade in with the palm branches.  He seemed excited at first, but after waiting a little while for things to get started he decided he didn't want to do it. Once he made up his mind he didn't want to do it, there was no convincing him otherwise.  I don't know where he might get that stubbornness from. 

After church, while L napped, N and I washed our tractors.  I wanted to clean up Johnny for some pictures after I mounted up the mower deck. I figured the deck would never look that good again, but needed to clean the dirt off from our discing exercise .  N enjoyed washing his pedal tractor so much, I had him wash Grave Digger too.  Of course he got himself soaking wet in the process, but at least I had him put on his muddy shoes first so we got those cleaned off.

Getting the deck mounted on Johnny was a little more difficult than I expected, but I got it done nonetheless.  L helped me with the first mowing with the newly installed deck. I thought he might be afraid when I started up the mower, but he didn't even flinch.  He rode along the entire time, except when I made him get off while I did a couple passes on the slope.  In addition to Mommy and N watching, we even had some Sunday drivers stop at the dead end and watch us for a few rounds.

Signs of Spring

In the race between my grass and me getting the mower deck finished, the grass won. Fortunately I hedged my bets and got the push mower prepped last weekend so it was ready to go. The lawn was looking pretty shaggy by mid-week, so I went ahead and push mowed it. The freshly cut lawn looked good, especially with the tulips and phlox starting to bloom.

Adding to the delay in getting the mower deck finished was taking time to get a new implement for the tractor this week. While I was sitting at the courthouse waiting on jury duty, I found a garden tractor-sized disc on Craigslist. It looked like it could be fun, the price was right, condition was OK, so I bought it. It turns out it is a Brinly, which appears to be THE attachment brand of choice for the garden tractor crowd. Obviously it needs some help cosmetically, but it is complete. L and I gave it a try after work one night this week. Even with three 25lb blocks on it, it didn't do much in the hard clay in the lot next to us. However, at the house site on the other side where the dirt was less compacted, it did OK. I'm not exactly sure what I am going to do with the disc long-term, but it is another fun little toy, and project, to add to the collection. 

Despite the distraction of the disc, I did get some work done on the mower deck this week. I got it all reassembled and the decals put on. It should be ready to mount this weekend. As I was putting the finishing touches on it last night, I heard a "squeak, squeak, squeak" coming from the Cat tractor. No, it wasn't the tractor begging for some long-overdue attention, it was a mouse, or, more accurately, mice. A mouse had crawled up inside the lower seat cushion frame and built a nest. Fortunately it looks like the nest was made from materials other than the seat cushion itself. This discovery came on the same day I had already disposed of a mouse that had fallen into our recycle bin. As I was cleaning up the seat cushion, I heard scratching once again from the same recycle bin. Yet another mouse had found it's way in there. After disposing of it, and the seat cushion mess, I put out a bunch of glue traps to try to bring the invasion under control. I suspect the combination of the return to colder weather, and the farmer tilling the field behind our house is what is driving them in. On a positive note, I'm taking the tilling of the field as a good sign the neighborhood expansion won't continue to behind our house. I guess we have to take both the good and the bad that comes with living "in the country". 

Rollin' and Ridin'

What a weekend!

This was one of those weekends that when you finally sit down on Sunday night, you wonder just how you squeezed so much into just two days.  It does help if you jump right in on Friday night, which we did.  Thursday's rain and Friday's clouds meant Friday after work the yard was soft, but not soggy; perfect for using the yard roller.  I have to admit, I know the benefits of rolling your yard are somewhat dubious, but our yard has always been a bit bumpy from when the grass first came up in clumps.  I guess I'll find out the first time I mow if it did any good, but of course the boys and I had fun doing it. 

 Saturday's big project was painting the mower deck.  We started our day off right by going out for breakfast.  We have a Saturday tradition of going and getting McD's, but this Saturday we decided to try going to a restaurant for breakfast.  It was a nice change, but the luxury of having a more elaborate breakfast versus just having breakfast show up, ready to eat was lost on the boys.  Nonetheless, I started the day energized, and ready to get some things done.  I had prepped the mower deck for painting during the week, so I took it out in the back yard and primed it in the morning.  While I was waiting for the primer to dry I gave my truck a much needed wash.  After lunch, I started in on the yellow paint.  It took 3 cans, and I've got a nice blister on my nozzle finger, but I think the paint job turned out pretty decent.  The grass could probably have been mowed this weekend, but I wanted to let the paint cure for a couple days before I start putting the deck back together.

After the painting was done, it was time to take the boys for another ride.  This time we got the wagon out so both could go at the same time.  Although all the fresh air and sunshine had started to wear them down by this point, they still made me make multiple laps around the house, and several trips up and down the street. 

Sunday a little more laid back, but only slightly.  After church, L napped an N helped me plant some grass seed, and picked a nice dandelion bouquet for Mommy.  After lunch and a Playdough session, N went with me to return the roller, aerator and dethatcher to my coworker that I borrowed them from.  On the way home, we stopped at Wal-mart to get the truck an oil change, and then Menards to get a few things.  L had gone with C to run some errands as well, so when we all got home the boys were ready to play.  N was driving his Grave Digger around, and L wanted a ride, so I decided to let N take L out for a closely supervised ride.  They both had a ball.

With as warm as it was, N insisted we get icecream after supper, so he and I made a DQ run as C put L to bed.  As we were eating our icecream, some of the neighbors down the street came outside, and since N couldn't go to bed right after icecream, we let him play with the neighbors until after dark.  Finally, we all came inside, exhuasted after a busy, but wonderful, weekend.  So long as the storms don't keep us up tonight, we should sleep pretty well.

Farmin'

It's hard to believe it's almost been a month since I've posted.  Traveling two weeks in a row put a damper on activity in the shop, but I made up for it this week; completing several updates to Johnny.  I finally got the wheels back from the power coater last Sunday, and got the new tires mounted on Monday.  I laid up some fiberglass reinforcement in the hood in a few places it was starting to crack.  I repainted the grill and a few other pieces, and adjusted the drive belts.  It all culminated in getting it all back together this morning. 

L went with me on the maiden voyage.  He was feeling under the weather, but I know that going for a ride on the tractor always cheers him up.  He was definitely excited to go for a ride after the tractor was out of commission all week, but he quickly almost fell asleep riding with me around the yard.  He went right down for a nap, and with C and N off at Grammy's house, I knew it was time to make hay, somewhat literally. 

I have progressively cared for more and more of the creek and waterway behind our house in the 3 years (this weekend!) that we have lived here.  My plan for this summer is to expand my mowing area across the waterway, so we will have grass all the way up to the field instead of horse weed, milk weed and who knows what else.  To facilitate that, I enlisted Johnny's help, along with some implements I borrowed from a co-worker.  The first order of business was to clear some of the dead plant matter.  Johnny dutifully pulled the dethatcher as sort of a big rake to clear the dead grass and plant stems.  Next came the spike aerator/spreader to put down some grass seed.  I was impressed with how well it seemed to work.  Hopefully we get the rain they are calling for this week to get the seed started.  L woke up just as I was finishing the seeding, and since he didn't seem to have any interest in lunch I had him ride along as I was finishing up.  I'm not sure who had more fun, me or him, but at least I didn't cry when it was time to put the tractor away. Hopefully he is feeling better tomorrow, so he, N, and I can get a few more rounds in this weekend.

Rebuilding Johnny

Saturday morning I was all psyched up to take L and N for a ride on the garden tractor.  Sure, the weather was cold and it was snow flurrying yet again outside, but a quick trip down the street and back wouldn't hurt.  I had L sitting on my lap, fired up Johnny, and the dipstick popped out.  The previous owner had told me the dipstick had a tendency to pop out, and had rigged up a wire to hold it in place.  So, I put the wire on, tried it again, and same thing.  I had seen on the JD garden tractor website that a bad dipstick and a plugged breather could cause that.  The dipstick obviously had some issues, but I thought I would take a quick look at the breather too.  Just getting to the breather required removing the hood, grill and carburetor.  OK, maybe not so "quick" of a look.  I opened up the breather and wouldn't you know it, there was a gasket in there that tore when I opened it up; two of them actually.  Of course by this time it was after noon when the small engine repair shop was closed.  A new gasket would have to wait until Monday at least.

So while the tractor was laid up, I thought I would tackle Johnny's leaky rear axle seal.  Again, I'd read some descriptions of the repair procedure online, so I was all geared up to tackle it.  To make a long story short, although replacing the seal might be "easy", I could not get to it because some previous owner had installed a pulley backwards.  To get said pulley off, I had to take the entire rear axle out of the tractor.  This issue also explained why the previous owner gave me some brand new belts for Johnny.  With that pulley on backwards, you can't get the belt off to replace it.  Once I had the rear axle out, I had the option of repairing it, or installing the spare I got with Johnny.  Looking over the two, the spare looks like the better one.  I won't know for sure until I run it.  At the very least, it will give me something to get by while I repair the original one.

I definitely spent more time working on Johnny this weekend than I anticipated.  Considering the weather, it wasn't a bad way to spend some time this weekend.  As usual the boys enjoyed spending some time in the garage.  L loves "helping" while I work on things.  He diligently picked up any wrench he could find and brought it to me.  He also thinks that any time I am laying on the ground it is time to roughhouse, and will jump on me even if I'm half under a tractor.  N doesn't have as much attention for the non-functional tractors, but has turned into quite a speed demon on the pedal tractor.  L climbed in a stroller and N chased he and I around on the pedal tractor, and had a hard time staying ahead of him.  It will be interesting to see how he does on his bike this spring.

Wheels go 'Round

Our overall health continues to improve.  C still has a nagging cough, but things are pretty much back to normal.  It was tough on all of us to be sick for so long.  I think we all got to the point where we were tired of just taking it easy and watching TV, but didn't really have the energy to do much more than that.  This past weekend it was nice to get back to working on a few projects.

The two main things I was anxious to get to working on were finishing up some Ebay projects, and processing the parts that I got with "Johnny".  The Ebay projects were a pair of Smokey and the Bandit semis.  Since the custom monster truck gravy train had come to an end, I thought I would go back to an old stand-by.  I did my first replica of the Smokey and the Bandit almost 10 years ago now, and there has still yet to be a mass-produced version, despite about a half-dozen versions of the Trans-Am in that same time span.  From time to time, I've made copies of the trucks I have in my collection and sold them on Ebay.  I think the last ones I sold were in 2006, and even though I had unfinished stock, I never got around to doing any more.  When Farm and Fleet Toy Land opened, I found a couple black Kenworth Semis that were just begging for some gold stripes and a stage coach hold-up mural.  I sold the pair right before Christmas, or so I thought.  Unfortunately, the buyer of the second truck never paid, and I quickly found out there was absolutely nothing I could do about it except wait.  As I waited, two other people jumped in doing the same thing I was.  Prices now are about half what they were before Christmas, which still makes them worth doing, but not as lucrative as they were.  While I was working on the Farm and Fleet trucks, I also found the motivation to finish the two other trucks I bought 5 years ago to turn into Bandit Semis.  They are higher quality truck models than the Farm and Fleet trucks, so I hope they will stand out from the other ones out there.  At this point, I might even wait until next Christmas to put them up for sale, but it is nice to have them done.

The other project this weekend was getting the John Deere parts sorted and figuring out what to do with them.  This required stripping anything valuable off of the parts tractor that I got with my 110.  Taking it apart wasn't too bad, and in doing so I was able to get it down to a weight I could load into my truck by myself to take to the scrap yard.  I ended up with a spare transaxle and set of wheels that I will keep.  Of the remaining stuff, the parts that are easy to ship I put up on Ebay. Some of the other bulky stuff I sold to a guy at work.  The 140lbs of frame and other misc parts I took to the scrap yard netted me a whopping $4.20.  I sure thought scrap prices were higher than that.  My hope for all the surplus parts was to recoup enough to cover the cost of some new tires for my tractor.  Although I think I did pretty well on the parts I've sold, I've learned the small size of garden tractor tires does not mean they are necessarily cheap.  Of course I couldn't settle for just any tires either, and while I've got the rims off I'm having them sand blasted and painted.  It's a good thing I've got those Bandit semis to add to the tire fund. 

I'm looking forward to seeing the tractor all finished.  In the meantime, the boys are just having fun going out in the garage and sitting on it every night.  L has added "outside" to his vocabulary, meaning he wants to go out to the garage, and although it sounds alot like his word for "cracker", he is starting to point and say "tractor".  Johnny has turned out to be a fun addition for all the boys.