Thursday, Cleaning Up

According to the morning news forecast this Thursday’s weather will be the last warm day for a while (maybe until Spring). According to them, it is snowing in Minnesota (where my daughter Amy lives!). So, I didn’t wear a jacket on the way to work.

I ran errands at lunch: CVS for prescriptions, then to O’Rielly’s for some StaBil and finally filled up the gas container (after adding in StaBil) at the closest gas station. I took that stuff home and made a can of Campbell’s Bean with Bacon soup for my lunch.

Note: my co-workers will not like it, as the day progresses, but I love that stuff. Now that I think about it, I guess I just like any kind of bean soup.

After work, I closed the sunroof and hit the expressway. I treated the cats and then changed clothes. I went outside and gassed up the push mower. Here’s where I should have thought this through: Instead of adding, like, like half a tank of gas, I just filled it up.

Luckily, the mower started after just two pulls. Then I went out and cut down the dead and dying tiger lilies (see photo). I was careful to blow everything on my lawn (not my neighbors).

Sure enough, he came over and mentioned he should bury the hose (again, see photos) from his sump pump. I told him not to worry about it, as it kept the tiger lilies well watered all year (but, just for looks, I wish he would).

Back in the garage, I pulled the (hot) spark plug wire and tipped the mower up to drain out the old oil (this is where the full gas tank came into play as it dripped all over the place!) Luckily, I don’t smoke.

I searched through all my tools to find the correct Allen wrench to get the plug off (and after 15 freakin’ years working in a factory, I still have a LOT of tools). Finally, with the help of a flashlight, I determined it wasn’t an Allen wrench at all, but rather a square socket wrench drive I needed. I got that and drained the old motor oil out (I never winterized either mower last year, due to my back pain). So, I drained the oil, while the excess gasoline dripped onto the garage floor.

When it was empty, I replaced the drain plug and put in new oil. The old oil I put into a jug (already containing the oil from the riding mower) and I’ll take that into work. Being a second tier auto supplier, they have a service that reclaims old motor oil.

I went outside and brought in the statuary as dusk fell. They don’t fit on the new shelf as well as the old, but they are now all inside and protected (see photos). I do, however, still need to figure out a fix for the poor young Shaolin monk.

It was already after 7:30 PM and I was hungry. But, I didn’t have any leftovers left (is that redundant?) and I was tired, so I heated up a Marie Callender’s frozen entrée (Fettuccini with Chicken and Broccoli) in the microwave. I washed up while it cooked.

I ate dinner (it’s really pretty good and only 500 calories) and then watched another Breaking Bad episode. I followed that with a taped NCIS show and finally a DIY show. TVed out, I turned off the set and went to bed.