admitting defeat

my afternoon was one etched in frustration

i admit that i like quilting, sewing, reading (my quiet hobbies)

i participate in kickboxing (my out of character sport)

i am good in the kitchen (cooking that is!, really!)

but i absolutely positively have no inkling about small engine repair

i think that i am pretty handy around the house in general

i will pick up a drill, screwdriver, hammer and tackle a project

it comes partly from my need to get things done

and partly that my hubby is gone alot of the summer for work

i either wait or learn how to do it myself! most times it works okay

so today when our gas lawnmower decided to be tempermental,

i thought i might give it ago and get it going

problem was it started and then dies again right away!

yes, the answer is yes it has gas in it!

i may be a red head, but i did check that!

after that, the next thing was the air filter...but nope that didn't work!

SO, i cleaned out underneath where it gets junked up from all the lawn clippings

thinking maybe it is slowing the blade down...nada!

okay, i have never ever done an oil change in my life, but why not i'll try?!

so i managed the oil change and thought i had done pretty well, until my daughter's friend knocked over the container with the old oil on the grass and herself! ugh!

but still the lawnmower won't stay on!

my neighbour offers the kindly suggestion "maybe it is bad gas!"

okay (i am really frustrated at this point), i will deal with that!

i pump all of the gas back out of the mower into the jerry can!

that's great but now what?

i don't have a spare jerry can!

i just put what could be bad fuel back into the can with what could be good fuel!

what do i do with it? put it in the van? my hubby might not like that!

dump it? we already did that with the oil!

ugh! it was then that i gave up!

packed up the mower and moved on to greener pastures!

or so i thought!

all i wanted to do was water the flowers! you know, get a job done?

that shouldn't be hard should it?
apparently nothing was easy today

i couldn't get the hose out of the reel! really!

i was yanking, pulling, pushing , shoving!

ugh!

think my gardening is done for the day? yep! lets try tomorrow!

and when i am out there i might be able solve one problem by teaching my four-year-old perpetual flower waterer a thing or two about rolling up the hose again!