About 3 weeks ago (whose keeping track?!) I posted about my garden tractor. I'm happy to report that it was released from the hospital at about 12:45 today. Since we started working on it, it has undergone several surgeries.

A new coil, toggle switch, spark plug, points and condensor. During theraphy following the treatment of the fore-mentioned ailments, it was found to be firing okay...but NOT getting gas where it should....just as I first guessed as a diagnosis, it was suffering from a clogged artery going from the carburator.

I found a 'doctor' who promised to be here at 1:00 p.m. today, but instead showed up at 12:30 (igagine THAT?!) and apologized for being thirty minutes early! How refreshing compared to trying to get ANYTHING done in a timely manner these days!

He jumped out, with only an over-sized can of 'Carb cleaner' in his hand. In no time at all, he had the top of the 'breather' off, and was squirting the stuff, straight down the patient's throat! What followed was several coughing fits, and ignition, and blast-off. Unfortunately, the blast-off was short lived, and the patient fell back to earth, like a limp dishrag. The doctor continued spraying and suddenly, the patinet came to life, shooting flames EVERYWHERE. I didn't know whether to run for my life, or stay glued in fascination, as the doctor blew and blew out the flames, threatening the whole front end of the patient. It took a lot of huffing, puffing, and blowing by the doctor to put it out.

But the prognosis for the patinet is excellent. I went back out to check on it a few minutes ago, and it fired right up!

Now my attention is turned to new problems...seems I am reaping a bunch of those. The Lexmark printer I bought on May 17 of this year, won't print...so a tech walked me through a whole series of 'do this, try this...the usual, and it is DEAD! New replacement being shipped right away, so it's just a matter of time and that is resolved.

Finally, the serpentine (spelling?) belt on my pickup is cracked all over it. Have a 1:00 appointment to have that replaced tomorrow.

Am I the original bad luck kid, or do all of you have to deal with one crisis after another?

Just wondering if it's all me, or if this is what retirement is all about....living the 'good' life, which means some new crisis almost daily.

No, you are NOT the ORIGINAL. You have competition here. Amazing that a repairman was early - - that is one of the first ones I've heard of lately. Shooting all that crap into the tractor and firing it up like that could have screwed up the piston - - lucky you tht it didn't. we have had one bad "contractor" or "handyman" after another. Even those with so-called references. Rest assured you are not alone........join the club. Not to burst your bubble in thinking you are UNIQUE, my girl!!!!! Hee Hee Hee

I could write a book on my travails this spring and last fall.

My worst this time was a painter who would only work a couple of hours at a time. He always had something else that he had to do .And was in the process of getting a divorce.I swore if I heard him start a conversation one more time with," I told Diane." I might hit him.

A job that was supposed to take four days ended up three weeks.Did I mention he hurt his back and could not show up for a week?He failed that test when I called him and the first words out of his mouth were,"Did (My Landscaper,who suggested him,) call you? That told me he was doing another job and got caught.

I finally exploded when I asked him how much longer he would be and he cockily said,"All week!" I told him he had two days to finish the job as I had a carpet cleaner coming.

He called in a helper and they finished in less than two days.He bad mouthed everyone,including the guy who suggested him.

We talk about instinct on this board.My first instinct was not to hire him.His truck was dirty.I should have listened to my instinct. Because my landscaper is so neat and clean I went with him.The landscaper was sorry he suggested him.

How's this for a run of bad luck? Just glad it wasn't ME!

One of our foster kids (15 years old, beautiful, but really screwed up Hispanic girl) decided to run away. She came back 2 days later, covered in bruises with no idea where she had been or who she had been with. She was, of course, without her meds for those 2 days, and since no one knew what kind of drugs she may have taken or been given, she couldn't take them when she returned until seeing a doctor.

Of course, any time there is an incident like this, state licensing comes in and harasses everyone.

Anyway, a day after the girl returned, preparations were being made for graduation of another of the foster children in the home as well as a nephew of the foster mom's. Family was coming in for the celebration.

However, on the way, there was a horrendous automobile accident in Mississippi in which the husband of the foster mother's niece was killed, and 5 other members of the family were injured, two of them critically, including the niece.

The foster mom had to find respite for her three foster children and take off for Mississippi for a funeral and to visit with the injured in various hospitals. While she was there, her mother fell and hit her head and wound up in the hospital as well.

That was three weeks ago. Today, licensing is still sniffing around, but they haven't commenced an official investigation, which is fortunate, but strange. At another time, a child fell from a swing while at school, breaking his arm and it was hell to pay for a couple of months.

Oh well. All's well that ends well, I guess. Trouble is, the other shoe hasn't dropped yet!

Well, darn.....if this happens to others people, should I laugh or send a sympathy card? :-)

He wasn't going to blow the thing up, as he was too close to risk that, but it was pretty scary seeing all the flames shooting up....about 3 days late for the 4th?!

:-)

Okay....you have ME convinced! I'll take the tractor won't run (or wouldn't until today), printer won't print and STILL won't, and belt might break so 'giter done', and put new belt on, ANYTIME, compared to trying to deal with those educated idiot, government officials, who think, even though they were miles away, that they know 'exactly what happened, and what to do about it' attitudes!

Locally, SRS is the biggest joke around....especially those case workers, who haven't the sense to come in out of the rain, themselves.!

Too bad those people have to be tolerated in a 'simple' fact....the girl RAN OFF and started the ball rolling then....not the care-givers who are never appreciated as they should be.

After reading all these posts,my Painter story does not sound so bad:o(

Seriously,we all seem to go from one mess to another.

If I remember your painter story, he would much rather visit with YOU, than do the painting:-)

The guy today was a real talker...he went to school with Bev, and we talked about Leonard and tomorrow's funeral for Leonard's cousin. But the more he talked the faster he worked:-) Made me sweat just to listen and watch him:-)

He only charged me $35 for the 'house call' and the work, which included fixing a flat tire on the front. I didn't think that was enough, so I gave him an extra $5.j0, a book and CD for his wife, as an extra bonus:-)

In return he gave me a business card, for my wallet, and then, a magnetic one for the front of my fridge:-)

I also got my stimulus check in the mail today, so I'd have to say that today was a GOOD day, overall, despite the normal surprises.

The combustion engine quiz:

1. Did you open the gas tank and physically see how much gas you had in the tank and not in the can?
   
2. Did you check for compression before you took that long nap.
   
3. Where is the tractor stored? If stored outside gaskets that maintain fuel flow may crack or decompress. If you slow crank the engine for a couple of times and notice gasoline, or smell gasoline, look for gaskets that are leaking fuel. If fuel is leaking then air, when cranked, is being sucked in instead of gas. This makes the starting harder. These gaskets should be inspected by visual means each and every time you crank that puppy up. Do this before you make your ice cream.
4. Gasket kits used to be relative inexpensive. Keep on hand an extra set of gaskets and a tube of gasket caulk with a sharp putty knife before you use the can.
5. When you crank the tractor remember how far the peddle or throttle was set and try to crank it the same way each time before your ride to glory.
6. Always fill the tractor gas tank back up when you finish using it regardless of how little you used it. Condensation [water] develops in the heated empty space within the tank. This thins your gasoline mixture which in turn causes any tractor settings to be off giving you all sorts of FALSE INDICATORS to repair. Remember rule 6 before you wash your hands.
7. Never cut during the heat of the day less your lawn or fields pay.
8. Be mindful of safety equipment--always wear steel-toed shoes around farm implements and never spit tobacco while driving a tractor.
9. When you engage the gears that turn the implements make sure the dog and cat is out of the way unless you want to give them a haircut.
10. Above all, never loan anyone your tractor key and always, but always care a working cell phone with you. Practice this and you might get a set of goats that don't have keys; don't need gasoline; smells better; keeps on eating; can be milked; cheese can be made from their milk a profit no less; and make new goats. Hahahahahahahahahahahaha

Seasoldier/To boxing.

At least that is the negative way to look at things.

I tend to believe the opposite.

No good deed goes unrewarded.

Your trials and travails will be looked at in THAT light by the only "judge" that matters.

Loree, most printer faults are usually down to the driver. Get on to the manufacturers site, and download the driver for your printer, that cures it most of the time.

Another fault that creeps in is that you're printer goes off being the "default" printer. Go into the control panel, clink on printers, and check. You should see your printer listed as the default one, if not select it, right click, and make it your default, delete any other printers that may be on the list.

Whilst in the control panel you can click on "System", and then "hardware" that will show if you have any printer, or any other, conflicts.

You can tell if you have a conflict; there will either be a yellow question mark, or exclamation mark, against anything that has a conflict. The easiest way of sorting those out is to delete them, and restart your computer and reload the item from the relevant CD.

Hope that helps.