The departed mower was 10 years, 10 days old, which I was able to calculate because I put the purchase date on the owner's manual. It was a Sears Craftsman, as was my first mower purchased in 1977 and the mower purchased today.
The first mower was an Eager 1 .. the mower that Sears advertised in the '70s during halftime of NFL games with a live demonstration that showed it always starts on the first pull of the rope. Mine rarely started on the first pull, but it lasted 16 years. It was self-propelled, but I soon learned that I could push it faster than it travelled on its own, so I disconnected the self-propelled apparatus and went with push type mowers after that. But with your steep terrain, I can see how the self-propelled would be a big help.
The new mower is 6.5 horsepower with a mulching 21" blade. I wanted the regular-wheel model vs. the high-wheel model (larger rear wheels), mainly because it was cheaper. But they didn't have a regular-wheel model in stock and offered me the high-wheeler at the same price. I'm curious to see if the large wheels make a noticeable difference in pushing ease.
I'm in the early stages of the railroad book, and so far it's a series of biographical sketches of the main players. No Vanderbilt yet, but I see in the Index there will be a Cornelius Vanderbilt coming along.
I'm puzzled about how you bumped your head while stacking wood, assuming I understood you correctly. And I think it's good that you asked for help with the curtain removal. I've been called on a number of times by women who needed a little help like that and have been glad to do it. In fact, just yesterday in the grocery store a woman had lost her grip on a group of helium-filled party balloons that she apparently was going to buy. She spotted me and my 6'5" altitude and asked if I could reach the end of the dangling ribbon. It was out of my flat-footed reach but I gave it my best leap and touched the ribbon but was unable to grasp it. I told her she was about 40 years too late for me to do something like that without landing in the hospital. As I moved on, I heard her ask a store employee for help and somehow they were able to retrieve the balloons.
Have a good week.
Justin
