Darn!

This is getting to be monotonous. It was raining when I went to bed and I woke up to the sound of rain. And more rain is forecast. According to the newspaper accounts, this is an “orphan storm”, a storm that slipped away from the storm track and is wandering aimlessly about the valley. And the computer models used for forecasting don’t work well with orphans…or so they say.

Bad news from the mower repair shop. I threw a rod in the engine and it looks like a very large repair bill. The good news was that the rod simply broke and didn’t punch a hole in the block. The shop owner and I spent some time talking about the relative merits of the major brands of mowers and then we talked about the mower that he sells. The Dixon ZTR. I have driven one of these before and they are definitely fast and maneuverable, as they don’t have to be turned in a large circle. They pivot in their own length and can cut right up against an obstacle. They are tricky to drive, (No steering wheel!) at first…but it became easier as I practiced. They are more expensive, but I did like the way it was built. It’s pretty solid, with ¼” plate used in places where the Craftsman used sheet metal. And I did some other comparisons on-line this morning, but the big advantage I see is that the mower can be serviced right here in Orland. And cheaply.