Serendipity

I took my disabled lawnmower over to the garden center yesterday morning. The repair guy said that he wasn't taking any new motor repairs until after his July vacation. He was trying to get the backlog cleared before vacation starts next week. He gave me the name of someone who might be able to take it before he gets back. I went home, dispirited.

Nothing to do with today's post, just a pretty picture of the vineyard at sunrise.

Then I got to thinking (always dangerous). I had put that carburetor cleaner in the gas tank a couple of days ago. I ran the mower as much as it would run so it would take in the treated gas. By yesterday, the treatment had some time to work. I should start the mower up again and see.

Ken and I lifted the beast out of the back of the car. It's heavy. I reassembled the handle and pushed the mower out into the grass. First pull of the starter cord: nothing. Second pull: the motor sputtered to life, but it was still surging. Then I heard a pop! and saw a little cloud of gray smoke puff out of the exhaust pipe. The mower started running normally. Whatever had gunked up the carburetor (or fuel line) had dissolved enough to be forced out. I was able to finish cutting down the "wild" meadow within a half-hour or so.

So, if the mower keeps running normally, I will have no need to take it in. If I had been able to leave it at the garden center, who knows how long I'd be without it? And the repair guy probably would have done what I did before disassembling the carburetor, and charge me for it. Instead, I'll go get another bottle of carburetor cleaner and use some as a preventative the next time I fill the tank.