Two days in November
The air was warmed by the cheesecloth-filtered sun. If felt much warmer than the 45 registering on the car thermometer. The parking lot was virtually empty as we arrived for our golf outing on the last weekend in November. It couldn’t be nicer out as I teed off from the first hole with my brother and my Dad. It was late enough in the season that the sun on half the holes, was always in our eyes. The air was perfectly calm and the only breeze was when we sped to our next shot on the propane power cart. I don’t think we’ve all golfed together this year and here we were out for the second weekend in a row, two days after Thanksgiving.
It is amazing all the things that crop up to prevent you from doing some of the things that matter the most. My dad is 78 and living by himself. It has been a little over two years since my mom passed away, and this time of year – the holidays – can be very difficult for him. I’m sure it would be no different for us if we were in his shoes. We all spent a wonderful time at my brother’s house on Thanksgiving Day as the house was filled with food, football, a buzz of activity, and family. Leaving that atmosphere to return to an empty house would be tough. I would think it would amplify the loneliness.
As we were walking up the 18th fairway, the sun was sitting lower in the sky, and still the weather was taking center stage. When we putted our last putt, put the flag back into the hole, and tallied up the scores, who won or lost was of little importance. It became clearer that the vehicle that gets us together is less important than just spending time with each other. Time and again, I come away wondering why we don’t do this more often. I am dumfounded. One reason could be that we just don’t feel like doing things that may take some effort. But, maybe what we should be asking ourselves is, ‘Will we be happier if we actually do the thing we are contemplating?’
Anyway, back from the rabbit trail. I could not be happier that I was able to spend the last two Saturdays in November with both my brother and my dad. Time goes by so fast. This winter I will be looking for other avenues to get us together. Cold, snow, short days, and being locked inside – these all work to isolate us in the best of circumstances. With my dad, I am sure it is even tougher.
I will remember these days and I give thanks to the Lord that I still have my dad around to do things and build memories with. Oh, by the way… unlike last week, he beat me today.
Feeling Like a Dope
White streaks of painted frost were sprawled across the yard as I ventured into the garage to start the process of replacing my lawn mower engine. I opened the garage door and the blast of the cool morning air set me back again. I proceeded to dust off the “Mr. Heater” from the top shelve and attach it to the propane tank. In a few minutes, my Dad would be here and I at least wanted to work in a little comfort.
It had been a couple of weeks since I was able to mow my lawn using my less than two year old mower. After hearing a disturbing noise coming from the engine area, I quickly brought it back to the garage, checked the oil and knew this was not good. I packed the mower up, brought it to the shop and waited for the report. As I expected, the engine was blown and by the way, it is was covered by the warranty. They were happy to put a replacement one in for me. Price: $1100 – $1500. I was stunned. I need time to think about this one.
I had the weekend to explore my options. After looking around for a replacement engine, I was able to buy one locally for $560 before taxes. It was a 24hp engine compared with the 22hp I had on it. It was cheaper than anything else I could find on the Internet. I ordered it but it would take another week before it arrived.
In the meantime, the grass kept growing and I pulled out my nice 22″ push mower and fired it up. I hadn’t used it in years – and yes I checked the oil. 1 acre + 1 afternoon = time to mow. 3 hours later I was finished.
A few days later, the engine finally arrived and it was time to dig in.
Dad arrived, we assessed what we had to do and dug in. We needed to move some of the engine parts from the bad engine onto the new good engine. We dropped it into place and cranked it down. The morning air warmed and we shut off the heater. The sun was doing it’s job. A break for lunch and then back at it. We got all the wiring back in place, hooked up all the pulley’s and belts and double checked our work. Last thing was making sure the oil was filled to capacity. A novel idea! I fired it up and all systems were a go. No adjustments needed!
So yes, I blew the engine. It is not an easy thing to fess up to. For cripes sake you should know better that that! A fairly new mower and this happens? But here’s the deal, even in those times of trouble, God is always working on your behalf. It was not looking so good and then the sky brightened and hope started to shine. I ultimately saved about half the amount of money by doing myself and I was able to spend time with my dad doing something we both love.
I am thankful for that . . .
