Day 191

When in grad school, one of my professors told me one of the most important keys to success as a teacher is making sure to be on good terms with two people: the secretary and the custodian. In other words, it’s not always what you know, but who you know.

As I have tried to show in these stories, we have been blessed with lots of support from friends and family as we embark on this adventure. We have also met a number of individuals who have been integral to our development as a hobby farm and restored land. 

When neither of the trimmer decided to cooperate, I undecided to call on one such individual. When I had initial issues with our first riding lawn mower, I looked into local small engine repair operations and ended up setting up an appointment with one. The gentlemen came and serviced the machine. What I appreciated more than the actual work was the advice and honesty that came with his appointment. He gave great insight on the mower so I felt confident he would do the same with both trimmers.

He was able to pick up both machines and promised to service them as soon as he could. I awaited anxiously as I hoped reinvigorating would allow them to help me take the next steps on the trail.

When he got back to me, he had good news and not so good news. The good news was that one of the machines needed a simple carburetor cleanup and it was good to go. However, the other machine got a more dire prognosis. I had used it on the trail the previous year and it appeared to work fine. However, because the land was not smooth and the easiest to traverse, it gave this machine a rough and tumble ride. This unfortunately caused a major power outage to the engine. This pretty major damage to its engine rendered it basically useless. 

While getting one machine back was helpful, I now was pretty certain a more powerful machine was necessary if we wanted to not only build, but maintain a trail.

Before shopping began, another pressing matter came to light.