July 11th -- Randomish day off

Took a day off, and had to bring my laptop to the Apple store in South Windsor for a new screen.

Can you put "CARGIRL" license plate on a Jeep????



Apple Store opens at 10am, got there at 9:30 so I would have a parking spot right in front. On they way home started by taking the scenic way home -- this is in Ellington (I think).



South Windsor, Ellington, Somers, Stafford where I got on 32, Willington, Mansfield, Windham, Franklin, Norwich where I zipped down to 2A, Preston, Ledyard, North Stonington, Westerly where I ended up at Weekapaug :)

It was a nice day to drive with the windows down, what can I say?







While I considered getting a small propane-powered generator for a while, basicallly same money I could get a second Jackery. Each of these can power my fridge for 24 hours easily, so I figure if we get hit with a hurricane I can bring one to work or Pam's or whatever to charge and swap them out. I just don't have warm fuzzies about this year's hurricane season.

More Gravely break down photos...

July 20th when it broke down before I even finished one pass around the perimeter. Heard a weird noise and was in the process of figuring it out when mower no move no more.


Can't pick it up with the forks -- where it is safe to lift isn't well balanced, but I could get three wheels off the ground and very little weight on one.





So I knew it would be real tight for the dealer to back their trailer up to my garage and after thinking a bit realized I could hoist it instead :)





Stayed in the garage a few more days, off to the shop on 8/2:

July 28th -- Camp Cronin and working on the mower

It was a perfect morning for a long Jeep drive with my morning coffee. Never turned the heater or AC on, and the top was open for the trip home :D





How...how did that rock get there?





Did they put more rock on the breakwater or did a storm toss them up?





After getting the belt on, all that slack has to come out of the J-bolt...which is not easy on my back with my arthritic shoulder.

Which was for naught since it came off shortly after starting the mower -- I think the cooling fan for the transmission is bent and was hitting it; at that point I decided it needed to go to the dealer and let them deal with it.





Gravely ZTX-42 transmission drive belt diagram:

August 11th Garage Cleanup

Coffee, pickup tomatoes from Betsy's Stand, took Jeep to charge battery, started puttering in the garage probably by 10.

Cindy & Karen stopped over for a visit about 1:30, other than that mostly just slowly but steadily worked away till to 4-something.

One or two more evenings this week if I can and it'll be in decent enough shape for me to finally be willing to pull in the Jeep to start working on it.

Medical Travel Insurance

Air Medevac

Putting this hear so maybe I can find these guys again...might be worth it for years I'm doing a trip:

https://www.masamts.com/mts/platinum

Sunday June 9th Garage & Yard

Saturday I ended up just resting in bed, went out for a morning drive and coffee and by the time I got home was crying in pain from my knee, don't know what aggravated it.

After some rain in the morning, got out to the garage for a few hours in the afternoon and a little bit of yard work. Kind of fustrating because my stamina seems to be about the 3-4 hour range before I'm shot for the day, or two.

This $10 (if that) bulb holder for changing light bulbs worked out well. I already owned the extendable broom handle/paint brush holder. Now I don't have to wait a few months until Eric stops by and I can have him climb a ladder to replace burnt out bulbs :D

I did quite a bit of cleaning of the tool box/work bench but for some reason the photos aren't syncing :/

Had an extension for the pole saw, and while it works with the weed whacker head decided the extra effort of using it wasn't worth the gain.



And more volunteer violets(?)...I did not plant these or the white ones in the background.

But where I had a patch no longer seems to be growing, so I'm wondering if a squirrel has been relocating them.

Jeep Turned 100,000 miles!

Monday June 3rd, on Maple Street driving home from work on a gorgeous day with the top open and windows rolled down.

Just like it should be.

Saturday June 1st -- Yard work and Courtney's 40th

Was able to keep cleaning up around the yard in the morning. Courtney's wasn't till 4pm and I like it when the get togethers are later in the day on nice days for yard work!

Roughed in the raised garden bed, definitely won't be in use this summer, maybe I can get a fall lettuce crop in.







Zipping around with a grabber tool picking up debris in the yard.



`

I was taking some candid photos from a distance...oh Ruthie I was soooo close to an absolutely awesome shot!

Friday Assembly

Had a wicked, wicked bad inflamation attack on Tuesday and ended up leaving work shortly after I got their because my temper was hair trigger.

Much better on Wednedsay, but ended up putting about 12 hours in after a last minute issue came up :/

Thursday started off raining, but I think I also still had a touch of whatever was related to the inflammation. Had the day off but didn't do much.

Friday I finally got a few hours in, not as much as I wanted but feeling a bit fatigued so taking it easy now.

But first a pic from this past Sunday...how the heck did I turn off my tractor but leave the key "on"??? I don't remember ever killing my batttery before (except when it sat a long time).

Got a little garden seat, hoping it helps me scoot around on some yardwork stuff...



I **think** I bought this two years ago? Finally assembled it, although it's getting a later in the year so I'm not sure I'll plant anything in it. Have to put it in place and then get some dirt from the garden to fill it.

But it will be ready for next year!

Monday Brushing

Rain was predicted, so I got out at 6:30 (skipping breakfast) and worked till 11...of course the rain held off till the evening.

But made good progress -- raked quite a bit, forked it all to the swamp. Next up is probably another round with the mower and pole saw to cut some of the stuff that the rake didn't pull out.













Getting pretty good with the zero turn mower using as a "wheel chair" -- here moving some scrap plywood from garage to the shed.

Working in the Yard

Actually hiding from the afternoon heat right now, hoping to go back out around 6pm and zip around on the mower cutting more stuff to haul with the tractor tomorrow.

I'm starting to get pretty adept basically using the zero-turn mower as a wheel chair as I cut brush back around the yard. Here I'm picking some brush with a reach tool and stacking it so I can grab it later with the tractor forks.



Got the front end of the tractor greased up, checked oil, checked hydraulic fluid.

Had a zerk that gave me trouble, and while checking if the zerk was bad or what I dropped it and it poofed into an alternative universe -- never heard it hit the concrete, never found it.

But it was a pleasant day to drive to Tractor Supply with the Jeep top open :)



Can't really tell, but I pulled out some of the wild rose I cut from around the birch tree, and added to the pile some small trees I cut down by the house, before hauling it away.

Hopefully next pic of the birch will show a lot of progress -- now that it's a bit thinner I need to come over with the mower and pole saw and cut more of the roses back.



Stacking stuff to make fewer runs to the brush dump.



This bush along the drive way is a bit hacked up at the moment, but at least for the first time in years I've gotten the multiflora rose out of it.