Unutterably Silly So what are you doing RIGHT NOW?

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

Nipped out early to mow the lawn before sun & humidity built up today ... dew just burning off the grass *snick* *snick* I love the sound of a push reel mower going through grass *whir*

In the spirit of offering you more of what you love, I hereby invite you to stop by the house and mow my quarter acre lot with your push reel mower! You can send me karma later, if you like.

[poohbear_nc]

Disclosure: when I purchased my Fiskars push reel mower I was so excited that I raced through our small lawn -- then I snuck across the street to my neighbor's lawn (which had been allowed to grow quite tall) and tried out the mower on a few swaths of their lawn. This enthusiasm for other people's lawns, however, did not last. The Fiskars mower is still going strong - gotta love 'never sharpen' blades.

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

...The Fiskars mower is still going strong - gotta love 'never sharpen' blades.

How much did you pay for the mower, if you don't mind my asking? I use a regular gasoline push mower for the fenced in area behind my house. It's still going strong, but one day I'll be looking for a replacement.

[ProfCrash]

Watching my Husband play with the Little Man. It has been a wonderful Memorial Day.

[poohbear_nc]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

How much did you pay for the mower, if you don't mind my asking? I use a regular gasoline push mower for the fenced in area behind my house. It's still going strong, but one day I'll be looking for a replacement.

I got it on WOOT a couple of years back - around $150 - no assembly except to attach the handle - put a waterproof cover over it all winter and leave outside - spray with WD-40 in the spring -- and good to go... newer models are out now - but Fiskars will run $150 - $200. Other brands are available - John Deere, etc. - they're advertised as golf green mowers - but I've never seen one for less than $150.

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

I got it on WOOT a couple of years back - around $150 - no assembly except to attach the handle - put a waterproof cover over it all winter and leave outside - spray with WD-40 in the spring -- and good to go... newer models are out now - but Fiskars will run $150 - $200. Other brands are available - John Deere, etc. - they're advertised as golf green mowers - but I've never seen one for less than $150.

Which model did you buy?

[poohbear_nc]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

Which model did you buy?

This one: http://www.amazon.com/Fiskars-Inch-S...eel+Lawn+Mower

It's an older model - still shows up periodically on WOOT or as an Amazon Gold Box Special Deal.

[Rumpelteazer]

I just love my local scrapbook store!

First, their payment method. This morning I placed an order and you don't have to pay immediately when ordering. They first collect all the items you've ordered, it can happen that something is out of stock because it's just been sold, and only when they have your order complete do they send you an email with a link to use your preferred payment method.

I hoped that my order would arrive tomorrow, so I could start with Project Life on Thursday (Ascension day, which is a national holiday). But I didn't really count on it. At 9.30pm I was making a snack for in bed when reading when the doorbell rang and the store's deliverer was at the door. I knew they have their own deliverer because of bad experiences with companies as DHL and Post NL/TNT, but I didn't know they were so incredibly quick. The deliverer told me that when you order and pay before 5pm it will be delivered the same night!

I'm now going through the various PL cards (the store breaks up the big kits into 5 smaller and cheaper sets). It will be very hard not to start working on PL tomorrow afternoon.

[Jessica Lares]

Just finished packaging for our small trip coming up soon. I will be relaxing that afternoon while everyone else is freaking out where everything is to throw in their suitcase.

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

This one: http://www.amazon.com/Fiskars-Inch-S...eel+Lawn+Mower



It's an older model - still shows up periodically on WOOT or as an Amazon Gold Box Special Deal.

That's weird. I remember replying to your post, but I don't see my reply. I must have forgotten to hit the post button after previewing it.

Yes, I believe I have found my next mower. Right now the old gasoline push mower is still starting with one-pull and running like a champ, but is not the best time to shop around not when you don't need to buy? Perhaps sometime between now and this time next year, the price will do an off-season drop.

This is the one that is screaming my name, and that Amazon Prime price is $50 cheaper than Friskars's own webpage is asking. I am having real difficulty keeping my finger off that "Buy" button!

And think of the money I'd save on gas!

Tell me, is maintenance much of an issue? I notice the Friskers web page says not to use the garden hose because for cleaning because of the potential for rust. Do you need to adjust the blades often? How difficult is it to keep the blades sharp?

[Rumpelteazer]

Yay, I got a new work surface on "my" workbench in the store. Before it was a flimsy metal sheet. Now it's two stacked wooden sides of an old Ikea wardrobe. Now we can also finally put the vise on it. And best of all, all the junk my father had dumped on it is gone. It's my intention to keep is clean so I have a good workspace.

[poohbear_nc]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

That's weird. I remember replying to your post, but I don't see my reply. I must have forgotten to hit the post button after previewing it.

Yes, I believe I have found my next mower. Right now the old gasoline push mower is still starting with one-pull and running like a champ, but is not the best time to shop around not when you don't need to buy? Perhaps sometime between now and this time next year, the price will do an off-season drop.

This is the one that is screaming my name, and that Amazon Prime price is $50 cheaper than Friskars's own webpage is asking. I am having real difficulty keeping my finger off that "Buy" button!

And think of the money I'd save on gas!

Tell me, is maintenance much of an issue? I notice the Friskers web page says not to use the garden hose because for cleaning because of the potential for rust. Do you need to adjust the blades often? How difficult is it to keep the blades sharp?

I almost got that one - I like the idea of the inset wheels ... but I didn't like the way it threw grass in front of you ... I read reviews that said if you mow very tall or thick grass, the cut grass could hinder your forward progress. Also, it was $50 more than the model I bought.

Yes - rust is the real issue - I just brush off any clinging grass with a gloved hand (the blades are very sharp) and keep it under a waterproof cover. At the end of the mowing season I spray all parts with WD-40 and cover it - but leave it outside on a slope so moisture does not collect under it. You could probably use Naval Jelly, or a similar anti-rust gel too. After 3 years the blades are still sharp - one important key is to pick up sticks and pine cones before mowing - the blades can chew through them but they will nick & dull the blades. The only blade adjustment is for cut height - very easy to do - if you are trying to cut very tall grass you need to set it high for the first run, and then lower the blades for the desired grass level.

The inertia wheel system acts almost as a flywheel - when I have to mow under the bushes, I get the blades spinning and then shove the mower underneath - the metal hood pushes the branches up & out of the way.

The major downside is that it can't cut tall flexible stemmed weeds like crabgrass - the blades do not pull the stems up like a power mower does, and allows the stems to bend under the blades.

[Dylrob]

I just received an email from MySpace, "redelivering" a photo I had posted there long ago...

[Rumpelteazer]

I'm slightly shocked in a good way.

This morning a girl working for a local hotel came by to buy a couple CFL lamps. We don't have those anymore so I advised her to get the LED replacement, which is only a couple of euros more expensive but lasts over 3 times as long. She took two to try out. Just before closing the manager of the hotel called; they liked them so much that not only did they want to order 200 of them, they also want the slightly more expensive dimable ones, just in case they ever want to dim them

[Stitchawl]

Getting my gear together for today's play. It will be a full day at the fencing salle today, as we try to blend new strategies with effective tactics, so as to bring home the glory for the Chiang Mai Fencing Club. We'll have several fencers competing in the Royal Thai Navy's International Competition in Bangkok on the 20th, but only in Individual competition events. We don't have enough skilled players to field a full team in any one weapon, as several of our members are out of the country on home visits. We need four players (of the same sex) for a team, and only have three for foil and epee, and I'm the only three-weapons fencer in the club right now, and the only one able to compete in the sabre events, as well as foil and epee. Today we're going to concentrate on epee skills... With no other sabre fencers to practice with, I may have to forgo entering the sabre lists. Bummer...

Stitchawl