This summer, Mum had an issue with her mower.  A neighbor was using his big tractor to mow her yard, but circumstances prevented him from doing so later in the season.  She needed a mower.  I asked Hubby if we could give her our mower and search for another option for ourselves.  He knows my stubborn nature and quickly agreed to my plan and we delivered the mower to her.  Happy Mum!

I started searching for a good, used mower.  Last year, in my discussions with The Wizard about such things, he recommended two brands for good quality.  Grasshopper and John Deere.  Given the Grasshopper brand is hideously expensive, I kept my search to John Deere machines.

I wanted to find something that would help cut down mowing time.  Our yard takes me about three hours to do from start to finish.   That includes mowing, then pulling the yard sweeper around to pick up clippings and leaves.   I found several models that were possibilities.  Since the terrain is uneven and gets wet in the spring, a zero-turn was out of the question.  Despite the fact that speed would cut down on mowing time, it would be a perfect set up for getting the mower stuck in various places in the yard.  That would NOT cut down on time.

In the mean time, Hubby was coaching youth football.  He was discussing my “generosity” during practice one evening.  A friend of ours spoke up and said he had a John Deere mower sitting in his barn.  He bought it at an auction for a great price and really did not use it.  It did not have many hours of use on it, and was in good working condition.  If we were interested, he will sell it to us for the price he paid at auction.  We decided to accept the offer.

The mower was not much bigger than our original.  However, I was able to find bagging systems for it that would certainly reduce the amount of time spent to complete the yard work.  I ordered a service kit and Hubby took care of changing the filters and oil.  It seemed to be running well, but I wanted to have it looked over by someone who knows more than we do.

It was time to call The Wizard.

I spoke with my father-in-law as he has regular contact with The Wizard.  He agreed to contact him and would arrange to transport him out to the homestead.  My job would be to provide coffee and a sweet treat.  We scheduled a visit and I baked sugar cookies the night before… a favorite of my father-in-law!

The two arrived mid morning a day last week.  The Wizard decided to check on the mower before coffee and cookies.  We headed to the barn with his tool box and yoga mat in tow.

Once in the barn, The Wizard went to work.  He rolled out the yoga mat to protect his knees from the cement floor.  He checked connections, moved wires out of the way to peer into the machine as best he could.  There were a few places where he scoffed at the design.  His observation was it was obvious the build was designed by engineers, not those actually working on the machines.  That is the plight of many a working man! 

Once again, my father-in-law and I stood back, watching this 83 year old man crawl around on his hands and knees through his very thorough inspection process.  His actions were systematic, like a physician going through an examination on a patient.  He used no manual, no internet, or YouTube video.  He reached in and around all of the parts of the mower.  He would talk to himself a bit, talk to us a bit, feel in behind wires and hoses.  His overall inspection was that the mower was indeed in good working order.

I informed him that the battery light coming “on” intermittently.  He reviewed several scenarios.  It could be an old battery as there was no date on the battery indicating when it had been installed.  Then, something miraculous happened.  The Wizard started to point to other areas that could cause the problem, and explained to ME how to fix it!  He pointed out the voltage regulator, a wiring harness near the battery, and told me how to find the part (he is an avid on-line part-searcher), what it might cost, and showed me how to change it.  I was elated!  I had moved up to “apprentice status” with The Wizard!  I shot a HUGE grin to my father in law… he was grinning at me too.  This was truly a rite of passage.  The Wizard trusted me with his knowledge and I will not let him down.

Once it was determined all was well with the mower, we moved to the house for coffee and cookies.  I love visiting with these men.  They shared stories from when they were in school, talked about who the toughest teachers were, and how there was no nonsense when it came to discipline.  We all concurred that the harsh discipline imposed in school was NOTHING compared to what awaited someone at home.  We talked and laughed, and determined that a “next visit” would not wait until there was a piece of equipment that needed The Wizard’s attention.

It was decided the visit had to come to an end, as there was more work to be done that day.  I packaged up the leftover cookies, we exchanged hugs, and they headed down the dirt road.  I smiled to myself for the rest of the morning, counting myself fortunate to have these wonderful men in my life.

These are the days when I miss my dad most of all.

These are also the days when I realize he left me in good hands.