Just Another Spring Day

Bee hives have returned to the Taylor's field, and I'm guessing this is a honey bee visiting our plum tree.

~~~~

Not a lot in my head this morning.  Of course, some would say that's true every day. 

Actually, as mentioned a time or two before, I do have plenty of stuff filtering through my mind, but some topics aren't always appropriate for the blog. And, then, sometimes they are!

As far as Lovestead news:  we will soon have new neighbors living next door, as our friends, the Kaubles, are moving closer to their grandkids. 

I have met the new neighbors and must say that the Kauble's treated us well in selling their place to one fine couple named Steve and Leslie. 

Yesterday, I saw Leslie for a second time while out mowing my lawn.  

She and her friend stopped on the road for a quick visit. Turns out I've known her friend for several decades but haven't seen her for almost that long. 

Jeanne told me that she highly approved of Steve and Leslie's new purchase, especially cuz she knew most of the other neighbors. 

Doesn't get any better than that.  

While we visited, Helen Baker Williams drove by.  I was happy to introduce her as the first person who came into the driveway to welcome us after our move out here to Selle Valley nearly 14 years ago. 

So, it was definitely a neighborly moment on a gorgeous spring day. 

Bill and I are feeling just a bit cocky these days cuz we're a few families ahead of being the "new kids on the block" out here in rural paradise. 

Another bit of news involves that lawnmower I was riding when Leslie and Jeanne came by. 

On my first mowing, it was starting to behave like it had two years ago-----going strong, then acting like it was out of gas and then dying.  Problem was the gas tank was still half full. 

So, I limped along through part of the mowing job yesterday morning, starting it up at least a couple of dozen times and finally deciding that when Tony came to bring back our 4-wheeler, maybe the mower would perform it's burping and dying routine.

Just as I walked from the lawnmower to the house and while in mid-sentence, telling Bill about the problem, a van with a trailer and a 4-wheeler on the trailer came rumbling into the driveway. 

Talk about timing!

And, by golly, our wizard Tony figured it out.  Within minutes, he had loosened the gas tank and pinpointed part of the line, which was stuffed with little bits of bark, leaves, etc.

With Bill's help on the air compresser, single-valve surgery was performed successfully, and the blockage was cleared.

 I was once again a happy camper, cuz when my lawnmowers aren't working, everyone around knows Marianne's gonna be in a funk. 

No funks for a while and fingers crossed that I can keep that Zero-turn Husqvarna in action through the summer.  

Tony is also bringing some new front wheels in a few days, so the mower ought to be good as new.

We hardly recognized the 4-wheeler aka side-by-side cuz Tony had given it a thorough cleaning while doing general maintenance. 

As always, we're thankful for Tony, and I'm sure he's thankful that the Love's usually have plenty of items (chain saws, mowers, 4-wheelers, snowblower, even a brush hog) for him to fix. 

In other news, the horses went to a pasture for the first time yesterday afternoon.  They have waited and waited and Lily has stared at that baby green grass for days.  

I think they were rather surprised when I came to the barnyard with a halter and led them one by one to Pasture No. 2 for their evening meal. 

Don't do anything with horses once!  They will expect exactly the same routine next time they see you.

This morning, they refused to walk over and eat their hay because I was supposed to lead them to the pasture.

I said no several times, but that didn't matter.  Twenty minutes after I had walked the woods and gone to get the paper, they were still waiting and staring at me. 

I figured they'd eventually get hungry enough to swallow their pride and go eat cuz I'm not taking them to pasture until this afternoon. 

I told Bill that it's apparent horses are much worse than dogs with their expectations. 

All is beautiful again this morning here at the Lovestead, and I've read we'll be up to 75 degrees by this afternoon. 

That means grass AND probably dandelions will grow, and I'll probably be back out on that lawnmower in a couple of days. 

Oh well, it's fun work and the best of distractions.

Anywho, the mind is now less running on empty and ready to take on some new adventures. 

Happy Wednesday.