Posts Tagged "House"

As we’re waiting for our second child to come, I’ve been working on my own baby, my Bolens 1054. I just purchased a hunk of metal (see image) that I intend to use as a parts tractor. So far so good. The main piece is the engine, its a 10HP Tecumseh Heavy Duty cast iron. Its also electric start which was key (who pulls a cord to start engines these days right?! ..). Engine turned over, seemed to have compression so I took a chance on it. I’ve since WD40′d it all up, put a bunch straight down the cylinder on top of the piston just in case as well. The electric start works. I just had to get a few pieces for it, plug cap, muffler, and did an oil chance. Oil was black as night, not sure the last time it was changed, but, having said that it...

I’m officially ready for summer I think. Though this warm / cold spring is great for sap! I’m ready to get outside and start cutting grass and cleaning things up.  This will be the 3rd summer here and i’m finally getting to projects that are ‘nice to have’s rather than ‘need to get done’s. Part of the problem is I work from 10 to 6 during the week and we have a child, Arden of course. It effectively means that any usable day light during the week and even on weekends is spent on responsibilities inside the home. Just as well now since outside is mucky and cold. Still though, its really hard and discouraging to do stuff when there is no light, whether warm or cold. Working on lawn tractors by work light just isn’t...

This is the year of the garden tractor. Why? Well because I busted my lawn tractor. Was using it for too much which i’ve blogged about already, but mowing, hauling firewood, ploughing snow… Anywho, I’ve been looking for a garden tractor as they’re meant for serious work. They are built bigger and stronger generally and come ready to attach ground engaging implements, most are equipped with some sort of PTO (power take off) for snowblowers, tillers, mower decks etc. Well I just bought a 1968 (i think) Bolens 1050. Its in rough shape, its been used for some 30 years straight. The last owner used it year round basically on a farm. Its not 100% original but its close. For having been used as much and as hard as it has been, its stood up...

I don’t know where our weekends go. Filled with hockey, church (early morning practices, and early night as well if we’re on at night), driving around, seeing this or that, shopping, fixing things around the house. Now its not all bad, got a lot done this weekend. I roasted 2 pounds + of coffee saturday morning – house still smells like roasted coffee throughout! Got more sap to boil down, scored the big 2 goals at saturday night hockey (though we lost 6 -3…), got over to look at a garden tractor, got OSX Lion installed and working, played outside with Arden, went to a roast beef dinner at the Lions club. It was generally a full weekend, but that also means it feels like time flies. So many things to do, so little time as they say. This aft...

Now that we have child, I’m obligated, guilted into, and / or responsible as a parent to clean up after said child. Now as brooms go, we have the top-of-the-line whisker fast red brand broom and associated pan. Problem is, everytime I sweep, I think to myself, there must be a better way… There’s gotta be right? It would be my dream, and first choice I think to get one of those wide gym brooms. You know the 4 foot wide ones? You could do the whole floor in a quarter of the time with one of those? Never understood why houses always had these tiny 6 inch wide brooms. There are a lot of things I’ll never understand and this is one of...