New Olympic event: Weedeater toss

I have a love/hate relationship with my string trimmer. Okay, I was trying to be positive but really it's more of a hate/hate relationship. I hate the thing enough when it's actually working but I hate it even more when it's not.

Yesterday I tried to start the stupid thing so that I could do all the weed trimming and save Dan the trouble so that he'd have more time to pay attention to me. Priorities, right? So I re-read the directions, as I do every time I try to use the thing, and slid the silver thingy to the choke position and tried to start it. No dice. Fine, no problem. I moved it to the B position and tried again. Nuh uh. Not happening.

I wiggled and jiggled every piece of the trimmer, pressed the bulb that makes more gas go into it about a dozen times, and pulled the starter dooey so many times that I gave myself a giant blood blister at the base of my second finger. You know, the "birdy" finger. Which I used repeatedly while cussing at the trimmer under my breath. It was unfazed, being used to such insults.

I got out the owner's manual and tried to identify the problem. I took the thing apart (as I've done before) and cleaned the air filter. I cleaned the muffler housing thingamajig (that's the technical term for it). I pulled off the cover over the spark plug and would've removed it but I was too tired to walk to the garage and find a 5/8" socket/wrench/tool doohickey. By then I was more than ready to admit defeat. I didn't want to weedeat in 97 degree heat anyway. And I felt a little better when Dan couldn't get it to start either after changing the spark plug and adding some oil/gas stabilizer stuff. So it wasn't just me being a girly girl--the trimmer is possessed!

If I'd any strength whatsoever left in my arms, I would have thrown it across the yard. Instead, I went to Wal-Mart and bought some Roundup weed killing spray. One way or another, those weeds are going to die because we have another Open House on Sunday.

PLEASE pray that someone will come see this place and fall in love with it. I'll even throw in a slightly dented Ryobi string trimmer for free.