If you are one that likes to make New Year resolutions, knock yourself out. I am not one of those folks.

Personally, I see no issue with creating goals any given day of the week, month, or year. In fact, I like to set a new goal at least once a month.

Instead of saying “I’m going to write a book this year” and then getting completely overwhelmed, the goal turns into one that is smaller, flexible, and works for me. Such as: I’m going to write X number of words each week or at least write Y number of words this month…because let’s face it, life luuuuvs tossing those curve balls that knock us out of the groove. The goals don’t stop there, because next month I’m going to shoot for ________.

Smaller, more frequent goals is how I get things done. Never would I have thought I could crank out 3 books of a 5 part series in the course of a few years. The long term goal is to get books 4 and 5 out for 2016. The shorter term goals are to break these books up into segments and work my way through them at my pace and with a smaller goal per month. Looking at things only in long term doesn’t work for me. If I stop and really think about writing TWO 90K word novels and releasing BOTH of them in 2016 AND making formatting/typo/clean up edits for books 1 AND 2 this year…well let the hyperventilation and palpitations begin.

So, if you have trouble with a big, long-term goal, try breaking it up into smaller pieces to make it less intimidating.

Top post for 2014, if you’re interested was: Travel Glamour – Not So Much

Runner up was: Graduation Poem – Written by My Dad

You’ll see some changes coming to the website soon. I’m not really digging the black background/layout of the theme I’ve been using. So I’ll be goofing around with that and making some changes. The goal, settle on a new them by the end of Jan. 🙂 See how that works?

So I’ve been on a wee roll about snow blowers. As luck would have it after my last post bragging on my old Toro snow blower, within 24 hours it had a major malfunction. Major malfunction in my book constitutes anything that will take more than a couple of hours to fix. I don’t have all day to spend working on this thing. Traveling Mon-Thurs, Sun-Thurs lately, my weekends are wicked short. So again, if the snow blower takes more than 2 hours to fix, I’m hosed.

I determined that the snow blower slipped the belt for the auger, so it would not chop up the snow and spit it out the shoot. Instead, I had a glorified mini snow plow and could only push the snow around. There was no way I could fix this thing quickly, and the repair shop had a 14 day wait period for repairs. So I made a pair of executive decisions.

1. Get the snow blower repaired and sell it.
2. Get a new snow blower.

Number 1 morphed into calling up a mechanically inclined friend, told him the problem, and said if he wanted the snow blower for tinkering, it was his for the taking. The old girl still has lots of life in her, and he wanted it. I delivered it to him that same day.

Number 2, well I’m just all squishy and giddy excited over my new beast, pictured above. The shop dropped it off, and I gave it a little test drive on the way to put it in the shed. The first thing I did was ram it into a snow bank. I mean if I’m going to test this new toy out, might as well give it the hardest job right out of the gate. Holy crap, this thing is a monster. I’ve seen snow blowers on riding tractors shoot snow 30 feet in the air, and that is a true thing of beauty. I now have one that will do the same, and I would have swooned had I not been laughing and so freakin giddy over the sight. I believe I’m in love with my new Toro.

With all the warming trends in between snow storms and upcoming deluge of rain, the snow will mostly disappear … for now. Fingers are crossed for another big dump of white stuff SOON because I can’t wait to get this baby out in the middle of it and tear it up.

Picture by me of a gorgeous new Toro 928 9HP Decimator of Snow

Since the last “Maine” post was about snow blowers, I decided to do another one on the same topic. What’s the fun in shooting dog turds through the snow blower if the snow blower isn’t running right?

The first time I tried to do some mechanicin’ on my snow blower beyond an oil change, I thought: How hard can it be? I can work on cars, change tires, change oil, and all that jazz. This will be a snap.

The mission: Pull the carburetor, clean it, put it back on, fire up the snow blower, and listen to her purr.

This snow blower was purchased used by a friend. I got the snow blower from said friend in exchange for a laptop (that’s a different story about that trade). Even after two owners, me being #3, the Toro was still in good shape. The engine misfired some and didn’t like to idle at a low RPM after I had it for a couple of years. No biggie.

Prior to the snow flying a few years ago, I decided I would fix the issue and clean the carb. I watched some online videos that made it look easy. I’ve got this.

I find the carburetor and didn’t have the torx-type-screwdrivers-whatever-they’re-called-thingies to remove it, so I make a trip to Lowes. I return with the proper torx doohickies and get to work. I put vinyl gloves on, get gasoline all over them when draining the carb, and remove the carb.

My carburetor looked nothing like the one in the videos I watched. Crap!

I didn’t know what the parts were in this thing. It looked fairly clean and not grubby like in the videos. The more I mess with this thing, the dirtier I’m getting by way of dripping gasoline, smearing it from my hands to my arms, and stepping in it.

I finally give up (briefly), go inside, grab the netbook, bring it out to the shed with me, and pull up the online videos. Step by step, or rather second by second, I play the video back while I inspect the carb in my hands. This isn’t going well.

My carb is an alien life form from Mars and nothing like the video. CRAP!! Snow storm is due to hit the next day. I’m in trouble.

I start looking for more videos for my carb, and come up empty. Swearing ensues.

In my peripheral vision I see something small fall in the grass, but I don’t know what it is or where it went. I look at the carb in my hand and a major piece of it falls off. I’m screwed. I can’t find the other little piece…still not sure something even fell, but I get the impression the little piece was important because the other half of the carb keeps falling off. I’m thinking that’s not supposed to happen.

This must be one of those parts that’s “extra” of course. I don’t really NEED to have it, right?

I rig the carb, manually holding it together while I shove it back on the snow blower and torx wrench-screwdriver that thing back on. Looks good from where I’m standing. I prime the engine and fire it up.

Gasoline squirts out in a steady stream from the primer button.

That DEFINITELY shouldn’t happen. I start laughing. My laughing gets harder. I finally get my brain in gear to get something to catch the gasoline spilling on the grass and turn the engine off. I’m laughing while catching the gas still coming out of the primer button even though the engine is off.

Finally the stream of gas stops, and I am now certain that the lost part wasn’t an unnecessary extra. I resort to tearing up the grass, pulling it out of the ground, and holy cow, I find the little brown rod that slipped out. It slides perfectly back into the carb and holds the two parts together. I get the Martian carb back on the snow blower and fire it back up.

No gasoline shooting out of the primer button this time. Good.

The engine is maybe slightly less rough running. I’ll take it. I at least have it running well enough for the impending storm.

I get a new carb ordered and installed once it arrives a week or so later. The Toro purred in a way it has never purred for me before. I did keep the old carb just in case I ever need to remove the newer one and that little bar holding the two Martian parts together decides to take another hike.

Image from sxc.hu

Below is a poem my dad wrote for me when I graduated from Mississippi State back in, I don’t know, 2000, or so. This writing thing, it’s hereditary. 🙂

Cheryl’s Graduation Poem

You have spent years to pursue a college degree’

You have finally finished and don’t know what you will be.

Now you could go back and study some more,

And learn just enough to be a big bore.

You have studied and studied as you come and you go,

But do you really understand all that you know?

You have now graduated and think you are smart,

But believe it or not you are still a big Fart!

When asked as a child, “What will you be?”

You said, “Dog catcher, Daddy, that’s the job for me.”

After all of the schooling in your intellectual pursuit,

You are now qualified for that job that will suit.

Dogcatchers are good and a job of your own,

But it won’t make enough to pay back the loan.

All kidding around and joking aside,

We’re happy for you, Baby and brimming with pride.

Congratulations, we love you, Mama and Daddy.

By: Richard E. Campbell

True story! When Dad told me how long Veterinarians went to college, I told him I’d instead be a dog catcher.

Poem copyright Richard E Campbell, Sr, 2000. Don’t go stealin’ my dad’s stuff!

Image from sxc.hu

In keeping with the winter theme and living in the northeast, here are a few things you should know about owning and operating a snow blower before you get one. I haven’t actually read the user manual on mine, but I don’t think these tidbits are mentioned…at least not specifically. Still, they are important to note, so here ya go:

• Frozen dog turds DO go through the snow blower.
• Frozen dog turds are hard as rocks. They can chip paint and put eyes out when ejected from the snow blower.
• The dog’s tennis ball left out in the snow will ALSO go through the snow blower. This is hilarious, and I highly recommend doing it at least once a month.
• The dog’s hard chew bone toy will likely go through the snow blower…and come out in pieces if it doesn’t jam up the works. This is not as funny and not recommended at all.
• Pointing the snow blower chute at things it shouldn’t be pointed at (like windows) will result in much swearing and cold drafts.
• The snow blower ONLY runs out of gas at the farthest point away from the gas can. It will never ever run out next to the gas can.

Image from homedepot.com. Beautiful Toro model. My Toro is similar though not as fancy, so yes, I’m drooling.