I bought my Model 6262 from a neighbor in 1985, when my W.T. Grants mower(a 1960's hand-me-down from another old neighbor) gave up the ghost. I have used and abused that machine for 27 years, mowing lawns and picking up lots of leaves. With the exception of one muffler, three plugs, two bags and a few blades, that machine hasn't ever let me down. Until this past fall. Suddenly she refused to start. I installed a fresh plug and still no dice. I parked it in the garage until today, when I finally gave it a second look. Began by pulling the fuel line from the tank petcock and voila! No flow! Probed the petcock with a small nail and the obstruction(gunk) popped out along with renewed fuel flow. Cleaned the machine up a bit while it was up on the bench and brought it outside for a test drive. 4 pulls and that sucker fired right up in a glorious cloud of blue smoke. To think, I was beginning to consider a new machine. Think I'll treat her to a shot of grease to the wheels and a new blade. Not necessarily an addiction. Just an apreciation for a machine that can give that much uninterupted service, without requiring much more from me than fuel/oil.

Willard Bay makes a great field trip but I like to dash off somewhere closer on a whim & since I'm in Salt Lake I'm dashing to: Empire Gardens (Wholesale & retail, easiest way to find it is to head north on 700 East and around 3600 South look for a tiny street marked "Empire" on your right.) Bring a checkbook & look for Ruth. Knock on the door if you can't find anyone. Great for gallon pots of drought resistant perennials, shrubs, trees, whatever. When folks stop by in the fall to ask where I'm getting such great plant material, this is generally where I've been. Family relationship with Millcreek Gardens. Millcreek Gardens (around 36OO S on 900 E) This is where I get my cocoa hulls for mulch. (Ask for discounts on multiple bags and soon your garden will smell like chocolate too!) Cactus & Tropicals (corner of 2000 E & 2700 S) I go here year round due to frequent tempting orchid deliveries. Lots more than the name suggests. Friendly knowledgeable staff, many with a sense of humor which I appreciate during gardening challenges. not a nursery per se, but fun for gardeners: Farmers Market (8am Saturday at Pioneer Park) Consider the lilies near Borski Farms & Caputo's on north side of market, heading east. Empire Gardens has a sampling of plants further west on that north side walkway. Lilies, houseplants, trellises & more around the market. I purchased stone and metal garden garden benches from a local artist here, great finds for gardeners throughout the market. Organic farmers happy to talk shop, specialty growers of perennials & houseplants, artists who will handcraft something fabulous for your garden. Plenty of great food, fiddles, and organic coffee to keep up your strength while seeing and being seen. Great stop for newcomers to Salt Lake as well, you'll see a lot of Salt Lake at once!

My parts came in today and everything works great now! I heated the grill to 525 F for 20 minutes to burn off the "newness" and then seasoned the cast iron "grid" with one coating of PAM, then about six coatings of vegetable oil. Everything went well with the first batch of boneless chicken breasts!

I found one pair of Hokas today at TJ Maxx. They were 9 1/2 ( I am usually an 8 1/2 or 9) . I tried them on and they were actually pretty comfy.........but they were blue and orange and $79.99. I think if they looked a bit more "normal" I might have bought them. I want to be able to wear sneakers with a little nicer outfit ( like I was wearing today, for when we travel.... still casual but a step up from gym clothes).. These really looked like clown shoes on me and for the price, I just couldn't. But I was excited to see them in TJM. I would have been happy with the ones Jane shared above. These were like medium blue with orange flames. oh well.