Hey guys - I just read through all these posting since I have the same issue. Just bought a used Yard General with the 20HP Vanguard. Cut the yard twice beautifully - starts like it should, runs like it should. The last time I let it run out of gas. Once I refilled, it started up (not without a little effort to get gas back to the pump I suppose). It only ran about 20 seconds till I engaged the blades, and she started stalling till finally died. Wouldn't start till I pulled the gas line going TO the filter, let it drain out of the filter, tried and it started right up, for 20 more seconds. Same issue - won't start. Here's the strange thing - I can hear and see a rhythmic squirting sound from the carb, and see pooled gas in the bottom that gets disturbed each time I hear the sound. Its like the fuel pump is squirting gas in - all while nothing is running and battery disconnected. Thought at first it was vapor lock - took off the cap, pulled on the diaphram there, thought it was fixed, but died again. Anyone got any ideas? If the fuel pump loses its prime, is there some special procedure to follow? Thanks in advance! Mike

I lost an inch the after my first month of hooping. I started out hooping 5 - 10 minutes a day. Now I usually hoop for about a half hour at a time, but not every day. Usually about 4 days a week. I find that I'll pick up my hoop, thinking that I'll just go for about 15 minutes, but get into the movement and don't quit for a half hour or more. I usually watch TV while I hoop. For anyone who is interested in advancing beyond "waist hooping" I bought a video from Hoopnotica.com that is very good at teaching some basic moves. I also bought their travel hoop, which I was able to fit into my carry on bag. If you buy from them use this code to get a discount: TS0926

I agree with your assessment millworkman. To the extent that I can feasibly soundproof walls without having to tear into the wall too much, I would consider that in addition. Given that I'm on the 5th floor of a condo building (i.e. its not just my preferences that matter), I may have problems doing much. I plan to get a professional assessment as to whether there are other avenues for noise pollution to get into the unit. Again, would have thought that it would be fairly easy to have a number of options for replacement soundproof windows in the NYC. If I had any handyman skills or interests, it'd be a good business opportunity.

Everything kinda eariler each year here too in the PNW. It's been colder this early spring than in some years. But overall the winter is warmer and the plants know it. A global warming like cycle effect. Don't get me wrong, I really kinda like us becoming z9 instead of z8, but the models say our forest trees might burn like happened in CA, clear up to N CA and parts of southern OR. Global warming? Our current President is going to learn more about the effects of this in his new "business" than he ever would have imagined. In fact, he might even have to believe it as he deals with increasing intermittent drought times in Africa as well as CA. San Diego is already currently putting in a large municiple desalination plant! Faster change within a lifetime, rather than over many generations is tough. Human life energy and $ investments get taxed due to faster rates of change and on wrong choices. When it happens slowly civilization can just move correctly in the change direction. Adaptation becomes easier. Less famine, disease cycles that way. (Can you imagine what it'd be like if the US had another "dust bowl" event or Africa's Sahara Desert suddenly positioned towards doubling in size? We were just in dry desert like Baja CA, Mexico for a week. They must pump water like crazy where they live to make the habitat more hospitable. The rest of coastal CA is in trouble if they shift to that climate. Baja can't expand much more on current water supply needs. They would need to add desalination plants and pay that energy cost and environmental effects. There we a lot of Whales there this Feb. It's a natural calfing time due to less food (= less predators) and higher salinity, which floats baby whales better. Higher salinity is caused by higher evaporation rates than up north. If that water goes up into the sky it must later come down, often as storms. Thus, if we extend the salinity effect as far as N CA then we have current 1x storm potential go to eg 3x. More frequent, powerful, extended range storms. The mosquito disease range also moves north with the warmth effects. This would be a great time for your grandkids' future to buy land one growth zone north of you. Now we as gardeners can help. Grow large leafy plants like HYDRANGES and better yet TREES, and BAMBOO that eat CO2. Build wooden structures with them to tie up carbon. This is a good banking system. If we get a mini ice age due to asteroid hit, then we recycle/burn things to make heat, grow mushroone such as oyster mushroom and shiitake, and restore global warming effects this time for benefit. Dark ash can be added to darken snow for heat capture and soil building to make CO2 hungry plants. Anti-global warming front yard (by chance not informed design, our last house). Who needs grass to cut? Labor could go into harvesting wood and handcrafting things to stock pile CO2. Our new yard is sunny, but we are transforming it. Before Six months later Our divisions from the last house and some acquistions give us 80 kinds of hydrangea installed into the new design and 7 types of timber bamboo. We have little land and so just 5 smaller trees we added, including 3 Japanese Maple, a Persimmon and Witch Hazel. Internet photos or sone of our bamboo types. Click photos to expand any condensed images. Phyllostachys nigra "Black Bamboo" Phyllostachys nigra 'Bory "Tiger Bamboo" Phyllostachys nigra 'Henonis "Henon or Blue Bamboo" (thought to be the larger parent type bamboo from which the other nigra varieties mutated from. It starts as a nice tall green bamboo and develops a blue surface powdery film with age.) Phyllostachys vivax 'Aureocaulis' "Golden Vivax Bamboo" Phyllostachys vivax 'Huanwenzhu Inversa' "Kimmel Golden Vivax Bamboo" Phyllostachys atrovaginata "Incense Bamboo" also has edible shoots. Bamboo stands give privacy barriers, add backdrops for our hydrangea and other plants, and are evergreens which helps the yard look great in winter. We like the decorative spent canes for craft and yard uses. These also make edible shoots if tbey excape my root barrier investment. And they can be used to defend against wild dogs and humanZ in time of famine or Zombie attack ... then there's torture potentials too. I'd grow the Incense Bamboo for the fragrant waxy surfaced canes alone or scary looking shoots. These interesting looking shoots are equally useful to detour unknown neighborhood kids from jumping over the fence, thus not incensing me again.