Turner the Tool Man

"Oh, oh, oh OH, oh!" remember the show? One of our favorites! All those make it bigger and better predicaments Tim would find himself in... But we women really appreciate a man who can fix things. Growing up I remember watching my Dad working on just about everything: plumbing, carpentry, appliances, cars, mowers, etc. I also remember telling myself, as I handed him tool after tool, that I'd marry a man who could do the same thing!

And BOY am I glad I did!! This past couple of weeks the universe must have decided all things in motion must cease to function. Last week it was the large alley way fan for the barn. Jim gone for work, I relied on our also very handy neighbor and resident Farmer Extraordinaire, Steve Cochran, to help me fix it. But replacing a new pulley and belt only lasted a day and the engine then failed after 10 years of wonderfully cool air movement! So Jim put in a new one and voila - good as new!

Then our DR brush mower decided 1 years was all it could take of me hammering away at my horse trails of 5 foot grass, 2 inch trees, an occasional hidden stump and of course a rock or two. It coughed and sputtered to a stop last week. Thank goodness I wasn't deeper in the timber than I was and I'd been clearing for a good 3 hours, so I got a lot done before it quit! Poor Jim, though, had to pull it up some pretty good hills to get it back to the cool garage, only to hold my hand to give me the sad news my wonderful mower would not be revived this time. I was CRUSHED! (those that know me well know I am one of those really strange women that would rather have a power tool than a gold necklace any day!)

So instead of buying a brand new mower in this economy, we opted to buy a new motor. But wouldn't ya know, after 12 years, that 10 horse engine was no longer available and we had to opt for a bigger 13.5 horse engine. (insert Tim Taylor's Oh, OH, Oh, OH, OH!) Bigger has to be better, right?!

I had my doubts it would fit after seeing it in the box, but that amazing husband of mine was able to tear out the old one and put the new engine on in about 5 hours! How cool is THAT! And I have my trail blazing mower back - better than ever! THANKS, JIM! YOU ROCK!! For all you gear heads... here is the new 13.5 horse Briggs n Stratten.

And this morning the toilet tank wouldn't STOP running. So it was off to Menards for more parts. But, quick as a wink, that was fixed too! Then it was off to climb a ladder and work on the sprinkler system in the arena. And... check it off the list! No more sputtering sprinkler heads.

So here's a toast to the Larry and Judy Turner for raising boys who grew into men that can fix just about anything! You taught them well!! And another to all those handymen out there... The women in your life appreciate you more than you know! THANKS FOR ALL YOU DO!! :)