wrapping up 4th

wrapping up fourth grade can be summed up easily with the word PARTY.  the wellsville mile, a trip to the golden spike museum and a rendevouz with the mountain man provided plenty of opportunity to mix friends and fun. 

 

after completing the race with a personal record, e was amazed at how hard a mile can be when you actually "run the whole thing!"

  

i tagged along on the field trip to golden spike and survived an entire day with the fourth grade, bus trip and all.  as i attempted to get sick on the bus, i giggled to myself about how mortified e would be if her mom got sick in front of all her friends.  

finally, daddy/daughter western night was complete with grandpa as her date.  an hour and a half of square dancing left them both exhausted.  

my e is surrounded by an amazing group of friends.  no gender, personality or life situation turns this girl away.  although i can see that she has a handful of very close friends, i am sure that if you asked her who they are, she'd have to name off fifteen in an attempt to narrow it down.  i tell myself, and have even asked ripp, that friends like this are produced all over the world and that we will find them in texas.  but...they are some pretty big shoes to fill.

men and mowers

moving, or the preparing to do so, has just a few ups and downs.  sometimes it takes the simplest of things to make the switch.  this following email conversation between ripp and the friend buying our house (the friend wants our riding lawn mower) is just one of the small things that can easily bring a smile to my face.  and anyone who knows ripp well, will not be surprised by his...um...preciseness.

FROM RIPP:

Here are two I found on ebay(links above).  I’m not sure exactly how many hours mine has on it for three reasons.  One, I’m not there and can’t look at it.  I think around 300 hrs.  But the other two reasons are that when Will was really small he kept getting on it and playing.  That was fine other than he would turn the key and then leave it on.  He did this two times that I know of.  Total killed the battery and the hour meter would run until the battery died.  If I remember right it would add like 75 hours.  Each time.  I’m positive that actual hours are under 150.  Assuming that I mowed at my old house for 7 years, 7 months (28 times a year) out of the year for 30 minutes each. 84 hours.  And 2 years at my new house at 45 minutes each..that 42 hours.  That is a total of 126 hours.  Ali can verify mowing time independently. 

That long explanation is funny but the hour meter running is something I lost a lot of sleep over.  The first time it happened it had around 30 hours and I considered buying a new meter but it was like $100 bucks…

I hope you enjoyed this break from your otherwise mind-numbing day.

BUYER'S RESPONSE:

Just so you know, I'm sitting here laughing out loud at this explanation more specifically the loss of sleep.  I will verify, independently, with Ali.  My problem is cash, At some point my cash will run out.  I've already heard my wife mention numerous times things she would like to have in the house.  I'm afraid I may lose the argument that a drive mower is a nessecity over a couch or bed given that neccesity is relative.  I will remind her of the movie Can't Buy Me Love, which depicts the numerous uses of a drive mower such as; mowing lawns, traveling short distances without a liscense, and last but not least, ultimately bringing two hearts from polar opposite backgrounds and tangling them together as one to ride off into the sunset constituting the ending of one of the greatest high school movies of the 80's.  I'll see what I can do.  No promises.