We finally got into our own house a month ago, after renting a less-than-comfortable place ever since we moved last January.  And since we got into the new place, it’s been one home project after another (in between bouts of emptying boxes, hauling boxes and paper away, and moving stuff around to set up).

There’s nothing like a good challenging home project to make you feel manly.  But I got thrown an especially good one when I first tried to mow my lawn, when my rider that had been stored away all summer gushed gas out the exhaust pipe when I tried to crank it up.

My little brother correctly diagnosed a carburetor float/needle valve/seat problem (it was the needle valve — its rubber tip was bad), as I found when I finally got it off the machine and torn down.  A quick online order and I had new parts in less than a week.  And once I figured out how to pull the old seat out of the carb body (took brains AND brawn), everything went back together in a flash, and I was mowing in no time.

My first carb rebuild.  Very satisfying.  Plus I newly discovered the wonder that is carb cleaner.  Where has that been all my life?!?