Recently, I had the opportunity to fly back to the Hoosier state to spend a week with my daddy. Mr. Smith and the Smithlings stayed behind in the sweltering Texas heat while I got to enjoy cool 79 degree temperatures in Indiana. In mid-August?!! Who would have imagined such a thing?
Dad and I had a very fun week hanging out together. As usual, my father taught me a few new tricks. I can now change a tire all by my big girl self. This is something that I understood (in theory) how to do, but have never HAD to do. I completed the task, and I didn't even get too dirty. :-)
Although the tire changing event was pretty cool, the biggest accomplishment was learning how to use my dad's Dixie Chopper.
A Dixie Chopper is a zero turn lawn mower that is made near Greencastle, Indiana. It reminds me of a very souped up power wheelchair with a cutting deck mounted on the underside. See the similarity? Well, one is a lot noisier than the other.
This beast of a mower is intimidating, to say the least. I have never really wanted to learn how to use it, and I've never really needed to know. Every time we visit Indiana, my son is the one who rides the Dixie. Since M. wasn't with me on this sojourn, I was the one who had grass choppin' duties.
After a quick tutorial, (Thanks, Dad and Cousin John!) I turned the key, put 'er into gear and made a few fairly straight passes in the field. It wasn't so bad -- well, as long as the terrain is nice and flat, it's not so bad.
I decided to not be stingy with the riding duties, so I "let" Dad mow the "back forty." I was a bit put off by the thought of mowing near the creek, and along the pond, so my daddy took care of that section. My hero!
The next morning, we ventured to Vincennes, Indiana, in the southern part of my home state. Dad had an early morning appointment, we had a lunch date, and there were a few places to explore. Oh, my, it had been YEARS since I was last here! I know that I toured the historical sites as a grade school student, but I couldn't remember much of anything about what significant things happened here, or there... What did I learn in school, any way?
The George Rogers Clark Memorial is a memorial built along the banks of the Wabash River honoring George Rogers Clark. Duh! Clark is regarded as the "Conquerer of the Old Northwest." His efforts in the Revolutionary War were instrumental in ultimately defeating the British. I do remember that much.
Another stop on our tour was Grouseland, not to be confused with Graceland. Grouseland was the home of William Henry Harrison during his term as Governor of the Indiana Territory. Apparently the land had an abundant population of grouse, so Grouseland it was, and still is. We didn't see any grouse during our visit, but I won't grumble, complain, or grouse about that.
Once we returned to the Thompson Ranch, I decided to attack the last little bit of tall grass. The confidence in my newly-acquired Chopper operating abilities was soon dashed to bits, as I slid into the creek, not once, but twice. The first time I was able to drive out of the creek without any help. At this point, I should have parked the beast in the garage, but I couldn't leave well enough alone.
Pride? Maybe. Stupidity? Perhaps. Blondeness? Only my hairdresser knows for sure...
I simply HAD to make one more pass along the creek and up the hill. I started slowly going up the hill, yet found myself sliding sideways into the creek again. I ended up pointed in the exact opposite direction from where I intended to go. It all happened so quickly that I have no idea how I got stuck, or how I got completely turned around.
This time it took the "Exploder" and a chain to rescue the mower. The stuck mower was in a much worse position than what the photo reveals. After the Dixie Chopper was retrieved from the muck and the mire, I parked the slightly muddy mower in the garage, licked my wounds, and called it a day. The creek and the Chopper may have won this battle, but I'll be back.
