Yesterday Mark and I were working. We checked to see which guests were still here and picked up some garbage and finished checking on and cleaning the pools. After some weed whacking I found out that the Grasshopper mower was now working, and it was my turn to learn how to use this machine. I got it turned on and slowly maneuvered it down to the flat land by the river where I could practice mowing straight lines and maneuver around trees. Gradually I got the hang of this machine and slowly began to speed up the process. The Grasshopper does not have a steering wheel but rather has two levers, one for each hand, that you work to move straight, left, right, or back up. Actually, when you get the hang of it is it much easier to drive than a standard yard tractor.
I picked a section that had lots of open spaces and went back and forth building up my confidence in utilizing the machine. Finally I had finished the section, but there was a small part that remained by the river, and I decided to go slowly near the edge and then finish this part as well. Near the end of this part I felt the machine begin to slip, and the left back wheel slipped into the edge of the river. Fortunately, it was not very deep. Nothing I did helped. It was so slippery that finally I only made things worse and got the base hung up on the bank as well. A nearby guest, Ray, came by to help with his good suggestions, but none worked. So, I walked back to our shop and got Mark to bring down his personal golf cart, as well as mine. Neither did anything when attached except spin in the grass. Mark has a Ford truck, and he brought that down next. Same result, spinning in the grass, when we tried to pull the Grasshopper out. All of a sudden, the boss Don was there, and I heard, "Go up to the front and direct a wrecker down here." With my tail between my legs, I followed the instructions.
Suddenly Don appeared and said he would wait for the wrecker, and I was to go to site 92 and cut branches that were touching a rig there. I did that and watched Don lead the wrecker down to the river. Finishing my trimming, I went back down. The wrecker surveyed the situation and decided to bring his truck part way down and then hook a cable onto Mark's truck and pull both out at the same time, since the Grasshopper was still hooked to the back of Mark's truck. The cable winched out both vehicles, and I drove the newly released Grasshopper back to our work shop to clean off the spattered mud that was everywhere. I felt terrible and was so embarrassed. I told Don that I would pay for the wrecker and he said, "No, shit happens."
Later I learned that Roy, who is on vacation and usually is the driver of the Grasshopper, had also landed it in the river. So things can happen. When I got home, a shower for me was in order, and HW2 noticed that I did not even have on matched socks. Now do you suppose that mismatched socks could have started this whole mess? I promise to stay away from machinery for a day or two. Fortunately, I have four days off. Happy travels.
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