Efiwym, my wife loves to go rummaging. It is her passion. Her intention, objective, aim or holy grail of rummaging is to find that great deal. She rarely has a specific item in mind when she goes and visits someone’s garage. She might be looking for clothes for our grandson, or a special item, that someone asked if she could find it. Otherwise, she just enjoys going to garage sales, estate sales and rummage sales. She bought several Keurig’s at rummage sales and passed them out to family and friends that might need one.
I have to admit, she has a keen eye for a bargain. At the grocery store, she can spot a “discontinued item” pricing label from a distance. Even if it is not something she would consider buying, she will stop and check out the item.
So, this project is about a used rototiller. An item, that we originally did not consider purchasing at a local estate sale.
One Saturday when we were doing our usual Saturday thing of shopping, Efiwym asked if we could stop at an estate sale in our neighborhood. She would always preface her request with, “since it is along the way…” I usually do not like going with her when she is on the hunt, because I believe I am like an anchor. I sense she will rush because she knows I get bored “just shopping.” I am a “buyer.” I go to places to “buy” things, not just “shop.” But she assured me that we would not be long. “I just want to check it out,” she said.
Once we got to the estate sale, she started checking around. Again, she was looking for nothing in particular. I strolled behind, touching and looking at things as we walked by. She noticed a faux stone statue that she liked for our front yard. “I want to buy that,” she told me. I told her, “Okay,” as I shrugged my shoulders. We wandered into the house, and she did not find anything else of interest. We walked back outside to grab the statue. She bickered with the lady and got it for a couple of bucks.
As I walked to the car, I mentioned to her about the old rototiller next to the statue. Sarcastically, I said it could help break up the garden so she could plant her vegetable plants this spring. She did not say a thing about it as we headed to the store and returned home.
When we got home, she asked me if the rototiller was worth the fifteen dollars. I told her I did not know. In fact, I said, “We do not know if it even runs.” Well, she DM’ed the lady regarding the rototiller. The lady said the rototiller was still available and her father said it had “compression.” Compression? It may have “compression,” but does it run? I really did not want to get into a gas-powered tool project, but it was fifteen dollars, and I was getting better at fixing gas-powered tools.
Just last week, I got our gas-powered lawn mower started after it was sitting around for three years. I opted to purchase a battery-powered riding mower because I was done with monkeying around with winterizing and springizing gas-powered equipment. Also, I was tired of pushing around a mower, so a battery-powered riding mower made more sense. To get the mower to start, I pulled the carburetor bowl, cleaned it out, sprayed the carburetor with carburetor cleaner, put it back together, added some gasoline, and pulled the starter cord, and…it started.
Last fall, I replaced the carburetor on the snowblower. Even though I think it is idling too fast, “Big Red,” as Efiwym calls it, busted through the wet, heavy snow.
The lady told Efwym that she would hold the rototiller. We could pick it up the following Saturday when she returned to the house. Now, I was ready to take on a rototiller. An old rusty rototiller that has “compression.” Lucky me!