Homesteading, and life in general, isn't all sunshine and roses. Things happen, both good and bad. How you handle them is what matters, and lately I haven't been handling them well.
Frustrations abound, no matter if you live in the city or in the country. But with our homestead there is one particular issue that keeps rearing it's ugly head....mechanical issues.
An ongoing issue has been the second hand mower I bought in early 2014. It has constantly broken down, and each time it does, I took it back to the same repair shop where I bought it. Most recently, about 2 months ago, it cost me $175 for a replacement selenoid.
An ongoing issue has been the second hand mower I bought in early 2014. It has constantly broken down, and each time it does, I took it back to the same repair shop where I bought it. Most recently, about 2 months ago, it cost me $175 for a replacement selenoid.
We have tried several times since I purchased it, to get the owner of the shop to swap it out for a different mower, that will give me less issues. He refuses. He is sucking me dry with repairs, when he should be making sure it ran right to begin with. Yes, maintenance is to be expected, but when a piece of equipment sits idle more than it runs, it does me no good. I got taken on this deal, and I know it.
I found another shop to take it to, and it is currently there being looked at. I am praying it is a simple fix, like they think it might be. Some suggestions they threw out there were a fuse blown, loose wire, etc.
I also took my 2 month old weed wacker to them. Yep, after only 2 months, the head won't spin. That makes it a fancy stick with no purpose. I got a call yesterday from them, letting me know it's toast. I paid $70 for it at Walmart, and it would cost double that to fix it. They got me a quote from the manufacturer, which they said, Walmart should accept to take it back and get a replacement, since I don't have my receipt any longer. Lesson to me....never throw a receipt away. Not for something like this. I am not holding my breath they will replace it, thus I may end up being out $70, and no weed wacker.
The budget has gone wonky this month, so I am in the hole. Not a good feeling. This means no grocery shopping this week. I was so proud that after 8yrs on food stamps due to my shoulder injury, with my weekend job, I was able to get off them, finally. Now I wish I had them back. It was my own error that caused the issue, which makes it all the more frustrating.
I spent the better part of yesterday pouting. But that gets you nowhere, and for me, causes massive headaches. So, today is a new day. Am I still frustrated? Of course. But feeling sorry for myself doesn't help anyone, and it certainly doesn't get anything done. We have many projects we could be working on, without the equipment, so that is what we will do.
Yesterday I kept telling myself "What's the point in working my butt off, to just end up standing still?". Today I am telling myself "This is where you wanted to be, and the hard work will pay off in the end."
One of the reasons I am posting this frustration for all the world to see, is because too many blogs share only the good. They always are happy, things always go right, and the world is all sunshine and roses. NOT. They just don't show you what's real. I will always show you what is real here. No fluff, no fake happiness. Homesteading is hard. Harder sometimes than others, and you have to learn how to deal with those days. It's ok to pout here and there, but you will not make progress doing that.
Here's to better days ahead!
I found another shop to take it to, and it is currently there being looked at. I am praying it is a simple fix, like they think it might be. Some suggestions they threw out there were a fuse blown, loose wire, etc.
I also took my 2 month old weed wacker to them. Yep, after only 2 months, the head won't spin. That makes it a fancy stick with no purpose. I got a call yesterday from them, letting me know it's toast. I paid $70 for it at Walmart, and it would cost double that to fix it. They got me a quote from the manufacturer, which they said, Walmart should accept to take it back and get a replacement, since I don't have my receipt any longer. Lesson to me....never throw a receipt away. Not for something like this. I am not holding my breath they will replace it, thus I may end up being out $70, and no weed wacker.
The budget has gone wonky this month, so I am in the hole. Not a good feeling. This means no grocery shopping this week. I was so proud that after 8yrs on food stamps due to my shoulder injury, with my weekend job, I was able to get off them, finally. Now I wish I had them back. It was my own error that caused the issue, which makes it all the more frustrating.
I spent the better part of yesterday pouting. But that gets you nowhere, and for me, causes massive headaches. So, today is a new day. Am I still frustrated? Of course. But feeling sorry for myself doesn't help anyone, and it certainly doesn't get anything done. We have many projects we could be working on, without the equipment, so that is what we will do.
Yesterday I kept telling myself "What's the point in working my butt off, to just end up standing still?". Today I am telling myself "This is where you wanted to be, and the hard work will pay off in the end."
One of the reasons I am posting this frustration for all the world to see, is because too many blogs share only the good. They always are happy, things always go right, and the world is all sunshine and roses. NOT. They just don't show you what's real. I will always show you what is real here. No fluff, no fake happiness. Homesteading is hard. Harder sometimes than others, and you have to learn how to deal with those days. It's ok to pout here and there, but you will not make progress doing that.
Here's to better days ahead!