The day was fresh, the sun was bright and just above the peak of the house when I stepped into the garden. I planned my time carefully. An hour from "now" the sun would have created a pool of shade where the Adirondak chair sat. Thats when I would take my first break. I finished my cup of coffee, Folgers, black, and set the up on the chair arm. Built wider than normal for that very purpose. I advance towards the tiller. Checked its fuel level. Set the choke and dropped it out of gear. I grabbed the starter rope and placed my hand where the legend on the Tecumseh 5-horse said place hand here. The first pull is always tentative but the second pull requires authority. I pulled and the starter rope came away in my hand leaving the engine running but with no way to restart the tiller should it stall. I tilled for the hour I'd planned, gaining about a quarter of my garden. I took a break as planned for coffee and with no way to restart my tiller I turned to mowing the lawn. Not more than five minutes into the sideyard and the mower engine setup, never to turn over again. So at 11:00 am I switched from coffee to Killian's and read the Farmer's Almanac in my Adirondak Chair befor going into the shop and seeing what damage I could do to some sterling. The seekend didn't start to well.

Don