It’s Always Good to Ask Dear Old Dad

If you are having an issue with something, it never hurts to ask dear old dad about it.

My parents came to visit my son and I last weekend. It was a really nice visit with lots of great conversations and with mom around, some pretty darn good eating went on as well.

My dad worked a lifetime for General Motors and spent most of it as an electrical troubleshooter. Like many dads, he also wrenched on his own vehicles, lawn mowers and just about anything else he thought he could fix.

So it's no wonder that when one of my vehicles or something around my house has an issue I usually get dad on the phone.

All summer I had been having an issue with my mower. I was having trouble getting it started and didn't know if it was the ignition because my key would no longer stay in it or if it was a safety sensor somewhere on the zero turn that was keeping it from starting.

With dad right at the house, I said, "Hey dad, I'm having an issue with mower you wanna go take a look at it?" I have always enjoyed our little projects together and thought this one was right in his strike zone, not to mention that two sets of eyes and ears are definitely better than one.

Dad helped me figure out that the ignition switch was worn out but that some sort of bug or wasp had tried to mud up a nest starting in my keyhole. All summer I wondered why that key would not go into that hole.

Why I think it is important to ask dad stuff is, he's had a ton of experience at so many things, usually whatever I ask, already happened to him. He told me about mud daubers that are basically a wasp like bug that make their homes out of mud and usually start with a crevasse and build from there. He told me about some that had made a nest in an exhaust pipe that has caused him some problems.

While looking at my lawn mower, he noticed a few other things I should look at to take better care of. I learned about a censor that is in my oil that I was unaware of but it helps to protect the mower.

Yesterday I ordered my ignition switch and while I was at it I ordered a tune up kit that included new blades so in the next couple of weeks my mower will be like new and ready to rock my lawn next year.

After we got done with the mower, we started another project fixing one of the lights on my boat and ran out of time, but I look forward to finishing that project with my dad on his next visit.

I love you dad!