Oh. Did I forget to mention that Johnny died while helping with Fall clean-up? Yes, sad but true. He was never quite the same after his spa appointment and went rapidly downhill, coughing and sputtering to the bitter end. He was a good guy and we spent a lot of time together. We were together through thick and thin [grass] and lots of bumps and humps.

There was nothing else we could do for him. He needed to go to the place where all good Deere go once their useful life is over. We waved good-bye as we watched him ride off into the sunset on a flatbed trailer. sniff, sniff ...

Enter John Jr. Even though John Jr. is much larger than Johnny it just doesn’t seem right to call him “John Sr.” He has only just arrived and we’ve already put him to work twice. He came with an exciting attachment: a snowblower! Rick decided that I should get my first lesson on Sunday. Here we are getting acquainted.

Isn’t he sweet? Only problem is, things aren’t where or what they used to be. (No, I’m talking about Johnny here, not myself although it’s true for me too!) What used to be the brake is now reverse, which causes a few problems as you can imagine. Just when you thought you were stopping you’re flying backwards [whaaaaaaat!]. Now instead of changing gears for different speeds you just use the gas pedal. vvvvvvrrrrrooooooommmmmmm! To stop it’s simple; just lift your foot off the gas. If you can remember that’s what you’re supposed to do, that is, otherwise you continue to go forward and potentially wreck an expensive piece of equipment.

Then there is the other pedal which lifts and locks the snowblower attachment and the fiddly bit that changes the direction of the snow chute. Okay, ready for your lesson?—all together now!

Disengage lock
Drop snowblower
Adjust direction
Press the gas pedal while lifting the switch to engage the snowblower
Watch where you are driving
Remember: the “old” brake is now reverse
Okay, now to back up.
Disengage the snowblower
Either lift and lock snowblower; or depress and hold down pedal while also depressing the reverse pedal (which used to be the brake)
Try to back up in a straight line or you will end up in the snow you have not yet cleared. (Since the chains aren’t here yet this is not a good idea as you will get stuck.)
Start all over again.
Easy, right?

After a few false backwards and forwards I got the hang of it. See for yourself.

Hey, I rock! While not quite up to “Pro” status yet, I didn’t do too badly. I just need a little practice, that’s all. If the past few weeks have been any indication of how snowy our winter is going to be I think I’ll be getting lots of John Jr. time.