Show me your horsepower!

Our new house will have a rather large yard so last year when we knew we were entering the depths of building hell we bought a riding lawnmower. We got a great deal on not only just a riding mower but a *TORO WHEELHORSE*. Compared to our cheapy walk-behind mower, the TORO WHEELHORSE is a Cadillac. The Cream de la cream! Our old house had a very small yard. Two swipes with the walk-behind mower and we were all set. There was hardly a need for a riding mower with such a small space. Since we just couldn't pass up the great deal on the TORO, we asked my parentals if we could store it at their house. My dad was thrilled. You could see the excitement in his eyes as we unloaded the big red beauty. Ray is also a push-behind mower owner so he could not believe his good fortune to have use of the *TORO WHEELHORSE* RIDING MOWER for an entire lawn-mowing season. He was on hand to help unload and park the great machine in a special parking space in the garage. His giddiness can only be explained by the following phone call I received just after the TORO arrived at his house:

Mom: Hey, I just wanted to thank you for the use of the riding mower! Your father is thrilled!
WTC: Yes, well, it was nice of you to let us keep it there.
Mom: I mean, your father is ecstatic. He has always wanted one of those. He is riding as we speak. He has been driving it all around the neighborhood today to visit the neighbors. I think he may even mow the lawn with it a bit later.
Scary stuff.

Unfortunately for Ray, his use of the TORO WHEELHORSE has come to a close as our new lawn is beginning to take shape. Oops, let me correct myself...we planted grass seed, the little grasslings started to grow, and now the big and powerful weeds have started to squish out the grasslings. Which means it is time to mow down those nasty weeds. With the TORO WHEELHORSE. I'll give you 1 guess as to who volunteered to mow the weeds last weekend. I'll also give you 1 guess as to who conducted a *How to Properly and Respectfully Drive the TORO WHEELHORSE* seminar on Sunday when it was time for Ray to turn the tractor over WTC.

Ray: bleah bleah bleah safety.
WTC hears: Ladies and gentlemen, Start-Your-Engines...
Ray: Neat rows, bleah bleah.
WTC hears: Now just make sure you crank up volume of your MP3 player to drown out mower noise.
Ray: Carefully turn around, First or maybe Second gear only, bleah bleah bleah
WTC: Gear down only for the corners, otherwise, open 'er up!

Poor Ray could only stand by for me to do a couple of loops and he wanted back on. He hopped into the seat and off he went, swiftly shifting into 4th gear.

...and I wonder where I get my need for horsepower??