Weekend Frustrations

Scott and I had been planning to spend our three-day weekend outside, tackling the overwhelming number of leaves in our yard. We were both excited when the forecast looked favorable for us to conquer our mission, and we had prepped both boys to spend a great deal of time outside working and helping. While yard work isn't an ideal activity for most kids, both boys seemed amicable to the idea. 

We woke up Saturday morning ready to work. After reviewing our job list over breakfast we bundled up and headed outside. We were moving like a well-oiled machine, with each family member dutifully beginning their assigned chore. We didn't realize that our progress had peaked during those initial moments.

Instead of conquering our leaves, we were dealt with a stream of frustrating disappointments that stalled our progress and derailed our plans.  While the boys started to rake out the flowerbeds, Scott and I began the task of assembling our new electric log splitter. I love my husband dearly and we are compatible in so many ways. Unfortunately, product assembly is not one of them!  After scrapping and arguing over the directions for over an hour, we finally managed to complete the "simple" assemble our new log splitter.

We fired it up and prepared to split some of our firewood. It didn't take long to realize that the splitter was not what we needed for our job. The machine struggled to split even the smallest log. After fumbling and trying for another hour, we agreed that a 5-ton splitter was not strong enough. We disassembled the machine, packed it back into the box and returned it to the store. The entire fiasco ate away at most of our afternoon.

Sunday Scott hopped onto the lawnmower, ready to mulch and bag the leaves that were carpeting our lawn. The mower wouldn't start. We jumped the battery and got it to rev. It was then that we discovered that the steering wheel had no impact on the wheels. Somehow the entire steering mechanism had broken. At that point, we both wanted to cry.

Without the ability to mulch and bag our leaves, we couldn't tackle our leaves. Instead, we decided to assemble and try the 10-ton hydraulic log splitter. Thankfully the machine was easy to assemble, but my goodness it is exhausting to use. In order to split a log, the levers must be manually moved back and forth. It takes a lot of energy to break through a log, even with the benefit of hydraulic assistance.

My arms are sore and tired. I don't have a lot of upper body strength but what I do have I spent yesterday trying to split those logs. After a frustrating weekend of nothing going right, I'm looking forward to the monotony of the week. Hopefully, we won't have any surprises!