First and only post about lawnmowers (hopefully)

One of my dad's favorite things in the world is cutting grass, but yesterday while cruising around on his riding mower smoke started pouring out of it. After lifting the hood and re cranking it (the only mechanical solution he knows) the smoke billowed out even heavier. So, frustrated, he pulled the push mower out from under the house and apparently yanked the cord with all the power a 53-year-old man has and the rope snapped, but the mower started. My dad, thinking of nothing other than the importance of the task at hand, realized that now he could not turn the mower off until he had cut all the grass (about an acre) which means that he never took a break. However, he did manage to refilled the gas tank twice, and have a short conversation with my neighbor all while keeping the machine running, which means he never took his hand off the safety bar. I was so impressed with his backyard moxie that I told him I would fix it for him. He didn't think I could do it but he accepted anyway and I spent the better part of an hour doing the best I could to fix a machine that I had no understanding of. In the end I was able to fix it and I even enjoyed it a little bit. It made me kind of wish it would break more often, and based on the pride in my dad's voice when he tells me again how difficult it was to refill the tank while keeping it running, I'd say deep down he wouldn't mind it either.