One of our neighbors lost a tree in last week's storm. He asked to borrow Mike's chain saw so he could cut into firewood. I think that Mike used that chain saw maybe once. I think he may have been slightly peeved when I hired a man to chain saw down some lilac old growth a couple of years ago, but, really, I've grown accustomed to his having all his fingers. Chain saws scare the bejeesus out of me.

Anyway, the saw has been sitting in the garage for years. They started it up on Monday morning, but it just would not keep running. Mike took it to a small engine repair place where the guy thought maybe a new carburetor for 80 bucks plus whatever labor OR it was not fixable and should be thrown away. Not about to gamble 80 bucks on possible garbage, Mike brought the chain saw home and took it apart himself. He discovered the fuel line was so old and hardened that it just cracked under the slightest pressure. He put a new fuel line in...no where near as easy as it may sound, since it took him the better part of Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning and involved jerry-rigging attachment parts out of a ball point pen. Now it runs. I am impressed by his ingenuity.

Still, chain saws really are scary, dangerous things. I will be nervous until our neighbor brings it back and it is once again rusting in the garage from lack of use.