Off topic - need someone to mow & weedeat yard for summer

[Eric Esche]

Having total knee replacement surgery on June 21st. Doctors want me to exercise, but not do futher damage before or after surgery. Pushing a lawnmower, even a self propelled one, over uneven ground is not on their list of approved activities for the next 4 to six months. Faster I recover, faster I will be back on the water, so I want to do what the doctors say.

Have lawnmower and weedeater that work here at house and will provide or reimburse gas. Would pay $10/hour every week or two (usually 4-5 hour job) if someone wants to earn some extra paddleing cash. If you are over 21, I might even arrange for some cool ones from the fridge, as I am a firm believer in the fact that lawnmowers and weedeaters run on beer, but can also provide tea or softdrinks and an airconditioned house to cool off in or shower. Seakayaks would also be available for use after mowing.

Live on Beaver lake on HW 94SPUR out side of Rogers,AR in northwest AR.

Call 479-seven two one - 9101 for my cell.

Thanks, Eric Esche

Having someone to mow the yard would make Susan much happier this summer.

[Renee H]

Does Susan not know how or does she not like it? I could give lessons

[Eric Esche]

Susan knows how to mow a yard, and insisted we get a self propelled electric start mower that she could crank when we last bought one (it's in the shop getting a tune up as I write this), but she works 70-90+ hours a week for her employer and often does not get home until after 9PM and often works 7 days a week. This morning she got up at 4:30AM for an early morning meeting (international conference call). She does all the gardening in her "spare time" (sometimes at daylight) and the yard has 13 beds it did not have when we moved here. I trucked in and unloaded a very full truck load of top soil today, to last her until after I can shovel again, and I am really hurting right now. This surgery is not coming too soon. I'm having to struggle to get some of my honey-do list done before the 21st. Building boat rack and fixing a trailer tire are tomorrow if I can move.

Susan honestly does too much being the sole income earner in our house hold, (I've been unemployed for 13 years since a major heart attack (45% remaining, and the diagnosis of severe degenerative disc disease in 5 discs and a worn out knee don't exactly make me anyone's prime job candidate) and I was trying to find someway not to add to her burdens while I recover from surgery. Her work hours are most of the reason few folks ever see Susan on the river or at a chapter meeting. For years, some folks have accused me of having a mythical wife, but enough folks have met her now that they know she really does exist. Susan only gets out on the water maybe 6-12 times a year, and she used to paddle almost everything I did, after having also been a raft guide on the Chattooga for a few years. We took our delayed honeymoon kayaking down the Colorado in 1982 in Hollowform Riverchasers, so we are not as young as you. Susan can do just about anything, but mowing the yard is something I'd like to spare her. For 30 years, it's mostly been "my" job where ever we have lived, and I did not want it to be the straw that broke her as she tried to do that too.

Thought that there might be younger folks who wanted or needed to make some extra money and it could add up to enough for a new boat or more by the end of the summer. We've had folks in the NW chapter who were asking for jobs in the last two years, so that was why I offered/asked.

Her 80 year old mother is coming to stay with me the week after surgery, and gave me back the walker I loaned to them when JM needed it this spring. I also have two sets of crutches and various canes so I will be set. WE spent last weekend gardening at her mother's house in Cabot, with her sisters who flew in for the weekend.

Eric Esche

[okieboater]

Eric, man you do a ton of hard things in spite of physical issues that would keep most of us bed ridden. Stay with it.

Francine and I had a couple of Holloform River Chasers. We were camping at Lost Mine and canoeing the Nanty for a week or so back in the day, and two guys showed up to camp next site down. They both had white river chasers. We started boating together on the Nanty and visiting around the camp fire after dinner.

Turns out they said they owned the factory and were taking a combined test and vacation on the Nanty. Towards the end of the week they offered both of the kayaks to me for a ridiculous low price. Said they were running short on gas money to get back home and the two kayaks were disposable as they had a bunch back at the factory, and they wanted us to have them if we had the extra bucks. I did the deal.

Francine never did much kayaking with me, she liked canoes a lot better, but I boated those two kayaks for many years. Finally, both cockpits cracked at the rims. I guess they did not do UV treatment back in those days. What I thought was neat was the plastic bulkhead braces. And, the design worked pretty good as well. Most all kayaks looked about the same in those days.

Anyway, I probably told this story before but you writing about you and Susan having a couple river chasers made me remember Francine and I having them as well. The more we swap stories the more things we both did in the southeast.

Best of luck with getting help on the lawn mowing and speedy recovery as well!!! Wish I was a lot closer than Tulsa to your house as I have a John Deere rider with 42 in twin blades that makes short work of our yard

[Clif]

This probly seems like a ...yeah, right.. answer. If I were closer, would be glad ta hep you out. Sorry to hear about things falling apart?

[Shark Attack]

Clif, pick a day so we can go mow Eric's yard. You know those kayaking types in NWA won't step up to the plate

[Eric Esche]

Clif, Wes, and David - Y'all are way too far away, although I do appreciate the thoughts. Wanted money to go to a paddler, but I can post a sign at the local state employment office and get someone next week if no paddlers are needng the work this year. Lots of folks up here out of work.

Hope y'all will be with me when I get to christen the Courier this fall. I'm really looking forward to paddleing it. Just as pretty as I remembered and feels exactly right when I sat and carefully kneeled in it. It is also light enough for me to pick up by myself as I am now, at less than 50 pounds. First "brand new" canoe I have ever owned.

And David, I really do like your taste in mowers. Someday, maybe. Susan said the yard was too small here to warrent a rider this time when we moved here, and she sold both of our riders with the house in NC. Grass grows sort of fast where we had almost none before, as I hauled in 37,000 pounds of horse manure to get something to grow in the rocks. I weighed the loads on a bet with a neighbor. I liked him enough to give him a 5500 pound load when he asked for some for his wife's garden, but he had to unload it. Still working on the grass across the driveway as it is sort of patchy in spots, but more black dirt and grass seed next fall should finish up the job. Will start hauling rock again when it is cold for more walls and walkways. Susan did a landscaping job around the un-aesthetic, but thermally efficient well housing last weekend, all by herself. She arranged 2200 pounds of rock, after going and getting it with her truck, and then redid it all a second time after she bought a book on rock walls, and then assembled 3 trellises. I did anchor the 3 trellises and the well housing for her with chain to screweye anchors so they should not be blown away easily. Come see me if you drive by this way.

Susan now plannning on taking off time from work first few days I am out of hospital after talking to co-workers who have had knee replacements about what will be needed, and she is having someone come to stay with me when she has to go on a business trip in middle of July as I will still not be allowed to drive and will have to go to physical therapy in Bentonville.

Thanks again - Eric
(and almost out of pain now as the pills kicked in finally)

[Cowper]

What you may not know is that there is a rumor going around Renee actually enjoys mowing the grass. So the offer to "teach" is probably not so much a as you might think.

Play it right and you could get the Huck Finn fence painting thing going on...

[Eric Esche]

Got a neighbor with a $7000 mower who says he will do it. Thanks to all for the thoughts.

Eric

Finished the last details of the canoe rack today, complete with locks.

[fryingsquirrel]

Hey, Eric, if I was still in Rogers, I wouldn't hesitate to help you out. Tell you what, if you wanna cover gas for me to travel from Conway to Monte Ne once a week, I'm your man.
Hope the surgery goes well for you.
Jon Ellwood