I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later.

Every time Jim goes out to plow or "work the land",  I always tell him the same thing:  "Make sure you have enough fuel in the tractor before you do your work or you run the risk of blowing the engine". 

He usually listened ... until the other day.  Now as a result, we have a blown tractor and no backup.  We are going to have to ask around to see if any of our friends has a (slightly used) tractor that we can use until ours gets fixed.

It was a pretty day 'round these parts:  sunny, rather warm, with temperatures in the seventies --  perfect for any farmer to get out and enjoy the day --- and get some serious planting/farming done in the process.  While Jim was outside in the fresh air, I and the babies -- six-year-old Tommy and two-year-old Nathanial -- were in the livingroom, just enjoying the peace and quiet.  Nothing out of the ordinary, right?

Well, around ten minutes later, there was this big "BOOM!", followed rapidly by extremely loud cursing.  Jim's mouth spewed words that would make St. Peter and all the angels in Heaven blush; I am sure all the neighbors could hear him bellowing.

I looked out -- only to see my husband jumping up and down, up and down, waving his arms in the air like a madman, face red as the sinking sun.  He was as mad as hops.  I also saw the tractor; it was belching thick, acrid black smoke.  I knew immediately what had happened:  either he let the thing run out of gas, or he didn't put the right amount in it, even after I had told him to do so.

I told the kids I'd be right back (my mom was in the house with me; she'd been asleep until the tractor blew its engine; now she was up and wide awake; she'd watch the kids while I tended to Jim's affairs), and I went running out in my bare feet to where Jim was hopping up and down and bellowing like a stuck pig.

"Consarn it all!" he raged, "There goes the g...d... tractor!  Da** engine blew just as I was working!!  BOOM!  Just like that!!"

"Did you put enough gas in it, like I told you?"  I asked my husband. 

"Yes!"  Jim sputtered!  "I did!  You think I don't know any better than that??"

"Well, next time make sure because this is what happens when you don't heed my words", I said.

We continued to discuss the situation in a battle of heated conversation.  It turned out that, indeed, Jim did not put nearly enough fuel to properly run the machine.  As a result, the engine blew, and the tractor was now, for the time being, unusuable.  Hard lesson to be learned, but a darn good one.

Now if we can only get a new (or at least, a "slightly used") tractor until ours can be repaired, so we can get to the plowing before the spring storms come ....  that is the dilemma facing us right at the present time, thanks to my husband who just learned a hard, painful lesson in what happens when you don't listen to your spouse.

Just say a prayer for us; we need a sudden miracle here .... prayers are greatly appreciated!  :)