That was CLOSE

My brother and I were trading "wow, I messed up" stories earlier this week. I think I won - in the interest of confidentiality, I won't share his story, that is his to tell. I can share the huge mess up that I did.

I did a great thing on Monday. As you can assess from my previous post re: the rain, we have had lots here this spring. The saying in ND could go "June showers bring July flowers." SO, we have to mow the lawn twice a week so we don't lose the swing set in the grass. On Monday it was finally dry enough to mow so I offered to jump on the mower. Mark was busy installed the aforementioned sump pump.

I did all the right stuff. I checked the oil and filled the gas. I found a fairly full blue can in the shed and filled the tank about 3/4 full.

I mowed and mowed - did I mention that I LOVE mowing? However, the way that I mow drives my former landscaper husband insane. He keeps talking about straight lines. I ask you, how can the lines be straight when there are ever so many obstacles in the way? I weave my way around the various shrubs, telephone poles, electric poles, fence posts, etc. that are in the way. The obstacle determines the pattern. (I can feel my landscaper brothers-in-law shaking their heads). The mower had a little miss, but that is normal at our house. Some of the equipment is just tempermental.

I finished up and parked the mower by the barn (didn't put away the can that I used to fill the gas). About 30 minutes later I hear Mark yelling from the barn "DID YOU USE THE BLUE CAN TO FILL THE MOWER?" "YES, AND I EVEN CHECKED THE OIL" (trying for good job points). "THE BLUE CAN HAS KEROSENE IN IT!" Did you know there is a special Gas Can Code? Yeah, me neither. I guess the red cans are the only ones that are supposed to be used for gasoline in the gas can code. Well, the mower seems to be fine - Mark dumped the tank and ran RED can gas in it. I don't think anything was permanently damaged. Whoops.