Where does the time go?

Wow -- where does the time go? We just finished moving AGAIN, for the second time in 6 months. What a PITA! I twisted my knee in the process and may have permanent tissue damage.

We moved into a larger house, with a real back yard, across the street from my kids' school, and they have a playground literally in front of our house. Can it get any better than that? Did I forget to mention that there is construction on every road that enters the neighborhood? 20-30 minute delays -- Yay!

Now that we have a larger yard, I decided to forego the $100+/mo lawn service and mow it myself. I picked up a like-new, second-hand mower locally and managed to make one pass in the yard before hitting a steel spike hidden below the grass. $*@#! It stopped instantly and would not run afterward. The blade was mangled and I feared the engine had been damaged. I replaced the blade and eventually got the engine started, but it was running roughly. I was told that the flywheel keyway may have been sheered, causing the timing to be off. However, after removing the cover to inspect the flywheel, I found the keyway intact, but it still seemed to run roughly and lacked power while mowing. Since this was a mulching mower and I didn't have the side ejection port, my only choice was to raise the mower to its highest level and cut the grass in several passes.

Tippman Boss Leather Sewing Machine

My adventures in leatherworking have led me to purchase a Tippman Boss Leather Sewing Machine. I have been working with heavier leathers in belts, holsters and phone cases and I felt that I needed more speed control than my Consew allows, even with the reduction-gear motor. I will eventually add a speed reducer wheel, but I really wanted a heavy-duty stitcher, and the Boss was within my budget. 

I picked up a second-hand cast-iron HS model with a low serial number in great condition a few days ago. 

So far I have only managed to practice on scraps, but I hope to be cranking out useful items soon.