Thanks guys - after tomorrow I'll be able to get back to work on the car in earnest as my ~1 acre yard with its' 20 "mighty" oak trees in and bordering will have shed their leaves and be carted into the woods. At least no 6-8 wheel barrow loads of acorns this year - none at all!! But with that said, maybe not - my wife begins her life of leisure writing up 'honey do' lists. Her early retirement begins at 5:00 tomorrow night

I bought a big new leaf blower to help clear the leaves away - it lasted all of 2.5 tanks of gas before it crapped out and will go back to Lowe's today. My history with anything made by MTD (Troy Bilt/and now Bolens to name a couple of their products) is that the survival is less then stellar - I also have an MTD snow blower that died a couple of years ago that is still under the deck waiting "transport" to the dump - it was only a couple of years old when it went to yard implement heaven. The dead MTD lawn mower went a couple of months ago. But I did buy a new rake and that works just fine!!!(my aching shoulders)