Friday, May 2, 2025 Issue #79 ​

From Dubois County

Looking forward to anything this weekend, Reader?

I'm really trying to get my yard mowed.

I'm caught in this cycle of mowing half the yard. It's like what they say about mullets, "Business in the front, party in the back," but the party keeps moving.

It started the other day when I only finished the front and couldn't get to the back because my mower needed a steering pinion replaced. The old John Deere has quite a few years on it, and the signs are showing.

She's been a pretty good little mower, though. (Is a mower a her?) Only a few minor fixes from wear and tear despite being caught on fire about a week after we bought her.

Well, she didn't catch on fire like spontaneously combusting or something. More like, materials around her caught on fire, and she suffered irreparable scarring because of it.

I had taken her on her inaugural mowing expedition around our yard and, satisfied with everything, pulled her into the lean-to on the side of our shed. Setting the brake, I turned the motor off and stepped down. I gave the deck a few sweeps and buffed a scuff on the hood before sliding the door closed to head inside.

A few moments later, my wife says something about smoke coming from the shed where the mower is parked.

I rush out, slide open the door, and see a smoldering bale of straw in front of the new mower, flames starting to lick up over the hood. I quickly pull the mower out and then pull the bale out behind it with a garden rake.

I was able to snuff out the fire before it spread, but the mower had not fared well.

Fortunately, all the damages were cosmetic, other than losing one light and a few holes melted in the front plastic cover, she still ran fine. I never replaced any of the damaged parts.

We’ve ridden together proudly since bearing our scars — mine mental and hers physical — as we chop down the dandelions in the single beam of our only working headlight.

Long story short, the mower exhaust ended up resting on that straw when I parked it. That was the side that melted as it caught fire.

We hadn't even made a payment on the mower yet. There were probably some expletives at the time, but Amy and I can laugh about it now since she's been paid off.

It was also the second time I had caught a mower on fire in our marriage.

But that's a story for a different day.

I'm going to go mow before it rains again.

From Dubois County with love.

Matthew and Amy Crane

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​State Sen. Daryl Schmitt: Work continues throughout the year​

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​April Dubois County Retired Teachers Association Meeting​

By the way, you can check out all the great things in the community on our community calendar. See it here.​

​Anita Rose Ayer-Reyes, 63, Ft. Branch​

​Scott A. Hostetter, 63, Jasper​

​Streicher Construction offering Sign-on Bonus for Working Foreman​

Check out all the job opportunities by clicking here: Employment​

Contact Amy at amy@duboiscountyfreepress.com or 812-639-9650 if you would like to list openings on our website.​

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