Lighter

I hit a milestone on Saturday for lightening my load of distractions -- I sold my second-to-last remaining Gravely. This was the tractor I grew up with, and it was a 1948 Model L. Or at least parts of it were - the engine was probably a newer unit. I'd torn it apart a couple of years ago, cleaned it up thoroughly and reassembled it (in some cases fixing my own teenaged handiwork, and in others admiring it). It ran, once reassembled, but the cylinder jug had a crack, and it needed to be replaced. So the tractor came apart again and stayed that way for a lack of time. Or possibly interest. It's gone now, for better or worse, along with whatever Gravely spares I had.

Prior to that, I'd sold my rider and the rest of my leafing rig, and still earlier, the parts tractors I'd had. Most of my implements are gone, too. I still have a rotary plow that I'll be giving to my brother-in-law and sister (I managed to convince him to get a Gravely, so I'll at least have access to one). And he and I will swap snowblower attachments so that he has the narrower but superior 4-bolt model, and I'll have two quick hitch implements.

What I have left after that swap will go as a package once the house sells. That would be my main tractor (a 5665), the late-model 50" deck that I bought new at the end of the production run, and the aforementioned blower. And with that, I'll have officially lost (or at least suspended indefinitely) a hobby.

A second hobby, actually, because I've also offloaded all of my main woodworking equipment as well. All I really have left there is an assortment of hand and power tools that will fit easily into a storage chest.

I still have a long list of stuff to get rid of, from bike parts to ceramic sconces to an International Harvester dealership sign. The Motobecane, Columbia and the Trek mountain bike will join that list, in all likelihood, too.

Of all of this -- the tractors, tools and assorted stuff -- the Motobecane is the only one that hurts. So we'll have to see about that one. Otherwise, it's really a relief to be lighter, and my vision for the path ahead is to keep my life lighter, but also make it larger -- to help myself and my girls to find value in experiences rather than stuff. In other words, to live, rather than consume.

All for now,

J