When we were mowing here at the house this week, I used just about all the gas in the can. There was maybe a cup left. Mr. FixIt was using the push mower and needed gas, so he used some in one of our spare cans. I have no idea how old it was, but sure enough…it was bad and the mower just would not run. About a year ago, the throttle started surging on it so I knew it was going to need some work soon. 

Ever since Mr. Virgo died, I’ve been adamant about learning how to do things on my own. There is a boatload of stuff to know when you live on five acres, so Mr. FixIt is really good about teaching me or talking me through it all. I tried putting a new air filter on it and that didn’t help. We had already emptied the old gas so I put fresh gas in it. Nothing. So, we put the mower up on the picnic table and I set to work tearing the carburetor apart. I wanted to clean it out and see if we could get the mower running again.

I got the carburetor cleaned up and everything put back together, but it leaked gas. We ran to town to get a new one and I put it back together when we got home. There was only one problem. One of the mounting bolts was stripped and that’s why it leaked. We ordered replacement bolts online and they’ll get here in a week. Then we can try it again. It feels so empowering every time I do something like this and I am so appreciative that my husband isn’t territorial.

Once we got everything put away, we headed to the farm to mow. There are four different county roads between here and there. We had just turned onto the third road when Mr. FixIt said, “Boy, I sure would like to see a bear out here! I’ve lived in this area since 1979 and I have never seen a bear once!” I reminded him we have them because we’ve seen scat. I am sure I heard one out at the farm one time, but I’ve never seen one here either.

We drove on through the countryside, admiring the lush green and commenting what a beautiful day it was. The wildflowers are plentiful along the roadways and everywhere you looked there were daisies and red clover and honeysuckle. We came around a bend about a mile before our next turn, and there…I kid you not…there was a really good sized black bear running up the road and across! It looked back at us and hightailed it up the far bank and into the woods.

We looked at each other in stunned silence, mouths agape, and then we started laughing at the sheer absurdity of it! I mean…seriously??? Did that just happen??? Yep, it sure did. We both lamented that we didn’t get a picture. Coincidence? Maybe. Mr. Virgo? Possibly. God? Most definitely! God delights in providing all his children’s needs and sometimes, what His children need is an unexpected surprise and a whole lot of laughter!

And a really great story!

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“Let a man meet a she-bear robbed of her cubs rather than a fool in his folly.”

Proverbs 17:12 ESV