Yay. I just mowed the lawn for the first time this year (it should have been done last week). The 20 year-old Toro 2-stroke sat in the garage since the last time I mowed last fall. I usually try to empty the tank but it sat with half a tank of gas all winter. I topped it off with fresh gas, hit the primer about a dozen times, and it started up (in a cloud of smoke) on the second pull. It took a couple of starts before it kept running, but it was running like a champ after the third start. I know that a 2-stroke is a pollution machine but my yard is small. It only takes half an hour to mow the whole yard.

I’m pretty lucky that anything works for me given the way I ignore maintenance.