Not again

  I have this problem with mechanical things.  Well, I actually do not lay claim to the problem, it is applied to me.  I blame the machines.  Things are just not as well made as they used to be.  Hmmph!  It has nothing to do with me, my using the machines nor the way I use them.  It is the poor workmanship in building the machines to start with.  I am not to blame!  Ok, so maybe a little bit.  The problem is that a lot of the yard machines literally fall apart when I am using them.  I have had wheels fall off of lawnmowers, gas tanks dangle from hoses on lawnmowers and even entirely lost a motor...don't ask...that was just crazy.  Weed trimmers and I have the same type relationship.  Bearings drop out of the housing, on/off switches refuse to work and, once, the whole thing caught on fire.  Not fun on any account especially for Son.  He is usually the one that has to repair said machine.

  Yesterday, however, it was not a yard machine that gave me fits.  I was vacuuming up the mountain of dog hair that accumulated overnight.  Mr. PJ sheds more than any dog I have ever seen making the task a daily thing.  While I was pushing the vacuum cleaner around the rug, it suddenly became self-propelled!  Wow!  That made life easier!  I thought that perhaps I had overlooked this feature in my many years of using the machine.  Life was great!  Then, I noticed that, even though the thing was pulling itself around the room, it was not sucking up that dog hair.  In fact, it was not picking up anything....but it was self-propelled!  In the next moment, pieces started flying out from under the vacuum cleaner.  First, a wheel zinged past my leg.  Then, an axle and another wheel bounced to the floor and rolled under the table.  Uh, oh...I got that sinking feeling that was all to familiar between me and the yard machines.  Something was amiss.  Then...whacka-whacka-whacka!  Whoa!  Whacka?  That was a new noise!  By this time, Mr. PJ (who normally runs and hides when I vacuum) came running over to the rug and made a pathetic sound.  A large plastic cover was lobbed over to his direction and a weird smell of rubber burning started emanating from the vacuum cleaner.  I unplugged the smoke hissing, dust spewing varmint and called Son.  (Keep in mind, this all happened within about 20 seconds so I had no control of how much damage was done!)

  Thankfully, Son repaired the machine in a few minutes and informed me that it was not "entirely" my fault.  It seems that a belt had worked its way loose and flipped a roller off which smacked the 
wheel and broke the pin that holds the axle in place.  When the axle broke free, it flipped a locking mechanism that holds the plastic belt cover in place causing it to fly out from under the machine.  The burning smell was the belt as it continued to turn the roller brushes even though it was at an odd angle.  The dust spewing was due to a hose that became dislodged during the ruckus.  No problems...his words.  Ha!

  At least though all of this ordeal, Mr. PJ was doing his proper doggy thing by trying to protect me from his evil nemesis, the vacuum cleaner.  When it started attacking by hurling pieces through the air, he took instant notice and came running!  (Either he was protecting me or, maybe, he thought the parts were reminiscent of his toys.)  Anyway, all's well that ends well and Son had me back up and running in about twenty minutes!