I am SO excited, I found parts I need to get my alley find sewing machine running! The fellow I'm getting the parts from is a dedicated vintage sewing machine aficionado, and he is sending me the parts for postage.  I should have them in a few days, then back to repairing the machine I go.  I will still need to buy bobbins before I can test the Singer, meaning a visit to eBay.  Then I'll need a treadle table or hand crank.  I've been putting off any actual purchases until I can see that the machine may actually be brought back to a useful life.  This batch of parts will give me an idea if that is possible.  Deep down, I think I'll be sewing soon  Mom, who learned to sew on a treadle, even gave me some tips on how to hold my feet to work the pedal.

Speaking of Mom; she gave me an old power-driven reel mower that doesn't work anymore.  It's made by a company called Brill out of Germany, and it can be used with the battery pack or as a push mower.  The plastic shroud that holds the battery and covers the blades doesn't stay on anymore; the brackets it screws onto are all broken off.  I spent a bit of time cutting the wiring and removing as much of the electrical components as possible, and now I have a push mower!  It is actually fun mowing the lawn with it; there is something so zen-like in pushing/pulling and the "whish-whish-whish" of the blades as they spin.  I DO need to figure out how to keep the shroud on top of the blades though.  Even though I don't need it to hold the battery, I need it to keep the grass and potential projectiles from flying up at me when I mow.