Bird's Nest of the Trimmer Kind

A week ago while trimming in my backyard (a chore that I like even less than mowing) I had to stop a number of times to untangle the cords in the automatic feed. This is a procedure that I have learned to do quickly since it's an ongoing issue with this model. I can do it with my eyes closed (which led to my latest disaster). As I turned on the trimmer this time I heard this horrendous rattling sound and saw all of the line spin out of the trimmer. 

 Actually it was kind of cool looking. There was no discernable end showing and there were tangles that were technically impossible to create. Except they did. After trying to untangle this impossibly formed DNA Helix I gave up and just cut the cord in pieces to remove it. After a trip to Ace Hardware to pick up the proper weight cord I returned and wound it back on. It was now that I realized that the cord retainer cap was missing. Evidently I did not pop in the cap securely the last time I fixed it. So......

I returned to the backyard to look for the missing cap. Being color blind I knew the the cap was Red, Green, or Grey so I looked through all of the vegetation (which is also Red, Green, or Grey) but of course I couldn't find it. I had to get a new one so I called the store that I purchased the trimmer and was told that the part was unavailable. I finally went online and found a company that sold replacement parts and sure enough they had the cap available. The serial number matched my trimmer model and the picture they showed was the exact color (Red, Green, or Grey). I ordered it and waited.

The next day my wife suggested (gently) that I look further down the hill for the errant cap. Sure enough I found it. The trimmer had thrown the cap further than an Olympic Discus thrower. 

I replaced the cap and finished the trimming, Four days later my new cap arrived. I placed it on the trimmer to make sure it fit and it did. It is the same color (Red, Green, or Grey).

Now I have a backup for the next time.