Ah - the old Peter, Paul and Mary song of my youth. But really, it's the old Weavers song that Pete Seeger wrote just after I traded diapers for short pants. He was talking about the plight of labor, Peter, Paul and Mary were talking about civil rights. Trini Lopez did it for the money. Me? I'm just talkin' about the tools in the garage. No intellectual, on the leading edge, big thinker am I. It's all I can do to get from here to tomorrow without losing my place.
We bought a new floor lamp today to replace one that was broken beyond belief during the move. I put it together and placed it where it was needed to shine a little more light on my nightly read. Doing that required me to move the couch just a little to the left. It was OK with me, but Carolyn's eye is more discerning than mine and she immediately noticed the picture above the couch was no longer centered. She wanted it moved just a half inch or so. Well, I'm perfectly able to do something that complicated by just pulling out the Leatherman I carry everywhere I go, opening it to the pliers function and using it to pull the nail from the wall. Since it was such a small move I did not require a tape measure and in fact, I just folded the Leatherman and used the side of it to pound the nail into its new location. Job Finished.
About an hour later I looked at the picture and wondered to myself just why I have so many hammers in the garage. Sure didn't need one today. I seldom use more than one or two of them and sometimes I just pick up the closest rock or wrench or Leatherman to do the job. I went out to count them. I have eleven hammers out there.
There are three framing hammers, two air powered ones, two mallets, a tack hammer, a welders hammer - the kind with the cool coiled wire handle to keep you cool when it's in your hand, a 4 pound maul and a 10 pound sledge. Ya know, I even have an anvil mounted on a stand outside along the side of the house. Fat chance I'll ever use that thing - I have no forge. It was just a cool deal I saw at a garage sale one day. Besides the anvil, with my wrists in their current condition, I'll probably never again use that ten pounder. If I do, the Doctor will have me committed soon after taping me back together
Some days I believe I'm the poster child for American excess. I've used every stinkin' one of these hammers at one time or another, but I think mostly they've been loaned to friends. Do I really need eleven hammers? Does anyone who does not use them to make a living need that many? Well, the American answer so far is yes.
I'm afraid that's all about to change and when it does I'm gonna miss them.
I remember some travel writer going to a south sea island that was classed as "poor" by the international community. But he went into the long house of one community and found a nice new TV and VCR in there. He asked the natives about it, and they said, "We're not poor. When we want something, we just club together and buy it."
ReplyDeleteWe can still have all the hammers we need. We just each of us won't have our very own complete set of hammers. We'll share. The only people who really benefit from that are the hammer makers, who have convinced us that this is the way life ought to be -- so they can sell more and more hammers.
I blogged about this sometime back, and although you've probably read it, I'll include the link:
http://talesfromthecoast.blogspot.com/2009/11/no-thanks.html
I remember that post, and just reviewed it. You're on to a great idea, and sharing also has the additional benefit of bringing joy into your life.
ReplyDeleteThe happiest times I've known were when I was part of a group of people who shared. In college - at the airport - where ever a group of like minded individuals with shared interests and assets congregated, there also was a feeling of wholeness mixed in with the people. It's hard to describe. We all were happier because of the sharing.