Tools that is.
At least to me, but to my two sons-in-law (Ss-i-L), they are deserving of the utmost care, nay even love.
That said, I do have a favourite tool and that would be the ordinary hammer.
As I tell my Ss-i-L a hammer can be used for two useful purposes; it can build things up and tear things down. Indeed, when you think about it, that’s all one needs.
However, in the face of my non-interest in tools, come birthdays, father days, Christmas etc., my Ss-i-L take great delight in giving me tools – tools of all kinds. I think secretly they do it for themselves since I am always getting them to “fix” something when they come over for family dinners. So thinking ahead, they know that the what-you-ma-callit, will be at our home awaiting them.
But I get them back, when they get here and ask for the what-you-ma-callit, it cannot be found. I do not do it intentionally, all of my tools seem to go missing in action, sadly, even my hammers. (That is the reason I buy so many in a bid to have a least 1 findable if a need arises).
So now they are getting smarter, when they think they will be called upon to do some work, they bring along their own tools.
But just this past Sunday, I caught the boys unawares. That is to say, without their fancy tools. Sunday afternoon saw the three of us parked in my garage putting together a BBQ – a BBQ that they had given to me which in itself warrants a Blog of its own – but I am of course dealing with tools today.
The instructions called for a screw driver with a certain type of head. I pulled out my meagre tin can containing a few miserable tools which were not missing in action. J.F. picked up one and looked at it with disgust, he locked eyes with Oli and both looked like they had just lost their best friend.
“What’s wrong” I asked, “is it not the right kind”.
“Oh, it’s the right kind, but it is stripped and full of gunk”.
“Oh, I was afraid, something was wrong”.
They keep trying but it is in vain. I never have been particularly handy and it bothers me not in the least.
You know the adage, ‘measure twice …cut once’.
Mine is cut first and save yourself time.
It drives them nuts.
I also prescribe to the philosophy that if it is not worth paying someone else to do the job, the job is simply not worth doing.
And their tools are something to behold; huge tool boxes full of this, that and the other thing. Names I could not even begin to pronounce. But they know each and everyone one of them- clean shiny, and well oiled.
From time to time just out of fun, I ask them to leave their tools with me for a week ostensibly to finish up a job. Well you would think I asked them to cut off their right arms.
I can’t blame them; give me a week and if the tools did not get lost, they’d be used and abused.
I remember one rare occasion when Oli did leave his tool box with me. At some point that week I needed a tiny little screw driver … I had tried my hammer and my back-up - a kitchen knife, but neither worked …so I went to Oli’s box.
I never got round to returning the little thing to his box but when Oli arrived that Sunday the first thing he did was check it out and the second thing he did was to demand the return of his driver.
How would he know? Amongst all those tools it took him but seconds to determine the tiny little screw driver was missing.
I had to drop everything in order to keep peace in the family and eventually was able to find the missing item.
I will keep on being me and I suspect my Ss-i-L will keep on being themselves – tools and all.
For their upcoming birthdays I think I will give them each a new hammer. Might even get one or two for myself.
As I see it…
‘K.D. Galagher’
