Good evening ~
Just wondering what kinds of tools and "stuff" you have found to be useful around the place. Some of the things I've found for me are:
* a husband who can fix anything
* calf-high rubber boots - two pairs - my summer pair accomodates one pair of thick socks; my winter pair accomodates two pairs of thick socks
* "bailing wire"
* good leather gloves - I've had cheap pairs, pairs that have canvas backs, but my expensive ones fit better, are lasting longer, and because I paid a lot for them, I find I am taking better care of them, too
* an ATV - does all kinds of things around the property. I love my little sub-compact tractor more, but if push came to shove, I could do just about everything I need with an ATV and attachments.
* All that being said, my little 24 HP tractor with auger is a total blessing. If you can beg, borrow or share one with an auger, it will cut the time to plant trees or fence posts by several hundred percent over hand digging and is small enough to fit into places a large tractor cannot.
* A good pickup truck with an open bed
Most Useful Tools
On just a suburban lot, I really don't have room for some of your useful items, but I do like a sturdy wagon I acquired recently. I can move heavy bags of compost, relocate Earthboxes to better spots when sun patterns change, move rocks and take garbage containers to the curb.
other than common things, (hand tools, power tools, transport tools) a good burr mill I see as a basic necessary tool. for grinding anything needed. The CS Bell co. has well made ones. i have their biggest one, got it about 20 years ago. it takes a big motor, but i can always run it with any power sourse, from water to horse to peddle poer if needed. before that we had a small hand cranked stone mill and i broke the shaft grinding corn. http://www.csbellco.com/grinding.htm
I have a large contractor's wheelbarrow that I use for moving everything from rocks and dirt, to bags of compost and chicken feed. I'm not big enough to carry the bales of straw, bags of concrete, and move large pieces of logs and tree stumps by myself, but if I can roll them up onto my big ole wheelbarrow with it rolled over on it;s side, I can get it done.
Second, I would have to say my gloves. I've gotten to where I put them on every time I go out the door. Good for everything from protecting my hands from rough rocks and the wheelbarrow handle, to reaching into the chicken pens and planting garden.
And of course, me too, I couldn't do it without my pickup truck. Always having to move something big and clumsy from one place to another.
After coming back and reading my last post, I need to add..................
I really am a GIRL !!!!!, and haven't always been a tough one either.
I've just learned it out of determination to achieve a more self-sufficient lifestyle.
I squeeled like a piglet the other day when a crawdad got me by the ankle after a good rain. I went out to the garden in my flip-flops shoes and he nailed me when I wasn't looking. OOooooooooooooooooooeeeeeeeeeeww eeeeeeeee!!!!! DH didn't know what to think, he thought a snake got me. LOL
So, maybe another good tool to have is a good pair of boots for me too.
Peggie, I'm thinking I need a pair of snake-proof boots or leggings to wear while weed-eating down by the creek and by the spring overflow. I wear light-weight hiking boots all the time but they wouldn't prevent snake bites.
good idea, cabalas sells some decent ones. I'm not comfortable wading around in bushy places without something tough on.
I know that a pair of boots makes me feel more secure and able to get more done, since my concentration can be more on what I'm doing rather than watching for "things" in the grass constantly. Seems like I can get twice as much done when wearing gloves also. I tend to reach into places that I wouldn't dare, bare handed, like edges of rocks and logs where "things" might be hiding. Even reaching down in the strawberries gives me the willies since I can't see under every leaf. Even if it's not something dangerous like a snake, if it hurts (like a crawdad) it's still an
adrenalin-packed experience when it catches you by surprise. I just hate that. You guys should have seen my red-faced grin........I felt like a real dork.
DH couldn't stop laughing at me. How embaressing. Your dignity can sure go out the window in an istant.
I must have done some fancy high-stepping with that crawdad attached to the back of my ankle. I guess it was a sight.
This message was edited May 28, 2006 11:06 PM