Today has been the first day it’s been warm enough in a couple of weeks to get into the yard and do some reimagining and cleanup.  We actually had frost a couple of nights ago.

So I have this old rake.  This rake and I have bonded over probably 35 years of hard use.  I think it’s the only object I have left from K-Mart.  Remember them?  Come on it wasn’t that long ago.  It’s the rake that I always grab because it has the right amount of spring in the tines, and it’s only about 8″ wide, perfect for getting in around bushes and digging out leaves and junk that collects around those plants. 

Last summer I decided it was time to find a new rake but locally in this size it proved to be impossible.  I went to trusty Amazon and found a nice shiny new one with a yellow metal handle.  A couple of days later the doorbell rang and it was the trusty Amazon Prime driver with the new rake.  I was so excited I took it out of the box and couldn’t wait to take it for a spin.  It’s a rake and it works.  Of course the tines are stiffer because it hasn’t been raking for 35 years and it has a metal handle that is nice and smooth and doesn’t give me splinters.  But it’s just not the same!

All last summer whenever I needed to rake I reached for the old rake.  Splinters and all.  Well truth be told I always wear gardening gloves now.  Today working in the front bed I was working with you guessed it the old garden rake!  After I was done and decided I needed water and a bit of a rest, I decided to sand the handle and give it a drink of Miss Mustard Seed Hemp Oil.  

There was something very satisfying about sanding off all the grey splintery finish.  It really just took minutes and the cool thing about it is I know where my hands have been all these years.  The handle has developed wear, where my hands always are when I’m raking.  I know this. Whenever I handle a wood antique I always check the handle for wear marks.  Whether it is my frog spear, bed warmer, chestnut roaster, or wooden spoon.  Imagining the people who might have used and treasured a utilitarian item that has now been placed in my care for the next 50 years.  This is part of the joy of owning an antique.  It never occurred to me that I would use something for such a long period of time that it too could develop this same wear pattern.  How cool is that?!

Anyway I digress.  I got an old rag out and started applying the hemp oil to the newly sanded handle and oh my gosh what a difference.  It’s actually pretty now.  It feels so good and sturdy under my hand but yet so familiar, so full of my history that hopefully it will last for another 30 years.

That was my fun awakening moment for the day.  

Well that and a new mattress, but I haven’t slept in it yet so, so far I’m more excited about the rake!  Stay tuned maybe the rake will get bumped tomorrow.

What are your favorite gardening tools?  Are you good about maintaining your tools or are you like me and wait until you think they are out of life and need to buy a new one only to discover a little TLC can fix it right up?

Thanks for stopping

Shelley