Man: User of Tools

   

     For many years it was believed that it was the use of tools that set Man apart from other animals.  We now know that this is incorrect because it was discovered that other animals do sometimes use "tools."  Certainly, it seems that most of the males of our species do possess a "Power Tool" gene.  While I do not possess the normal male "Sports" gene ( it just doesn't interest me to know who is playing who, or who beat who), I do possess the "Power Tool" gene.

     Because I live in a small isolated place, over the years I have been forced to fix and build most things myself, and as a result I have accumulated a wide variety of tools to do the job.  In fact I have so many tools (and related materials) that my shop has become more of a warehouse where I store all of my stuff.  It now often happens that when I need a particular tool, I can't find it among all the other things in my shop and end up buying a new one so I can finish the job. 

     When I go to visit my mother, there is usually a list of things for me to repair.  I find it very frustrating that there are never the tools I require to do the job.  Above is a photo of the "tools"in my mom's "tool" drawer.  The hammer you can see is a small one, something you might give a kid to play with.

     One of the jobs on the list this year was to fix my mom's front door frame.  A few weeks ago during the night, my mother tried to call my sister about something.  She mistakenly pressed the "911" button on her special phone.  As a result the fire department sped to my mom's house.  They couldn't raise anyone inside, and all the doors were locked, so they broke through the front door, shattering the door frame.

     I saw right away that I was going to need more tools than Mom had in the drawer, so I headed down to a big box building supply store and bought a full size hammer, a cordless driver/drill, and a box of screws.  My sister did have some scrap wood and a handsaw that I was able to use.  I did manage to re-secure the door frame and locks.

     I am glad I decided to break down and buy the tools to fix the door.  I would be working on it all week if I used just the tools in Mom's drawer.  I will keep the new tools here, so the next time I come down, it will be easier for me to start working my way down the next "to do" list.