COMMENTARY: Tools Give Money’s Worth

RELIABILITY A REFRESHING CHANGE FOR COLUMNIST

When the satellite television receiver went on the blink last month, I blamed it on old age - of the equipment, not the viewer.

After all, that satellite receiver was a whopping 7 years old. That’s ancient in terms of today’s electronic equipment that’s here today, in the landfill tomorrow.

So it’s nice to have that rare tool or gadget that keeps working year after year, a dependable friend lending a helpful hand.

This week I had occasion to fire up my trusty Homelite chain saw. Talk about a dependable friend.

I bought the saw used in 1978 and it’s still gnawing up firewood by the cord.

A walnut tree in my yard had seen better days. It was hollow, rife with rot and leaning toward the house.

I called in a pro and had him put the big tree on the ground. I could deal with it from there, thanks to my reliable chain saw.

When it came time to turn the fallen walnut into wood for the hearth, I envisioned yanking the saw’s starter rope until my elbow ached. It hadn’t been started in eight months.

I cleaned the air filter and filled the tank with fresh gasoline. The Homelite started on pull No. 3.

I stood there, smiling in a haze of blue smoke. The saw was growling and ready to work. That walnut tree made enough firewood to last through next winter.

A fire warms the feet and soul after a morning in the tree stand during archery deer season. On days when chores make me quit early, I carry a watch in the front pocket of my camo overalls. It’s better there than strapped to my wrist.

This isn’t just any watch. It’s a Timex and truly unique. You see, in the olden days, watches had numbers 1 through 12 arranged in a circle under a round piece of glass. The big hand told you the minutes and ... you get the picture.

No numbers flash on this watch. Nothing beeps. Hold it up to your ear and you hear a “tick tick tick.”

It’s good to wash your hunting duds once every few years whether they need it or not. Last time I did, around Thanksgiving, I felt a lump in the pocket when I moved the overalls from the washer to the dryer.

There in the wet fabric was my Timex. It had been washed, rinsed and gone through two spin cycles, but the time shown by the two hands was right on.

The chain saw has made a warm hearth possible winter after winter. When I’m late, the Timex is never at fault.

Nice to know not everything goes belly-up in a short little while.

FLIP PUTTHOFF IS OUTDOORS EDITOR FOR NWA MEDIA.

FOLLOW HIM ON TWITTER AT TWITTER.COM/NWAFLIP.

Outdoor, Pages 9 on 03/21/2013

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