This American-Made hammer brings me back!

Though I have had the same hammer since I was 13 years ago, I am far from a handyman. I do have to say that I have had a streak of fixing things around the house.

One wouldn’t think that putting together a kitchen table is hard to do, but I definitely can complicate a simple task. I did get it set up! After I found my rhythm, I was also able to assemble the six chairs that came with it. One month later.

As I was putting together the furniture, I wondered what my sons were thinking. I am guessing that they thought one of two things…. I have never seen dad with a power tool, or my dad can fix anything. Maybe both.

I also had the honor of putting together a pair of patio chairs and a table that my wife had wanted. We are now able to drink coffee on our porch and that has been an underrated blessing.

Though I didn’t get to cut the grass last week, the other day I performed maintenance on my lawn mower. The most that I had ever done was change the oil and air filter. This week, I changed the blades for the first time since I bought the machine three years ago. (Trust me, I won’t let that happen again.)

The blade removal wasn’t easy. I had to bring in a ringer; my father-in-law. I thought that I wasn’t strong enough to remove the blade due to my low-carb diet. We found that we had to use quite a bit of leverage to break that nut, but eventually, we did. The oil is changed, a new battery was installed, and things seem to be working well.

My trusty Estwing hammer made an appearance. I was gifted this hammer from a friend of mine growing up. This guy, Jim Today, was a handyman. We were a part of a church group that went to Mexico once a week, every year, to build houses in Tijuana.

I remember going to Mexico at the age of twelve, and being infatuated with the sound of that hammer. It made a unique ping sound that only Eastwing hammers made at the time. At the end of our trip, Mr. Today gave me the hammer. It had made four more trips to Mexico with me, and has seen a lot less action since then. But when I do break it out, I feel like the chocolate version of Thor. It also reminds me of those memories of going to Tijuana. I’m 34, and my last trip was 17 years ago!

The hammer also reminds me of a time when I felt like a handyman. Have you ever had something that reminds you of a moment or a few moments in your past every time that you touch it?