Friday, July 26, 2024

Lost tools and Legacies

I walked out into the orchard where I had been working last night and found the hand-pruners I had laid down in about fifteen seconds. That was after looking for them for fifteen minutes last night. The light was at exactly the right angle to highlight them this morning. OH HAPPY DAY! I am a simple fellow and easy to please.

Last night I used the nippers to cut some Poison Ivy stems climbing up a pear tree, laid down the nippers, picked up the sprayer and soused the cut ends. Then I put down the sprayer and the nippers were gone.

I got a rake. I raked the entire area. Nothing. The tool had evaporated!

It isn't that the nippers are expensive, but I have to get better at keeping track of them. I could just see hitting them with the mower...not good.

This morning I was carrying my tools in a fanny-pack with the pack in front. I don't think this is a viable long-term solution because the fanny-pack is not very sturdy.

The bottom line is that I need to make a tool apron part of my normal orchard attire.

Legacies

Maybe I am reading this all wrong, but I think the hard-left turn many churches are experiencing are driven by people who don't have kids and are "aging out". Staring their own, earthly mortality in the face, they have a sudden desire to leave a legacy.

The biology says that they cannot make their own children so that means they have to leave their finger-prints on other people's kids. There is a large moral-hazard with this arrangement. It is like spending other people's money. "Unique" and "Cool" are vastly more important to the person seeking to leave a legacy than "Sound" and "Prudent"...at least it is when they are mucking with other people's kids.

This is not a new problem. The Bible lists in multiple places that those who teach will be judged more harshly and that a very hot place in Hell is reserved for the "shepherds" who betray their flock and God's teachings.

I don't have much patience for the entire "Legacy" thing. Every person who wants to leave a legacy wants to start new programs at the cost of starving the maintenance of existing, proven programs. Somehow, they have it in their head that new programs throw longer-shadows. They must also think that "their" program will be able to run without ongoing funding and maintenance because, sure-as-shinola, it will be defunded thirty seconds after they are buried.

I think old people looking in the rear-view mirror and seeing that they left no legacy is a big reason they want to import people from illiberal cultures. 

"Their ancestors will thank me!!!"

No, Buffy. They will not thank you. They will not think of you. Not ever.

Or they want to provide "safe spaces" for kids to research cutting off important parts of their bodies without their parents knowing.

Maybe the translation of the Bible sitting in their pews is different than the one in mine. "Honor your mother and father" is listed in at least three places (Exodus, Deuterotomy and Ephesians) in the translation our church uses.

A Rabbinical scholar might also point out parallels between Adultery and Genital Mutilation and Chemical Castration. Adultery is a sin against God, Tribe and Family because it "Adulterates" the family line. Gender tinkering cynically ENDS the family line and God's plan for that family.

If you think the Bible is neutral on this kind of topic, take the time to read Matt 18:2-6

So what should you do if you want to leave a legacy? If you like your church then treat them like the child you never had and leave them some money WITH NO STRINGS ATTACHED. You wouldn't reach up out of the grave and try to control your kid (if you had one), would you? They why do you trust your church (or gun range or flying club or youth organization) so much less?

15 comments:

  1. I need a holster for my nippers...................

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  2. We painted ours bright orange. It helps.

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    Replies
    1. Painted my logging chains yellow and haven’t lost one (yet)

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  3. "For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified." That's legacy enough for me, too.

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  4. You gave me a great idea for how you and your fishing buddies can fund your beer, chips and sinkers.
    For the holidays you could sell
    "ERJ and buddies" 2025 garden belt calenders. With maybe a fish or two thrown in.

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    Replies
    1. Sort of like this, but with Joe and his fishing buddies?

      https://www.womeninwaders.com/

      .

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  5. My dad once lost a screwdriver outside. A few years later, we found it in the tree where he set it, partly encased by the wood of the tree that grew around it.

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  6. This legacy business is starting to weigh on me. I don't trust either of the kids I raised to do anything I might agree with with whatever estate I might leave them. Perhaps I'll just put it in trust to the one grandchild they're giving me and hope for the best.

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    Replies
    1. You have a lot of company.

      There are books on writing wills and they talk about that kind of thing. Tough decisions.

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  7. I had a carpenter's belt that I replaced with a newer/better one that came at a deep discount. The old one I almost threw away, but decided to keep it for beekeeping work instead. It might be a good fit for what you're looking for - deep, roomy leather pockets on a webbing belt and a way to keep screwdrivers, hand pruners, etc. Aggie..

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  8. Look on Amazon they have some great one's for as low as $12 on up. Some canvas and some rubber lined.

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  9. Having been in tree and landscape forever, I find that painting things in "ground marker" international, emergency, orange/pink/red AND having between 2 and 6 back ups, USUALLY results in me having one available. YMMV...

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  10. Consider making the nippers a bright color, or tying a foot of flagger tape to the handle to make them more visible.

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  11. I too rely on a 24" lanyard tied to my Leatherman Kick multi-tool, the opposite end tied to a carabiner to secure to belt loop or fence strand where needed. An inexpensive DIY tool pouch is two slices through old glove (parallel with fingers) and inserting handles through fiingers.

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