[Boomer]

It is the time of year when the Ohio Valley comes to life -- finally. It is the time of year that makes me remember that when I finally do get myself out of here in winter, I must make sure to return by April. And to make my exciting life here at Boomer Base even more exciting, my brand new pair of Felco2 pruners arrived last week.

If you are a gardener (and you probably are or you would not be reading this thread) you know that gardening time is too precious to use cheap tools. And that is why I just spent a chunk of change ($54.95) on my brand new pair of Felco2 pruners.

My first pair of Felco2 pruners is probably at least 15 years old. It seems like somewhere along the line, I was able to replace the blades in those. But this time nobody knew what I was talking about. (That happens to me sometimes.) One person suggested sharpening the blades but said they really were not sure how well that would work. The blades are curved.

I could not find a new pair of Felco2's locally so I bought from Gardener's Supply in VT. I even ordered the little holster. ($11.95) Such excitement.

But even though the new ones are here now, I keep wondering if those blades in the old pair can be sharpened or maybe even replaced, and so I thought somebody out there in TOTVland might know.

About those favorite gardening tools of mine, I usually am armed with only two. The Felco2's, of course, and the other thing is from Smith and Hawken. I have had one of these for years, too. It has a short wooden handle and a thick, broad, tough, serrated blade. I weed with it. I dig holes for planting with it. Heck, I could even chase somebody around with it and scare them a lot.

I think this knife was called the Farmer's knife when I bought it last time. I once bought some of these knives to give as gifts to gardening friends. I did not wrap them. I just tied a pretty bow around the handle. A wicked looking thing with a pretty bow. Kind of an oxymoron I guess. And a good conversation piece when presented.

I looked for this knife in the catalog again lately and found that somewhere along the line its name has been changed. It is now called the "Japanese Hori Hori knife."

Well, I have no idea what "Hori Hori" means, but for my fellow gardeners out there, I highly recommend this thing. It is tough. It lasts forever. And it is the best weeder you will ever have. Hey! Maybe the name means that this thing is so tough that you can Hori Hori through the weeding part of your gardening.

Happy Gardening

Boomer