Chris Cuts A Swath

Last week Chris and I were in the pasture, considering how to restore the native grasses to the graded area around the new barn. He said, "If I had a scythe, I could cut the grasses, lay them on the bare soil to hold it in place, and the seeds would fall into the soil."

"Follow me," I said.

Thirty years ago I bought a scythe at a shop specializing in old tools. For many years it has been hanging in an elm tree. The blade was rusted, the wooden handle pale and dry.

"It's yours," I said. Chris beamed and loaded it in his car.

Today he came back with the scythe, cleaned of rust, sharpened and oiled.

 

Off he went to the pasture.

What a pleasure it is to unite an object with a person who will care for it and use it! This is my new hobby.