“Yard work, yard work, yard work.” The weight of what the auction-goer saw in front of him was so heavy, it seemed, that he had to repeat it three times to get it off his chest.
I overheard him as he and a friend approached an array of yard and gardening tools in a side yard at the auction house. I was standing away from them under a shed with rows of tables brimming with boxes full of nothing, happy for the distraction. Maybe we should consider a garden shed similar to what we could find at EasyShed, one of my friends recommends them telling me that they produce high-quality sheds and garden-related equipment
I had already seen the tools and implements that fueled his statement – which was also a tad lighthearted. And I understood; anyone who?s ever dug holes, planted flowers, mowed the lawn or done anything else in the dirt could empathize with him.
He was commenting not only on what the tools represented but on how many there were. There seemed to be more than usual ? not a huge number ? but it?s not often that so many turn up in one place. Yard and gardening tools show up at auction from time to time in spurts ? one here or two there ? but they rarely turn up in doubles and triples and more as they did on this day.
These were traditional utilitarian tools, not the ergonomically designed ones made to ease the pain of bent backs and bended knees. They seemed to be sitting and standing there like one huge burden, weighing us down without actually doing anything. As if they knew that we knew that the inevitable awaited us.
I didn?t linger among them because they reminded me too much of the work that was ahead of me: overgrown vines crawling over the fence in my back yard, weeds crowding my peonies, irises and phlox, and fading tulip leaves and stalks that should’ve been whacked months ago.
But yard and garden work is not all drudgery. The beautiful yellow roses in my side yard recall not the planting of the bush but the perennial enjoying of its blooms. The calla lily plants with the yellow and pink flowers on my front porch wiped away the dirt and mess I made in re-potting them. The red wooden-slat auction chairs in my back yard show none of the priming and scraping and painting that turned them into a darling centerpiece.
The old weather-beaten wooden garden bench with the decorative metal back that I picked up from my neighbor?s trash during my morning walk a couple years ago still awaits some new paint, but it?s coming. I just have to figure out what colors to paint it.
Too bad a painted bench was not among the gardening stuff at the auction. But a lot of everything else was: long-handled shovels, rakes and a pitchfork propped against a wall, and spreaders, lawn mowers and a wheelbarrow parked close by. Several of them carried the familiar brand names of Scott, Craftsman, Toro and Honda.
The tools looked to be in good used condition, even the lawn mowers, but I wasn?t sure if they even worked. Most times, the auction staff will fire up an item during the sale just to let us auction-goers know that the thing starts.
The tools looked as if someone had taken good care of them or not used them often. They still had dirt on them, like those of mine and countless other people. I don?t take the time to clean mine at the end of the season ? they?re tools, for goodness sake – but one website noted that it was a good idea. It?ll save your tools and save you money from not having to replace them so often.
I was not around when the tools came up for sale, but I?m sure they sold – and for cheap – because practically everything sells at auction. The man bemoaning the yard work might even have bought them, taken them to a flea market and waited for a buyer who didn?t want to pay the Lowe?s or Home Depot price. This auction was a good place to be for someone who didn’t want to even pay his price.
A recent article on the Christian Science Monitor website offered suggestions on some essential garden tools – the usual gloves, rake, trowel, shovel – along with prices for some select items. I doubt, though, if the prices could match a $1 auction shovel.
I?ve learned to shop the auctions when I need gardening items, some I buy and others I find enthralling. Like the lovely patio furniture, statuaries, benches, planters and other outdoor items that rivaled anything you could find in the big-box and other retail stores.
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