Stuff I Never Thought About Buying - Until We Did

After a life time of city living we are now living at the cottage.  And not one of those wussy, house like things, where there are various services around to make your weekends about pleasure and not maintenance – this is the kind of cottage where we do the things ourselves. 

So – as a result – we have ended up with a bunch of stuff I never knew we needed, or for that matter never knew existed.  

Here are some:

A Manual Road Grader

This thing is an antique (at least it is about 100 years old).  It has been modified over the years mostly adapting to various means of propulsion.  Initially it would have been moved by horses.  Now we have a hitch on it so it gets pulled either by our truck or the Kubota.  I think when it was pulled by horses one operator could manage the whole thing, guiding the horses and using the large wheels to adjust the blade.  Now it takes two – one to drive the truck (or trailer) and one to operate the wheels.  Progress?





A Honking Big Vibrator

Yup – just what I said.  This baby is about a metre long.  What on earth is it for you ask?  Well we live down a challenging road.  Challenging enough that a number of services decline to provide their service at our locale.  So – you do it yourself.  We occasionally have need to pour concrete (cottage piers, base for solar panels).  This big vibrator is put into the concrete when it is just poured or added to the form.  The vibration liquifies the batch and it can then flow around the rebar and to the various parts of the form.  Works like a charm!




A Battery Operated Leaf Blower

OK – we all know what a leaf blower is for, and the fact that this one is battery operated allows one to lose the cord – but did you know that its best use is as a toy???  Courtesy of my brother I learned that the best use of a battery operated leaf blower is as a campfire accessory.  Instead of blowing, or using bellows or waving a plate – use the leaf blower to add vital oxygen to an anemic fire.  Total blaze, total fun. 
Try it, you’ll see.





A Battery Operated Chain Saw

This thing is a weak substitute for a real gas-powered chain saw.  It will eventually cut through a small diameter tree trunk, as long as you first don’t get a cramp in your back from the position you need to hold to do it.  So why do we have one?  Well I tried to use our other chain saw exactly one time.  The power was frightening, too frightening.  So - one day I was presented with my baby version.  Kind of cute (I guess).  Also unusual.




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