The Right Tools for the Job

It's no secret that I am not a girly-girl.

I don't hesitate to jump in and do what needs to be done. Replace a toilet? No problem! Fix a hole in the wall? Okey-dokey. Installing new doorknobs is child's play. Painting a room is an afternoon of zen meditation.

I do draw the line at electrical work. Electricity can kill you. Plumbing just gets things wet if you mess it up, but fixing a socket or replacing a light fixture is the one thing I call a guy in for. I blame a nasty shock in my childhood from a leaky dishwasher.

Electricity aside, I love to do it myself. It's a challenge, a puzzle, an accomplishment when I finally get it right.

And of course, one must have the right tools to do the job.

This is my tool kit. It's pretty basic, but I like the tote so I can add my own stud-finder, tape measure, level, hooks, duct tape ('cause you gotta have that) and various other odds and ends that I've found need for over the years. I have my own drills, sanders, and last year when I mentioned lusting after a reciprocating saw, my dad made sure I got one for my birthday. A router and a jigsaw are on my want list as well as a lathe. Not that I know what I want with a lathe at this point, but at sometime in the not too distant future, I daydream about creating my own furniture.

Yeah. I'm weird like that.

Last week, I sold my old dryer to a friend of mine. We like each other, but are as different as can be in some respects. I talked her through the process of removing the power plug from her old dryer so that we could put it on the one I was bringing her. She wasn't home when I brought it, but assured me that her daughter had the tools so we could get everything hooked up when I got there.

And here is where I realized just how odd I must be with my tool mania. When I asked the daughter where the tools were, she handed me what looked like a little pink makeup case. And inside were these:

They were tools alright. Pink and tiny. When Darling Man asked for the screwdriver to re-attach the dryer vent, I handed him the handle with the flathead bit stuck into it. The look on his face was quite comical. Then he sent me down to his truck for a "real" screwdriver.

It occurs to me that there were probably a lot of women who consider something like that as their tools. A little something to slip in their purse or glove compartment. My car tools look like a suitcase for an overnight trip...

And perhaps that is also the reason why so many women are amazed at the projects I tackle around my house. With tools like that, how could they possibly get anything done? The job is only as easy or hard as you make it - and what tools you bring to the table can make a world of difference in getting it done or having to call the handy man to come and do it for you.