Finding Hardware on the Ground

Posted on April 8, 2014 by Mark Zeiger

Spring thaws the snow and ice, laying bare a winter’s worth of dropped and fumbled valuables exposed to whoever cares to pick it up. It’s harvest time for scroungers!

I’m one of those people who picks up loose change from the ground. If you’re like me, you know that even pennies add up eventually. I’m flexible and agile enough to bend over quickly and scoop up change, so why not?

Even though I’ve done this since childhood, it is only in the last couple of decades that I took the next logical step, and began picking up loose hardware.

"See a carriage bolt, pick it up, all day long you'll . . . Okay, it's not as catchy, but you get the picture . . . (Photo: Mark Zeiger).

“See a carriage bolt, pick it up, all day long you’ll . . . Okay, it’s not as catchy, but you get the picture . . . (Photo: Mark Zeiger).

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Comparing Pants (A Pants Off?)

Posted on April 6, 2014 by Mark Zeiger

I used to feel extravagant buying the TRU-SPEC 24-7 pants I prefer (see Pants Worth Paying For) until I had the opportunity to test them against a tough pair of secondhand pants.

In late February, I worked on firewood in the Blowdown at the west end of our property for a run of days (see Coming Into the Wood Work). I started the work in a pair of TRU-SPECs, and ended it in a pair of Carhartt carpenter pants.

If you can tell a Southeast Alaskan by his/her footwear or jacket (see How To Dress Like a Southeast Alaskan) then you can also tell them by their Carhartts. This clothing line provides gear that’s strong enough for almost any Alaskan job, but that quality does not come cheaply. This is why I rejoiced when Michelle brought home an item she’d picked up at a roadside “free box” on the way home from work: a pair of Carhartt carpenter pants in my size. They were well used and somewhat paint spattered, but wholly sound.

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