Not a Note 288 - Planning prevails

Ha! I patted myself on the back so hard that I pulled a shoulder muscle just now. Why? Well, the initiating event was the realization that my USA made Vermont Glove had come apart:

These are highly nifty gloves, made in Vermont and vastly better than shoddy Chinese made Amazon options. I like them a lot.

But … I’ve realized that, much to my surprise, gardening in my back 40 (and my front 40 as well) is surprisingly tougher on gloves than you might guess. The constant effort of pulling weeds, clearing rocks, digging in the dirt and in general messing around with terra firma has really put the kibosh on them. First the protective outer leather on the tips of the fingers gave way and the company kindly repaired them for free. But just yesterday I noticed the more serious seam failure of the thumb illustrated above.

So why should that induce a back patting event? Because over ten years ago I purchased these:

Tough, weather-proof twine designed for sailing vessels, along with super rugged and beefy needles that will punch through a sail without blinking an eye. AND a leather/metal dealie that fits over your thumb and allows you to push the needle to your heart’s content without fear of puncturing your soft, flimsy flesh.

I purchased them and then put them away AND remembered where I’d put them. So that when I needed a tough needle and twine to repair tough gloves I’d have them ready to go.

Purchased over a decade ago yet still ready for service and not hidden in the vast middens of junk accumulated over the years or thrown out in a fit of house cleaning. How about that?!

It’s like the Boy Scouts say:

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Are you?