Old Tools

I remember these tools from childhood. These were two of a collection of tools that my grandmother had in the kitchen. These were “her tools” and no one was allowed to use them without her permission, including Grandpa. In fact, he wasn’t allowed to use them at all!


She used to use the hammer with a large kitchen knife to cut frozen meat for thawing. I don’t know why she never cut the stuff before freezing. That knife was mushroomed along the back from years of abuse.

Grandma got these from her father when she started teaching at 18 years of age.  She needed to break pieces of coal so she could burn it in the stove of her one-room school house.  He gave his "old" tools to her for this task.  We figure these are around 100 years old or so.

I was visiting with Grandpa, who turns 99 this November, and he handed these to me saying he knew I would appreciate them.  I told my daughter that she will get them when she goes out on her own.