‘Tis the Season to Sign Up for CSA

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By Annie Young

 

While hobby gardeners idly sift though seed catalogs scheming of spring, full-time famers are hard at work. They have been peeling snow off greenhouses, willing diesel motors to start to lug feed to livestock and amping up websites and marketing outlets. But both gardeners and farmers are gearing up for planting season coming soon. Locavores, people who eat foods grown locally, are also chomping at the bit for fresh produce. Many have already signed up for their favorite CSA program.

CSA you say? Community Supported Agriculture is a term for subscribing to a share of locally produced food for a season. Shareholders pay a fee in the beginning of the spring to a farmer. Then, throughout late spring into early fall, the customers receive a share of food. Typically, the shares are distributed each week.

This partnership is not only beneficial to local food lovers but it supports the farmer as well. The farmer gets payment up-front for seed money and production costs. The subscribers are literally investing in the farm. The farmer and customer share in the harvest be it abundant or weak. Community Supported Agriculture programs take a lot of organization and set-up so farmers don’t jump into the plan lightly. Making sure there are enough shares for everyone is top priority. Farmers don’t want to promise more than they can grow. That’s one of the reasons that shares in CSA programs can sell out fast. It is also a reason why customers feel a strong connection to the farm where they are shareholders. They know that the farmer is deeply committed to them. This relationship builds as the season continues.

Shares are either picked up from the farm or a convenient, central location. Each CSA has a different way to distribute their wares. Times are usually set by the farmer without a lot of flexibility. Farmers spend a lot of time harvesting, prepping and boxing or bagging the food. It is important to get it to the customers as fresh as possible. No one wants soggy, warm lettuce in July. So, once again, commitment is the key to success. Picking up shares on time ensures food is not wasted. Many farmers have policies if customers cannot make a pick up date or even have choices as the day for pickup.

Clarke county boasts a variety of CSA programs that includes vegetables, meats, flowers, eggs and salad greens. Oakhart Farms and Chilly Hollow Farm are established CSAs providing customers with a season full of delights. Oakhart Farm offers a sixteen week program with an innovative Selectable Delectable model. Shareholders go to the farm and select from a variety of produce each week. They choose a share-size quantity of between 8-20 different foods. Many weeks there are even extra quantities of a vegetable for shareholders to enjoy. Instead of the farmer boxing up particular vegetables for each shareholder, the shareholders get to choose the food themselves.

Chilly Hollow Farm offers a twenty week program with two days to choose from for pick-up. They create boxes of shares for each customer filled with seasonal vegetables. All the vegetables are harvested the day of pick up. And, like Oakhart Farm, only Organic methods are used to grow the vegetables. So no synthetic pesticides or herbicides are used. Eggs are also available from Chilly Hollow’s own free range chickens.

Cool Spring Farm is offering a new twist to their CSA this spring. Shareholders can choose from twenty pound, fifteen pound or ten pound shares in an assortment of cuts. Their Angus Beef shares will be available for monthly pick up. Their grass -fed beef is free of antibiotics, artificial growth hormones and Genetically Modified grains. The beef is processed and dry aged in a USDA inspected Certified Humane facility.

Young Harvests’ Gourmet Salad greens is looking to reach a wider audience in Clarke County this year too. They (ahem, we) have provided a small circle with salad shares in the past. This year the Gourmet salad mix, pea shoots and arugula will be available for weekly shares with a pick up in Berryville. Young Harvests will experiment with customers ordering online each week via pick-a-pepper.com. This site enables customers to order from a “menu” of choices each week and pay online as well.

For information about these farms visit or contact: youngharvests@gmail.com www.youngharvests.com; www.coolspringcsa.com 571-238-1931; www.oakhartfarm.com 540-533-3096; www.chillyhollowproduce.com or ChillyHollowFarm@gmail.com

If you are not ready to commit to a Community Supported Agriculture program but still want to share in the local harvest, Berryville Farmers Market is among one of the many thriving markets in the area. Direct marketing to customers allows you to get a chance to sample a variety of farmers’ products while still investing locally.

Which Came First, The Chicken Or The Dog

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The story you’re about to hear is true.

After spending the day cooped up in a hotel conference room in a New England state-capital town, I decided to revive myself with a walk through the historic neighborhoods to enjoy the architecture and gardens. In the dooryard (yeah, they actually call the side yard a dooryard) of a stately Federal-style residence, I stopped to admire the craftsmanship of a post-and-beam garden shed.

That’s when I noticed two Rhode Island Reds and a third hen, the variety of which was unknown to me. Two were pecking the soil for bugs while the third stood watch from the ramp of the front door to their movable hen house—itself in the Federal style in colors matching the house.

As I admired the carpentry and the hens, I got the dust scared off me by two ferocious dogs that darted out of the open gate of the house three doors down and made right for me. One dog, I was sure, was going to take a bite out of my leg. “They won’t hurt you,” a gentleman walking toward me said. I wasn’t so sure, especially given the teeth and growl directed my way.

“It’s those chickens they’re after,” the neighbor said. “I hate those things. Don’t understand why they’re allowed to have chickens in town. It’s a nuisance.” This, coming from the guy whose dogs were eyeing me for supper, growling and drooling like Pavlov’s puppies over a T-bone.

That’s when the lady who owned the chickens sidled up, briefcase in hand, apparently returning from the office. “Can I help you,” she asked, momentarily confused that I might be accompanying the other guy—her nemesis, I suspected.

“I was just admiring the chicken house,” I said.

“Those chickens drive my dogs crazy,” the guy said.

“Your dogs are not exactly a sedative for my hens,” the lady said.

“If you want to raise farm animals, you should live on a farm.”

“What’s the difference between your dogs and my chickens?”

“What’s the difference? Everyone knows the difference!”

“Your dogs are loud and they stink. And I’ve never once complained. Not to you or the police. Not once.” She was almost foaming like the dogs at this point.

“Who could complain about a dog?”

I tried to quietly back down the street, feeling the hotel happy hour beckoning.

“At least my chickens provide food,” she shouted.

“My dogs were here first!”

“Healthy food,” she continued without acknowledging his remark. “These eggs actually lower your cholesterol. It’s the Omega-3. And they taste great. Like real food!”

“Well, I wouldn’t know! No one has ever offered me one,” he almost shouted. “Not one egg!”

Ah . . . not a single egg.

Without missing a beat, the lady’s tone shifted as she dropped the intensity. “How inconsiderate of me,” she said. “I apologize.”

They eyed each other.

“Come. I’ll show you,” she said. “Leave the dogs.”

I invited myself for the tour of the hen house, and listened as the neighbor talked about the eggs his grandmother raised, and how he hadn’t had one like that in years, and oh boy, look how big that one is!

It was clear that these two neighbors hadn’t shared a dozen words before. Now they had found something to chat about.

I don’t know whether these two ever became friends, but as I left the man was on his way home with a few dark brown eggs and a smile on his face.

I was reminded of the Dog And Egg Walk when I read about the proposed backyard hen ordinance in Berryville. And I’m reminded that we can’t legislate good neighborly relations. We can only aspire to be good neighbors.

Really, what is the difference between a house with three dogs and a house with three hens? Domestic dogs and fowl are among the first domesticated animals. They’ve been living with us some 10,000 years.

The question is, when will we learn to live with each other?

The Special Music Of 2013

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By Steve Chase

Here’s a list of music I really liked this past year. While not a classic “best of 2013 list,” it reflects music that I think made 2013 special—especially for anyone interested in going beyond the bounds of pop music. Here’s the link to the Spotify playlist I created to share the music with you: http://playlists.net/2013-epolyphony-steve-s-picks

Bob Dylan, Another Self Portrait (1969-1971): The Bootleg Series, Vol. 10

This interesting collection contains obscure alternative takes and some rare live cuts from the Dylan catalog. Some nice music here, most rarely heard. I chose the Highway 61 Revisited cut for the playlist, recorded live at The Isle of Wight in 1969. www.bobdylan.com

John Scofield, Überjam Deux

When I played a horn in a club’s house band in Connecticut in 1980, I looked forward to John Scofield coming in. Since then, Sco has been a fixture of the jam/jazz scene, playing with just about everyone, and always staying on the cutting edge. His latest album is the fantastic UberJam Deux. For the playlist I chose the groovy Endless Summer, which has gotten great airplay this year on SiriusXM’s JamOn Channel. www.johnscofield.com

Chick Corea, The Vigil

Chick Corea continues to put out amazing music. This time it’s an European infused alternative to Return to Forever, with Tim Garland of Bill Bruford’s Earthworks band on soprano sax and guest appearances by Ravi Coltrane and other greats. The music is inspired, tight, acoustic and electric. Legacy made my playlist. With Stanley Clarke sitting in on bass, what could be better? www.chickcorea.com

White Denim, Corsicana Lemonade

This quartet from Texas keeps their rock timely and raw, but they’ve matured well since their early trio days. Blend some blues with post-psychedelic sensitivity and Corsicana Lemonade is a keeper. The playlist includes the title track, best served loud. www.whitedenimmusic.com

Christian McBride, Out Here

Christian McBride is one of the busiest jazz bassists today. This cat has played with everyone, and has established himself as not only a great sideman, but also a fine bandleader. Out Here is just what the doctor ordered: some tight, traditional trio jazz where each player contributes solidly to what is one of the best jazz sets of the year. I picked one of my favorite jazz standards for the playlist, My Favorite Things. www.christianmcbride.com

Wayne Shorter, Without a Net

What can be said about Wayne that has not already been said? Wayne Shorter is the grand jazz elder who keeps getting better. The playlist features Flying Down To Rio, a cut that could have come from his seminal Native Dancer album from three decades ago. www.wayneshorter.com.

Assorted Artists, Love for Levon

With the passing of Levon Helm, a fine tribute was published in 2013, Love for Levon, which features a long list of Levon’s musical friends and fans. My favorite track is Anna Lee, sung with great feeling by Bruce Hornsby. www.loveforlevon.com

Chucho Valdes and the Afro Cuban Messengers, Border-Free

Born in Cuba and raised listening to Art Tatum and Oscar Peterson, Chucho Valdes rips the keys up, and is one of my favorite pianists. His latest album is a collection of Latin-infused tunes that trend to the more traditional post bop flavor. The playlist features the tune Congadanza. www.valdeschucho.com

Umphrey’s McGee, 5/25/13 Live at Summer Camp

The Summer Camp Music Festival always brings out the best in Umphrey’s McGee. On that May evening they were joined by Mad Dog’s Filthy Little Secret horns, and combined, they smoke on Utopian Fir. The tune features a fine “Jimmy Stewart” and an interlude jam of Miles Davis’ It’s About That Time. www.umphreys.com

Cécile McLorin Salvant, WomanChild

A Thelonius Monk Jazz vocalist competition winner, Cecile McLorin Salvant gives us an exuberant set of songs that seem to channel the greats that came before her, almost. What we hear is a young woman who takes her influences like Billy Holiday or Betty Carter, and shapes and shakes them up to create her own, fresh sound. Throw in pianist Aaron Diehl and a fine backup band and you have an album you’ll play over and over. I put her interpretation of Hart and Roger’s song I Didn’t Know What Time It Was on the playlist.

Yvar Mikhashoff, Panorama of American Piano Music: From Antheil to Zappa, 1911 to 1991

This 4-disc collection of more than 60 compositions by 40 composers was released in December. Pianist Yvar Mikhashoff died 20 years ago, so this collection is a long time coming. The set is a remarkable menu of American piano pieces providing a rich musical landscape over an 80-year period of the twentieth century. Hypnotic, sublime, beautiful, and inspiring solo piano. I included a Copland piece on the playlist from Our Town. http://www.moderecords.com/catalog/262-265-mikhashoff.html

North Mississippi All Stars, World Boogie Is Coming

The North Mississippi All Stars created their own genre that has maintained course for more than a decade. In their latest proclamation, World Boogie is Coming, they continue to plow fertile ground of north Delta Blues Rock, infused with their own seasoning of boogie and electric roots. This album is a monster. Rollin’ and Tumblin’ made my playlist, another cut to turn up loud. www.nmallstars.com

Anders Osborne, Peace

Swedish born Osborne has been on the scene making his blues/soul/R&B/folk/rock since the late eighties. It has not been easy, his career buffeted by addiction and the impacts of living in NOLA during Katrina. His music gets better with age, and the critics are eating up his latest works. Peace sums things up, and I conclude my playlist with his title track.

Steve Chase lives in, and challenges the entire bandwidth capacity of with his ceaseless pursuit of music in, Unison, Va.

Our Most Elegant Sparrow

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By Doug Pifer

Every year I look forward to when the white-crowned sparrows come back. They show up around the middle of October and hang around until the early dandelion flowers bloom in the spring.

Mention sparrow and most people imagine a brown, nondescript bird. But a white-crowned sparrow is nothing like that. About the size of a common house sparrow, its outline is much more refined. The back and wings are striped purplish brown and ashy gray to match the winter twigs. Its underside is clean gray fading to frosty tan like the horizon of a snowy sky. Seen up close, the pink bill and feet add a touch of winter sunset color.

But the most dramatic thing is the “crown” on its head. Striped boldly black and white, it looks as if the bird were wearing a bicycle helmet. As the bird perches among the brown weeds or grasses, the white stripes pop out with an almost incandescent glow. And the black is a lush and velvety color.

When the bird raises and lowers its head feathers, it completely changes its outline, adding to its distinctive character and heightening the contrast between the stripes. Like many birds, white-crowned sparrows are shy and retiring in their habits, but the flamboyance of their markings gives them panache.

You’ll likely get white-crowned sparrows at your bird feeder if you allow the dead flowers, herbs, and vegetable plants to stand in your garden all winter.

Even if you don’t feed the birds, if you let shrubbery like boxwood or privet grow tall and untrimmed, you have good winter habitat for white-crowned sparrows.

The first year of their lives, white-crowned sparrows have brown-striped heads, but can still be recognized by the shape of their high-peaked head feathers and their elegant proportions.

When we first moved into this house, we noticed the white-crowned sparrows in the spring as the dandelions came into bloom. Along with the goldfinches, they sought out the spent flowers just before the rounded heads stood up to release their parachuted seeds into the wind. They hung around just long enough for us to hear their spring songs. It sounded as if they were asking a question like, “More wet weather cheezie?”

Since we have planted the yard with clumps of shrubs, the white-crowned sparrows stay around all winter. But they derailed my gardening plans a little bit last year.

Each spring I sow lettuce seed mix in container gardens outside the kitchen window for our spring salads. I cover the containers with domes I make out of woven fencing wire to stop the cat from digging in them. Every morning as we had our coffee we could look out and see several adult and immature white-crowns scratching and pecking the fresh soil under the fencing. I think I had to re-sow my lettuce beds at least three times last spring before any seeds sprouted.

By the time we picked our first spring salad, all the white-crowns had gone to nest among the short trees along the timberline, where their breezy evening songs would serenade summer backpackers and mountain hikers.

Touring A Garden Of The 1860s

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By Annie Young

A frigid, arctic wind blasts across Clarke County. It is the coldest day we have had in years. I’m dreaming of spring gardens, bright colors and sunshine streaming through open windows. It’s a perfect day to meet with Terry Chandler who is not just dreaming of gardens, but is busy planning and organizing the Historic Garden Tour for Clarke County and Winchester. Mrs. Chandler is the Tour Chairperson for the Winchester-Clarke Garden Club and the Little Garden Club of Winchester. The Historic Garden Week takes place annually throughout Virginia with the local tour the weekend of April 26 and 27.

Spring seems in the distant future as we make our way through the icy fields to Long Branch Plantation, headquarters for the spring tour. The boxwoods shiver along the brick walk as we scuttle into the warm offices of Nicholas Redding and Cassie Ward. Redding, as the executive director of Historic Long Branch, is leading a phase of restoration on the house and garden.

Although the house was completed in 1811, their vision is to bring the house and furnishings to the 1860s period, with some rooms used as rotating exhibits. Cassie Ward, director of public programs, explains that the 1860s is a period of significance because of an inventory taken in 1861 detailing the entire contents of the estate.

Now they are painstakingly working on returning many of the original items back to Long Branch. One such item is a grandfather clock that was contained in the inventory and in a later photograph. Redding did “reverse genealogy,” and found the exact clock was still in the family. She was able to bring it back to the precise location where it sat for decades. Visitors can view the photograph and the clock in the front hall of the mansion. Through details like these, even visitors who have been to Long Branch many times, can get a new historic view of the home.

The circulating exhibits include Isaac’s Legacy, showcasing the late owner’s work in restoring the mansion, adding an addition, and creating the foundation that oversees Long Branch today. There is also an exhibit about the preservation and restoration work currently underway there.

Visitors are welcome on Fridays or by appointment, but many are waiting for the opening weekend of Memorial Day, when the Historic Garden Tour gives eager visitors a preview of the home and gardens. Interpreters will give guests perspective of the two hundred year history of Long Branch Plantation. “We want visitors to feel as guests of the home and experience it at their own speed,” says Ward.

The Winchester-Clarke Garden Club and the Little Garden Club of Winchester will create fresh floral arrangements to decorate the interior. The members are already planning the floral designs for the event. They source some flowers from their own gardens to create colorful arrays throughout the tour. Tea will also be served at Long Branch Historic Dining Room during the tour.

“It’s the gardens that knit the story of the house back to the landscape,” said Redding. The Rose Garden is dedicated to Sheila Macqueen. It is the only garden in the United States to be named for the well known British floral designer who created arrangements for the royal family.

New garden plans are also underway. Heirloom gardens will be made using nineteenth century building materials and styles, like kitchen and slave gardens featuring small plots with heirloom vegetables typically grown in that era. Future plans include heirloom varieties of animals. While the gardens will not be completed at the time of the Garden Tour, they will offer a seasonal occasion to visit throughout the year.

Historic Long Branch hosts monthly events. Coming in January and February is the Created Equal Movie Series featuring three films with a tour and discussion following. It is free and open to the public. More information is available online www.visitlongbranch.org

Tea Parties and Other Resolutions

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It’s mid January. By now, most of us have abandoned our New Year’s Resolutions or decided it’s too late to make one. Maybe that’s because we think about them as chores and drudgeries rather than a path toward enjoying life more and expanding our horizons.

Having been a serial resolution breaker over the years, I ask a lot of people about theirs every year. This isn’t evidence so much as a hunch, but it seems to me that people who keep their resolutions are people who aren’t out to drop a few pounds or drink a few fewer beers each week. They want to be a little happier and share it with the people around them. Here are some of choice ones I’ve heard in the past few years, in no particular order.

 

When my husband and I disagree or have a minor argument, my first impulse is always to leave the room and go clean something. I’m going to try to stay in the conversation.

When my daughter says, “Do you want to have a tea party,” I’m going to say yes instead of telling her about the work I have to do.”

I’m not going to play video games when I call my parents on Sundays. Not with the sound on, any way. And I won’t shout, “Die sucka!” when I blow up the enemy. I’ll say, “How’s the garden, Mom?”

I’ll have lunch with my vegan friend Nancy (not her real name). In an actual vegan restaurant. But I’ll eat a burger first and she’ll think I’m cool for . . . well, she already thinks I’m cool . . . I guess I could just have lunch with her. What’s vegan mean, anyway?

I will try harder not to tell my politically  conservative friend John he’s an idiot.

I will try harder not to tell my politically liberal friend Eric he’s an idiot.

I will try harder not to tell my friends John and Eric to stop arguing about politics because they are both idiots.

I don’t do ‘em . . .  but I’m always doing resolutions. I want to be kinder to myself for not doing resolutions. I have all this self guilt. And that’s part of it. I want to be kinder to myself for not making them, and not sticking to them.

 

We at the Observer did make one resolution, too. We’ve been saying for months that we’d like to start doing a photo spread each month, asking Clarke Countians a question. Jennifer Lee got right to it—only six months after we resolved to do it.

Our first installment appears in this edition. Appropriately, it’s about the new year. Not about resolutions, but about hope.

Piper Dan’s Keltic Shoppe: A Family Business Built on Tradition

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Mary Brady Shea Knight started her business in 1971 in Massachusetts, following a long lineage of family entrepreneurs. She has owned and operated it continuously with her family, riding out two recessions and two major road reconstructions on the main street of her hometown where she was located, and then started all over when she moved her family, dogs and business to Virginia eight years ago.

“After graduating from Syracuse University, my oldest son Ryan took a job with AOL. We visited him as often as we could,” said Knight. But it wasn’t enough, and she didn’t want her family to be separated. Each time they visited, they loved the area more and more, and one day she mentioned the idea of the move to her husband Dan. They did just that, and have never looked back. “So I followed my son, and now all of our kids have made their life here.”

They fell in love with Purcellville, found a home, and finally found the perfect place for the business at 109 East Main Street in Old Town.

“The space needed a lot of work, and we had little time, with our busiest season just two months out. It was a labor of love, my husband and our kids made it happen,” she said. “Our lead man in all of this is son-in-law, Joe Cahill. He moved us to Virginia making eight trips in a 24-foot U-Haul. He has organized all our store moves, and has helped my husband with the build outs.”

Piper Dan’s Keltic Shoppe Irish & Scottish Imports (named for her son Danny, who has been playing the bagpipes since he was 10 years old) offers a large selection of hand knitted sweaters, hats, scarves and mittens, capes, blankets, jewelry, leather goods, kilts, highland wear, bagpiping supplies, rugs, linens, foods, books, music, gifts and much more, all imported from Ireland and Scotland. A holiday favorite is real Irish Peat (that is used to heat homes in Ireland, and can be burned in a fireplace for ambiance during the holidays). Another is Irish Christmas Pudding with Brandy Butter, and Scottish Haggis.

Now, husband and son-in-law are at it again, plugging away to get a new Country Western store ready for a soft opening by Christmas. The store will be located in the rear of Piper Dan’s, and will be called Katie’s Country Outfitters. It’s named for the Knight’s youngest daughter, and will carry a large range of Western Wear, including boots, hats, leather goods, jewelry and gifts. Many of the boots have already arrived in time for Christmas, and are on display in the Irish part of the shop for now.

So what is the connection between an Irish Shoppe and a Country Western Store? “Nothing really,” says Knight, except that she carries not only traditional kilts, but street kilts that she plans to pair with Western boots for a “Kilted Cowboy” look. “I’m just fulfilling another dream that my daughter and I have always wanted to do.”

The shoppe is open 7 days a week until Christmas, Monday thru Friday 11am–7pm, Saturday 10am–7pm, and Sundays noon till 5. A lot of her family is on hand during the holidays to help with the free gift wrapping and serving customers. Her eldest daughter Shannon accompanies Knight several days a week at the shop. When they were growing up, all of her children came to the shop after school and did homework and helped out. “They learned at an early age that you don’t just acquire what you want,” said Knight. “You have to work for it.

A Reclusive Migrant

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By Doug Pifer

A couple of weeks ago a bird fatally collided with the wire fence that protects the trees along the back fence from our browsing animals. It hung there by the head, neck broken, until I discovered it—a hermit thrush in immaculate fall plumage.

Gently I disentangled the dead bird’s head and smoothed down its beautifully speckled neck feathers. A familiar mixture of feelings came over me. I felt this way several years ago when I discovered a white-throated sparrow that died after flying into this same fence: a sense of wonder at the dead bird’s utter perfection, mixed with a certain weight of responsibility for what happened to it. After all, I had put the fence there. As I did with the sparrow, I decided to memorialize this thrush by creating a watercolor sketch of it in my sketchbook.

In this part of the country, the hermit thrush is a bird of passage. It spends its summers and nests in the forests of the northeastern states and well beyond the Canadian border, in mixed forest and boreal woodlands. Preferring to hang around up north longer than most Neotropical migrants, hermit thrushes are actually common in Virginia in spring and in fall.

Some individuals spend the winter here every year, subsisting on such wild fruits as poison ivy and holly berries, bayberry, and coralberry. I’ve seen hermit thrushes locally in wooded ravines and on mountainsides in February and March when snow covers the ground. But they seldom frequent backyards and don’t come to feeders. As their name suggests, hermit thrushes pass through, stay, and then leave with hardly anyone noticing them—unless they have an accident such as this one did.

Like many songbirds, hermit thrushes are night migrants. Sometimes I hear their flight calls in the early hours of October and November darkness as they pass overhead. Later in the night they descend to the ground and rest. Possibly this thrush ended its life after a long night’s flight. It no doubt died instantly, never knowing the fence was there.

When I sketched the thrush, several characteristics stood out. Its long, thin legs indicated a bird that spends much time foraging on the ground. Large eyes, soft bill, and tapered wings added to its streamlined look. The most distinctive character was the spotted chest and a pure white belly. When I stretched out one wing, a creamy white stripe extended across the underside of its flight feathers. This characteristic “thrush stripe” is often picked up on night migrating birds by radar and is evident in all brown forest thrushes.

 

In my sketch I attempted to show the spirit and vitality of a reclusive bird that over-winters here unnoticed, only to fly off unseen one dark spring night to its remote haunts in the north woods where it delivers the most beautiful of all American birdsongs.

Start Your Toolkit With The Right Drill

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By Julie Kerby

A new feature on the trials and tribulations of DIY

What’s on your Honey-Do list? You know the list, the one most homeowners have, wherein they spell out all the nit-picky little projects that need to be done to maintain the family home. That list which is typically the creation of the woman of the house, yet the responsibility of the man to accomplish.

Why is completing the list the man’s job? Women are creative, capable individuals, yet we willingly relinquish the world of tools to men, putting ourselves in the role of nag to get these projects accomplished. If women would let go of their irrational fear of tools and take on these projects, it would free up men to handle other important household jobs like washing dishes, folding socks, cleaning toilets, or clipping the dog’s toenails.

Imagine the satisfaction of saying, “Honey, I finished the Honey Do List: I’ll be on the couch watching HGTV. Let me know when dinner is ready.”

Regardless of who is the Honey Do in your family, there are some basic tools that are likely to come in handy. With the holidays approaching, you may want to ask Santa for some tools. When shopping for tools, there are many things to consider. First, avoid the cheapest tools because you’ll get what you pay for and you’ll end up being disappointed. But you typically don’t need the most expensive either, especially if you are just performing occasional fix-it jobs. And look for tools that fit comfortably in your hand, feel solid, and have enough features to perform a variety of jobs while not being too gimmicky.

The power tool that lands in my hand most often is the cordless drill/driver. A good quality one is indispensible. You can drill holes with it, of course, but more often I use mine to drive in screws or other hardware. Would you rather spend the wee hours of Christmas Eve exhausting your wrist with a screw driver, or quickly zip in the gazillion screws that came with your child’s new play kitchen?

Choose a drill that has a removable lithium ion (Li-ion) battery, preferably with a spare that can be charged while the first is in use. Li-ion batteries typically have a shorter charge time and hold their charge while in storage. I used to have a drill with a NiCad battery that drove me crazy because it would always have a dead battery when I got it out, and would take half a day to charge before I could even begin a project. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to have to make an appointment to use my power tools. I mean, who’s in charge here?

The voltage of the drill, typically 12, 18 or 20 volts, indicates the power it will deliver. It will also increase the size and weight of the battery and the tool. For most home uses, 12 or 18 volts is plenty. I have a Hitachi 12 volt drill driver set which I adore. The battery is very compact, and I can get my hand around it easily to release the battery. Each tool is a very light 2.2 lbs. The set comes with a regular drill/driver, an impact driver, a flashlight, two batteries, a quick charger and a carrying bag. You can find the drill at the home stores and some independent hardware stores for under a hundred dollars. Lowes currently has the entire package described above on sale $129.

Skip the cheap little drivers like the Skil IXO, whose puny 4 volts of power is barely enough to tighten a screw and can’t really be used as a drill at all. Its battery is built-in, so you cannot switch out the battery while charging a spare. And even at $30 it is overpriced for what you get.

I usually don’t care for tools that try to do too much, but Black and Decker has come out with a new drill driver called the Matrix Quick Connect System which has me intrigued. It is a modular system where the drill head can be removed from the motor/battery/handle assembly. Available separately are heads that convert it to an impact driver, sander, jigsaw, oscillating cutter, trim saw or router, ranging in price from $19–39 each, which is less than buying separate comparable tools. It has a powerful 20 volts, but only comes with one battery, which is absurd for a tool that is trying to serve so many purposes.

However, with a base price of $49 (down from $69) you could consider buying an extra battery, though the battery costs as much as the entire unit. The jury is still out on this, so if Santa leaves one under the tree for you, let me know what you think. To see a video of the Quick Connect system, see http://tinyurl.com/lskkggr.

So, let go of your fears, get yourself some appropriate tools and jump on that Honey Do list. You won’t regret it. Just don’t let the sense of accomplishment go to your head. Nobody likes a smug Honey Do-er.