A story of home and Dad’s double-bit axe

I forgot to get gas for the chainsaw. But I only had a couple red fir tops that needed limbing so I grabbed Dad’s double bit axe that I keep in the corner of the woodshed. 

Duct tape on the wooden handle by the head for the occasional miss. Sharp and well balanced. The handle just the right length for me. A well placed swing and the first branch falls to the dirt. 

I pause for a minute and see dad with his stocking hat and yellow cotton gloves carrying the same axe I’m holding now. Marking out the stud logs that will go to Findlay‘s sawmill and make the payment on the farm. Lester and Ronny moving to the next tree, carrying the cross cut saw and the jug of kerosene that will keep the crosscut moving through the pitch. 

The wooden handle of the axe feels familiar, feels like years ago. Feels like home.

STEVE JOHNSON

Sagle