Day 1: Two Screwdrivers, a Shovel and an Unpleasant Surprise.

Our New Years Day project is planting two new fruit trees in the backyard of our new house and finishing up installing a few things around the house. We purchased our first home about a month ago and have been working hard ever since. Because I am completely sick of using the Made in China screwdrivers that my husband had from college, I decided to get some better ones. So I headed to our small local hardware store on the corner in search of a shovel and screwdrivers. To my unhappy surprise, they only had a couple of shovels, none made in the USA. None were even made anywhere but China. I am realizing that in some cases I am not going to be able to find the things that I want at smaller community stores. I hope that they are not stocking only China items in hopes of making more profit to compete with the larger stores. However, a quick examination showed these items to be made of inferior quality--I think that the first rock they encounter will spell certain death. So I hit the internet and found out that Sears has a large line of tools that are made right here in the United States. What could be more American than Sears?

I was very pleased with the Craftsman professional screwdrivers -- there is no way that the steel on these is going to disintegrate like my old ones. I bought three and then headed for the garden aisle. There was a selection of about 12 shovels, pretty good for the dead of winter, and several were made in the usa. I selected one from a company called Companion, and it seems sturdy. I am glad to see that people in America are still making quality tools, and I thanks to them I now have two beautiful trees in my backyard.