I bought a bunch of little green hard plastic one piece spades from Lowes. They regularly sell for 99 cents. I just threw them around in the different beds so they would be handy when I needed them. Leave them out all winter, they don't even fade, and since they are one piece they can't break.

Mary Ann, sounds like you need a can of florescent paint! My dad made a small sharp pointed shovel out of stainless steel to use to dig up small Balsam trees and transplant them with better spacing then occured in nature. We used to harvest Christmas trees. Anyway, that is the handyest shovel for digging lots of things. I have one special place for it, and I'm ususally good at returning it to it's place. Sometimes I don't, and then is often a big ordeal to find it.

Polly -- this is the long-handled variety -- so your good method prolly wouldn't work for me!!

Tom -- the handle on this is Chrome Yellow -- should be bright enough to see anywhere!! It's just very good at concealing itself. Of course -- trees and houses can inadvertently get in the way...........................

Polly has it right ! Whenever I see a decent shovel, trowel,pruning shears, etc., at a rummage sale...I buy it ! We have them by every door, and in every building, in the car, and in the truck, I have a 'rack made on the tractor to hold a shovel, and there is a trowel and clippers I the tool box....if there are 'enough" scattered about the property....we can USUALLY find one....not always, just "usually"

I have found a number of spoons and 2 bottles of Patchouli Oil in the veggie garden this year. The first bottle of patchouli didn't phase me, as I have left it there for maybe 10 years - It just fell off the fence where I leave it. But I didn't know I had another bottle buried. I use it to keep mosquitoes away. Go figure, I am chemical sensitive to bug repellants and allergic to some of the natural ones, but Patchouli.... I don't wear it around others though. It is a love/hate smell.

All of my hand trowels are missing. The flat shovel we edge with is missing. I think maybe my son gets too tired when he is out landscaping and leaves them at the last job? Dunno. He is a crazy hard worker and will keep going sun up til after dark. Some things may be under the CRV seats. We share the vehicle.

Mostly, I bury the silverware (stainless) and find steak knives stabbed into the ground where I cut some squash stems.

I have a favorite pair of clippers and the spring flew off. I have walked around and around the area where I was using them, but it is either lost in the grass, or - I suspect - went into the lawn cart. Now they are useless and I can't find anymore like them. *sigh* And my neighbor must think I have lost it seeing me pace up and down the same patch of grass.

My trowels on the other hand seem to walk off whenever people come in to do work on the house. Since I use my Marshalltown's from my archaeology days instead of garden trowels (mine are sharpened and I am much more experienced handling them), I am rather sad that so many have been "borrowed" over the years.

Leslie, is the spring you lost a "collapsing coil" spring ? Post a picture of your cutters, if you would, as I *may* be able to help you out !

Yep, a collapsing coil spring. I'll get you a pic when I get home.

I have a springless one too! It makes it hard to use, but I still use it in its degraded condition.

I have one missing the spring too...I keep it for a spare. I don't think you will have that many springs Arlyn...but in my case I'm fine with using my replacement clippers.

So nice to see so many others struggle with the tool issues that I do, and how we deal with them. Good chuckles too! Along the lines of Polly and Arlyn's methods, I've found I've got to have multiples of hand trowels and pruners, and really need to have a couple more long handled spades around. I have gotten myself in the habit of putting them in certain, easy to see places, but this is a big yard with big gardens and too many of those places. I've gotten a workout running around looking for the shovel, LOL! Now I just leave them in all those spots. I used to be terrible about losing trowels in the garden, and finding them under the mulch or debris a year or more later. I go for the brightly colored handles too.

As a matter of fact, I DO have quite a few springs, as I remember....finding them will be the REAL trick....I'll see if I can hunt some up !

Here's what I found, next to a quarter, for "scale". I have Marilyn's and Leslie's addy.so if they look "right to you...I'll send 'em on their way. if you t-mail your addy, Greg, I'll send you one, as well

No picture, Arlyn..............

Hmmmm ! I hate it when I do that !


Most days, if it wasn't for mistakes....I wouldn't get ANYTHING done

I don't have those kinds of springs, but I am a spring and small parts saver. Folks make fun of me, but I have been able to fix a lot of stuff.....and you should see my door collection!

I still have a pair of nippers that my parents used for picking Christmas boughs. I'm sure it was purchased in the 50's, but it's still in good shape and works like a charm. I've bought some since that have worn out fast, but the old one still beats these new cheeply made, but expensive ones. I still use it for pruning fruit trees and shrubs.

I'll double check Arlyn...but I don't think that's the right kind of spring.

Arlyn, those look like Felco springs. Fiskers also uses that type of spring on one of their models.

Corona's have a fairly common spring. This is basically the same as my old Craftsman pruners. They are probably one of the most commonly used pruning shears. One of the nurseries I worked at gave us these to uses. The springs fell out a lot. Here's a replacement:
http://www.coronatools.com/ite...

The spring on the ARS is a little different than I've seen on other pruners.. It's a little looser/fatter coil than the Corona. They too have replacement parts:
http://www.growtech.com/HandPr...

If you do a lot of pruning, please treat yourself to a good pair of shears. The Felco and ARS models are a lot easier on your hands. I've tried many kinds, including cheaper look-alikes. My ARS clippers held a good sharp blade for months and months of heavy pruning. The downside is I need to have them professionally sharpened. Even being on the dull side, they still cut woody stuff amazingly well. The Felcos get dull faster, but are easier for me to sharpen, and replacement blades are available too. I use the smaller model (Felco and ARS) as the arc isn't as big, and I find it less fatiguing on the hands. Most of the pro-pruners I know use either, or both of these brands, although the Aesthetic Pruners have mostly gone to the ARS camp.

About 16 years ago my clippers fell into the chipper/shredder.....wasn't a pretty sight to see the pieces.