Sunday, September 16, 2001 7:55:10 AM
My friends laugh at me because I have an anvil!
Now, I've had the anvil for a long time. Never once as much as chuckled. One clean-up day at a place that I used to work, the anvil's usefulness came into question in light of tight shop space. I took it home. It languished for years in the basement buried under the detritus of seldom used tools, hardware and books. Then I moved. Follows the laughter.
I enlisted Dean and Bill's aid in the final day of moving. I have no furniture, just thousands of books and some tools. Some very heavy tools. There was no laughter when the Radial Arm Saw was carried up the steps. It was unwieldy. So the table saw on the heavy steel base, even the lathe gave, because of its length, pause, but not much comment going up the steps. Then we came to it as we lifted a box of moldy books that had obscured it. "You have an anvil!" cried one of the two. And I swear they started laughing and dancing about. "We never knew anyone who had an anvil." And then Bill gave Dean proper instruction on the way that you carry an anvil. Thrust the two arms forward like the forks of a lift, insert under the arms of the anvil and lift. It is an intimate way to carry anything I admit and off he went hugging the lump of steel up the steps and down into the truck.
I heard about the anvil for the rest of the day. And with some frequency since. I expect the "we never knew anyone who had an anvil!" litany, although no longer true, will ring out whenever we get together and reminisce. (If you have an anvil to move I do recommend Bill and Dean, although, they will now have to sing out "We only know one other ******* with an anvil!"
The anvil? I was looking at it this morning as I cleaned the workbench. Do I use it? Yes, on the rare occasion that some piece of recalcitrant metal needs a whacking. One proud day, when Dean was at my home and a sprocket or gear or thingy from his bicycle broke, he had to use the anvil the beat it back into shape. Don't think there wasn't a glint of triumph and pride my eyes.