By: MrWhitBear
As a lifelong copperhead, I found myself wondering what I was going to do with this industrial storage tote filled to the brim with all things copper. It was a treasure trove collected from years of being a commercial plumber. From the early years of re-plumbing our family’s laundromat business with my Pop to the water conditioning business, we started together that failed. That tote had been many a mile on more adventures than anyone of us could account for. After that final attempt, we closed that tote up and packed it away.
I would open it from time to time to get something or drop something in and reminisce over pieces that brought me back to that moment and place. The jobs my wife and I worked together to make ends meet; So many pieces and parts in various states of patina.
The smooth, soft feel of the flats and curves. The smell of the copper oxide on my skin to the sound of the various pieces as they fell into one another. It all intrigued me and seemed to intensify as time passed.
We had always intended to just take it to the recycling center, and albeit nearly did when things got really lean in the last few years, (that’s another story.)
But God in his mercies had another plan
Those rosey-colored bits of beauty were called out of that dusty old tote into the light and brought back to life for another purpose that I could have never imagined.
Then one day, I realized that in my love for all things copper, I was not alone.
Imagine my surprise when listening to a Biocharisma podcast and seeing the sultan of the Gardenians light up like a kid talking about copper garden tools. My mind wandered off to that tote.
“Huh, I wonder.”
Over the years, all sorts of odd inventions were created from that box of scraps, but this was by far on another level of magnitude; could it be done?
My dad’s voice echoed through my head
“See a need fill a need, son.”
The Bears need copper tools to make their gardens flourish. Many tools were forged out of that treasure trove of leftovers, and we’ve had to buy most of this year’s supply to keep up with demand.
The first trowel had to go to Topher as a tribute to the legend for the inspiration, of course. Unfortunately, the prices of components prohibit keeping costs as low as we’ve wanted. We still keep it near cost for our Bear families, and thanks to them and the grace of God, we’ve grown in skill and productivity.
Now my hobby pays for itself, and a bit left over for the bee’s new boxes and some fresh paint this season.
Bee Alchemy helped me turn copper into liquid gold…
It was great meeting so many of you at the Festival!
God bless.
