by Jared Neibaur

There are many joys in country living and among the ones at the top of the list are those that include struggle and dedication. Near the top of my list is haymaking. I love every aspect of haymaking from tending and irrigating the field to feeding the animals and everything in between. This is a joy that I have carried with me since my youth where I used heavy equipment to cut, bale, haul, and feed hay on our family ranch. I have since learned some old-time techniques to scale things down to work on my little homestead where the large machinery doesn't make sense (my field is 0.4 acres). Though the work is more hands on, I have found that I enjoy it so much more. 

by Jared Neibaur

I don't know about you, but I get a lot of inspiration from other people's gardens. I like to look at all the gardens I can see as I drive from place to place. I always jump at the chance to see a garden when someone invites me to see one. I love quizzing my grandparent's generation about their gardens and how their parents grew them. I also spend a lot of time on the internet looking at what pictures I can find. There is a lot out there to learn and it seems like I learn something new from every garden.  Hopefully that is the reason that you are here looking at this article. 

by Jared Neibaur

My ancestors used many different tricks to make things last. Replacements just were not available like they are today. They couldn't zip over to the hardware store and buy a new part. Most things were hand made to begin with, so there wasn't a replacement to be found unless they made it themselves. This is world in which this wire wrapping method was born and used. 

This technique wasn't only used on handles, I've seen it used on wagon tongues, floor joists, rafters, and other places. I've mainly seen it on wood but I have also seen it replace bolts on some wood to metal applications and so on. It really isn't the strongest or cleanest repair method that I have seen, but it works in a pinch. It is also a secret from a lost era. People are no longer able to fix things because they don't know how, modern circumstances no longer force this kind of creative thinking. I hope by sharing this method with you, I can save one more piece of history.