I had to rake it with a rake

Weekends have always been my time to take care of my yard, surroundings, and garden.
But today, I felt too lazy to do any work—not because I didn’t want to, but because I didn’t have a rake. My neighbor, who usually comes to my rescue, traveled for a burial and won’t be back until next month. So getting one to use at the moment wasn’t possible.

When I checked around, my backyard was too dirty for my liking, which forced me to improvise. I have trees in my garden that I usually prune to prevent overgrown branches. So, I got down to work by cutting a long, straight branch, as shown below:

I measured 6 feet for the long handle and 1.5 feet for the rake head.

Now, what could I use to make this look and work like a rake? Okay—got some nails and pierced them into the short wood like this:

This looks like the mouth of a rake—even though it’s not perfect.

After forming the rake-like mouth, I tied the broken part of the stick with binding wire to keep the nails in place and strong. Then, I crossed the long stick with the rake head and joined them using a tiny nail to prevent the wood from splitting again.

I then held the crossed sticks on both sides using two screws and tied them tightly with a binding wire using a pair of pliers. A single nail wouldn’t have been enough to hold them together. Without that extra support, the cross piece would easily come off. The binding wire and screws held them firmly in place.

Lets test my improvised rake

Now to the backyard.

Before working with the rake

While working with it

After working

Simple, but effective.

I did it myself, and it helped me achieve a clean environment. Most times when I’m stranded, I always find a way to get things done by going local—and it has truly been helpful.

Hope to come up with another creative solution soon!

Thanks for reading.
This is Ckole, the LaughingGas.
One love.