The Knife Sharpener

Tonight I am giving this knife sharpener to my brother, Bob. From my earliest memory, this knife sharpener was in the utensils draw in the kitchen of our farm home. Periodically, Dad would take it out of the drawer and vigorously sharpen all the knives in the kitchen. He made sure each was razor sharp. When we were cleaning out Mom's apartment and deciding who would like to have what, I asked mom about this item. Long, long ago mom and dad had someone come to the farm to do some work for them. I can't remember exactly what they did. But they had a sharpening stone that was operated with pedals to whir it around. They also had this sharpening stick. Long after the job was complete, one of the older boys found this stick laying in the grass. It was left by the workers. My brother brought it to the house and it was used from that day until we cleaned out the apartment. I hope Bob continues to use it to keep his knives sharp. And every time he does, I hope he remembers the dad he lost when he was only 13 years old.