Our wheelbarrows

If you think the wheelbarrow was invented by the English, the French or even the Italians, you’re dead wrong! Long before they’d mass-manufacture clothing, computers, bikes, pet food and toothpaste, the Chinese had invented and produced the first wheelbarrows some 1,900 years ago. The Europeans caught up with it later, between 1170 and 1250 AD. The standard wheelbarrow is a small hand-propelled vehicle, usually with just one wheel designed to be pushed and guided by a single person using two handles to the rear. Its typical capacity is approximately 170 liters (6 cubic feet.) Since we live in America we own two wheelbarrows. One (the largest) is mine and was purchased brand new four years ago. The other (a tad smaller) is Evelyne’s and was bought used at a garage sale three years ago for $5.00. We later had to replace the wheel which cost us a whopping $25.00! Both are orange in color (so we don’t lose sight of them in the yard) and are very well maintained. We park them under our deck in the back and they are by far the most economical vehicles to operate that we have ever own. There will be more on that wonderful device in an upcoming blog, so please, stay tuned!