05/15/2026
One old cabinet followed me home probably about a year ago. I first laid eyes on it while eating lunch at Jimmy John's next to the V/A in Topeka it was out for trash pickup next to a overflowing trash can that must have missed the week prior, At a well kept home adjacent to the Jimmy John's parking lot. It was a weird metallic blue then, as I was looking at it from my driver's seat chowing down on my #9 with hot peppers I pondered that little cabinet was probably just about the same as my very first actual tool chest i got for Christmas when I was just a wee little Matt. it was without the top cabinet and drawers of course. But I remember it very well. I picked it out of the farm and fleet catalog for one of my Christmas wish list gifts at Grandma Alice's house. that is how Ichose my Christmas presents back then just circle the picture in the catalog with black marker and somehow all my circles made it my Grandma Alice's house on Christmas eve when we got to open them after church candle light evening service. I was one to never want or desire toys or junk like that kinda stuff a regular kid may probably prefer, it was always tools and equipment a propane oxygen torch, welding rods, grinding wheels, a heater for the garage or a new ratchet set because there not ment to be used as hammers, The one i got that Christmas was from my very special cool Uncle Rolle and sweetest Aunt Teresa Holzhueter I was probably 8 or 9 years of age then, the tool chest was shinny bright red and had 3 drawers on the top cabinet and 2 on the bottom cabinet and the big door that always lost the pull k**b and then you couldn't get it open without a screwdriver, this one I rescued was missing the bottom handle too🤣🤣 so I said yup your coming home went and knocked on the door nobody answered and it was next to the trash can on the curb. It even came with a few cheapo hand tools like I would have had when I was a kid. that just couldn't grow up fast enough. I don't know what happened to the first little red cabinet I got for Christmas I probably needed the sheet metal to make body panels for my go kart and ended up cutting it up to do so, thats probablynot far from the truth. This one now is destined to be detroit alpine green because who doesn't love a 2 stroke diesel screaming Jimmy it now matches my big metal lathe I painted the same signature detroit alpine green it's going to mount to the wall next to and above the lathe to hold some the expensive tooling I use on a regular basis, now I won't have to dig in a tuff box for the right carbide cutter. I'm sure Uncle Rollie and Aunt Teresa Holzhueter will love this story from a rowdy kid they still love and send cookies and Christmas presents to every year. I'm still trying to be an adult i dont know if ill ever get there. Love you Uncle Rollie and Aunt Teresa.
Matt 🫡
