Fascinating article with a lot of things that I, a five-year Brownie/Girl Scout, never knew. And thanks for your reconsideration of GSA—too often when I mention to someone that I was a scout, they pride themselves on NOT having been one, thinking it wasn’t cool. What could be cooler than figuring out how to blaze a trail through the south side of Chicago or learning the parts of an airplane for the aviation badge?
As a boy, I had a fixed-blade knife with a stacked leather handle similar to the GSA one you show. I was taught to soak it in a basin filled with water to plump the leather and restore the solid feel of the handle, rather than tightening up the pommel nut.
Kelly, this was extraordinary. What began as a pocketknife story unfolded into a profound meditation on womanhood, history, memory, and what we carry—literally and metaphorically. The way you wove together your curio collection with the intergenerational weight of misogyny, protection, and pride hit me hard.
Fascinating article with a lot of things that I, a five-year Brownie/Girl Scout, never knew. And thanks for your reconsideration of GSA—too often when I mention to someone that I was a scout, they pride themselves on NOT having been one, thinking it wasn’t cool. What could be cooler than figuring out how to blaze a trail through the south side of Chicago or learning the parts of an airplane for the aviation badge?
Nothing cooler than that! I wish I had GSA in my life!
As a boy, I had a fixed-blade knife with a stacked leather handle similar to the GSA one you show. I was taught to soak it in a basin filled with water to plump the leather and restore the solid feel of the handle, rather than tightening up the pommel nut.
Kelly, this was extraordinary. What began as a pocketknife story unfolded into a profound meditation on womanhood, history, memory, and what we carry—literally and metaphorically. The way you wove together your curio collection with the intergenerational weight of misogyny, protection, and pride hit me hard.
Thanks so much Anton. It seems like another world where this was written.