What if someone wanted to shake a shrub without putting their hands in it? This would make sense if you live in an area where snakes or wasps like to lounge. The screwball could be used as a prod or poke stick to shake nests or discourage critters.
I personally have never felt the need to swing a screwball at a bush, I have used a broom handle for the same purpose in dark recesses of a shed. I get it. If you live around dicey wildlife, you may want to use something with more bite than a stick.
A Prop or Random Art
It might not be made to work.
Play props, Halloween costume items, or an art project gone astray, all move stuff from point A to point B. The metal object with the sharp edge is probably from a haunted house, a middle ages dude, or some random art project in the yard.
A friend of mine made an enormous paper mache dragon head for a play, and over time, the neighbors thought it was some haunted object — in the yard. It happens.
Ice or Snow Breaker
This takes some outside-the-box thinking, but it’s not impossible.
Someone suggested it might have been for smashing ice or breaking compacted snow. Swing down on it and the screws would chip it away. Ice chopping or hitting, but improvised.
I grew up in a snowy area where I saw a ton of “tools” like this. Shovels, crowbars, or even frying pans as a last resort. So yes, a stick labeled to smash snow seems plausible.
So What Is It?
We will probably never know. But judging by the construction, it likely fits into one of these categories:
Yard tool, either aerator or pest stick
Annual or seasonal tool, like an ice breaker
A prop, decoration, or craft project that was hidden and forgotten
The neat thing about these mystery items is they represent the ingenuity of humans. Someone had a purpose for making it, even if that purpose is forgotten now.
So next time you are looking around your own yard and find something kooky, don’t assume you’ve discovered a medieval weapon. Consider the item. Chips and dings can tell you a whole story.
And I promise you, the kookiest objects will have much more interesting stories.
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