Last June, I was introduced to Penny Hader Brooks, an avid artist and gardener. When we walked through her charming garden, I noticed a stone wall, mosaic stepping stones, a hand-painted piece of furniture and other projects she had done pretty much single-handedly.

        Able to operate everything from power tools to a sewing machine, Ms. Brooks celebrates the talents and gifts inherited from her parents.

        We entered a summer garden room, attached to a multipurpose garden shed. Here was a collection of antique furniture and tools, quilts, family photos and memorabilia. I felt as if I were miles away, in a small rural town, instead of the outskirts of Cincinnati.

        It is where I first heard the Hader family story. In 1888, Ms. Brooks' great-grandfather, John Hader, lived and worked in Westwood, at the corner of Harrison and Higbee. His hardware store was passed on to sons over the years, until it came to her father, Jim, just after World War II.

        Jim met his wife, Evelyn Evers, when they were attending Ohio Wesleyan College. An art major, Evelyn was mechanically oriented. She owned the family tool box and taught her children the value of using tools.

        Jim, on the other hand, was a gifted businessman, whose foresight resulted in the purchase of 15 additional hardware stores. The chain store idea was a new concept then, and proved successful for the Haders.

        Another person with a love and appreciation for tools is longtime Hader employee, Don Clayton. After retiring, he started a tool-sharpening business in Hader's Colerain Avenue store. Tools can be dropped off at any Hader Hardware location. They are delivered to Mr. Clayton, and returned sharpened in about a week.

        This is a useful service for gardeners. Spades, shovels, electric hedge trimmers, pruners, loppers and lawn mower blades all function with greater ease when sharpened properly.

        Meet Mr. Clayton at the Cincinnati Home and Garden Show where he'll be sharpening knives and tools.

        For a complete list of local classes, workshops or gardening events, subscribe to Gardener's Network, a 28-page publication for Tristate gardeners. 542-2466; www.gardenersnetwork.org.

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