My old 15-inch paper cutter has been serving me well for more than 25 years. I just finished slicing up a bunch of printed-out pages of labeled, four-on-a-page, tree photos, into 3½- x 4½-inch pictures. I will use those picture flash cards to help me learn the names of the trees I saw at the two botanical gardens I visited recently. Not only will I be able to teach and test myself with the cards, but also I will be able to sort the cards according to the trees’ families and geneses. Yes, I could cut pictures with a scissors, but it just wouldn’t look the same. With the paper cutter, it looks “professional” – and it’s fast and fun.

Speaking of scissors, I have one pair of scissors I love using for cutting out the pictures that I print out on glossy paper. These 4-inch blade Fiskars scissors fit my hand just right. As I am cutting around curves, the scissors appear to be cutting the path all by itself – as if the scissors were guiding my hand, and not the other way around.

If it weren’t for my X-acto-type knives, I wouldn’t be able to easily cut out the small, enclosed areas on pictures I use for pop-up cards. Those sharp blades also help me open a variety of plastic sealed boxes. And for those thicker plastic boxes, my strong craft scissors easily do the job.

My two white 5-inch Cutco knives are the ones I reach for most often in the kitchen. They are so sharp and handle so easily that slicing a tomato into about 15 very thin slices is a pleasure.

I have used my reciprocating saw to cut wood, metal and PVC. It helped me sail through a recent project of building a couple of 20-foot-long, 45-degree-angled racks to hold my pool’s solar panels.

My sharp small scissors in the bathroom do just fine in cutting my extra growths of ear, eyebrow, temple, and what-have-you hair.

And my electric and non-electric razors do well in giving me good shaves.

So it seems that I like precise cutting tools. They help me to get the job done easily and cleanly, and they make sure I have fun along the way. Navigating through life’s curves, and staying on the straight path – YES – you can cut it.

Mr. Ebsen may be contacted at Robertebsen@hotmail.com