It Sounded Like a Good Idea
My aunt Violet Miner Bottomly’s washing machine stopped working. It was an older model. She thought it was time to buy a newer model. My uncle Charles Bottomly was as frugal as he was handy. Good with plumbing, electrical, and mechanical, he decided he could repair it himself. So when Violet mentioned that the washer wasn’t working and she wanted a new one, Charles said, “Let me see if I can fix it.” He tore it apart finding the problem and figured a way to repair it. He wanted a break for a cup of coffee before starting. Violet thought quickly. She knew if she took a part or two, she knew Charles would figure that out. Instead, she added a few parts. Charles returned to the task of repairing the washer, but when he was unable to solve the puzzle of the extra pieces, he relented and Violet got her new washing machine.
One of my relatives shared this story with me. A woman in a neighboring town became tired of her shag carpet. It had been in style, but no longer. The wood trimmed Americana print sofas and shag carpeting were long gone. She wanted to replace her worn shaggy carpet with designer low pile rugs. When the husband said, “No, we can’t afford it,” the woman pouted. She was tired of seeing the furry long yarn living room carpeting. She began to fret. Sick of vacuuming and seeing it, she decided she would handle it herself, but how? She struck upon the idea, “If my husband can mow the grass when it gets long…” While her husband was at work, she struggled to drag the lawn mower into the house and place it in the middle of that detested shag carpeting. She’d seen her husband start the gasoline powered engine and knew that she could repeat the process. She did. When the engine roared to life, she wasn’t deterred by the blue exhaust fumes, and engaged the blade. The blade began to spin. It grabbed the long yarn shag instead of manicuring it. The carpet wadded up as it twisted around the shaft of the mower and stalled the engine. Try as she might, she couldn’t loosen the mower’s grip. Neither could her husband who had to cut swathes of carpet to free his mower. The lady got her new carpet.