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Friday, January 2, 2015

"Invention"

My lamp broke.  It's a cute lamp so I wanted to fix the stability of the rod holding the bulb and shade.  I've tried to fix it before but the parts are too old and worn out for a lasting repair.  This time I figured I'd fix it with copper wire because there's been a bag of old copper wire by my door ever since the electrician was here and said "Recycle this.  Copper is worth decent money these days."

I suppose he's right, but I looked at the messy pile and envisioned cool projects which would be wasted in recycling.  I encouraged my brother to do something with it, but it's just been in the doorway without becoming art.

I fixed the lamp, no problem.  A stupid amount of time later I kept asking myself why I kept stripping the insulation off the old wires, especially since it's probably asbestos or something.  When I got a blister I thought surely that's time to quit stripping wire.  I couldn't help myself.

Part of it was the vivid memory of Grandpa's basement and seeing his supple wire with cloth insulation.  The memory was so vivid that I wanted to stay in that place, smell the familiar smells, feel the immediacy that Grandpa is still alive.  It just felt good, and I kept tearing my hands up on wire, but I didn't actually create anything.

Sometimes I think that I'm neither creative nor inventive, and respect the people who are these things.  Then I realize that since I know a lot of creative and inventive people, my comparisons are skewed.  I'm more inventive than some people in the wider world, I just don't notice it in myself because my inventions are little, problem-solving things.

The handle on my tea kettle broke?  No problem, I'll make a new handle.  I want to put all my computer stuff in a tiny room?  That's not a problem either.  I'll make some shelves out of boards and metal electric boxes.  And so on.  See, I'm cheap and won't go out and buy a new tea kettle or a custom shelving unit, therefore I have to be inventive.

It's part of the fun for me at garage sales.  I saw a metal grate with a heron on it and liked it.  Maybe everyone else who went to that garage sale just saw something heavy and impractical.  I turned it into a garden gate which I see every time I pull into my driveway.

Grandpa was like this, Mom's like that too, and so I figure it's in my genes or in my examples that there's no good reason to spend money on stuff that you can do for cheap or free.  And then I spend too much time stripping insulation off copper wires with some vague thought that there's a gem in the mess.  I also think wouldn't it be cool if I electrified my unknown gem. 

Yeah, sure.  The wire is back in its bag by the side door.

Not sure how the snowflake factors in, but IF took too long to give me a word and I made this while waiting.  Now I have other things to do and figure we'll just call snowflakes one of God's inventions.

11 comments:

  1. I like the sound of that cool gate Linda and I also remember that wire with the cloth insulation...funnily enough I am transported back to my granddad too ;0) Your snowflake is beautiful. Happy new year x

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    1. Thanks, and wishing you the happiest New Year Jane!

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  2. Linda, I have a few opinions about your creativity! I was actually thinking about your post as I took a long shower today. I think you haven't been "creative" with the wire because though you sense the possibilities you know at some level that to set aside the time to be really creative with it is time taken away from something else, time taken away from another well established and satisfying creative medium. To really go somewhere with all that great copper you might also need to purchase new tools to really make it work, and/ or salvage and store a bunch of other oddments so you have what you need to pull something together that's really amazing. And you don't really want to do that, nor should you do that, probably. Maybe I'm mistaken in my assessment, but the bottom line is I hate it when people seem to underestimate their creativity. The first time I saw this blog you had a lovely watercolor painting of rocks hanging down tied up in grass, memories of how you made little outdoor nests for yourself as a child. You've been beautifully creative.all your life. I wonder what you would have done with that wire if you had had it in one of your childhood forts (or whatever you called them.)

    Oh my. I hope I'm not preaching.

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    1. I like your idea of using the wire for a hanging objet d'art Melissa. I was kind of pondering along the same lines, though remembering the painting I did a while ago really gives me a better idea of what to do with it. Thanks! If it turns into something cool I'll post a pic of it :)

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  3. "Sometimes I think that I'm neither creative nor inventive" Wait, what??? I think snowflakes definitely count as inventions. Our ski resorts sure like them.

    Copper is worth quite a lot these days. If you leave that bag around, people might suspect you of being a thief!

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  4. I wish I'd thought of the ski resorts when I was justifying a snowflake :) I have brass and aluminum too, just waiting for that some day when I go recycling, but I like the idea of stringing rocks with the copper. I'm starting to envision something. We'll see if it works.

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  5. Great story! Oh there's such lovely flow in your writing, I am actually lol. I understand perfectly what you said about not feeling creative, it sometimes takes a look from the outside to get it. From a reader's point of view, you seem awfully creative, one gets the impression that your mind is always filled with something interesting. Hope you had a great holiday and a happy new year too :)

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  6. Your resourcefulness should be commended, however there is another invention you may not be aware of. It's called "a store."

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  7. I've heard about stores before. Maybe I'll check them out sometime? lol I'm so glad I could make you laugh Nancy! I feel like that's a job well done for the week :) Happy New Year to you too!!!

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  8. I am extremely impressed along with your writing abilities, Thanks for this great share.

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  9. Saw that God quote...

    You’ll looove our plethora of produce, girl, which’ll plant the seed for YOU to grow to great heights!! PROCEED AT YOUR OWN WISK:

    Frankly, I wouldn't be tooo worried about what the whorizontal world thot about me, dear; I'd be much more concerned about what Jesus shall say at our General Judgment. You may not like me now, yet, alas! I’m not out to please you. Lemme wanna gonna tella youse Who (grrr - New Joisey accent):

    Greeting, earthling. Not sure if we're on the same page if you saw what I saw. Because I was an actual NDE on the outskirts of the Great Beyond at 15 yet wasn’t allowed in, lemme share with you what I actually know Seventh-Heaven’s Big-Bang’s gonna be like for us if ya believe/accept: meet this ultra-bombastic, ex-mortal-Upstairs for the most extra-blatant, catch-22-excitotoxxins, guhroovaliciousnessly delicious, pleasure-beyond-measure, Ultra-Idyllic/Firepower/Sexy addiction in the Great Beyond for a BIG-ol, kick-ass, party-hardy, robust-N-risqué, eternal-real-McCoy-warp-drive you DO NOT wanna miss the sink-your-teeth-in-the-rrrock’nNsmmmokin’-hot-deal: PLEASE KEEP HANDS/FEET INSIDE THE WIDE UNTIL WE MADE A CIRCUMFERENCE OF the OUTSTANDING, NEVER-ENDING, THRILLIONTH-RED-MARKER-POSSIBILITIES!!! Puh-leeeze meet me Upstairs. Do that for us. Cya soon, girl…

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