| It's fun and satisfying to design and then | | | | free.Begin with a 3/4 inch thick board that |
| make simple items that serve some purpose. I | | | | is about 2 feet long and 6 inches wide. Cut a |
| find it very rewarding to conjure up designs | | | | V shaped notch in one end. Use nails to |
| out of my imagination and then build them | | | | attach a small piece of wood to keep the |
| using common tools and cheap or free | | | | notched end raised above the floor. Keep the |
| materials. I've made all kinds of things. | | | | bootjack near the door where you most often |
| Most of them performed some function that no | | | | enter wearing boots. Put one foot on the jack |
| readily available, store-bought device | | | | to hold it in place. Put the heel of the |
| offered.I do a lot of text keying at a | | | | other foot in the notch and pull your foot |
| computer keyboard. After many hours of | | | | out of the boot.Wall display cubby box:Small |
| keying, day after day, my hands and fingers | | | | cardboard boxes can be fastened together and |
| tell me (as in pain) that they're pushing too | | | | hung on the wall. Small and valued objects |
| hard, too many times. After going from store | | | | can be placed there to be displayed and |
| to store looking for a keyboard with easy to | | | | admired.Save boxes from muffin mix, |
| press keys, I realized that I needed | | | | artificial sweetener, rice or other often |
| something to measure the force needed to | | | | used food items. When you have enough, cut |
| press the keys on a particular keyboard. | | | | each box to an appropriate size. I started |
| Trying to judge the force by typing a little | | | | with boxes 4-inches wide, 2-inches deep, and |
| with each keyboard wasn't separating the | | | | 6-inches tall. I cut each box to half height, |
| Tylenol endorsed keyboards from the more | | | | so that each box was 3-inches tall. Boxes |
| finger friendly keyboards. So I rigged up a | | | | that are twice as wide as they are deep can |
| plastic tube taped to a vertical wire a few | | | | be arranged as shown in the diagrams of this |
| inches long. Pennies could be put in the | | | | article. If you use boxes with other ratios |
| tube. The lower end of the wire is rested on | | | | of width to height, use a different |
| a key. The number of pennies needed to push a | | | | arrangement or use pieces of corrigated |
| key down is a measure of the key's required | | | | cardboard to fill any gaps between boxes.Lay |
| press force.Then there was the see through, | | | | a piece of plastic sheeting such as a plastic |
| wall hung beehive that I put on my bedroom | | | | grocery bag on a flat surface. The plastic |
| wall. My father used to keep bees to harvest | | | | will keep excess glue from sticking to your |
| honey. One cold day in March, I discovered an | | | | work surface. You can use white glue to |
| abandoned hive that had fallen over exposing | | | | fasten the boxes together. To help keep the |
| the bees to the elements. There was only | | | | glue from running down the side of the boxes, |
| several hundred bees left out of what was | | | | use a method similar to that used by |
| once thousands. I put a sheet of glass, about | | | | bricklayers applying mortar to bricks. Before |
| 2-foot by 2-foot, onto a wooden frame that I | | | | putting a box into position, put glue on each |
| attached to my bedroom wall. Then I carefully | | | | side of that box that will be against a box |
| transported the faltering bee colony to their | | | | already in place. That way, while applying |
| new home. A tunnel made of metal window | | | | glue, you can turn the box in any way that |
| screening provided a path for the bees to | | | | makes it easy to apply the glue. And the glue |
| come and go under a slightly raised window. | | | | will quickly be between two surfaces. That |
| The colony's queen had not survived being | | | | helps keep the glue in place. A good glue |
| exposed to the weather, so I knew no new bees | | | | pattern is shown by the red lines below.As |
| would be reared. This colony would only last | | | | you assemble the boxes together, use a |
| as long as the lifespans of its current | | | | straight edge such as a wall or a large box |
| members. But it was interesting to watch the | | | | as a guide to align the boxes in straight |
| bees doing what bees do throughout the next | | | | rows. Set something heavy against the boxes |
| several months. And the bragging rights for | | | | to hold them together while the glue dries. |
| having a bee colony on ones bedroom wall was | | | | Bricks or large books work well. Use the |
| something to envy.Both the keyboard | | | | plastic sheeting to keep oozing glue from |
| force-o-meter and the wall-mounted beehive | | | | sticking the boxes to the books or bricks. |
| were inspired by circumstances. I just saw | | | | You can use paper clips to hold the edges of |
| the possibility of what could be done and | | | | the boxes together where gaps occur.When all |
| wanted to do it. I try to be open to | | | | the boxes are in place, let the glue dry for |
| possibilites for other gadgets and gizmos | | | | about 12 hours. Then use a nail to punch |
| that would be of value. It is well worth the | | | | holes for a string that will go around the |
| effort: It is fun to make improvised gizmos, | | | | group of boxes. Two holes near each corner |
| and you get a valued item. The item may suit | | | | will keep the string in place. Tie the two |
| your needs better than a purchased item | | | | ends of the string together. Hang the box |
| because you make it the way you want it. The | | | | display from a small nail.Alan Detwiler |
| item could inspire wonder and delight. And it | | | | started the web site Leisureideas. Visitors |
| feels good to prove that your ingenuity and | | | | to the site are encouraged to use imagination |
| imagination can produce things of value.Below | | | | and whatever happens to be available to |
| is a description of a couple of items you may | | | | discover new ways to enjoy themselves.Alan |
| like to make.Bootjack:If you often find it | | | | writes books on how to pursue playfulness and |
| annoying to remove boots as you enter the | | | | a sense of wonder. His books are available in |
| house, this project is for you. The bootjack | | | | digital format and can be purchased and |
| makes the task easier especially if the boots | | | | downloaded on the eBookMall web site. Go to |
| are tight fitting or you are carrying | | | | Then do a search for Detwiler. |
| something so that your hands are not | | | | |