M*I*C K*E*Y M*O*U*S*EEEEEEE

We all recognize creativity when we see it. We witness human ingenuity all around us daily.

Then we see “Mickey Mouse” attempts at projects and we laugh. Hee hee hee!

My sweet hubby is a ‘Mickey Mouse-er’ to the nth degree. He comes up with some of the most unusual or bazaar adaptations for projects and “quick fixes” that I have ever encountered.

One time he couldn’t find the paddles for our boat so he fashioned a pair out of shovel handles and laminated boards. They were fantastic, but I made the mistake of laughing when I first saw them, so he burnt them. After spending hours making them! I was furious as they were so ingenious. I didn’t even have time to take a photo of them.

The Hubster loves duct tape. There is no end to the repaired items around our house that still have life due to that wonderful Johnson and Johnson invention from WWII. Steve was the first one I knew of who utilized the different colors, breaking away from the traditional gunmetal grey. The bright red on a blue dog feeder can be startling, however.

We went camping this last weekend. Daughterlet and her tribe met Steve just north of our town so they could drive together to Eastern Washington, setting up camp during daylight hours. Kidlet had a football game, so I went to that. Manlet worked late, meeting us at our house after the game so we could carpool over to the camp ground.

Sitting in the stands at the game I got a frantic text message from Steve. He had forgotten the big tent’s poles. I had him call Manlet to explain where they were in the garage. Manlet found them and through them in my car, along with extra leashes for Daughterlet who had her two pups and no leashes.

I’m not sure why, but it seems inevitable to forget something on a trip. I ended up forgetting a book and a can opener. I did have a new Readers Digest in the car so I managed to keep my mind busy early in the mornings before everyone else woke up. Daughterlet had brought a can opener so that worked out great.

Kidlet’s football game ended up lasting three hours and forty minutes. I thought they’d be done by nine-ish. By the time the team got out of the locker room it was 11 p.m. We still had to dash home, load up my car and drive over the mountains. We pulled into camp shortly before 1 a.m. I figured Steve would either still be up waiting for the tent poles, or sleeping in the ‘boys’ tent. It was neither.

In the headlights we could see our big Army surplus canvas tent standing semi-erect near a picnic table. Turns out Steve and Daughterlet’s friend were able to thread a large rope through the top of our tent and tie the rope off between two trees. They then tied the side ropes to the grommets where the poles were to be inserted and anchored the top sides at nearly their regular height.

Yes, it was Mickey Mouse’d, but it worked! I was exhausted, so I was able to step into our tent, slid into my jammies and fall into ‘bed’. Steve had inflated our queen size air mattress and put our two sleeping bags together. Since it was just under 40° I appreciated his warm sleeping body to snuggle up to.

The next morning Hubster and Kidlet did put the tent poles up all around the tent. They left the original rope that was holding up the tent, but I managed to refrain from saying anything about it. After all, what did it really matter?

The second night a huge storm assaulted us from over the mountains. The wind was ferocious, the rain torrential, and the poles and anchor ropes on one side of the tent blew over. I woke up to one full side of the tent hanging directly above my face. I hustled outside and reset the poles and ropes. As I started my coffee, I realized that the only reason that the whole tent didn’t tumble down on us was due to the original rope that Steve had jerry rigged the first night.

Thank you, Lord! I do love Mickey Mouse, lol.