Gadget creation time
When it come to the choice of the right tool for a given job, I’m going to “go out on a limb” with this premise. There are two kinds of tools for any situation: the “proper” one, procured through the dictated channels and kept around in case the job is required another time. And then, there’s the tool that is created, ingeniously, to fill a void.
Be it that there was no time, or money, or place where the tool you need could be foond, a certain class of individual has always approached the situation with an inventive spirit. To be sure, in a factory, or a repair shop, getting the tool you need from a catalog saves time and (occasionally) money. Can’t have the expensive help out fabricating a gee-gaw, when the whatchamaycallit is in a cupboard nearby.
Today, faced with a request to actually measure the height of the RV, I got “busy”. Combining a length of PVC conduit with a leftover piece from a bedding plant cover, and topping it off with one of those pretty reflective poles that should be placed along the perimeter of the parking pad, I jury rigged a measuring rod. Right angles, appropriate length, a nifty way to “pat” the top of the a/c unit without getting on a ladder in a brisk breeze. Everything I needed. I now have the height (call it clearance) measured, and I can get on with other projects. Still have to demonstrate the technique before receiving bragging rights, but I think I saved us a bundle in whatever amazing hardware store actually stocks and sells such a thing.
