Thursday, July 3, 2008

Gorilla Glue

I feel my father’s presence as I stand near the kitchen sink with the broken pieces of my camera laid out on the counter top. Most folks would probably throw it in the trash but I want to see what I can do. I can hear my father telling me how he had to learn to fix the car because they didn’t have a spare nickel to pay someone else to fix it, and he had to get to work. I can relate. This is my old 35mm camera loaded with the film canister which hopefully will produce 4” color pictures of my last two trail rides. We have history, for years this camera helped me run my business, and right now I cannot afford to replace it. My Dad, if he were alive, would have been able to fix it.

I have gathered up several long fat nails that I find so handy, my hammer, several pairs of pliers, plus an old newspaper to work on. These tools are not for the camera, they are for the glue! The great thing about Gorilla Glue is how well it works. It has fixed every item that I have placed in its path. But, like all super glues ~ it is hard to use after the first application because it glues its own top closed and getting the aperture open again is extremely difficult and downright dangerous. I move past the nails and choose a large gold colored screw. I am afraid it is too wide to enter the tip of the plastic bottle. Wish I had a bigger hammer. I gently tap it in; totally aware that super glue spurting out the top would be a really bad thing. It pierces the cement hard surface inside the half filled bottle. I can now squeeze the container and see the liquid glue at the bottom gushing around; however, it will not come out the top.

Do not let small children read the next few sentences ~ but I am determined to fix this camera. I place the plastic bottle in a sandwich bag (for protection ??) and set it in the microwave on top of a small piece of paper towel. I set the time for 20 seconds, whisper a small prayer, and hit the start button. My Dad and I hover in front of the oven and watch the glass disk spin, wondering what will happen next. Not much. I decide to up the ante and hit the start button again. The glue starts to bubble and the machine beeps “off” before the plastic container explodes. All right! Pulling it out of the microwave, I thank the angel of kitchen gadgets and tip the bottle. Nothing comes out. I grab the big screw, stick it back down in the bottle and when I pull it out there is amber colored glue caught in its spirals! I moisten one side of the broken latch, place glue on the opposite piece and hold them together for a few seconds as the directions recommend. The only problem is I now have glue on me and am becoming permanently attached to the piece of black plastic whose purpose in life has always been to hold batteries in my camera. Plus I have to pee. I pry off my thumb and pointer finger and realize I did not fetch the fingernail polish remover from the bathroom. Since I have to go there anyway, I decide to try to pull down my pants without getting glue on the waistband of my shorts.

… It takes a little time for the glue to harden but it worked. I put away my tools and clean up my mess. With a very strong rubber band (those fat blue ones that hold broccoli stems together) to hold the mended battery cover in place, my little camera and I will bravely go forth and record new challenges. But it is not about the time spent or the money saved. It is honoring the memory of my Dad and the ideals he instilled in me through his stories and the way he lived his life. My Dad would approve and I am proud of myself. My fingers are only slightly tacky and my shorts are not glued to my waist. Life is GOOD.

* annette

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