If there is one thing that I learned from my father it is that almost anything can be fixed. Not only that but I have also learned over the years that I can fix just about anything. Today was no different. There have been small items piling up on my desk that have needed repair. I took a break from writing technical documents and project plans and let my brain take it easy for a bit. The list included a hamster requiring open heart surgery. A pair of binoculars that had been left outside in the weather and had seized up as well as having dirt and grime and gunk on the inside of the barrels. Now all of which was dried up and looked to permanently cloud the lenses. The paper shredder that locked up and had to be disassembled to remove the offending piece of paperclip that had jammed it. And finally, the kitchen sink faucet which for some reason would not produce hot water. Not sure what I did to fix that one but it is fixed. I can only assume that there was a clog somewhere since I removed quite a bit of buildup (calcium?) from the strainer.

The moral of the story is this, if you are self sufficient enough, you can save yourself a ton of money in effecting repairs on your items rather than replacing them. Now this mornings plethora of fixes is nothing compared to a diesel, watermaker, generator, autopilot etc. but the mindset is the same. Don’t think that just because you don’t know how to fix something you can’t. If you don’t know how, read a service manual, look it up on the internet, ask a friend or someone that does now how, attend a class or call or contact the manufacturer. In doing so you will discover something I did a long time ago: Being self sufficient only bolsters your confidence to tackle other things. It makes you feel accomplished. Give it a try.

Oh, and no hamsters were harmed in this mornings events. No blood shed. Just a happy “electronic” hamster and an even happier child to have his “pet” back. Now I just need to invest more rechargeable batteries.

Hamster Post-Surgery