Repurposing.

(Please click on the picture for a full image)

In a perfect world, every thing would have its place and its function. For example, napkin rings would always hold napkins, vases would always be there for the flowers.   Shower-curtain-hooks would happily hold up shower curtains. Rugs would stay on floors. Clarinets and violins would make beautiful music.

But, as Porgy said to Bess, “It ain’t necessarily so.”

In our house, floor runners cover tables.

Napkin rings get slung around long-necked vases.

Clarinets and violins become lamps.

Shower-curtain-hooks hold napkins.

Vases are jammed with pencils.

Flowers get stuffed into test tubes. And so on.

Repurposing is fun.

But the best repurposing was just last week.

I’m a bug-magnet and thought I’d seen and scratched it all. Until recently. Suddenly, I was covered with big, red, splotchy, hurty, itchy, bites. None of the old remedies helped.

At the weekly card game, source of all wisdom, folk and otherwise, I learned that I’d been attacked by Red Bugs. Having never heard of them, I had not known how best to treat them.

I was told that Neosporin is the best cure. Not a problem until I discovered I didn’t have any Neosporin. What I had was a very outdated and minimally used collection of ointments. Buried deep in that mess of stuff was a tube of Preparation-H. What, I said to myself, can it hurt to try this?

I cannot fully express the relief I enjoyed when I put that stuff on those awful bites.

I don’t know if the Preparation-H people know that their product has a broader use than their directions suggest but I thought I’d share this little tip with you.

And that should probably be that for the day.