If someone were to ask, I would never represent myself as "handy." When Pinewood Derby time came around, my poor son actually had to use the sandpaper and pocket knife technique because we didn't have any tools. But today I fixed something. I fixed a gate.
We have a gate in the back that you roll open. Nothing fancy. No remote control or motor or magic sensor or anything. You just pull it one direction or push it the other direction. Depending on whether you want it open or closed. However, it does require some technology to function. Specifically, the technology of the wheel.
And while that's a pretty simple technology, if it stops working, well, so does the gate. And that was the problem I was having.
I'd been noticing that the gate seemed heavier when I pushed it open or pulled it closed. And I had no explanation for this. It had been raining a lot. Could the wood just be wet? I mean, really wet? So much that it affected the overall weight of the gate? Seemed unlikely/impossible.
So yesterday, I took a good look at the wheels. And sure enough, the nut that holds the bolt that attaches the wheel to the gate in place had worked its way off. And the screw had receded into the hole such that you couldn't put the nut back on. I couldn't figure out how I would get that bolt back through with the weight of the gate bearing down on it.
So, I borrowed a jack from my neighbor.
And you might think, But Chad, why didn't you just use your own jack. And I would answer, "Because I bought a hybrid, and it doesn't come with a spare tire or a jack." And you'd be like, "For real?" And I'd just kind of shrug.
But my neighbor had one. And it fit! So I hoisted up the gate and screwed back on the nut, and now it works like gangbusters.
And that is the story of how I fixed a thing!
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