A slinking ship
Friday October 09th 2009, 9:13 pm
Filed under: Crohn's flare,LYS,Wildlife

At Purlescence I reached back towards some of the baby alpaca on the sale table behind me and got caught wincing. I admitted I’d had a recent near fall and someone had grabbed me on my way over and had saved me. I’m glad they did, but my shoulder’s been begrudging it.

“You need to come with airbags,” one knitter opined about my balance issues.

I hesitated just long enough to almost have some sense of propriety before I opened my mouth and went straight for it and answered her, “I do, now.”

So.  ‘Hem.  Meantime.  I read somewhere that a Slinky toy on a birdfeeder pole will send the squirrels and their ex-seed-ing greed back down to earth.  Curious.  That could be entertaining, along the lines of the kid I saw trying to run up the then-World’s Longest Escalator (the downward side, of course) at the Montreal World’s Fair, Expo ’67.  I was in third grade at the time and stunned, stuck between being awed at his having gotten halfway up–IF he’d started running at the bottom, good and honest–and the idiocy of the idea. I remember looking up at whichever parent was closest and half-asking if I could try that or was it as dumb as it looked.

They quickly affirmed it would be stupid.  And don’t.  I think they could just picture all six of their offspring suddenly taking off trying to beat each other going the wrong way through a crowd unhappy at being pushed at long narrow heights, and somehow that idea just didn’t appeal.

Dunno if they make Slinkys wide enough for my awning poles, but, hey.  I thought it would be worth checking out; we were going to Target anyway.

Ever try to find a low-tech toy these days?

Online later, I did find them. And variations, including–now wait a moment.  I’m assuming someone placed a special order and that they had to make so many and now they’re just trying to sell off the rest of the stock.  (Tell me this isn’t in their normal line!)  How about: 14k gold-plated. Slinkys!

This is so begging for CEO jokes.

I’m still trying to wrap my mind around and around and around and…but I think it’s flipping out.  Can you just picture it? A golden pawshake for the high-fliers.


12 Comments so far
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Falls and near falls are something, unfortunately, I know something about. Ouch. My shoulder hurts, too. As to low tech toys, I’m surprised you found the slinkys.

Humor –

CHECK MY RESUME

~ …I am seeking a position that utilizes my computer training and my bartending skills.

~ Fluent in both English and Spinach.

~ I can typewith out lookin g atthe ke yboard.

~ Able to whistle while pretending to drink water at the same time.

EDUCATION: Moron University. Received Smith Schlorsip Award.

Comment by Don Meyer 10.09.09 @ 9:23 pm

I heard an article on NPR recently about WD40, and they mentioned that a lady had written in to the company to tell them that she had had great results with putting WD40 on her bird feeder pole to keep the squirrels off.

Comment by Barbara S. 10.09.09 @ 11:59 pm

We’ll want a video clip.

Comment by LynnM 10.10.09 @ 1:20 am

well, it wouldn’t rust :-}
I think one of the rainbow plastic slinkies would decorative and weatherproof.

Comment by Diana Troldahl 10.10.09 @ 6:55 am

Love the slinky idea. I saw kids playing with their slinky recently. However, they were made of plastic (yikes)!

Comment by Joansie 10.10.09 @ 7:09 am

Well, you gave me my morning smile. Now, off to the shower.

Comment by sherry in idaho 10.10.09 @ 8:39 am

You could make a belt with bags of fiber waiting to be spun. Oh wait, maybe that’s me.

Comment by Michelle 10.10.09 @ 8:43 am

I dated a fellow who I think is the primary market for that slinky–young men who like to pretend they’re kids who have more money than they know what to do with.

Comment by Lanafactrix 10.10.09 @ 11:20 am

Ah, I knew metal Slinkys were rare treasures! The few I’ve found in recent years in stores were plastic…

Comment by Channon 10.10.09 @ 1:36 pm

I had to look and look just to find an ordinary BALL for my grandchildren. If you want blinking, flashing, noise making, talking, teaching, whirling, self propelled….well they have all that and then some, but an ordinary ball? Nowhere to be found.

Comment by Marlene 10.10.09 @ 7:53 pm

Somehow, I’m more impressed with the spider thread than with the golden Slinky. The latter is a waste of a precious ressource…

I hope your shoulder feels better by now and that it has not affected your enjoyment of knitting.

Any plans to come visit Montreal again? 😀

Comment by Suzanne in Mtl 10.11.09 @ 6:02 am

Not a bad price! But of course I’d rather buy yarn for that…:)

Your shoulder! Geez. I do hope it feels much much better. Go have it checked out if it doesn’t, will ya?

Comment by karin maag-tanchak 10.11.09 @ 6:43 pm



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