We Go Together Like…WD-40 and Duct Tape

My husband David and I may fuss and bicker. He may drive me up the wall on occasion and vice versa, but, heck, we’ve been married over twenty-five years and we’re together just about 24/7, so it’s bound to happen now and again. We really are a great match.

First of all, he knows how to make me laugh, which can be very difficult to do. Also, he puts up with my moods…and I can be very moody. Occasionally, he even knows just the right thing to say or do. And vice versa.

Case in point about knowing the right thing to say and do —

Last night in the kitchen as I’m at the stove, I heard something that sounded like a plastic bottle cap fall to the floor. I looked all over the floor, wondering why the cap to my water bottle fell in the first place. The last place I remember setting my water bottle down was on the table by my chair in the living room. So how could it have fallen here, in the kitchen? After thoroughly looking for the bottle cap…or whatever fell…and not finding it, I was perplexed but shrugged it off. Then I went back to what I was doing. It wasn’t a minute longer before that mystery was solved. Sort of.

*************************

It turns out that what I heard was a plastic bottle cap, but it didn’t fall from my water bottle or onto the floor. Somehow or another the cap to the bottle of olive oil I keep close by popped off. It landed on the still hot burner of my glass cook top. The burner was off, by the way. Unfortunately, by the time I got to it, it was too late.

I attempted to pick the cap up, but all I got were the remnants of its ridged sides along with a string of hot, gooey plastic. The top itself had melted into a liquid puddle. I had enough sense to stop at that point. I knew if I kept trying to clean this mess up, I was only going to end up smearing liquid plastic all over the place. No thanks. I needed to wait until the burner had cooled off and the plastic puddle had re-hardened before I attempted to try and figure out how to get it off the stove.  I went back to the living room and watched a TV show with David before I mentioned what had happened.

*************************

David: So you dropped the bottle cap onto the hot burner?

Me: No. I was busy putting the leftover spaghetti into a bowl to go into the fridge when I heard it fall.

David: So who dropped the bottle cap?

Me: No one.

David: So it just popped its top all by itself?

Me: That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.

David: That doesn’t make sense. How could it have done that?

Me: I have no idea. It’s a mystery. Come and look. I’ll show you.

By then, the stove was cold and the plastic re-hardened into a flat disk of light green plastic. I tried to peel it off, but it wouldn’t budge.

Me: I have no idea how I’m ever going to get this up. Do you think if I hold ice to it, it will come loose? I’d hate to think I’ve ruined the entire range. I can’t imagine what it would cost to get a new one.

David: No, don’t use ice. I think if you warm it back up, just until it’s pliable, you’ll be able to pry up the plastic. Why don’t you leave it for the night and try that tomorrow?

*************************

Guess what, y’all? I did exactly that, and it came up in two pieces. No more melted plastic on the burner.

*************************

This morning, David ran errands. One of his errands was going by the Mercedes Benz dealer to see what it would take to fix the driver’s side door. First of all, it’s a 33-year-old car, so the fact that David’s having a difficult time closing it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. It’s not that it won’t close at all, it’s just that sometimes it takes three or four attempts to get it to close and stay closed. That’s worrisome, since we are down to this one car. The dealer sent him to a body shop.

So he’s talking to the guy at the body shop and they start discussing striker plates and needing to get a replacement part either through Mercedes Benz or maybe a junkyard might have what he needs. David mentioned that his wife (that’s me) had suggested that maybe a little WD-40 would do the trick.

The guy agreed that it was worth a shot.

So when David got home, he pulled out the WD-40 with it’s little straw and started squirting. I’m not sure where and I didn’t ask for details, but he figured it out. He was delighted when he told me that it worked. Since then, he’s gone out and opened and shut his door a couple of different times to see if it’s still working. And so far, so good. Beats having to get a replacement part and the expense of having a professional fix it. Fingers crossed.

*************************

A little while later, David asked me how I got the plastic off the stove.

“Duct tape,” I said.

“Really…and that worked?”

“No. I did exactly what you suggested and it came right off.”

“How about that. We fixed each other’s problems,” he mused.

Then we looked into each other’s eyes, he grabbed my hand and we headed toward the bedroom.

No, not really. It’s Thursday and the middle of the day, y’all. We both have work to do.

Maybe later. Only, no maybe about it. 😉

Now, music — RIP, Olivia Newton-John —

and

and

and

*************************

COMMENTING ISSUES?

For those of you who would like to comment but don’t seem to be able to on my site —

If you are coming to my blog via your WordPress Reader function, try clicking on my site via https://waywardsparkles.com/ . This will take you to my homepage and from there, you can click on my newest post or another post and then you should be able to comment without any further trouble.

Or you should be able to just type in Wayward Sparkles and my site should come up on your browser. If that doesn’t seem to work, try coming in through a different internet source. For instance, if you usually come in through Google and can’t comment, try Yahoo or vice versa or through some other browser. I hope this helps and I look forward to hearing from you!

*************************

Have a Great Weekend, Everyone!

Mona

 

 

15 thoughts on “We Go Together Like…WD-40 and Duct Tape”

  1. You two…………should have hit the sheets! Afternoon delight. Take it while you can. I miss that. Especially out behind the tire sh….well never mind.

    Reply
  2. Awww, that’s so freaking awesome Mona! When you have that kind of connection with someone, you don’t always need words to say how you feel. So why is it y’all only have a 30 year old car?

    Reply
    • Hey Huntress,
      Back when we actually had a little money, when we were still working and making good money, David bought himself this Mercedes and he’s driven it since. Those days are long gone and have been for some time…but the Mercedes is still ticking…fingers crossed. M

      Reply
  3. As much as it surprises our spouses, we DO sometimes actually know what we are talking about. You two sound like a match made in heaven.

    Reply
  4. Gigi,
    Well it didn’t surprise me that he had to run my suggestion by the body shop guy first…still, it’s nice to be validated and I’m glad it worked out. And frankly, he was about to buy my “duct tape” tale before I came clean. David’s always amazed how I can get burnt food off from inside a pan. He’s asked how I do this several times through the years. I tell him that if I told him, I’d have to kill him. It’s good to keep some of the mystery. 😉 You and your hubs sound like y’all are a lot of fun, too! M

    Reply
  5. Worse things have happened with flat-top ranges. I know a guy who got one that didn’t light up when the burner was on. He turned on the burner and couldn’t figure out why it wasn’t warming up. Leaning over, he put his hand on the other side of the stove and…fortunately only got second-degree burns.
    Anyway I’m so glad you and David go together like oil and vinegar: shake things up and you make a tasty combination.
    Also Olivia Newton-John lives on in my memories of happily doing playground exercises with “Physical” playing in the background.

    Reply
    • Christopher,
      Oh wow! That sounds like a very painful malfunction. Hopefully, he replaced the damned thing after he sued the manufacturer. So ONJ, Anne Heche…who’s the third celebrity? M

      Reply
  6. What a sweet story! My only stove story is about the time Ken was cooking, leaned against the stove and set his sweatshirt on fire. I could hear him yelling from upstairs and by the time I got down, he was rolling on the floor to put it out (stop, drop, and roll, remember?). The floor had a permanent scorch mark but Ken was okay, thank goodness. Now that we have a gas stove, I make sure he stays well away from the burners!

    Reply
    • Suzanne,
      It’s still a mystery how the lid to the olive oil ended up on the stove. A ghost practicing their ability to move things, maybe? I dunno. Poor Ken! Glad he came through unscathed if a little scorched! If I caught fire, I’m not sure I’d remember to stop, drop and roll. I’d probably run through the house spreading flames everywhere. Yes, please supervise Ken whenever he’s around an open flame! Thank you for the cautionary tale, my friend! M

      Reply

Leave a Comment