OK folks, have you been to a Repair Café yet?
If you haven’t, get these two dates on your calendar:
Friday, November 14, 2014 from 6 to 9pm at the SE Portland Tool Library
Saturday, November 22, 2014 from 10am to 2pm at the Parkrose High School Fix-it Fair
Check out these stats: “Since we began May 2013, we have held 16 successful repair cafés and have repaired over 600 items”
That’s really freakin’ cool. Wondering how it applies to you? Let’s think this through. It’s almost Dead Turkey In The Middle Of The Table Day, and after that, the Day of Excess Consumption. Whether you’re going to a party, or cooking the roast beast yourself, stuff needs to be working. And what stuff is that, you ask?
Let’s start with the kitchen. Are all those small appliances ready for the big event? Pull out the electric carving knife and make sure it’s working. Same with the apple peeler, whatever you use to mash potatoes, and the slow cooker. Pull out your fancy schmancy table linens. Any holes? If there are, you need to get those suckers fixed. Don’t buy new, get ’em repaired!
If you want grandpa to O Tannenbaum along with Nat King Cole, fix that broken speaker. Pull out your favorite electric decoration, whether it’s a leg lamp or a Santa train. If it ain’t working, get it repaired. And what are you going to wear to this big event? If your favorite Santa sweater has a hole, or the zipper on your party skirt is broken, you know what to do. Get it fixed.
Go to your hall closet, basement, attic, check under the bed. Load the bike with no brakes in the car, and get ‘er done. Even better: Is there anything at home that could be regifted if it were fixed? Do it! Get that toaster oven repaired and give it to your nephew for his first apartment and strike a gift off your list. Get thee to the hardware or fabric store, find the parts and pieces you need, and head to the Repair Café if you can’t fix something yourself. Fall / winter projects abound! And, you’ll feel so good getting a fix-it type project done. Ho Ho Ho.
