"MacGuyvering"

I discovered something about my brother in law on our recent family vacation.  He is a problem-solver.  I think his aptitude for that must be off the charts.  I got to where I was calling him "MacGuyver".  If we didn't have it-no problem, Darrell would find a way.

Darrell is also into all things natural and/or organic.  I knew this to be the case, but I had never seen it in so many applications as I did on our vacation.

Here are some examples of the "MacGuyvering" that Darrell did:

1.  Problem:  Darrell doesn't like chemicals in sunscreen.  

Solution:  He lugged around a plastic water bottle with home made sunscreen.  He used it, and by the end of the day he was very, very, brown.  Why?  Because some of the key ingredients were not available to him.  He "made do" with what he had and ironically, instead of acting as a sunscreen, the oil in the concoction acted as a tan accelerant.  We had a good chuckle at that!

2.  Problem:  The charcoal we had required lighter fluid to burn.  

Solution:  Darrell tried walnut oil.  We had a lovely grilled meal.

3.  Problem:  We wanted Darrell to make make his famous oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.  We couldn't find a cookie sheet or mixer in the rental house.    

Solution:  Rig some foil together and voila-cookie sheet.  Also, use a blender for mixing.  In a pinch it will suffice.

4.  Problem:  The toaster from the rental burned one side and did not toast the other, and just for kicks liked to blow a fuse when we used it.  

Solution:  Butter the toast and use a frying pan on the stove top.  Surprisingly good toast.

5.  Problem:  Deflating the boats and tubes we had in order to pack them for the return trip.

Solution:  He discovered that to suck the air out of the inflatables, you had to move the hose around somehow.  This actually falls under "discovery" but still is a problem solver.  J didn't feel so good that last night.  When he woke the next morning,  he was happy to learn that the job was taken care of.

So my sister and I dubbed him "MacGuyver".  When he finds a new application for some item, or finds a way to fix a problem, we say he is "MacGuyvering".  

 He could write a column for Real Simple Magazine.  He could be featured in the "new ways to use household items" category.  At the very least, I think he needs to enter "Survivor".  He'd clean up.

Much love and many laughs,

A