Lock-fix

Over the weekend, I was privileged to attend one of the four masses where the bishop of Marquette diocese presided. (If you did not hear, he drove over a thousand miles to make the sign of the cross over his diocese in honor of the beginning of “the year of faith.” This link has more detail: http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/index.ssf/story/bishop-of-diocese-of-marquette-to-traverse-up/d41d6d9d099c4221a3083a49dd706118) My impressions:

• The Knights of Columbus are really cool-looking (I am so proud my grandpa was one!),
• Not bad for a sermon,
• the bishop did not at all seem as tired as he must have been after driving such a distance between multiple masses and two time zones, and
• he has VERY soft hands.

I was fixing on writing a post on my experience of being at this mass and the subsequent discussion I had with my son regarding the Knights of Columbus, but I got really sick on Sunday evening and slept all day Monday till about 3 pm. Then I got up, made my way to the chiropractor for an adjustment to my neck and proceeded to my favorite Mexican restaurant for half a bowl of soup and a WHOLE bunch of salsa and chips.

I changed my mind about what I would post next to talking about how nice it was to go there and find out, to my surprise, a pair of their customers saw my little Halloween story, really liked it and were told that a FAMOUS author sometimes comes to eat there and I left the servers one of my short stories to read. (Note, I never said I was famous. I just gave a friend who works there a book I wrote that happens to have an award seal on its front.)

But then the latch on my door handle got stuck. No matter how many times I twisted the handle back and forth, the latch would not come out! I locked the deadbolt and went to bed, figuring I would take apart the door handle today and oil the pieces to get them to un-stick. I did not think this would be a difficult task, but called my handi-friend Tom to let him know I might call long-distance for advice if I got stuck on anything with my door-handle. My friend ready to answer my questions, I felt confident nothing would go wrong – at least nothing I could not handle.

First thing this morning, I awoke feeling sooo much better than I did on Monday. I did 30 minutes on my rowing machine (for the first time in a LONG time), showered, dressed and ate. Then I pulled out my new bottle of 3-in-1 oil, my #2 Philip’s-head screwdriver and proceeded to approach my pesky door knob before getting down to some sweeping and dusting so I could help deter another painful allergy attack / sick day. Sticking the screwdriver into the first of two screws, I twisted once… twice… and the latch popped out.

“That can’t be right,” I thought. I twisted and untwisted the handle. The latch went in and popped back out again. I did it again and got the same result. So I tightened the loosened screw back down and tried again. Same result.

“That was easy,” I shrugged to myself. [Never, EVER think that! Once you think something is easy, it is bound to get difficult.]

Being the intelligent woman I am, I then thought, “I should still oil the lock so it doesn’t stick again. If I had to take apart the doorknob during winter, it would be really unpleasant.”

I pulled out my 3-in-1 oil. First, I oiled around the latch of the doorknob and twisted it in and out.

Then I did the same to the latch of the deadbolt.

Next, I spread oil on my key, inserted it into the lock of the doorknob, locked and unlocked the door a few times with the key.

Finally, I did the same to the deadbolt… but then… I could not pull my key out of the lock!

Arrrghh! Try as I might, the key would not come out. I decided my only option was to take apart the lock a little to see if I could get it to release. I did. It wouldn’t let go of the key.

“Well,” I thought as I looked at it, “there is still one more thing I could take apart. I’ll try that.”

I fumbled just a smidgeon with the half-lock in my hand and BOING! Little pieces-parts went flying out of my hands and around the room. The thought running through my head as I scanned my floor for tiny springs and pins? “I should have vacuumed first.”

The pieces I found, together in a ziplock baggie

Long story short, I am now several dollars poorer, but know where to find the local locksmith – who was only too happy to provide me with my missing springs and pins, AND put the lock back together for me.

Ta Da! Working lock, all oiled and ready for winter! And so goes another successful, daily adventure in the life of  award-winning author, Beth Durkee.