In the Sunday newspaper, a column
appears that addresses any number of questions plaguing readers. Marilyn vos Savant is the columnist whose
claim to fame is her astronomical IQ.
Through her columns she often
fields questions and introduces puzzles to the average reader under the guise
of informing people; she actually winds up demonstrating how uninformed they
are, though, and that includes me.
Here’s a puzzle that would be
right at home in her wildly popular space:
Q: What do these things all have in common?
Tables, chairs, wristwatches,
boxes, jars, bags, countertops, Venetian blinds, cars, refrigerators, trucks,
computers, toilet brushes, flatware, pens, Al Gore, and carpets
Normally, this is when Ms. vos Savant
announces the answer “appears at the end of this column.” I, on the other hand, won’t make you wait.
A: All these items are made totally or partially
from plastic.
And this is where the story
begins.
May sainted wife was wiping down
the refrigerator when she stumbled upon a secret of mine. I use the fridge as a filing cabinet.
First up was a calendar affixed
to the big fridge door. “Does this need
to be hanging up here?” was her initial silly question.
“Of course,” would have been the answer if I wasn’t drinking hot coffee.
But before the words could sneak
out of my unzipped mouth, she asked another question, then another, and
another…
Quickly resembling an
action-packed game show, I felt I was losing this machinegun-like
interrogation.
We’ve been married for about
three blessed decades, and have had a refrigerator in our home for all those
years. But suddenly she discovered that
it was covered with stuff that wasn’t applied at the factory. Sherlock Holmes would’ve been proud.
Calendars, baseball game
schedules, business cards, lists of prescription pills, are among the precious
reference materials, within easy reach.
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| If it's important, it's here |
The reason all this stuff is
attached to the refrigerator is that the exterior is made of ferrous metal.
Ferrous metal is a metal that
contains iron, which is smelted into steel.
Being ferrous means it will handily hold magnets. Magnets hold papers. Hence, you now have a kitchen filing system. You’re welcome.
Unfortunately, not all people are
visionaries. And since my sainted wife
doesn’t read this stuff I write, I am able to tell you the unvarnished truth.
I often give her things –
warranty related – to submit and file, for future reference, and all that
paperwork winds up in one of those giant plastic bins under the bed without
rhyme or reason. If I should need one of
those documents, it takes roughly two or three months to locate.
Ergo, I now file most of my own
paperwork on which I will likely need sooner, rather than later. And that is why the refrigerator was made
from ferrous metal.
Now, in the vein of Ms. vos Savant,
I offer my own puzzle for you.
Q: Where can calendars, business cards, baseball
game schedules, grocery lists, and prescription lists, be found?
The answer can be found at the
end of this column.
A: On my refrigerator.
