Sure, you could use a washboard to wash your clothes, but those of us with access to washing machines generally find them a whole lot easier to use. But nothing sounds quite like a washboard, when you play it with a guitar pick or drum brushes. How useful something is often depends on how you define its usefulness.
What do you like to use in some way other than what it was designed for?
Strange but true, I use leftover large beef marrow bones with the center opening that are cleaned and dried as holders of various sorts. I use one to hold a small stapler near where I sit and read. I use two to hold up a part of my computer table so that the cord from the mouse is free moving. I use another at my kitchen table to hold a small spoon that I use to measure out my powdered Stevia natural sweetener on various foods. I’m so used to having them in place that I forgot it until I read today’s Compass!
I have a big bookshelf in my living room, made of planks and decorative cinder blocks.
I used to have pet mice, and they ate from a crystal ash tray. Dad had quit smoking, and the mice needed a heavy dish they could perch on and not tip over.
When I played oboe, I had to soak my reed in water before playing. I used the little plastic container film came in, because it was the perfect size. I wonder what oboists use nowadays in the era of digital photography. 🙂
I can picture the tiny pet mice having a drink from
the crystal ashtray: it’s almost a modern day version of the Beatrice Potter’s stories. She could have imagined this if she were alive. Thanks, Maggie!