I was pretty sure of what I saw on my brother-in-law’s boat last week. But I thought I’d ask anyway.

Yes, he fixed his boat with duct tape. “Once you get in the water with it, it’s stronger than steel,” he says.

This incident doesn’t surprise me. He has known for years that duct tape is suited for just about anything.

He is not alone. I’m fairly certain that each and every family has one member that is willing to use the sticky stuff in just about any situation.

In fact, a duct tape buff is willing to brag with stories of their ingenuity. Nothing will make them happier than to turn a friend on to the silver strand of do-it-yourself repair.

One person I know brags of how a rainstorm broke the trunk of her newly planted tree. She went out there with her umbrella and duct tape. She wound it round and round the tree trunk and fastened it up. A month later, the branches are putting out new growth.

My neighbor does everything with duct tape. He has used the tape to fix just about everything around the house. When the car’s side mirror fell off, he put it back on with duct tape. When the plumbing flooded the kitchen, he stopped the leak with the silver stuff.

His wife swears he never leaves home without it. He once went on vacation and had taken a roll of duct tape along. When he returned, it was more than half gone. Wonder what he did with it. The brother-in-law has a theory. Why fix it for real when the duct tape is working just fine.

Nancee Harrison is a past columnist for the Greene County Daily World. Visit www.blondeladywithdarkroots.com or email her at blondeladywithdarkroots@gmail.com or send comments to Nancee, Daily World, box 129 Linton IN 47441.

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