By Jim Magdefrau

We might as well set the theme for this column as getting by. And I am.

Maintenance is also a theme. Until everyone can safely step out and have fun, I’m staying in, figuring jazz chords, posting numbers and fixing things.

First challenge was my reading glasses. There was a break in the frame of the cool glasses that snapped together in the middle through magnets. I enjoyed the looks of people’s faces as I pulled the glasses apart. Then again, I couldn’t really see their faces since my glasses pulled apart. But I took a good look at the glasses, while wearing another pair, grabbed electrical tape and bingo. I have my main frames. One thing fixed. I can see.

One of my front windows had a small hole in it. That’s nothing to worry about. But one day, because I wanted to see things better, I scraped snow off the windows. I discovered the window with the hole does not have the density of a windshield. I heard that slight cracking sound. Dang. My first thought is to try to remedy this on my own. I checked some window sites, but these were for replacing entire windows and not just one pane. And now I’m getting a call every five minutes asking about windows. I have to get off of that list.

Let me emphasize, I’m glad I have a carpenter as a friend. He carefully put blue tape on the cracks, removed the pane, had a new window cut, and then placed in the frame. It’s something I couldn’t do. I tried to help but felt it was best to stand back. I think I’ve seen too many Laurel and Hardy films to try anything with carpentry.

As Johnny Nash would say. “I can see clearly now.” Through my glasses and through my window. Plus there were no injuries and nothing was broken. Getting by.

Until next week.