Found, in the last place I looked, and other adventures

St. Patrick's Day was four months ago, and the search for my Erin Go Braugh pin out of mind and memory, at least until the same time next year.

I put up for sale on eBay (I've finally mastered the correct spelling) a charming little wooden bowl I traded for at an art show in Atlanta. I used the bowl to capture odds and ends set aside.

Honestly, it takes more pictures than I have to show the artist's work making the bowl. Inside and out, up and down, all the imperfections of the tree's knot. I used to pitch in extra buttons, safety pins, rings I quit wearing and:

Back in the eighties, my staff came back from lunch with that little pin, for the boss who forgot to wear green on the day. It's missed few St. Paddy's since then. Perhaps only the last couple of years. It is safely stored with my earrings and not to be overlooked again.

The camera sold on eBay and I packed it up for shipping today. But first I opened the little access door to remove the battery. Lithium ion. A little pressure did not cause it to pop up. A little wiggle with the tip of the letter opener did not move it.

On to google to find a remedy!

First I learned the battery probably had swelled, a common problem with Nikon original equipment batteries. So, get something thin to slip in anywhere and ease the battery up a bit. Then needle nose pliers to get it up some more and finally, every day pliers to haul it out.

I accomplished step A, and prayed the needle nose's were out in the shed. And they were, in a box, encased in rust and almost immovable. They started life in my dad's tool chest, a hundred odd years ago. I left them on the porch, and came back with paper towels, a protective piece of cardboard and the can of WD-40.

This is after a good scrubbing with my trusty toothbrush tool. They worked well enough to slide out the battery. I must buy some steel wool to finish the job.