If Claire had an official logo for herself, it would be a Bobby Pin. She does not have a ‘bob cut’ which helped coin the name for these hairpins, but she uses them every day. Every day. They are ubiquitous in any place Claire is, or has occupied in her life. I can find them in both of our cars, in every room of our house, in the shower drain, and even in the back yard. I know exactly what they feel like when you step on them in bare and cold feet in the dark of night. (This issue, a separate story, is aimed to be improved with another solution. ) In an attempt to better her life and the longevity of her hair pins, I built her a pin holder that even from several feet away, all we have to do is throw a handful of pins collected from the corner of the shower, the bedside stand, or the kitchen counter at the magnet and the polarity will position them in a nice array around the edge.
Magnets are not very cheap, but brass screws and flanges aren’t much, and scab ends of rough-cut yellow pine board are free under the barn at my parent’s house. And in the spirit of Do Easy*, an inspiring and guiding principle I try to keep in the fore-front of my mind with any idea I conjure or endeavor I embark on, I gave Claire this Christmas gift. I gave myself this Christmas gift.
*Do Easy, a short film by Gus Van Zant, adapted from a text from William S. Burroughs.