Multi-purpose instrument

I was in Dr. Linda Cooke's office this week, overseeing a family member's surgery. She was using an instrument that looks like a little tool that I inherited from my dad more than two decades ago.

"I have a pair of those!" I told her. The long shafts with a pincher at the end allows me to get into narrow spaces and makes them real handy. I use them to clean hair clogs out of the drain.

She called this instrument a needle driver. She uses it to push the needle through the skin when doing surgery.

They are expensive, she said, so much so that she buys the extended warranty in case they should break.

I'd wondered why I'd never seen a pair at the hardware store. Where in the world did my dad - an attorney not a doctor - get these?

Guess it doesn't matter. It gave me a good chuckle, and a chance to conjure up some good memories of my dad.