The last time we were at Paul and Dorothy's, Paul showed us "a thing".  He bought it at an auction but he had no idea what it was.  Doesn't that sound, exactly, like something that a Norwegian would do?

Now, there's a follow-up.  Paul says, "Remember that thing I got at the auction and showed it to you when you were here?  I took that "what is it" over to Dorothy's dad because he collects tools.

He said, "Oh, yea, I have one of those behind the garage door".  Sure enough.  It was a twin.

He said it was something to get the hay off the wagon.  There is a spot for the rope to go through and, I think, attach to the trigger to make the barbs go in and out.  Not sure how it all worked though."

That made me think.  Paul, a Norwegian, bought something without knowing what it was.  It took his father-in-law, a Dutchman, to tell him what it was.

That explains why I do so many really stupid things (the Norwegian) but I'm smart enough to know it's stupid (the Dutchman).