The Measuring Wheel

I needed a way to measure travel distance without dragging a heavy ruler along the floor. Near the base of the kitchen cart, I spotted an overturned metal tea tin lid and a thin wooden skewer. Kneeling on the linoleum, I pressed the skewer firmly through the center ridge of the lid, creating a smooth rolling spindle. To mark each rotation, I stuck a tiny bit of red tape along the outer rim. Rolling it forward across the tiles with both paws, I counted each metallic tap as the taped point struck the floor—exactly eight full rotations from the pantry door to the cabinet. A simple trundle wheel works wonders.