... Had it been clear that brainstorming was requested ....
My apologies for lack of clarity. I have not seen this point addressed directly on this forum, do you think we should formally include the word "brainstorming" in initial posts? or perhaps an agreed emoticon?
Suboptimal suggestions are inevitably inherent in the process.
Agreed.
...I would have immediately suggested that one can cut off the mouth of a narrow mouth pop bottle for use as an emergency engagement ring.
Creative, but probably suboptimal absent almost overwhelming emergency.
Inherent in the brainstorming process is the step where you have to get real, come down to earth, and evaluate all the responses.
Agreed. I think in the context of this forum that evaluation step, and its timing, is first up to each individual participant and then signalled to the group by the sliding of the thread off the first page due of new posts. It has been my experience here thet, along the way member's contribute by offering whatever real, down-to-earth observations they have.