"Happy Mother's Day, Mom! I got you a broken typewriter!"

  "Happy Mother's Day!"  Yes, I know this day was officially celebrated a week ago but, for me, it was today.  AND..I must add, that while most mothers received the obligatory flowers, candy or knickknacks emblazoned with "MOTHER" on them, I did not.  I am not that sort of mom in the first place nor do I need anything to remind me that I am, indeed, a mother.  I have three kids, albeit grown kids, that do a grand job of reminding me of that fact on a daily basis.  In a way, those knickknacks are sort of foolish and are just there to provide a last minute gift for those who forgot to honor their mothers.  I cannot for the life of me understand the allure of such a thing.  Instead, I have always loved things that are useful.  Today, I received a useful gift even though it came with problems.
  
  Early this morning in the midst of a rainstorm, Darling Daughter arrived at the Little Bayou House.  She came bearing a large box containing my belated Mother's Day gift.  Son lugged the box into the house and the three of us proceeded to uncrate the item.  Once the box was opened and the packing paper removed, I was thrilled!  "Happy Mother's Day, Mom!  I got you a broken typewriter!" proclaimed Elizabeth.  She was just about as excited as I was.  Seriously.  I am elated over this gift.  

  You see, I learned to type on a machine just like this one so many years ago.  Mom and Pop were given an old typewriter and each of the kids actually were encouraged to learn to type.  It was magical to see words appear when keys were pressed.  Nowadays, we take all of this for granted but, back then, we understood that a lot of hard work went into designing such fantastical machines.  I have long wanted a typewriter like the one at the old farm.  Somewhere along the line after the folks had passed, the typewriter was tossed in the trash bin and hauled away before I could salvage it.  I would have treasured such a keepsake.  Now, I have one close to that machine and I treasure it.

  

  Michael and Elizabeth pored over the machine.  They eyed the "crazy" keyboard and wondered where things were like "Alt", "Ctrl" and even the "1" buttons were.  I had to explain that we did not have those.  We had a much more "efficient" system.  Michael even jokingly asked where was the power cord!  We had a good laugh over the way times have changed in my lifespan and then set to work cleaning the typewriter.  Elizabeth and I swabbed away at cobwebs and dustbunnies of a hundred years making while Michael examined every working part. He was curious of how the machine functioned which was a good thing as several parts need to be repaired.  After a while, he announced that it should be usable in just a few days.  I am, indeed, excited and look forward to trying my hand at typing on a "real" machine once again.  

  Yep, I do understand that this is a personal thing and not everyone would be as thrilled as I am about receiving this as a gift but you just have to understand that I am not everyone....I am me....and I am delighted!  I think this is about the best Mother's Day gift ever!  Thank you, Darling Daughter!