Not Grandmother's Clock

  When I was just a tyke running around barefoot (Oh, wait! I still do that!), I have fond memories of staying at my grandparents' home a good bit.  Unlike my own grandbabies who live far away from the Bayou, I was blessed to be able to visit my grandparents a good bit, if not on a daily basis.  I am lucky to see my littles twice a year and it breaks my heart. Times spent with Grandmother and Granddad were some of my happiest times.  At their house, there were no chores and Granddad would always "find" a cookie for me in the old cookie tin that sat high on the shelf in the kitchen.  My grandparents' home was far different from the old farm house of Mom and Pop.  In the farm house, there were things of necessity and not many doodads purely for decoration.  Times were hard and money tight so unless it was a "hand-me-down" from some aunt, Mom had little to work with when doing any interior decorating. Knickknacks were usually dimestore stuff and not the finer things I saw in other homes.  At Grandmother's place, it was like a wonderland to a little kid.  Granddad had a way of finding "good" quality items that needed a bit of repair.  He would often repair and restore antiques to fill the home.  This made their place a magical spot to be for a little kid with a very active imagination.

  One of the things that always mesmerized me was an anniversary clock that sat on the massive bureau in the hall.  A chair sat next to the bureau and allowed me the perfect vantage point to view the clock.  The face of the clock was handpainted with tiny flowers and the hands were ornately carved.  From the glass dome to the small balled spinning pendulum, the clock held me spellbound.  Grandmother kept the clock wound so that the chimes worked perfectly and would echo down the long hallway.  At night, the soft tinkling would lull me to sleep into a dreamland filled with happy thoughts.  I loved that clock and always hoped that some day, it would be mine.  That did not happen.  I have no idea where the clock went after my grandparents died.  Hopefully, some family member is fondly displaying the clock and enjoying the lovely chimes.

  For the past few days, I have been decorating for the upcoming Clue Hunt on the Bayou.  Since the hunt is to be set in an eccentric old lady's home (duh...wonder who that is supposed to be???), I figured that I needed a nice clock to complete the look on one table.  I knew just what would work!  In a thrift store just recently, I stumbled across an anniversary clock that reminded me of Grandmother's.  Of course, this is a modern version that runs on batteries and does not chime but at least the pendulum does spin!  It will suffice as a clue hunt prop.  Placing the clock on the table with some dusty (actually new but made to look old and dusty) flowers, a few antique boxes and other knickknacks, I thought of Grandmother.  She would have so loved the Clue Hunt on the Bayou and would have surely been right in the midst of it.  Maybe my eccentricity comes from her.  Maybe she is just lending me a hand with the decorating and nudged me to buy a copy of her clock.  Maybe I am just too sentimental.