Success

    I got my watch back, and it works! I'm so happy. The jeweler said that it had gotten super magnetized somehow. So the spring inside stayed wound when I wound it. That's what was wrong with it. And there was no charge.


    The jeweler told my Hubs that it needs to be kept away from electronic devices. Hmmm. That might be harder than it sounds. We have cell phones, laptops, and tablets. Heck, even the cable boxes and DVD players have magnets in them these days. So it may be rather difficult to do. I guess I can only wear it occasionally.


    I must say, it makes my heart sing to hear it ticking. And to think it was on the wrist of my Great Grandmother when she came to help my mom after I was born. Mom is pleased too, that it's working again. She told Sara and me that she was going to throw it away! It makes me wonder what else she has stashed away in that old jewelry box of hers.....

Updates

    Well, it never did storm. We had some rain overnight, but no thunderboomers. I took a two day rest from the blog, I just didn't have anything to say. It was too fracking hot to knit, so I haven't finished up the cat bed for Ozzy yet. This morning it was too fracking cold to have to get up and move, but I went and hung out with the Cherub.


    It was even more awesome that she was still asleep when I got there. I woke her up at the prescribed time, to get ready for school. In the entire year and a half that I've been keeping her company, this is the first morning that she's been asleep when I got there. It was actually wonderful, I got to sit and read in the peace and quiet for a while. I had brought my kindle fire with me, since I had gotten a couple of new games that I thought she might like. Maybe next week she'll be awake.


     Remember when I told you all about my great grandmother's watch? That I had taken it to be fixed and cleaned up? I don't remember if I told you about the aftermath. It was cleaned up, but it still didn't work. So Hubs and I took it back to the guy in Fishkill. This was about three weeks ago, maybe more. Well, he just called me a little while ago, and said it was ready. I immediately called Hubs, since he's in Fishkill. I thought maybe he would have enough time left on his lunch break to go and get it.


     He said he would try, but if not today, he would make a special trip just to get it. Now, we have already paid this guy a chunk of change to do the work he already did. And the watch still didn't work. That's why I want him to get it, I wouldn't have the guts to call the guy on it. My Hubs is like his mom that way. She never took any bullshit from anyone. The Sears home repair crew all cringed at the mention of her name. I believe she put the fear of God into each and every one of them at one time or another.


     I look forward to reporting to you on the condition of my 100+ year old watch. I also am looking forward to wearing it!

Crocheting and a Memory

    Today I went out with Hubs, we had a series of errands to run. First was dropping my watch off back at the Watchpital. It cleaned up really well, but still doesn't work.


    At the second errand, I ended up waiting for Hubs for over an hour, sitting in the truck. This is why I brought along my crocheting project. Ozzy's bed is really coming along. I finished the bottom, picked up all the stitches around the circle, and have gotten about two inches done in stockinette. I used up all the black, so the sides will be all gray. It looks nice, and since Ozzy is gray, he matches it.


     Now comes the memory part. It's funny how our memory works. In high school, my English teacher, Mr. Reid, gave us a class project. We broke into small groups and memorized part of a poem. We recorded our parts on tape, and Mr. Reid played them for the whole class. The strange part is that I remember my one line from that poem.


    "As far as the eye of God could see, darkness covered everything." After 40 years, I can still remember it! If any of my classmates are reading this, and remember their parts, please tell me them in the comment section! I'd love to read them. What I don't remember is if I had Mr. Reid for junior or senior year. I'm leaning towards senior. It is amazing, what we remember and what we don't, isn't it?

We missed it by THAT much!

    My youngest child took his grandmother, his sister, and myself out to lunch for Mother's Day, yesterday. His best girl Julie came too! That was a smart idea, since Mother's Day is the busiest day in the whole year for diners and restaurants. We had a really nice lunch!


    After lunch, Sara and I were going to take my great grandmother's watch back to the Watchpital. Unfortunately, we lingered over lunch just a little bit too long. By the time we got there, they were closed. We missed them by ten minutes! We were both surprised that they closed so early. We weren't worried about it, or we would have stopped before lunch. It never occurred to us that they would close so early on a Saturday!


    Today is actually Mother's Day, and I got to kiss my Hubs goodbye, and wish him a safe trip. He's gone for training for work again. This time it's only a few days. So I guess I got what a lot of moms wish for, a day all to myself! He did get me a beautiful card, it made my eyes leak a little bit. I will admit up front that no sooner was he gone, than I broke out my huge jar of dill pickles and had one.


    I wonder what other forbidden things I can do while he's gone? Make some tuna salad? Buy an onion and cook with it? I'll have to put my thinking cap on...

Visit to the Watchpital

    I got the call yesterday afternoon, my watch was ready. I was so excited! I couldn't get all the way down there before they closed, but I did go this morning. I took it to mom's as she requested. She wanted to see it. She's so happy that I like it, and she thinks that her grandmother is watching from heaven and is very pleased.


    While I was there, I wound it and set the time. Later on, when I got home, I looked at it. It still said 11:30. We paid money to get the antique watch fixed, and it doesn't work. Hubs told me to reset it, and we'd wait and see. An hour later, and it still had the time on it that I had set it to. Bummers.


    So Hubs called the watch guy, and told him the watch doesn't work. He wants me to bring it back. It's too far to go all the way back there today. Maybe I'll take it on Saturday, when my kids are taking my mom and me out for lunch. We'll have to drive right past the place. Keep your fingers crossed!! In the meantime, here is the long overdue photo:

   I did take a few on my wrist, but they didn't come out too well. The flash reflected too much on the face. More than the photo above! So hopefully, in the end, my great grandmother's watch, that is over 100 years old, will actually work. Then she'll really be smiling.

I'm knitting today!

    Yay, I'm knitting today! At first I didn't feel very well, so I just sat here drinking my coffee. After a while, I started feeling better, so I broke out the knitting. The secret crochet project is almost done, I'm sad to see that finished so soon. But there are more in the planning stage, don't you worry!


    I am knitting in between doing laundry and washing up some dishes, as usual. Or else I'd just knit and nothing at all would get done! It's a beautiful Spring day, and here I sit inside knitting. I have been waiting for the jeweler to call to tell me that my watch is ready. It's been two weeks today.  That's one reason I haven't left the house, I don't want to miss that call. I can't wait to get it back, I want to take a photo so you can all see it.

A day of adventures

    This morning, after having my coffee and taking my meds, I once again headed down to Fishkill to mom's house. There are quite a few boxes to unpack, and some things in the old apartment that she needs me to bring over to the new apartment.


    We unpacked two boxes of food, and rearranged a few shelves of food already put away. Mom made a list of things for me to get from the old apartment while I ran into the Village to get my Hubs some cigars and take a watch to be cleaned/repaired.


    My mom gave the watch to me last week, when I was there helping to pack, pre-move. It was her grandmother's watch, and she remembers her grandmother wearing it when she was a child. I fell in love with the watch. It looks very Art Deco-ish. I took it to a man in Fishkill, who I know would know how to deal with it. He told me it is from approximately 1910. He can clean it up and make it so it works. He will call me in about two weeks.


    I am absolutely thrilled! Like I said, I love the watch, and it fits me. Right now, I wish I had taken a photo of it. Oh yeah, my great grandmother's initials are engraved on the back. E L B. My mom said her name was Edythe Lenore Berry. Her maiden name was Chapman.


    I can't wait to get it back! I will wear it with pride, I can assure you. I just have to remember to take it off then I take a shower or wash dishes. I'm not used to wearing a watch.