A week ago Sunday I went to wind the clock, a ritual every week to insure the lovely tones which chime out on the quarter hour and then offer a full Westminster chime on the hour with each hour being properly chorded. This clock has been with us for many years and required only minor maintenance up until now.
While turning the winding key, I both heard and felt something come undone within the frame of the clock. One of the springs which drive the gears came loose and what little force left permitted the clock to tick on for a few more hours; the chimes no longer matching the pace of the clock. It finally quit altogether as the hands reached; but not quite achieved seven o’clock.
Interesting as it may seem with all the digital clocks around the house; two in the kitchen, one on the microwave and the other on the stove, and the one in our bedroom; we've come to depend on the antique workings of that mantle clock. Now it has become something of a joke to ask what time it is at our house.
“It’s almost seven.” Seven is a good time around our house; AM or PM. Seven in the morning is a good time to be up and about getting ready for a new day. Seven in the evening, “Astros baseball is on the air!”, as Milo Hamilton’s voice of the Houston Astros signals the first pitch is coming shortly.
I’m sure we will eventually have this beautiful time piece repaired and back to working order. We’ll enjoy the mellow tones as the chimes announce the passing of time and mark our progress by it. Until then, “It’s almost seven!”
While turning the winding key, I both heard and felt something come undone within the frame of the clock. One of the springs which drive the gears came loose and what little force left permitted the clock to tick on for a few more hours; the chimes no longer matching the pace of the clock. It finally quit altogether as the hands reached; but not quite achieved seven o’clock.
Interesting as it may seem with all the digital clocks around the house; two in the kitchen, one on the microwave and the other on the stove, and the one in our bedroom; we've come to depend on the antique workings of that mantle clock. Now it has become something of a joke to ask what time it is at our house.
“It’s almost seven.” Seven is a good time around our house; AM or PM. Seven in the morning is a good time to be up and about getting ready for a new day. Seven in the evening, “Astros baseball is on the air!”, as Milo Hamilton’s voice of the Houston Astros signals the first pitch is coming shortly.
I’m sure we will eventually have this beautiful time piece repaired and back to working order. We’ll enjoy the mellow tones as the chimes announce the passing of time and mark our progress by it. Until then, “It’s almost seven!”
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