Victrola

I have had my Father's Victrola for the past 20 years.   It was his prized possession.

It has been sitting in my basement since I moved into this house 5 years ago, and recently I have been making a concerted effort to clean out.  My next move will be somewhere smaller and this definitely wouldn't make that move.   I didn't want to sell it on Craigslist.   I wanted to find it a good home.

I sent a note out to our local museum offering to donate it.  It is in excellent condition and working order.  

Timing is everything.   I got a note back "we feel that it would be a wonderful addition to our museum.  We are acquiring a new (to us) building that we are planning to interpret as World War 1.  The gramophone would be a wonderful piece in that building.  Having it playing during tours would add another dimension to our interpretation."

There were four albums of 78s.   The first record I opened up to was "If you were the only girl in the world and I was the only boy" ...that is the perfect time frame.

The museum people just picked it up this morning.   I think my Dad would be happy it was going to it's new home.

 

 

Monkey Business

My sister-in-law is addicted.   And my niece is an enabler.

Donna has recently taken up making sock monkies.  She has bought every work sock in the Oakville/Burlington area to feed this habit.

My niece Allison went to Detroit to the car show with my brother today, spied the store where Donna gets her socks and made her Father pull in.   She came out with 15 more packages of socks .... at 3 pairs per package that is 6x15=90 more sock monkies!

 Ok ... Donna does have a booth at a Christmas bazaar in November.   She will definitely have enough stock.

I almost made it ....

I have the best intentions to clean out my basement this year,   I have been in this house for 5 years and I have boxes that I have not opened since the move.   How much do I really need those things?

I grabbed two boxes of things and took them to the local thrift store on the weekend, and left feeling that I had started the wedge into all that stuff.

I ALMOST   made it to the door.    Three feet from the door I glanced ... just glanced ... to my right and there it was the PERFECT little table for my front hall.   I could have kept walking, but I stopped to just look at it and decide that it wouldn't work.    But not only would it work ... it was perfect.  I had to walk back in and purchase it.   It was $12 .. solid wood ...  no way I could resist.

I brought it home, dusted it and placed it in the front hall.   Added some books and a silver bowl.  It was just what I wanted.

 Of course the old mirror didn't go with it, but really I had been planning to replace it anyway.

 So I ran out to Winners and picked up a new mirror and I installed it tonight.

 Well at least they didn't go in the basement, and I am still two boxes lighter ... right?

A bit of base

I have this metal candle holder that sits on my dining room table, but it always looks a bit lost.

I decided to make a base for it from a piece of wood I had in the basement.   It was the perfect size and all that was required was for me to stain, urethane, and add some felt feet on the bottom.

It makes it look more substantial on the table, and all supplies I had around the house.