DH went to wind it up and it chimed once, then just STOPPED. We were floored. Had something broken? Do clocks have a life-span? So... we went to the Clock Shop nearby and spoke to a lovely man who knew quite a lot about clocks (altho he was quick to say that he wasn't a Horologist). But his shop had just come from the Dallas State Fair and they had sold quite a few grandfather clocks there... so the place was full of *sold* and *to be sold* clocks. Beautiful! We talked for a while and then decided to have their Horologist come out today and take a look. He will give us an estimate of what it will take to get the ol' boy working again. Now there's a good chance that we won't be able to go ahead with the repair until sometime next year... not with the holidays and taxes looming. But that's OK.... at least we'll know if it's fixable.
We both really miss the chimes... especially during the night when I'd awake and could tell exactly what time it was without thinking. Now I will say that everyone is not fond of this. Sometimes the kids would spend the night and say that the chimes wake them up... not the grandkids (nothing wakes them up), but our own kids who basically grew up with the clock... whatever (now I know that some people don't like the use of this 'whatever'... but it's better than the more timely 'WTF'... don't you think?)
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| not a great pic, but the only one I could find at the moment... |
Also... for those of you who know our Jack, I wrote an update on his condition on my "Cats, Coffee, and Chocolate" blog. He is having a difficult time.
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| our Jack |
We have a chiming wall clock that's about 18 years old. That makes it sort of "middle aged".
ReplyDeleteThe chimes are comforting to us but not my brother. One time when he slept over he asked if that clock was going to chime all night.
I hope Jack feels better.
John, I hope you told your brother... "Yes, it will...that's the way it is". We have to do that with family who visit - for the clock as well as some of the cats (sometimes one or two like to 'howl' at night... usually one of the females does this as she carries a toy around). We are used to it... and it really can't be stopped as we aren't going to put them outside.
DeleteMy grandfather was an horologist. Now I'm off to check up on Jack.
ReplyDeleteI think that must be a very 'interesting' profession. Apparently with everything going digital, it may be a profession 'on the way out'... but I hope not. We love clocks... especially the old ones. However, our Horologist told us that most of the companies that made and repaired clocks (like our Trend) have gone out of business.
DeleteThat is good news that you can get the clock fixed. We are fortunate to have a friend who is an amateur horologist and he keeps our old clock running.
ReplyDeleteAren't friends great! What kind of clock do you have ,Nana?
DeleteA clock like that is definitely worth fixing. Prayers for Jack.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Olga. It's not an essential by any means, but it is such a nice piece that it seems 'wrong' to let it go unfixed.
DeleteAnd thanks for the prayers for Jack. He does seem to feel better this morning.
I'm surprised to hear that clocks have so short a lifespan, given how many very old ones there are around. I do hope your horologist can get it working again, as there is something so very reassuring about the sound of those chimes. My mother had a grandmother clock which hung on the wall and i really loved those chimes as a girl.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised also, but when the horologist explained that as the clocks age, the working parts get worn out and don't work as well, it made sense. I mean... as we age, even our working parts get worn out and don't work as well. Good maintenance helps, but won't stop the inevitable. He said that some were 'fixable' as ours is (luckily), while others aren't.
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