Monday, December 04, 2006

When we moved into our house 25 years ago, one of the first things Ron really wanted to get was a cuckoo clock. It was something he had wanted since he was a kid. Although rather expensive and I wasn’t working at the time; those were my SAHM days, I told him to get one anyway since there weren’t that many things he really wanted. He spent a while looking but finally found the exact clock he’d been searching for.
It’s one of those old fashioned clocks that actually cuckoos every half hour and has to be rewound twice a day. There are two chains that have to be pulled in order to keep it going. That was always Ron’s job since it’s one of those things I’m not good at remembering to do. It has an old fashioned pendulum that swings back and forth, thus causing a constant ticking.
Over the years I grew to love the sound of the cuckoo. People hearing it for the first time would wonder how we managed not to go nuts from the constant cuckoos but it was one of those things we just adjusted to. But it was great to have if I wanted to know the time or if the power went out. It’s been a constant for 25 years now.
But ever since Ron died, the cuckoo clock has become almost a symbol. There have been a number of times I’ve forgotten to rewind it. Then I have to set the time again and try and get it to start working again. The time showing on the clock doesn’t match the number of cuckoos now and I can’t seem to get that to work but as I count the cuckoos rather than look at the time that doesn’t matter. But last Thursday the cuckoo clock stopped working altogether and I can’t seem to get it to going again.
This is now haunting me. The house is just missing something without the constant cuckoos I’ve grown accustomed to over the past 25 years. I’ve tried to get it to work a number of times but it just doesn’t seem to want to ‘catch’.
I tried again this morning and kept trying for about half an hour. The harder I tried, the more upset I became until finally I broke down in sobs. I finally had to stop trying since I had to get ready for work and didn’t want to go in with puffy eyes. I’m not sure I have the heart to keep trying to get it working.
There is an old song – some may remember it; that seems to haunt me about this cuckoo clock:

My grandfather's clock
Was too large for the shelf,
So it stood ninety years on the floor;
It was taller by half
Than the old man himself,
Though it weighed not a pennyweight more.
It was bought on the morn
Of the day that he was born,
And was always his treasure and pride;
But it stopped short
Never to go again,
When the old man died.

But it stopped short
Never to go again
When the old man died
Ninety years without slumbering
tick, tock,tick tock,
His life seconds numbering
tick, tock,tick tock,
It stopped short
Never to go again
When the old man died

For some reason this song runs through my head quite a bit now. There is more to it, but this is what I remember most. I didn’t know it was possible to get so emotional over a clock – I’m still feeling weepy about it, but it causes a silence in the house that hasn’t been there since almost the day we moved in. I had either the television on or music playing for most of the weekend but it still didn’t make up for the silence of the cuckoo clock.
I’m not quite sure what to do now, but I do know that every time I look at the clock now, it brings everything back again.

11 comments:

Kailana said...

We had a cuckoo clock at my house when I was little... it sounds like yours did what ours did, it wore out. My parents got it fixed, though... I hope it starts cuckooing again. But, if it does not, you might want to look into a clock shop or something. It might be better to get them to look at it than to upset yourself so much trying to get it to work.

nath said...

Hey Kristie,

that's what I was going to suggest... You can't get it to work by yourself, then go look for help. It might be difficult and perhaps expensive, but at least, they'll be able to tell you what's wrong. In the meantime, perhaps you can find the sound of it on the net ^^;

C2 said...

Absolutely have it looked at by a clock fixer (I'm sure they have a lovely real title)! They love playing around with clock innards (another technical term)! Probably it's something simple to fix...maybe not cheap but simple. :o) (((Kristie)))

~ames~ said...

I'm sorry that the clock doesn't work anymore. :(

But I hated our cuckoo clock. :P

HUGS

~ames~ said...

I forgot to mention-your theory about missing things eventually showing up? TOTALLY TRUE.

I lost my Walk the Line CD last year-and I found it last weekend.

You're the best Kristie. LOL

Bob & Muffintop said...

I'd definitely take it to a clock repair shop, Kristie. Things like that are meant to be treasured.

CindyS said...

Oh sweetie - I was wondering how your clock was working. Don't try to make it work now - they can be over wound or just plain finicky and definitely find a clock maker. My Gram had a cuckoo clock and I loved it. I would love to buy one but it took Bob a while to get used to my Chimes of Westminster clock.

If your clock is still hanging on the wall just push the pendelum and let it swing for a bit if it can. If it is over wound this might get the mechanisms to release.

I just wish I could drive out right now but then I don't know much about clocks. Just hugs.

((((((Kristie))))))

Love Cindy

Stacy~ said...

Oh I hope you get it fixed soon - it sounds like a very soothing thing to have. Good luck, and take care.

Mailyn said...

I'm sure you can get it fixed and that there are professionals that do that kind of work. Don't despair, I just know it will be fixed!

*hugs* ^_^

Lori said...

I actually remember that song! (showing my age here)

(hugs) to you.

You can definitely get it fixed. It also may be that you just wound it too much and it needs to "rest". I've had that happen with our grandfather clock. If it doesn't work tomorrow, I'd look in the phone book for a close by clock repair shop.

Kristie (J) said...

There is a watch repair place not far from where I live. I'll call and see if they can repair it. I can't quite get over the fact that I'm so emotional over a cuckoo clock - but I'm sure it's much more than that. I'm still weepy when I think about it not working anymore - so I really do need to get it to cuckoo again.