Grandpa’s Clock

My maternal Grandpa bought this Howard Miller clock 11 years before I was born on April 12 (strangely, my birthdate). Liz and I moved it into our townhouse shortly after my Grandma passed away. In that small space, we never kept the chime on, and it was often in the way. Now that we have a bigger home, the clock stands tall in our dining area, and the chime rings on the quarters without bothering us.

The only problem is that after we moved, I never could get it to tick.

None of my grandparents ever got to see Liz and I married. They never saw our home, and they will never meet our kids. It is important to me to keep reminders of them around, and this clock standing without keeping time or chiming quarters has been a sore spot in my mind.

Sometimes you just have to read the directions.

I am like my Grandpa in a number of ways, but most notably in that we both loved to tinker. My grandpa loved finding new projects to take on, as well as learning new skills, and I’ve found that I’m the same way. I suppose it is only fitting that after he died, I would go on to undertake fixing his clock, which I know nothing about.

Meticulous hoarder that he was, Grandpa left the original receipt, manuals, and advertising pamphlets inside the base of his clock. And, one of these documents outlined basic setup and troubleshooting steps. With some tweaking (and patience), Grandpa’s clock is keeping time once again, and should hopefully continue to do so after I am gone too.