My old clock is keeping very good time. It was given to my parents years ago by a neighbor - my father died almost 14 years ago, and, to my knowledge, never had the clock working. After my mother passed away 4 years ago this summer, I got my little brother to bring the clock with household goods from Germany. Inside the clock was a level. I called my other brother and thanked him for being thoughtful enough to provide a level, he assured me it wasn't him who added the level - I guess my Dad must have left it inside years and years ago! He was given the clock by a neighbor who was in her high 80's and was leaving her house to go to a retirement home.

The clock didn't work for me either, until my son and his wife moved in with me for a week or so before they were able to take home their premie baby boy to their new home in Maryland. Well, one night while waiting to go back to the NICU to visit the baby, my son asked if he could check the clock mechanism. Sure, I said, as long as he didn't break anything. My son was actually able to get the clock to start - the pendelum started moving.... it worked! Lousy time, but it worked!

Since then, the clock and I have been getting to know each other. I am figuring out how long I can let it run before I have to wind it, and how tight I have to wind it, how much I get to set it ahead of the real time, and so on. The clock is rewarding me by keeping better and better time. I think of my parents when I hear it 'ding' in the middle of the night - this is a serious wall clock, no messing around and quiet little noises, even in the middle of the night.