Another Windy Knoll Tale

Kitchen Clock

Years ago (I don’t know about now) a cat would sit on the front porch (or any other surface with spaces between the boards) and get his tail hung in the crack.  Well, that’s how the old saying came about “got my tail in a crack.”  That’s exactly where I am today  — I’ve got  my tail in a crack.  This is not the first time I’ve opened my mouth at the wrong time.

As you already know, we live in a rural area and I do mean rural.  We have to drive 15 miles to Walmart or McDonalds.  As you might imagine we have no jewelry store — we stopped in Boaz to ask if they repair clocks and we were given the name of a person in yet another town — some 30 miles away.  Our beautiful clock that hangs in the kitchen is ailing — the hands won’t stay on (for one thing).

I finally got around to calling the repairman and he wants to pick up the wall clocks, as well as deliver and hang them.  He wants to be sure they’re running right — he said.  When I asked about the pickup and delivery charge and he said, “Oh, no I don’t charge for that.” Now if you believe that — I have some beach front property in Montana I’d like to sell you.  I don’t believe the vehicle he drives runs on air.  Oh well, we’ll see.

Here’s what got me in trouble.  I was giving him directions on how to get here and then told him we were the second house on the left after he left the paved road.  I went on to tell him it was an old house — Duh!  He said, “Oh, I like old houses.”  More mistake on my part, “I’m 85 years old was born in this house.”  And that was all it took.  “Oh, my wife loves old houses, too, and I’ll bring her with me.”  Now that means I have to do some straightening up.  I used to keep the house straight because we’ve had many people come by to see what the house looked like after it had been renovated — but no more.  Today we live in the house and not only that, but it’s the home of old people and you see things around that you probably would not see in the home of a younger couple.

Now the jig’s up — they are to come here on Monday.  I told John I thought we were going to get the clock repaired — not host a tour.  So this is how it is at the Windy Knoll with this style of country living.