Diane and I recently bought a house in Galax and are making it our own. It used to be an Air BnB and we bought it furnished. It has everything in it including bath robes, a hot tub, non vented gas fireplace, and lots of other things. The house was built in 1934 and the whole town is familiar with it. It is located downtown not far from the location of the Galax Fiddlers’ convention. We love it.

When my dad heard that we had bought a house, he wanted us to come to Southmont, North Carolina, to his home, to pick up a few things for our new home.

“I don't want to wait until I am gone for all my kids to pick something out’ he said, “now is a much better time for that so come on and have a look around and see what you and Diane might want.”

I wanted an antique headboard for our guestroom (something we have not had for eight years). It belonged to my grandmother and it was given to us by our Uncle Jonah when Diane and I were first married. We had it for a few years and then gave it back to Dad. It was a tall bed until the legs were cut off and now it is a bit short. I am going to modify it a bit and attach the headboard to the footboard, then attach that to a modern bed rail, without the footboard acting like a footboard.

So with that in mind, yesterday Diane and I drove from Galax to Southmont to pick up the headboard along with a recovered Armstrong mid-century chair. I remember when Mom and Dad brought it home back in 1964 from Martinsburg, West Virginia where my Uncle Dennis was the manager of the Armstrong Furniture factory located there in town. It is a real treat for that chair to now be sitting in our living room. Dad also gave us a small night table lamp, an oil lamp, and most importantly to me, a clock.

I have wanted to own this particular clock for fifty years. I spent many a night as an adolescent and a teenager listening to this clock tick through the night and chime on the hour. It would wake visitors staying with us, but I loved falling asleep to its steady tick-tock.

Yesterday I carefully padded the inside of the clock so the pendulum would not move while it traveled in the back of my car. When I opened it I found a sealed envelope inside and on it was written "The Story of the Clock". It appeared to be my Dad's handwriting.

Today, following my dad's verbal instructions, I wound the clock, then tilted it a bit to get the pendulum swinging. I also carefully cleaned the outside of the clock. Then I remembered the envelope inside of it. I gently removed the back of the clock and took out the envelope. I opened it and inside was a letter.

This is what it said in my dad's words:

This clock was given to Catherine and me by Irma Daniel sometime in 1960. It was part of her belongings from the time she set up housekeeping back in the early 20's.

Irma Daniel was a neighbor of ours in Norfolk, Virginia. We lived at 609 Greenview Lane and she lived across the street. This was in 1957 the year Rodney was born. Mrs Daniel looked after us as young parents. As the years went by we stayed in touch. She moved from her home in Norfolk to an apartment in Pulaski, Virginia. She moved back to Norfolk and then to Salisbury, North Carolina, and eventually back to Norfolk. Along the way, she started parting with her belongings.

The clock, a dresser, and a hall tree, she sold them to us for $5.00-so no one could say she gave them away.

In 1970, while we lived on Prince Avenue in Norfolk, our house was robbed. The clock was taken along with other things. We were sure it was gone forever.

Some four years later a family moved into our neighborhood. We visited their home only to find our clock sitting on their table. They had come by it from a nephew who was in some trouble and needed to trade the clock for a little money.

Of course, the nephew was the one who stole the clock. We didn't press charges because at that time he was in jail.

We got our clock back and that was good.

Mrs. Daniel was our friend from 1957 until 1981 when she passed on at the age of 87. She is buried in Pulaski, Virginia.

When Mom and I are gone, I believe the clock should be given to Derrick. Mrs Daniel was his adopted Grandma.

Clay P.

I am so grateful that Dad didn’t wait until he was gone to give me this clock. I now have a piece of his life and Mrs Daniel’s as well. I will think of them both with every tick-tock it makes.

Derrick.