“Time has this way of slowing down and speeding up, depending on how it feels.”
– Carol Lynch Williams, Waiting
8:00 am, March 5: I took this picture standing at the back of the building in the doorway a few moments ago. Just what we needed, a little more snow. The town hasn’t taken the Christmas garland down and it still looks cute. See the wooden bridge?
Yesterday, I painted another wall in the shop. (There is only enough time to paint one wall a week.) And then I actually looked at, and realized, that I have not polished the vault door in a couple of years. Awwhh – come on!
This door installed during the 1929 remodeling of the bank is stainless steel. They should have named it something a bit lighter on the stainless and a little heavier on the steel. Everyone touches it and every fingerprint rusts. I met a man who told me he came in once a month and polish this door when the bank was open. Oh, where is he now? I polished it for a couple of hours yesterday and then decided to ask if anyone knows if there is a heavy-duty commercial product or homemade concoction that works. Anyone?
This is a job that is pretty hard to get excited about. Then, I closed the door and looked at the other side.
Awhhhh, come on!
Whatever you are doing today…I’m glad you don’t have this project ahead of you. On the upside, it makes everything else I have to do this week look like a birthday party.
As I was running all the things I have to do through my mind like a silent film, I picked up this old photograph from a pile near the vault door. I was thinking about time and never having enough of it.
Can you even imagine how long it took this young woman to get dressed the morning of this photograph session? Her collar, starched and then ruffled with a special iron, would take a lot of time in upkeep. The little curls framing her face were pressed with a curling iron heated over a kerosene lamp. And she had to go out and pick those daisies.
I’m wearing blue jeans, my hair is in a ponytail and I didn’t take the time to put make-up on. I just didn’t have the time. I’d better get to polishing.
Fox and Finch Antiques in Richmond, Illinois 
GInene, your view looks like a picturesque postcard! [I’ll stop complaining about our recent snowfall–1-2″ which caused area schools to close]. Isn’t it funny how one thing leads to another when you start a simple project? Brings to mind: “if you give a mouse a cookie…”. You certainly live in an interesting home. :)
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I never heard of “if you give a mouse a cookie”. What is the second part, “that he’ll bring his friends to eat it?” Because I have to say, that is a perfect phrase for starting one project and it turns into many. Funnty!
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Funnty?
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“…then he’ll ask for a glass of milk.” A funny children’s book written by Laura Numeroff. We use this phrase at home to describe when one thing leads to another, and then another. Like when we pulled up our kitchen floor, before we knew it we completely renovated the entire room!
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What a job that must be, but so well worth it. It’s gorgeous!!
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Hi Betsy,
…a huge job and on-going! I got one side done with Bartender’s Friend but there must be something easier. I’m looking for instant surface rust removal.
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You are so right about time. And, I love your door and photography!!
I just nominated you for a blogging award called the Liebster Award. If you would like to learn more about what you can do next, please go to my blog here http://chocolateandsunshine.com/2014/03/07/liebster-awardthanks/
Congratulations!!
Dana
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Can you clean it and then coat it–like the Brits do when they polish copper or brass?
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Beth, I don’t know about this. I thought about putting a thin coat of olive oil on it but I don’t know if that is correct. I will do some research on UK Google. Thank you!!!
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Beth, I just came back from GoogleUK. There are all sorts of padded wheels that I can put on my drill and white and green stainless steel metal polishing compounds. Thank you for the good idea.
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What a great space! I love your bank door. I was thinking there has got to be some sort of oil to protect it as well.
I have thought about how easy we have it now compared to people in the past. We need butter and bread, we go to the store and buy them. I can’t imagine having to milk the cow, then process the butter. Or even taking the time to let the dough rise for the bread. Although, they didn’t have all the distractions we have now, with TV, Internet and not to mention taking all of the kiddos to all of their activities. I guess we have just traded our conveniences for a different kind of busyness.
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I agree with you. We’ve just traded it for something else. My great Uncle Napoleon told me once that they worked from dawn until dark, 7 days a week. This was in Canada before there was a church built. After it was built, they went to mass on Sunday and really looked forward to seeing other people. We might be just as busy (I know I am.) but I must say, I am constantly entertained while I am working with DVD’s, TV, audio books, radio and the Internet. This is a huge difference from the lives of earlier people. When they did something fun, it was a big deal. We are busy and over-stimulated. Ha!
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Hi Ginene,
This snowy scene couldn’t be more welcoming for us, here, on the island of Crete, who have had two weeks straight of a heavy heatwave!
Enjoyed this post about time, a subject which has occupied my mind for a while now, and especially since I turned 50. How fleeting it is! I read somewhere that there is a theory that can actually prove why the older one gets, the faster they feel time flies!
Just getting dressed in such a costume of apparel that the woman in the photo is wearing, would take the better part of one’s morning!
Have a wonderful week!
Poppy
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There has been some researchers that think time moves in a circle. Isn’t that interesting? I’m not sure I can wrap my mind around that, but it is fun to try. Thanks for visiting from Crete, Poppy. You were saying that you’ve had a heat wave in Crete and I often wonder what it must have been like to wear Victorian clothing in the summer. Can you imagine?
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