My Dad sent me a package that arrived yesterday (sat.) with an old night light/lamp he and I have both have known since we were both little kids. He says Grandpa brought it home one day and set on the TV set (circa 1952). Grandpa never said how he got it - Dad thinks maybe a supplier at the old grocery store may have given it to him (but he doesn't really know).
Anyway, it has an outside swamp Huck Finn motif(sp?) little boy peeing in a lake. There is an inside swirly thing that swirls based on the heat from the light bulb. The design on the inside swirly makes it look like the little is peeing.
Funny thing is, I recognized it immediately and couldn't believe it was still around. I had it as a night light when I stayed at Granny and Grandpa's back when I was around 8 or 9 or 10 or up 12 or so. That would be '68-'72. Dad included a note saying how much the laughed at it that the little boy just kept peeing.
I open the box and there is still a bulb in it. So, I plugged it up and dam! it still goes!!!!!
Amazing... Dad never knew I knew all about that thing for all these decades.
He included a card which I think may be the best Christmas card I have ever received. I would normally we give a quick glance at cards we receive but I read this one in earnest - several times over and it has really nailed me and Dad to a T.
As follows:
I'm so glad for the things that make our relationship great.
For our easy conversations and the way we understand each other so well.
For the things we both enjoy,
and times spent together,
even when they go by so fast.
And I'm so glad that the years just keep bringing us closer.
I'm so lucky to have a son like you.
[signed] Love Dad.
There is no under estimating about how any much of that is absolutely 100% true.
Yes, it brought tears to my eyes right away. We've had our problems now and then. We have both dis-owned each other at different times. But as it said "the years just keep bringing us closer". And that is 100% spot on!
.... and that brings me another BigE story....
While up home to IL for Granny's 90 birthday party in 2008, Dad came and got from Granny's where I was staying to spend the day with him. We went out and ate and drove around and stuff and ended up back up at his place. VERY VERY nice place I had only seen under construction years before. We are chatting in the living room, I was still doing some land surveying at the time, and he mentions about this guy giving them all a hard time about permanent structures vs. it's on wheels. I've seen this before in the Appalachian mountains where someone builds a full blown house around a trailer and claims it's not permanent. Dad got this phone call while we were just having some long lost private in person time about all that.
Well.. still having my foot in the surveying world I had to ask what that was all about and he told me the above.
Being that I truly was "outside the box" I just to said to Dad "if the structure is not permanent, move it 3 feet right now just to prove so." Dad started laughing his hind end off - I was serious. After Dad got done laughing (me to) he realized I was right. It was all about IL taxes. The guy was getting taxed and stuff he cobbled together making a non-moveable structure vs. what he had really done - adding on to his little 500' sq/ft domicile into something else and get away with it.
I honestly don't know what happened in the end but it was dam sure funny at the time.
We had one of those when I was growing up and I found one on eBay when my daughter was in grad school and I gave it to her for a birthday present. She liked it.
You can still find them under "fountain of youth lamp"
"Fountain of Youth" is inscribed at the bottom. You are exactly correct Dave!! I'm glad someone knew exactly what I was talking about.
It's on youtube too. So you can see how they work. Expensive too!
That's the exact one Brad!!
Say hi to anyone in the Grimmer family that might still be around the area and might remember me. I think Andy and John were close to my age.
