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Wryfox
·I have been dealing with a difficult issue of late, my father is advancing through dementia and now must live in a secure facility for his safety.
My sister and I must sort through his affairs and manage his long lifetime of possessions. We recently spent an emotional week at his house. For a man who never threw anything away, we sorted through over 80yrs of memorabilia, 1000s of pictures (he was a photographer) and assorted bits and records.
My Great Grandfather Albert built the house for his daughter(my grandmother), by hand, as he was a carpenter. My father moved into the house at her passing. Everything in that house was a time capsule of our family, as my father kept all the generations of possessions as well. It felt like a tidal wave of history, our own included, from childhood to current date with all the craziness of dementia thrown in to add to the disorder of things. A fiercely independent man, we waited until waiting was no longer an option.
We found several jewels that week...
One amazing jewel is shown below, an 1879 model Waltham pocket watch, made in 1883. Sterling case.
Found in a drawer with a note saying it belonged to "James...grandfather"
To me, he was my Great Great Grandfather James, who passed over 100yrs ago.
The second hand started as soon as I turned the winder, and too my surprise several hours later was still running. I wound it every 24hrs and after a few days I measured for accuracy.
+3secs/day....consistently, over several days so far. To be fair I did not carry it but rather let it sit on my desk, but that's pretty darn good running for a watch almost 140yrs old, eh?
My sister and I must sort through his affairs and manage his long lifetime of possessions. We recently spent an emotional week at his house. For a man who never threw anything away, we sorted through over 80yrs of memorabilia, 1000s of pictures (he was a photographer) and assorted bits and records.
My Great Grandfather Albert built the house for his daughter(my grandmother), by hand, as he was a carpenter. My father moved into the house at her passing. Everything in that house was a time capsule of our family, as my father kept all the generations of possessions as well. It felt like a tidal wave of history, our own included, from childhood to current date with all the craziness of dementia thrown in to add to the disorder of things. A fiercely independent man, we waited until waiting was no longer an option.
We found several jewels that week...
One amazing jewel is shown below, an 1879 model Waltham pocket watch, made in 1883. Sterling case.
Found in a drawer with a note saying it belonged to "James...grandfather"
To me, he was my Great Great Grandfather James, who passed over 100yrs ago.
The second hand started as soon as I turned the winder, and too my surprise several hours later was still running. I wound it every 24hrs and after a few days I measured for accuracy.
+3secs/day....consistently, over several days so far. To be fair I did not carry it but rather let it sit on my desk, but that's pretty darn good running for a watch almost 140yrs old, eh?
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