Ready, willing and able...

Do you know that Beatles' song that has the line in it...'there are places I remember- from my life, though some have changed'... this little piece of the past and her friend remind me of that song each time I see them. Which is often as they stand proudly guarding the dishwasher. In fact they are in the way of the dishwasher and they need to be moved in order to open the dishwasher door, but yet here they are in all of their glory reminding me to hum the song about remembering and changing and remembering, as I hand wash the morning dishes, the mid day dishes, and the evening dishes.
Both are gifts from a friend, they were her grandmother's and for some odd reason no one else in the group saw the beauty in them. Imagine! They make me happy, their functionality and lack of design thought actually leads to an aesthetic that is pleasing to those of us who share the memories of chats in the kitchen while resting upon a seat/stool such as this one. There would have been big bowls involved in the preperation of a meal, no freezer to oven short cuts for the original owners of this little piece of art. The idea wasn't to do it fast, it was to do it well. The person sitting on the stool would have taken all of the activity in, happily preparing themselves for whatever was to come from the mixing bowl, just knowing that it would be delicious. No cries of, 'not agian mom...can't we have McDonalds?' I own mixing bowls, I'm sure of it, they must be burried deep inside one of the cupboards in my newly painted kitchen, and as soon as I find the map I drew to remind me of where all of the kitchen things are, I'll get one out and whip something up, perferably after tieing a child onto the stool to complete the walk down memory lane.
Her friend there, the sweeper, is another memory, although I am not entirely sure the memory is mine, freaky how memories float around for us to grab and claim ownership. Little Elenor Rigby for me, anyway back to the sweeper. It works, it gives the user a great work out as a matter of fact. Back and forth, back and forth this modern marvel goes, and after about a dozen passes the crumb that has been heckling you from the floor is gone...it deserved it! Efficiency aside, there's nothing in our modern world that can hold a candle to this lovely. Swifters you say, give me break, sure they swifter their way through the house collecting the likes of dog hair, dust and yes crumbs, but come on, where's the benefit in that? Do you sweat, has your heart rate risen to an aerobic rhythm, do you see the results of a cleaning in your biceps. Then don't even try to convince me that the two are similar...you'll never win that argument.
These two precious pieces of yesterday are safe, no need for the Smithsonian to worry, I've got them covered. They remain in place, guarding the dishwasher, ready to serve at a moments notice. Now if I could only find that mixing bowl.