George decided to do the dusting today, which is fine with me, as it is my least favorite job. After he finished with the clocks I noticed that he was setting them to ring for the first time in a long time.
We acquired the two clocks about twelve years ago and we had them up and running for awhile till the chiming kept us awake at night, and then we let them go silent.
Tonight as I worked on Garrett’s rug, we were waiting for him to drive in from New York City with his girlfriend, Heather, on their way back to Buffalo. I was sitting between the two clocks and the ticking and chiming was comforting as I worked. It’s a long drive from the city, especially with the snow, wind, and bitter temperatures, and I imagined what it must have been like for mothers waiting for their children to arrive without benefit of cell phones or texting, just a ticking of a clock to mark the time. It’s a soothing sound that eventually gave way to the sound of footsteps out front.
We had a good visit, though brief, and within an hour they were on the road again. Here I am, finding myself listening to the tick-tock of the clocks to soothe me till that text message comes that they are safely home and out of this wintry weather.