davidbowerkingwood

Early Matrimony

During the early years of our marriage my wife and I were extremely poor but hardworking. We had very few possessions and those we had were often of questionable quality; that was not really a problem for us as we were so happy about being married and living together as husband and wife that those things really didn’t matter to us at all.

We referred to our decor as early matrimony as it was a rather sad collection of items from a variety of sources. We had been given a toaster, as I recall and a few small items which had been wedding gifts but those have been gone and forgotten for ages.

There was one exception in our small collection of possessions, a Sunbeam Mixmaster that we had purchased on the installment plan while we were still engaged. Any rational consideration would lead one to believe this was pure extravagance for a young struggling couple but for some reason we felt compelled to make the purchase and gradually paid it off.

Now, 64 years later, we still have and use that same Mixmaster for all of our mixing jobs; it’s old and sort of beat up but it still does the job whenever needed; who could ask for anything more? (I have developed an emotional attachment to it to be honest; after all it has faithfully served us for over 64 years and deserves some consideration!)

Sunbeam Mixmaster Model 10, 1951

While we are definitely pleased with the service we have gotten from our faithful Mixmaster, it is not the only household item that has stood the test of time.

Mother’s Day Many Years Ago

We had been married for a few years by the time this particular Mother’s Day came around and I was painfully aware that my wife was experiencing constant frustration in the kitchen because of her lack of a really good knife for kitchen use. What knives we had would almost never easily do the cutting job required in the kitchen and my wife was faithful to let me know of her frustration with all of them.

As this particular Mother’s Day approached I had a brilliant idea, at least I thought it was brilliant, I would find her a really good knife for her to use in the kitchen. I knew the knives we had been getting at the hardware store and grocery store were not doing the job so I decided to find a professional butcher supply store and see if I could find a really first class knife for her to use in the kitchen.

My search met with complete success, I found a butcher knife of professional quality, sixteen and one half inches long, which could be sharpened to a razor edge. I was so excited by my find that I could hardly wait to give it to her on Mother’s Day.

Mother’s day finally arrived and I proudly presented her with the package I had so carefully wrapped containing the big butcher knife. We were both surprised when she opened the gift, she was disappointed, a butcher knife for Mother’s Day, had the romance already disappeared from our marriage, a butcher knife, oh really; I was surprised that she didn’t immediately see the wisdom of my selection and thank me for ending her frequent frustration with dull knives.

After that I would hear of my poor choice for a romantic mother’s day gift at appropriate times for the next several years; “a butcher’s knife for Mother’s Day?”

Years Later

Although we do not recall the exact Mother’s Day I gave her that insensitive gift, we think it was around 1958; I’m happy to report that it is still doing its job with professional elegance and still takes a razor sharp edge.

I must confess that I have, on occasion, asked her how she is enjoying her mother’s day gift as I watch her easily slicing through items in the kitchen as she prepares a meal. I think she has forgiven me and put her disappointment behind her as she continues to enjoy the benefits of this unromantic but very useful Mother’s Day gift.

Old but Very Sharp!!