Thursday, May 18, 2006

It’s the day before Friday --- I can make it through anything…I’m taking next week off to get ready for Eric’s graduation. The weather is SUPPOSED to be gorgeous. I’ll get my garden planted, closets and cabinets cleaned out (you know the ones that only get tended to when your Mother is about to visit!) and quilt.



I’m posting a picture of my keys. I hold these keys as something valuable. Valuable - having great material or monetary value especially for use or exchange – No, I don’t have a single lock that these keys belong to, and some show signs of rust, there value remains. In the age of Fob’s (car door openers), Credit card passkeys, and Push-button coded entries- think about it- these aren’t being made any more. For every key there’s a story, what did it open? A chest, a gate, a room--- and what was it protecting? I’m addicted. These hang on a peg next to my kitchen sink and these are the questions I ask every time I see them. Every time I go to a second hand store, the first thing I ask is ‘Do you have old keys?’ I’ve always kept an old skeleton key with my set of car keys ‘for luck’.

When Chelsey, my daughter, went to take her driving test, I said, “Here. Take this. Put it on your key ring.. Not that you need it.. But you might…” I took off the old skeleton key from my key chain and handed it to her. I figured she’d role her eyes thinking it one of those quirky ‘Mom’ things that I do, but she took it. The key was about an inch longer than the car keys and clearly not the kind of thing that would fit on an ‘Abercrombie’ kind of key ring. But she still has it. She’s never given it back. Every once in a while I look at the cup hook rack where everyone in our house has his or her keys. There’s my husband’s key chain with his locker keys for work, my son’s set of car keys with a leather band from some girl, my key ring holding house and car keys, and that grocery store ‘saver’ tag, and then my daughter’s set - and among the car keys, the house keys, a small jewelry box key, there’s still that old skeleton key--- for luck.

I better get busy---

4 comments:

Jeanne said...

Another thought-provoking phrase:
For every key there's a story, what did it open ... what was it protecting?
I'm going to start keeping an eye out for old keys at flea markets.
I'm enjoying your writing!
Jeanne :)

Patty said...

we had those skeleton keys for all the doors in the house that I grew up in. Even the back door of the house had that type of lock.
We have a good collection of them to this day. I think maybe one should be on my key chain !

Finn said...

Hi Melanie, saw your name on someones blog today and didn't click through to see where you were. Then I saw it again on Carolyn's Lakeside Quilting and when you said Green Bay, I had to come and look you up..*VBS* I'm in WI..but over in West Central, west of Eau Claire. Used to live in Oconto, Wi tho, and have been up through your neck of the wood often. How are into the U.P. do you live? Would to hear from you..*S*
I was very surprised to see your keys....mostly because I have an ancient love affair with them myself, and so few people do. I suppose keys have become less common than they used to be. And increasingly more so.

One or two of my most favorite, beside the old skeleton keys, are roller skate keys. The kind you wore around yourneck on a shoelace or string. Have you seen those??

I'll have to come back and check your archives, I see quilts!!!

Tracey said...

I had to laugh when I saw your pic...cuz I was handed about 4 of those keys when we bought our home (built in 1940). Yep, I still use 'em. :o) Aren't they the neatest?