It is amazing how some products have come down in price over the years, or have stayed the same price in dollars while everything around us rises in price. Take TV sets, my Hubby says that his Dad bought a TV in 1952, when he was five years old - my Hubby I mean, not his Dad!!!! - for 80 English pounds, which was worth at the time, he thinks, about $240 US bucks.  Now, this was a 17 inch screen set in black and white, with only one channel that worked, but space for another one when it came online a year or two later, if online is the correct word.
All wired up by hand, as printed circuit boards had not yet been invented. Great big glowing tubes inside, and it would break down about every 2 years or so, often needing a new main picture tube.
Clocks and watches are the same - you can now buy a quite nice looking wrist watch for a few dollars, and even buy a wall clock for a dollar in the dollar store. But just a few years ago, when they were clockwork, they cost at least five times as much. Then they would last for maybe a couple of years, then cost so much to repair that it was not worth it.
Then look at calculators. The first ones could just add and subtract. And they cost about 10 bucks, which in those days was maybe a quarter of a weeks pay. Once again, thanks to the dollar store we can get a calculator for a buck. And it will add, subtract, do percentages, divide, multiply, and even has funny 'M+' and 'M-' buttons that no-one that I know can tell me what they do!

Collecting things that are old is quite a common thing as far as hobbies go, and so I am tempted to mention how old my hubby is! But seriously, my Hubby bought an old car, a 1966 Mercury, and it is funny how the reality differs from the dream. I have seen these big old cars cruising down the road looking like they are extremely comfortable, but try telling that to my Hubby. The older cars lack the features that we have come to accept, such as rear defrost, and a heater fan that pumps out masses of heat. Then there is the gas consumption from the non-computerized engine! It is the same with clocks. Those old Grandfather clocks that we used to see standing in the hallways in old houses are another unrealistic dream. The reality is that to own such a thing you will need the patience to wind the thing up, and to always bear in mind that the time shown is actually incorrect as the clock stopped without you seeing that it did, so be prepared to spend time watching to see if the pendulum is still swinging. Then there are the repair and regular cleaning costs. To own a grandfather clock can be easier than that of course, by just going more modern. Take away all the hassles, and at the same time have an item with known quality such as a Howard Miller Grandfather Clock and that can be something that will be the collectors piece of the future. In fact, modern clocks can come in many styles, both traditional as well as contemporary. There is actually a more specialized blog that you might find interesting that includes a post about decor as well as many other interesting facts.

It is really great when you have been working more or less constant 7 day weeks, to get a weekend where you can just do occasional things like cleaning up stuff that has annoyed you for quite a while. This weekend I was really fortunate as Hubby did the work that I should have been doing, leaving me at home watching TV and catching up on silly stuff like vacuuming out the car, etc.
And although I have been quite busy today, the strange thing is I don't feel quite so tired as I do when I am working at the same old repetitious job!

It seems that it might be the competition from overseas that has created a better deal on eyeglasses, which is not before time, and the great thing that these are prescription eyeglasses. Zennioptical has Incredible Stylish New Frames From Zenni and have such good deals with their Zenni Optical $ 8 Rx Eyeglasses that they were the Fox news yes, that's right, I said Zenni Optical was on FOX news!

After almost a year, I am happy to see this blog acquire some ranking. It is now pr2! Yes! As a blogger, it is a big deal to have some kind of blog rank. So I am glad that this blog has finally earned some. I see some friends with pr now too, so congratulations to you guys. Anyways, it's been a few weeks since I managed to squeeze some posts here. I am really just busy with my work these days. Hopefully I can get my act together and slowly start posting consistently again...