The New Clock Arrives

 

The new clock arrived two days early.  Yay!  It's a beautiful large clock, 16", and easy to read.   It had been carefully and elegantly packed so that it arrived in perfect condition.  

I intended to use the old clock in the kitchen, since the kitchen clock was broken, but the old clock doesn't have a second hand, which I need for timing.   So I started clock shopping again.  

Why do I care so much what a clock is like?  It's just that one looks at a clock so many times, and each time one must consider what it looks like.  It should be beautiful. 

How can a clock be beautiful?  Well, if you go clock shopping you will see lots of crazy ideas of what makes a clock beautiful.  The most glaring example of this is a clock that is otherwise an ordinary round thing, but instead of numbers there is a bird where each number would be, like a cardinal at noon.   I already knew about this nightmare of a clock because Mom's friend Theresa had one that one of her children gave her.  Announcing every hour there would be a bird call.  Did these bird calls sound like the bird pictured?  I think Theresa was disturbed about the fact that they didn't, but I don't remember whether the noise they made was a bird call or just chirping.  

My father had a beautiful collection of antique clocks that chimed on the hour, and some of them on the half and quarter hour.  I suppose that was pretty during the day, and it was nice sometimes to hear a chime tell you what hour it was.  Except that when I would visit I would sleep on the couch, and all night there would be the chiming of the bells, bells, bells.  Lots of them.   I managed to sleep anyway, but it wasn't a plus to have all the chimes ringing.   However, these were very beautiful clocks.  

What does make a clock beautiful?  I know it when I see it.   I want a wall clock with a second hand, and at least 12" in size,  and easy to read.  Is that so hard?  Well, lots of clock are pretty, but have no second hand, or any information whatsoever about what the hands are pointing to.   Lots of clocks aren't even pretty at all.   I don't like the Roman numerals much because I find myself puzzling over them.  I would prefer just regular old Arabic numbers.   But I do want all the hours to have a marker at least, not just a pretty little jewel where the twelve should be.   If there is no indication between 3, 6, 9, and 12, it can be confusing.  So this baby needs to tell me what time it is without me spending several seconds puzzling over it.   I don't like pictures of elephants, giraffes, kittens, or puppies or much of any picture on the clock.  I think a mother of pearl face would be pretty.   No ticking.  No chimes.  A clock with a night light would be nice, so one could see the time at night, but not luminescent numbers and hands.  Those just don't show up very well and they're ugly.  Not digital because digital doesn't show seconds.  So have I described the null set?  Just about.  We'll see.