A Lamp, A Bowl, and a Bell

Years ago, not long after school ended for the summer and I left behind the seventh grade, a Sears sale catalog arrived.

I flipped through the pages and came to a sudden and abrupt halt.

There, in all its glorious splendor, was a beautiful lamp, and I wanted it. I really, really wanted it.

I asked my mom if I could have the lamp. She glanced at the price and gave me a firm no. Begging didn’t budge the lamp purchase in my favor, so I asked, if I saved up the money myself, if I could buy it.

Mom agreed if I paid for it myself, I could buy it.

That summer, I worked harder than I ever had in my young life. Dad paid me twenty-five cents for every gopher I caught, and I got a penny for every flat hale bale I turned over. (That was back before balers spit out bales in a variety of enormous sizes. A flat bale had to be turned upright for the stacker to pick it up. It saved my dad a lot of time if someone went through the field and set the bales upright.) I think my allowance got a fifty cent increase with the extra chores I took on.

It was almost time for school to start when I saved enough to purchase the lamp. It seemed like it took forever for the lamp to arrive one Mom placed the order for me. The day finally came when the local Sears dealer called to say it had arrived. (Our small town didn’t have a store, just a dealer who took orders, received shipments, and carried a few appliances, like dryers and stoves.) I think I had to wait a few days until someone was heading into town, but the moment I saw the lamp, all the gophers, hay bales, and domestic tasks I despised seemed worthwhile.

I loved that lamp. Adored it even. I left it home when I went away to college, fearful it might get broken, but when Captain Cavedweller and I wed, it came with me.

One day, I was at my grandma’s house, and noticed a candy dish on her shelf that matched my lamp. My grandpa had purchased it for her for their anniversary. When they both passed away, Mom got the bowl for me.

Then one day back in February, I was searching online for bells while I was doing research for a book. Guess what popped up in my feed? That’s right – a bell that matched my lamp and grandma’s candy dish. I had to have it, of course, and add it to my collection of prized, precious pieces.

There are no stamps or marks on any of these to identify the manufacturer. Online searches haven’t yielded any info.

If you know anything about who made them, or even the pattern name, I’d love to know!