The Desk



Dad's desk and chair. Photo by Michelle Goodrum October 2011.

Today's post is about another object that evokes warm memories: my dad's desk. When it was in The Family Home, Dad had a big long piece of plywood laid across it and another old desk held up the far end of the plywood. This gave him a larger workspace and lots more storage. 

Two items this setup allowed Dad to keep on his desk were his adding machine

Dad's adding machine. Photo by Michelle Goodrum 22 October 2007.

and his check protector.

Dad's check protector. Photo by Michelle Goodrum 22 October 2007.

Us kids loved to play with both. We would push the buttons, pull the handle and flip the switches with absolutely no idea what we were really doing. It was fun to put a piece of paper in the imprint area of the check protector and produce our very own make believe checks. To the day he died, Dad used both the adding machine and the check protector regularly. Unfortunately, we couldn't justify keeping either one so the kids across the street ended up with them. The desk was another matter.

When we were emptying out the house, we removed the big piece of plywood that had served as Dad's desktop and discovered the original top of the desk was in mint condition. So we found a spot for it in the cabin and now whenever we visit the Pacific Northwest not only do we have a desk to work on, but I can sit in Dad’s old yellow 1950s era swivel chair, reminisce and feel warm and fuzzy all over. Don't you just love his “retro” chair?

© 2011, copyright Michelle Goodrum