That is Priceless by Steve Melcher for October 04, 2024

“No dear, Grandpa is not in this clock. He was sent to a farm upstate.”

/// It’s the first time young Nina was shown

the old Grandfather’s Clock they now own.

Mama opens the door

which had been locked before.

(Where’s the pendulum? Isn’t that bone?)

Regarding this painting, I thought immediately of the sentimental“Grandfather’s Clock" that was a popular song, music composed and text written by Henry Clay In 1875.

For many years, I knew only the first verse and the chorus, shown below. The entire lyrics are found on-line, one site being —

Songofamerica.net

”Grandfather’s Clock”

.

My grandfather’s clock/ Was too large for the shelf,

So it stood ninety years on the floor;

It was taller by half/ Than the old man himself,

Though it weighed not a pennyweight more.

It was bought on the morn/ Of the day that he was born,

And was always his treasure and pride;

But it stopped short/ Never to go again,

When the old man died.

.

Chorus:


Ninety years without slumbering,/ Tick, tock, tick, tock,

His life seconds numbering,/ Tick, tock, tick, tock,

It stopped short/ Never to go again,

When the old man died.…

.

(A 1963 Twilight Zone” episode, “Ninety Years Without Slumbering” was based on this basic theme. It starred Ed Wynn.)

I know it’s get boring after a few hours Mimi. But you have to train if you want yourself to teach your own children how to stare at a wall all night. My own Gran had this vision that there’ll someday be a strange fascinating box right there and we want the next generations to be ready for this before anyone else.

It’s a new punishment called ‘Time Out’ which was invented by the Liberals dear. Instead of a beating you will be made to stand in this dark corner untilI I say you may leave it. If you leave before your sentence expires you will then be restrained in that large vase over there and made to repeat the sentence.

“You stand here and think about what you’ve done. And no wiping boogers on the priceless paintings.”

Isn’t it interesting that old “technology” was always so much more beautiful than what we have now?

In a neighborhood safe and sedate/

Stands a household absurdly ornate/

Where the passage of time/

Is marked by a chime/

Which is always a few minutes late…

Yes, dear, it will be much easier to tell time after electric lights have been invented and we can actually see the clock face.

It stands at the foot of the stairs/

Under dust (there are numerous layers)/

And the servants neglect/

What the folks don’t inspect/

But nobody really cares.

If someone were keeping a list/

Of objects that will not be missed/

A clock of this size/

Is doomed to demise/

You need merely to glance at your wrist.

Now be a good girl and wait in there while Mommy has her party.

“Oh, There’s PLENTY of Room For You to Crawl Inside, Dear! Just Try. It’ll Be a Nice Surprise for Daddy When He Comes Back From Chicago Tomorrow.”

Hey man, your clock won’t flush!

You see dear, when you stuff your dolls in here the pendulum stops swinging….

“Lady, I Asked If It Was Time For ‘Bluey.’ I Didn’t Ask How To Build A Clock.”

Dial 202-762-1401.

… or the computer screen.

Grandfather’s Clock: 

Paste (including the quote marks) 

"Category:Paintings of clocks" Wikimedia 

(syntax supported by the Google, Bing, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, and Brave search engines) in the browser address bar (or search for it using one of those search engines) and choose the first Category: found, and once there find the text string Evans, and click its link for info and links that point to more info about this painting. 

Again, a larger strip image is shown by (Ctrl- or right-) clicking the image in Mr. Melcher’s THROWBACK FRIDAY: MASTERPIECE #2248 (7/21/19) (October 4, 2024) blog entry, accessible by the Check out the blog! box after the last comment, and using the dropdown menu (even larger, if you trim what’s after .png from the URL). I have added a comment there pointing to the info about this artist I used to point to here. So far, only work by him used here (2 times total, including this Throwback Friday repeat), the July 22, 2019, strip being its first use.

We stuffed Jack Nicholson in it, now it’s a real CUCKOO clock.

Fifteen years from now, you will be in another painting stepping out of a bathtub.