Every so often I seem to find myself searching for items that… well, the best way to describe it might be that the world has moved on. Like last year when I went on a search for a styptic pencil. As much as anything, it was sort of fun watching the look on people’s faces when I asked about them. Although I did eventually find one, and they tend to last, so I can probably pass it down to future generations.
Lately I have been searching for something I know exists, but I can’t remember where I might have seen them. I just know I have seen them. Somewhere.
Just to fill in the background, last weekend, while we were expecting tons of snow, I was getting ready for any and all possibilities. Like you should. I even dug out a couple oil lamps that we keep around for such times. I made sure they were topped up and ready to go, then put them where I knew they would be readily available as needed. They were sitting toward the back of a table, out of the way. Or I thought they were out of they way.
I started doing other things, when I suddenly knocked something over. I have to be quite honest. The result actually impressed me. It was a chain reaction worthy of a person who is an expert at setting up dominos for a chain reaction. Things toppled over in a neat little pattern, until they took out the oil lamps, knocking them over and breaking the glass chimneys. We won’t go into the exact language I may have used to describe the situation. It wasn’t too bad, because there was that brief moment where I thought my best plan may be to leave home and hit the road, making my living setting up dominos. That passed quickly, and I just cleaned things up. But I was left with two oil lamps that no longer had the chimneys.
I have a couple others, so it wasn’t a big deal. And at least the base remained intact, so I didn’t have lamp oil flowing everywhere. But I’m down two oil lamps. I could add them to my collection of oil lamps without shades. I have a few of those around. But there must be some place that sells the chimneys. I know I have seen them, fairly recently. I just have no idea where.
The search has been a bit amusing. People look at you funny when you ask for chimneys for an oil lamp. I have had to really resist the temptation to call people things like “whippersnapper” or say things like “dag nabbit”, just to make myself sound even more old timey. Maybe even dress like a prospector for the 1800s. But the thing is, I know these things are out there. It’s just a matter of finding them.
I know. You can order them online. I don’t shop online. I prefer to physically handle the item I am buying before I lay my money down. And the idea of shipping fairly delicate pieces of glass doesn’t make that much sense to me.
So my search continues. And dag nabbit I know I’ll find them somewhere.