Making it My Own: Wind Chimes

 It may not seem like a big deal, but over the weekend I finally tackled some of the boxes which have been sitting in our garage since last summer. Now there is (sort of) a path on one side of the garage, and two cabinets are organized with stuff we actually need and use!

When I was crawling around in the top of my dad's garage last summer, I unearthed many treasures and brought them home to our garage. This odd assortment includes old Christmas lights, dog leashes, a tiny afghan my grandma made for my cats, my old diaper pail (YIKES! More on that later!), and a set of wind chimes. I found the wind chimes in the bottom of an old bucket, completely dismantled and covered with spiderwebs. Deep in the same bucket was a brand new set of leather shoestrings, as if my dad had meant to repair the wind chimes but never got around to it.

When I was growing up, these wind chimes hung on our back porch. I used to love the sound made by the wooden ball as it swung between the bells in the breeze. I had completely forgotten about the wind chimes until I found them that day. But when I hit the ball against the bells, the hollow clanging sound took me straight back to my childhood. I scooped them up and brought them home, knowing I needed to find a place for them.

Over this past weekend, I found the wind chimes in the garage and told Spouse of my plan to hang them. They needed a good cleaning and a coat of spray paint. He took on both tasks and then set to work stringing them back together. With a few minor adjustments, they'll be ready to hang -- although we haven't agreed on a place for them yet. He doesn't think the neighbors will appreciate them so much. :)

It really doesn't matter to me where they hang. I just love having them here with me. Something old -- and meaningful, made new again.
jp