Do y’all wake to an alarm clock in the morning? I don’t need an alarm clock, because I have alarm cats. They always decide they need to be fed while I am still sleeping, and will go to great lengths to waken their “mommy.”
Alarming
For the longest time, every morning when I opened my eyes and glanced at the clock it read “4:04,” and I knew that there was an error. I tried to roll over and go back to sleep, but it never worked. I’m an early riser anyway, so I gave up and got up..
I had never realized it, because I hadn’t thought about it, but it wasn’t until the latter part of the 1800s that people “woke up” to the notion of rising at the same time every day. I suppose that this happened when we switched from being an agricultural nation to an industrial nation. Folks had to be at work at their factory jobs … probably making alarm clocks.
Levi Hutchins was a clockmaker in Concord New Hampshire. Back in 1887, he invented an alarm clock for himself. It didn’t go on the dresser beside the bed; it was like a gigantic grandfather clock with an alarm. Although this wasn’t the very first alarm clock, it was the first American alarm clock. It wasn’t the most novel American alarm clock — that would be the “Tugaslugabed,” circa 1910. It had an attached loop that you placed around your toe. Eight seconds before the set time, an alarm would ring and then at the set time this clock would pull hard on the loop to wake you up. Obviously, this particular model of alarm clock was not mass marketed.
Nor was the model that Levi Hutchins made. As I said, he made it for himself. Hutchins had a deeply ingrained sense of guilt, wanted to be up at the exact same time every day. He felt out of sorts if he didn’t get up “on time.” It ruined his day.
He built his alarm clock to go off at four o’clock every stinkin’ morning! It couldn’t be changed! Why didn’t he just get cats?
Because I added a photo to this, I decided to enter it into the Monochrome Weekly theme. Follow that link to find other bloggers with photos. Some of them take good enough pictures that they don’t have to write a story!
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{ 8 comments }
Thoroughly alarming !
.-= Aileni´s last blog ..Rosheen Inlet, Co.Donegal, Eire. July 2009. =-.
Hey Shelly just popping in to say hello. I haven’t used alarm clock in years. On occasion I use the alarm on my phone. Mostly to wake me from a nap. zzzzz
.-= janeywan´s last blog ..This morning in Denver, later in Westcliffe =-.
Nice shot
.-= Daryl´s last blog ..monochrome monday =-.
As with you, I am a natural early riser. You want someone to wake up your neighborhood birds, let me know. We are also blessed with “Feed Me Now meow!” cats, so even when I do try to roll over after a late night, they are traipsing across my forehead. Do not expect to sleep in once you get used to the time change if you visit.
.-= Jamie´s last blog ..Manic Monday – Curse =-.
I lived with the alarm clock for years. We rarely set it anymore. I love that very much.
Have a terrific day.
.-= Comedy Plus´s last blog ..Awww…Mondays #22 =-.
When we first married, hubby’s alarm went off at 2 a.m. Now that he has retired — no alarm, and he usually sleeps until 10. On the other hand, I get up when HIS dog jingles her tags about 7 a.m. (sometimes she lets me sleep til 7:15).
.-= Carol G.´s last blog ..Manic Monday ~ CURSE =-.
I thoroughly enjoyed the story AND the photo. How nice to stumble upon a blog and to learn something! Recently, Monastery Daily Photo talked about church bells. You would enjoy that post.
.-= Greensboro Daily Photo´s last blog ..Blandwood Mansion =-.
Wonderful photograph Shelly.
Wishing you a scent-sational day!
Patty
.-= Patricia Reiser´s last blog ..{POTD} All Photographs are Monochrome {Weekly} =-.
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