On the wall of my house

~On a wall in my house hangs a small crooked tin shovel, it`s handle is

The hand shovel hanging

 curled the same way as they used to open sardine tins. A slit in this handle enables it to be hung like a cape over a second tin handle shaped like a long tongue that holds a  coarse brush, at the upper    narrow edge there is a key shaped hole to hang it on a wall

Nobody gives it much attention, but it is a part of a real story. It was given to me by a Great Aunt who also told me about about it`s origin, I was especially   fascinated since twenty years earlier I have been told  about this artifact by another Great Aunt, but never dreamed that I will see it nor that I will be presented with it.

Many many years ago, a century and a half away from us,  their father my future Great Great Granddad, who was of a good family but times being hard was in service with a richer family,  fell in love with the daughter of the house, her parents were not pleased at all, but finally consented to the marriage. On the condition  that the young groom will give their daughter at least some of her wishes. My future Great Grand Ma asked her groom for two presents to make her feel happy: A little silver hand shovel + a brush like those that the well off ladies in those times used for  brushing off crumbs from the table rugs. And a Little silver hand bell for calling the servant(s) to clear the table, serve food etc

The young couple was not rich and being temperamental as well, broke a lot of their original dishes. Both aunts claimed that their father used to throw a dish on the floor when he   was angry, and that their mother used to say: Ok, that cup has no match anymore ! ` and than threw the matching cup on the floor which eventually stopped his throwing dishes. Of course the broken dishes had to be replaced, and they had no money for the promised symbols of wealth. One day my Great Grand Dad surprised his wife by making her a Tin hand shovel with matching brush, and he made them thus that she could hang them on  the wall near the table

 I asked both my Great Aunts breathlessly "Did he make her a hand bell as well?". Both Great Aunts remember their mother`s  wish to have a bell, one claimed to remember a bell, a bought silver bell. The second great aunt was not sure there was a bell at all "but if there was one" she said:" it would have been hand made by our father,  from tin as well"

I have the tin hand  shovel on my wall. nobody gives it much attention, I dust it from time to time, and every time passing by it, I am full of wonder for my Great Grand Dad `s excellent handicraft that came from love…and always wonder if there was  a bell as well

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