About that gizmo

Several of you asked about the little prized possession I shared on my Where Bloggers Create post -- the eraser gizmo.

  I'm the youngest child and only girl in my family and both of my brothers were already in high school by the time I started kindergarten. The gap in our ages meant they were old enough to be out of the house and on their own before I finished elementary school. 

My brother closest in age to me was a genius, literally. He was intellectually gifted and to a little sister, that meant there wasn't anything he couldn't do or make or explain. 

Growing up, he was fascinated with electronics and was always building something from his collection of tubes, transistors and parts & pieces from the insides of the technology at the time, televisions and radios. 

The smell of burning solder coming from his bedroom meant something was 'under construction' or on fire.

the Ejector Seat in action

He made this gizmo for my mother about 40 years ago, when he was a teenager -- it's a whimsical and funny combination of the things we associated with his interests -- a soldered wire guy driving a car made from an eraser and electronic parts. Complete with sproingy ejector seat! My mother kept this little sculpture safely tucked in a drawer until she passed away and it became mine.

Not long after that, I also lost the brother who created it. And suddenly it went from charming memento to prized possession. Funny how that works but it still serves as a sweet reminder of simpler times.