Pretty sad looking, huh?
This old Gooseneck Rocker is probably well over 100 years old and has seen more travel than most people. We don't really know where all it may have traveled before it came into Vern's possession, but he has had it since approximately 1983 and it has made its way from Texas to Minnesota to Illinois.
It's been in this sad condition for the past nine years as we could never figure out quite what to do with it. Most people would have figured out pretty easily what to do with it - set it out for the trash and have it hauled away.
But this chair had a promised attached to it. Vern got this from a fellow Air Force family when they were moving. The woman who owned it at the time was about 50 years old, and the rocker had originally been her grandmother's rocker. Her own mother had been rocked in this chair and it's pretty easy to say that her mother had rocked her and she had rocked her own children.
However, they were moving and just couldn't take the chair with them, so she entrusted it to Vern who had fallen in love with the comfy old chair. The only thing she asked was that he promise never to get rid of it.
And he has kept that promise. However, as the years went by, both time and frequent moves took their toll on the chair, and it was eventually nothing more than something in the garage that was always in the way.
Recently, quite by chance, I was given the name of an older gentleman in our area who does upholstery work, so we packed up the Gooseneck and took it to him, preparing ourselves to hear "I'm sorry, there's nothing that can be done to save her."
But Mr. Fritz (just Mr. Fritz - we never learned his first name) worked wonders on her. He brought her back to life and back to her original beauty.
She now has a place of honor in our home, right by the fireplace. Just right for rocking and just right for knitting. 
I wish we had a way to let Sandra know that the promise has been kept and that her grandmother's chair is still being treasured.
6 Comments:
If the previous owners could see the chair, I bet they would be proud! Look lovely!!
Paula-NCN
Wow! It looks great! I bet she would love to know that it isstill being used and looks great now!
WOW!! That looks awesome!
oh my goodness! its beautiful! :)
That's amazing!
Thanks! We're very happy with it. And it's super comfortable, so it's now MY chair.
Oh, my gosh! This post brought me to tears. I, too, have a beloved rocker in my home with a long history/story as well. Mine belonged to my great-great-grandmother. My mom had it reupholstered in the 80s, and I've always wondered if that was the right thing to do (as all the antique shows say to keep things in original condition). However, when they're falling apart (as yours and mine were) then it makes sense to infuse some life in them. I am so glad you were able to bring this chair back to life.
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