I could write a whole book on this subject!
My love affair with vacuums started practically the minute i ever saw one. It was my Grandma's Electrolux Model E rigged up with a PN1.
Both sets of Grandparents were very understanding about my interest in vacuums. Both Grandmother's incouraged it infact, and always loved for me to come to their house and vacuum.
My own Mother however was completly different.
She was totally and completly AGAINST ANYTHING to do with me and vacuum cleaners. She thought, and still does think its TOTALLY CRAZY.
(and she is a nurse with a Masters Degree in Nursing,,you'd think she would be a little sympathetic,,even just a little!)
Dad was oblivious, but more excepting than Mother. Dad loved for me to take the vacuum out and do the car interior!
Infact, there was a day when i was 8 yrs old that is still a sore spot between Mom and i.
What happend was, She MADE ME go to swimming lessons ON PURPOSE so she could sneak off and go buy the new vacuum WITHOUT ME there. (of course she bought a vacuum i HATED,,a Hoover Dial A Matic Powerdrive.)
Ive often wondered WHY it would have been so horrible to have let me come along. KNOWING it was the ONE THING in life i really enjoyed.
And, for the most part, i did most ALL Of the vacuuming in our house by this age anyway. WHY couldnt i chose WHAT vacuum i wanted?!!
Still a sore spot to this day. (im 45 yrs old)
And, Mom still refuses to understand my vacuum hobby, and dismisses it with a huff.
I did get my way in later yrs however, so the story does have a happy ending.
1. My Gramma bought a new Electrolux Golden Jubilee, which i loved, and grew up using at her house, and its in my collection today.
2. After using that Dial A Matic and letting it spew dust all over for years, when i was old enough to drive and had my own money, i took it and traded it for a used Rainbow D2 with PN. Yes, Mom and i had a fight over it at the time, but i won the battle. She hadnt touched a vacuum in yrs,,and I did ALL of the vacuuming anyway,,,so WHY couldnt i have one that i liked to use!!
3. When she saw all the TONS and TONS OF FILTHY DIRTY WATER that came out of our carpets from the Rainbow,,that her Dial a Matic was spewing for years,,,she finally just walked away shaking her head.
I know it sounds crazy,,,but when your own Mother deceives you, when you are a kid,,,its hard to forget. That one incident drove a wedge between Mom and me, and i knew from that day on that i couldnt trust her. I found in later yrs more than once that this was true.
Ive told her this in later yrs too, but like with my vacuum hobby,,,she dismisses it like it was nothing.
She just dosent get it.
As for checking out other people's vacuums as a kid,,absolutely! Most were thrilled that i was interested in their vacuums,,and some did let me get it out and use it!
Infact, several neighbors that were older or elderly,would pay me to come and run their vacuum, which was fine by me! One sweet neighbor lady had Central Vac,(early Kenmore with a Kenmore PN) which i was totally facinated with,,she would let me come over and use it anytime i wanted to. Of course i was oblivious to the fact that she was getting her vacuuming done for free!,,i was just having fun!
(If i was with Mom however, i was totally BANISHED from even MENTIONING ANYTHING to do with their vacuum, even if it was someone that i new would let me use theirs)
One time when i was about 7, my Gramma who was an avid Bridge player( Card game played mostly by woman) got and emergency call to a card game as someone couldnt make it at the last minute.
(you have to have 4 players in a game of Bridge,,no more, no less)
She was baby sitting me at the time, and told the lady that called, that she would have to bring me along.
So, away we went to this lady's house.
When we got there,Low and behold,,wall to wall carpet. HA,,their HAS TO BE a neat vacuum around here somewhere. The hall closet perhaps?
YEP, sure enough,,,a BRAND NEW TAN Brown Electrolux Model G, with Tan PN1.
So, as the ladies played bridge at the kitchen table,,,,i vacuumed the whole house, stairs, furniture and all! That brand new Model G purred like a kitten.
For years afterward,whenever id see her, that lady asked me if id like to come run her vacuum,,and she would laugh and laugh.
She never forgot that.
)
