BUTTON HOOKS and my Dad

These are button hooks and hang on the wall of my house. Please ignore the ugly thermostat that some very uncreative person thought belonged smack in the middle of said wall.
Pat Sloan blogged about "collecting" and you need to see what she collects, right here. It's really funny what some people collect. Reading her post got me thinking about what I collect, or more to the point - what others thought I should collect.

For instance ... my Dad (who now lives in Heaven) started sending me button hooks in 1992. No, they are not crochet hooks. These were used to button up shoes ... back in the day. They come in all sizes with a huge variety of handles. These are some that live in a drawer to be displayed someday...

And these had handles that were no longer in very good shape. My Dad replaced the handles with shell casings. Shell casings, as in bullet shells. My Dad was a collector himself - of military stuff and a rather unique individual.

And over the years, he sent me more button hooks, which I've displayed in frames ...

lots and lots of button hooks ...

and even a few more ...

And then there was the day he sent a few more ...

and did I mention - he sent me lots and lots of button hooks ...

I have over 300 button hooks and one pair of button-up shoes. On any given day, my Dad might call and ask "how many?" and I always had to have a ready (and correct) answer. These hooks have been a part of our family and displayed in 5 different homes in the last 18 years ... jeez, where did all THAT time go?

I love you, Dad.