The concept of time is fascinating, and so too are the mechanisms by which we measure the passage of time. Clocks in their various manifestations over the centuries never fail to surprise and gratify the connoisseur of their unimaginable presentations. And collectors of clocks are always on the lookout for various types of clock cases and movements from different areas of the world.

They are decorative objects of great imaginative beauty often, combining semi-precious materials and meticulous craftsmanship along sculpture within their realized presence. And no small amount of ingenuity and inspiration has gone into their making.

They delight us with their sound, and satisfy deep within us the need to connect somehow with a past that struggled, just as we do, to keep pace with time, a commodity that is limitless, but limiting to those aware of its presence and to them anything but without limit.

From time to time, my husband, an inveterate clock collector of long standing, roams about the house, a small box of keys in hand, to wind all the clocks he has gathered over the years to make up his proud inventory.

Time is so scarce, with so much to do continually, that it presents almost as a reprieve if not a reproof to realize that the presence of the clocks is scarcely noted if they're not animated.

So for as long as the winding mechanism permits - anywhere from several days to several weeks - the house resonates with the 19th Century tic and the antique melodious toc of their surrounding presence.