Susan knew how to sew before I met her. She made the dress she wore when we went to my junior prom for our first date. She made the dress she wore for our wedding - as well as the shirt that I wore. When we were in our first parish, she tailored a suit for me. She has sewn clothes for our children and clothes for their toys. In addition to making new things, her talent at making clothing alterations and repairs has saved us a lot of money over the years. Most of the time the only way I can have pants that fit is to have her adjust the length for me. Most clothing manufacturers don’t make things in my size.

When we were first married she used the sewing machine at her parents’ house for her sewing projects. When we graduated from college they bought her a sewing machine as a graduation gift. That sewing machine has traveled with us many places since. It moved with us to Chicago, and came with us to the church camp we managed high in the mountains of Montana. It was set up in our tiny one-bedroom apartments and the folding table on which she set it up was one of the first pieces of furniture that we owned. That table is still serving us today.

Unfortunately, however, the machine did not last forever. It was a quality machine and could be cleaned and serviced for years and years, but finally after we moved out here to Washington, it went into the shop for repairs and adjustments and the shop said that the internal parts had been adjusted and used so many times that they no longer would stay in adjustment. They could make a temporary repair that would exceed the value of the machine, but they couldn’t guarantee that it would work properly.

The search is on for a new machine. We may be getting close to making a decision. At least we had our choice narrowed to four possible candidates last week. It isn’t the kind of decision one wants to rush. Chances are that even if the new machine doesn’t last as long as the one we received nearly 50 years ago it will last beyond the span of our lifetimes. We’d like to purchase one that has a few modern features, such as assistance with threading the needle, but we aren’t looking for the fanciest computer-driven embroidery machine that costs more than a used car.

In the meantime, Susan is using a machine borrowed from my sister to make repairs to our clothing when needed. I have a good pair of work pants that will serve for many more adventures, but there is a hole in a pocket that is large enough for my wallet to pass through. No worries, she’s on it and it will be repaired before I next wear the pants.

I’ve been thinking that perhaps keeping my old work pants is a good investment. I noticed that recently an auction was held in Reno, Nevada at which a pair of work pants with a 5 button fly sold for $114,000. That’s a pretty good price for a pair of used pants. The jeans belonged to the California Gold Marketing Group, which claims that they are the oldest pair of five-button fly jeans in existence. Even though the jeans are not made of denim. And even though the company historian at Levi Strauss said that there is “no connection between Levi Strauss & Co and the Reno auction pants,” they commanded a high price at auction. Tracey Panek of the Strauss company said that five button-fly pants were common in the 19th century.

I guess she was being defensive because the highest price paid for a pair of Levis to date is $76,000 for a pair found in an abandoned mineshaft. Those pants sold at auction in New Mexico.

I own several pairs of work pants that I would be willing to sell for considerably less.

Of course none of them happen to be Levis. I used to wear Levis all the time. They used to make pants with an inseam that was the right length for me before they abandoned odd numbered inseams and now sell jeans in 2 inch increments. It wasn’t the length of the jeans that convinced me to switch brands, however. The last pair I bought were torn through the knees the first day I wore them. The cloth simply wasn’t heavy enough for work pants. I wore them with patches on the knees, but one doesn’t expect to have to do that when the pants are new. On the other hand, I see people wearing jeans with rips that are far worse. I once suggested to Susan that I offer to buy a new pair of jeans for a young person whose jeans were all torn to shreds, but she said I’d better not get involved. She didn’t offer to patch them, either.

Still, I have several pairs of pants from other companies that are pretty nice. I even have two pair of felt-lined work pants that are great for winter outdoor projects. I can do chores at the farm on cold days in those pants without needing to put on coveralls. Heck, I own two pairs of coveralls, one insulated, the other plain. I’d part with either pair for half of what was paid for the jeans from the old mineshaft. They don’t have any mine tailings on them. There’s no chance of gold dust in the pockets. But they’ve been worn feeding cows and chickens and working in the shop. I think they have grease from a John Deere mower on them as well as a bit of oil from changing the oil in a Ford pickup truck. They’ve likely got sawdust in the pockets. And the sawdust might be cedar, which is known to preserve clothing from moth attacks. I think they are very valuable. My price is negotiable. If they would bring the price of a reasonable basic sewing machine, I’d sell them for sure.

I guess I’m not a good customer for vintage clothing auctions - or for any other kind of antique auction. The same auction at which the pants sold for $114,000 sold a brass bell for $18,000. I’ve got a cow bell that I’ll sell for $1,800.

There also was an ash tray that sold for $1,500. I don’t have any ashtrays. I guess I’ll have to think of another way to get money.