The Atkins Family Boombox

You are looking at a picture of the Atkins Family boombox.

It was unearthed recently and transported to the basement where it provides beautiful music for the artist of the family while she is in her newly carved-out studio space. If she chooses, she can enjoy genuine stereo surround sound by detaching those speakers and placing one to the left and one to the right of where she is standing. She has never done that but she could. Or the entire neighborhood could enjoy stereo surround sound if she chose to position that boombox just outside the garage doors and turn up the volume.

It's hard to imagine that teenagers and young adults walked around with boomboxes just like this on their shoulders from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s. They just had to have their own personal stereo with them at all times. You were the coolest cat in the neighborhood if you had the biggest, loudest boombox. They were everywhere.

Why, you may ask, did the oldest Atkins boy purchase the biggest, fanciest, boombox he could find in 1982? One that measures 30 inches from end to end, has dual tape decks, and could blast your ear drums out in a heart beat? Did he like music? Can you even imagine him walking around with it on his shoulder? Or taking it to the beach? Or anywhere else for that matter? Well, you're right. He never did any of the above.

But the oldest Atkins boy loved buying electronic equipment. Christmas was coming. What could be better than surprising his wife with beautiful music? The boombox appeared and out went the 8-track tapes. Although the Atkins family boombox has never graced anyone's shoulder and has never been turned up more than one notch from its lowest capability, it's a gift that keeps on giving. The only problem is that tapes have been replaced by CDs and there is very little beautiful music on the radio these days. It's only a matter of time till………………sigh. We'll miss our boombox.

Chairs Have Histories Too

Among his many talents, the middle Atkins Boy is a skilled upholsterer. He learned this trade while working part-time at Egelhoff Interiors during his high school years. Egelhoff's was the crème de la crème of exclusive furniture/antique stores at the time so quality was paramount. The padding was sumptuous and patterns had to match. Such quality in upholstery is almost non-existent today.

Scott reupholstered a family heirloom for our friends, the Floods, last summer. Their tufted chair began its life as bright orange, had morphed into a staid print, and will now grace the Floods' North Carolina beach home while wearing a beautiful contemporary tropical fabric with its legs proudly showing for the very first time. It belonged to Tom's mother.

The Atkins family has long benefited from Scott's upholstery skills. One of their early sofas has been reupholstered at least five times and is now residing in Greg's student apartment. One set of club chairs has gone from sage green to red to brown to turquoise plaid and they're still going strong awaiting their fifth life.

Some of you may not know that upholstering antique furniture brings many surprises. Among the chairs Scott has refurbished are those that belonged to the author, Irving Wallace, and chairs that belonged to a WW II spy who was deported to Italy for subversive activities. Scott refurbished most of the furniture in a house that was to be used for filming the movie, Driving Miss Daisy. Alas, a tree fell on that house before filming was hardly begun and a different house was used. Scott's carefully done furniture hit the cutting room floor. Wouldn't you like to listen to some of the conversations that took place in the presence of these chairs?

Some chairs provide amusing stories and fodder for speculation. One such chair contained a very old handwritten recipe called Oven Pancake for 2. It carried an inscription that said, "The result will leave you popeyed! At least it did Paul." Scott brought the recipe home and the Atkins family cook tried it. The Atkins Boys liked it. Their eyes did almost pop out. The end product climbed high above the edges of the pan and looked sort of like a hat with a very tall brim. It was spectacular and quite unlike any pancake the Atkins family had experienced before. It is especially good with strawberry jam. The Atkins cook discovered that modern ovens do not require as much time.

So, ladies, just in case you want to make someone's eyes pop out at breakfast on Valentines Day, here is one way to do it:

Oven Pancake for 2

Beat 3 eggs with a fork to blend.
Add ½ cup flour slowly, beating well.
Stir in ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ cup milk and 2 tablespoons melted butter.
Grease a 10-inch skillet with a heat proof handle.
Pour batter into the cold skillet and put it into a 450 degree oven. Bake 18 minutes, turn oven to 350 and bake 10 minutes more.

Doesn't this make you wonder who Paul was? Happy Valentines Day from the Atkins Boys.