Water dropping through the runoff spout next to our bedroom sounds just a coffee percolator.

It took me awhile to figure out why the sound was familiar and what it reminded me of, since it’s been so long since I’ve heard the original sound, and I doubt I’ll have many chances to hear it again; I don’t drink a lot of coffee, but I’m pretty sure they don’t make coffee percolators anymore, or at least not the sorts of things I’d recognize as such.

My grandparents had one, and they drank a LOT of coffee, so I used to hear and see it running just about every morning during the summer (their house was part of the main family farmland we owned, so I was either there to be babysat when I was little or stopping by on my way out to work when I was older). It was your basic tall, stainless steel coffee pot with a curving spout — the only thing that gave it away (and which was terribly cool when you’re a little kid) was the little grip knob on the lid of the thing. It was made of glass and had been designed so that, as the coffee percolated through the grounds inside, it would bubble up into the glass knob every few seconds.

Magical (at least when you’re five). 1976 South Dakota’s answer to the lava lamp.

You can still find percolators on the institutional/kitchen level, but, yeah, it's not the same as the old percolator at home. Can't say, "fresh-perked" or "perk me some coffee." And the old -- um, was it Maxwell House ads, with the catchy perk tune, they're right out, too.

On the other hand, perked coffee tastes like crap, so onward and upwards.

Hmmm. I need some more coffee.

Wowzers. I remember those well. Good God, I'm feeling a bit dated.

I still use a percolator when camping. It may taste like crap, but it beats instant, and it was my grandpa's perk... Good memories make it palatable.

Seems like more than a few of us have granddad and percolator memories - that post reminded me of grandpa waking me up to 'assist' with setting the percolator when we visited.

I love to read your stuff when you are reminising. I learn more about you every time. Who would have thought you were so observant of such a thing as Grandma's coffee pot. Memories---- cool!!