A Salute to Battery-Operated Clocks

My mother's influence can be seen in my devotion to battery operated clocks. Their advantages are many. Power outage? No problem. Need a travel clock? No you don't, just toss that one in your suitcase. The plug is over there? Well, you'll need an extension cord - or not!

We had a beach cottage on the Outer Banks of North Carolina - where the power outages were many. Since my mother also taught me that every room should have a clock and a box of tissues, every bedside table had a battery operated clock. I remember thinking, "It's nice not having to deal with cords."

Here is my bedside table battery operated clock.
It fits right in with the box of tissues, glass of water, and malaria pills.

Then I went to college. And of course, I didn't read the welcome pamphlet, but Mom sure did. And she bought me a battery-operated clock to take to college. My alarm never failed to go off because there was a power outage. And there were no cords getting in my way. Or fighting over the limited amount of plug space. I think that clock lasted about ten years.

So now I'm in the Foreign Service and let me tell you, the rest of the world does not believe in multiple outlets. And if you're in West Africa, you will deal with a lot of power outages. And I hear folks at the embassy talking about having to reset their clocks and I just marvel that they don't have battery operated clocks.



Here is my kitchen clock. I bought this cheap-o at IKEA. Considering that the clock on the stove always runs fast (probably something to do with the power surges) and I got tired of re-setting the microwave clock over, and over, and over, this baby is a life-saver.


Another IKEA cheap-o. It also has an alarm, so it could be my back-up travel/bedside clock. This sits near the couch where I watch TV/knit. I usually do this in my PJs, so I'm not wearing my watch. And due to the power outages, I have never set the clock on my VCR.


I got this one at either Target or Wal-Mart. This is the semi-classy one, and I paid more that $5 for it. I like that it spins on it's stand so I can angle it. It is usually set to face me so when I'm lying on my couch in the living room, I can glance up and see the time.


A clock in the bathroom is great. This one has a suction cup so I can just stick it to the mirror. It fell off a few times, but I eventually learned to wet the suction cups before putting it up. Now when I have to change the battery, I have to really work to pull it off. This was from BedBathandBeyond.com.