Grandma’s Breadmaker

I went back to North Dakota for Thanksgiving, and each time I leave the farm I have more "stuff" than I came with.  This time, I got to take home my Grandma's old breadmaker. Now, I know these aren't expensive to buy new, and I am sure you can get a lot better makes and models of them now - but there was something about baking bread in it yesterday that was very special to me.

My family are farmers in North Dakota.  My family homesteaded the area in the early 1900's - and they are the traditional farmers.  If you can make it at home, you do.  If you can grow it, you try rather than buying it.  They can, freeze - do anything so they can make huge batches of whatever.  I don't remember when my Grandma got that breadmaker, but I imagine it was a stretch for her to try something out of her normal from scratch bread recipes she had grown up with.  Actually, I have a faint memory of her possibly receiving it as a Christmas gift. Anyhoo - as I made my first loaf yesterday there was a sense of nostalgia for me.  I thumbed thru the original manual, with recipes included (OF COURSE it was still with the machine!) - and noticed Grandma had made notes next to some of the recipes.  I made my first loaf just as the manual (and her notes) said, and it turned out wonderful.  Yummy yummy french bread just in time for dinner.

Have you inherited something like this?  A random item that would mean nothing to the masses, but a whole lot to you?