I’ve punished you long enough. Yesterday’s What’s That? challenge elicited 83 responses and I couldn’t keep the contest going any longer, especially because we had a winner at Comment #36.

Stephanie Barr of the Rocket Science blog guessed correctly that the hole is an ink well from an antique desk.

hole School_desk

Stephanie, you have a very good eye! I’ll be in touch shortly about your prize!

This partial row of desks is probably over 60 years old. It came from my old grade school. When they were renovating in the 70s, they said anyone could come and cart them away.

They sat in my parents house for a good 20 years before they were finally moved to my own home, where they sit gathering dust in the basement.

Among my grade school nightmares is one involving these desks. I will never forget the day a kid in front of me vomited all over himself and his seat.

The teacher took the vomit-dripping lad to a restroom for a hose down, while the rest of us students sat in the stanky room for a while until the janitor came to clean up the mess.

What annoyed me most was that I was asked to help clean it up. Why? Why me? Because I had the misfortune of sitting behind a kid who couldn’t hold down his lunch?

To this day, I can remember the smell of the vomit and the smell of the salts that were sprinkled on top of it to soak it up. Thanks for the memories, St. Jane’s Catholic School of the Vomiting Children.

Stumble it!