I have a not-so-secret obsession. Vaporizers. Specifically, the Hankscraft model 240 cool mist kind. This is a longstanding addiction \u2013 lasting well over 40 years. I have a multitude of childhood memories of studying, reading, laughing, drawing, sleeping, eating, and even socializing, within a five\u00a0foot radius of one of these beauties. Ask any of the people I have dated or lived with about this, and they will likely shake their head and laugh a little. As I said, it\u2019s not really a secret.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The vaporizer is great as a sleep aid, but it\u2019s not just the noise that I crave. It\u2019s the cool mist, too. I like how it hangs in the air\u2026 and I like how it feels on my face. When I was little I was fascinated by how the tiny droplets of water would attach to every hair on my arm like frost on the trees.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The 240 is also an instant anxiety reducer for me. I think it goes back to when I was little and I would make \u201cditches\u201d on the floor whenever I was stressed out or sad. I would take all of the pillows and cushions that I could find lying around the house, and pile them up in a big ring on the floor. I\u2019d pull books and food and stuffed friends into the ditch with me, and I\u2019d set up the vaporizer at the outside edge, pointing toward the center. I could sit there happily for HOURS, listening to the steady background hum of the machine.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a saying that all good things must end\u2026 unfortunately, this includes vaporizers. The Hankscraft company started in Wisconsin, was purchased by Gerber, and later purchased by another company\u2026 and then divided\u2026 and renamed. Part of the original company continued to make vaporizers for a while, but eventually the model 240 was discontinued. This was devastating for me. I couldn\u2019t go to Walgreens and pick up a new machine whenever the old one wore out.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
About 10 years ago I discovered my beloved model 240 on eBay, and I\u2019ve bid on a few. My husband jokes that he can tell when I\u2019ve won another vaporizer because there is a certain sized box on the doorstep. I\u2019ve got several in the basement now\u2026 in reserve. It\u2019s comforting to know that I have a little bit of inventory handy.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
For better or for worse, I\u2019ve imparted my love of this machine onto my daughter. If it\u2019s running, she\u2019ll sit next to it with me, and we\u2019ll laugh, tell stories, read, write\u2026 I hope that I\u2019ll have enough inventory for her when she gets older and moves out. I\u2019m not sure, though\u2026 maybe I need to get back on eBay?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Message of the Day: Childhood items can impart memories the instant you see\/hear\/smell\/touch them. If your memories are good ones, it might be wise to keep one or two of these items on hand in case you ever need comfort. If your memories are bad ones\u2026 stay away from\u00a0eBay.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I have a not-so-secret obsession. Vaporizers. Specifically, the Hankscraft model 240 cool mist kind. This is a longstanding addiction \u2013 lasting well over 40 years. I have a multitude of childhood memories of studying, reading, laughing, drawing, sleeping, eating, and even socializing, within a five\u00a0foot radius of one of these beauties. Ask any of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":45,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[58,59,60,61],"class_list":["post-44","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-random-subjects","tag-hankscraft-240","tag-hankscraft-vaporizer","tag-vintage-vaporizer","tag-white-noise"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6ZedX-I","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":295,"url":"https:\/\/www.peanutmark.com\/?p=295","url_meta":{"origin":44,"position":0},"title":"The Four Cs","author":"Melissa","date":"January 15, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 I am an optimist. 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