Picked up a "new" sewing machine today

That is, new to me. This baby is now sitting in my basement (please excuse general basement mess), waiting patiently until I find some time to clean it up. It's a Singer 9610 if I recall correctly.

"Bold. Power." technically refers to Kohler and not my machine, but I think, in a way, it's an appropriate description.

 When I was a little girl, we had a treadle machine in our hallway. I still remember playing with it constantly, though I don't know what brand it was or even what it looked like anymore. The second half of my childhood was spent in an apartment at a triple decker where I eventually found the machine above. It was in the corner of the attic, untouched for many, many years, gathering dust and other grime. I think the layers of wood that make up the table (below) have split apart from the wildly fluctuating temperature and humidity in the attic, but the machine looks to be in good shape and feels smooth when I turn the hand wheel.

A couple months ago I asked the owner of the triple decker if I could have the machine. That's when I learned it would probably go into a dumpster when they cleaned out the attic in the near future. How could I let this go into a dumpster!? I decided that I had to at least try to save the machine... I know I could get one in great shape and with a nicer design for even just $100, but there's something special about knowing I can keep this one out of the trash, have something from a house I grew up in, and have something to remember my landlords by (they became sort of like grandparents to me over the years).

Today I finally got around to heading over there and, with the help of my father, bringing machine and table down the three flights of stairs. This thing is HEAVY. He said he never would have come with me had I told him I needed help with the machine in the attic. Hah! He thought the landlord was giving me one from her apartment.

Next step: find time to clean all the dirt off.