The Odd Collection

Meet Drake.  He is an typical 5 year old boy, living in a typical house in a rural town in east Texas.  However, there is one very unique trait about Drake - His Collection!

You would never know that this cutie is obsessed with

Vacuum Cleaners

On the day that he came to the house for a visit, I caught a glimpse of him walking up the path to my door.  His mom, Jenny, was holding his hand as he skipped along jabbering away with some five year old chitter chatter. Jenny smiled down at him and I heard her say, "I don't know Huckleberry.  You will have to ask." So, I opened the door anticipating a question about my pets or video games or a swimming pool.  But to my surprise, the first words Drake said to me were, "What kind of vacuum do you have?"


Stumbling over my response, trying not to giggle, because this child was a serious as a $100 bill, I stammered out, "I don't rightly know, friend.  Let's go look in the closet." Drake hauled out my red Hoover Wind Tunnel.  Before I could even find the name on the machine, he was exclaiming something about the HEPA filter and embedded Dirt Finder.  He informed me right away that I needed to get a new vacuum because the one I had was unhealthy.  Apparently the HEPA filter would let more dust out into the air than it kept inside the bag.

As I chatted with Jenny about this interesting obsession, I learned that Drake has loved watching infomercials about vacuums since he was very young.  One day he was wandering around the house repeating over and over "Deep Cow City".  His family had not idea what he was talking about.  Finally, with his hands in the air, he shouted "Deep Cow City" and showed them the infomercial for Swiffer Wet Jet.  In the commercial, the dad character talks about how he has no time for Deep Couch Sitting because he was always chasing his messy kids around.  The whole family had a great laugh out of that one.

I looked around and took a peek at Drake.  He was taking my Hoover apart, naming all the parts out loud.  The hose, the dusting brush, the crevice tool, the dust cover, the headlight, the secondary filter, the guard - all parts that I, by the way, had to look up for this post.  I whispered to Jenny, "I hope he can put that thing back together, because I really don't think I know how."  She just chuckled.  For as I watched him, Drake began to put it all back together again.

Finally, he came to the table and crawled up into his mother's lap.  That is when I began my interview with him.

KB: Drake, what is your favorite vacuum cleaner?

DW:  "Well, I like them all, especially old ones.  But I really want my mom or my Aunt Kat Kat to buy a Bissell."

KB:  Why do you like Bissell the best?

DW:  "It works the best.  It has better suction and it is better than Sanitaire."

KB: What kind of vacuums do you have at your house?

DW:  "I have the Rug Doctor Spot Cleaner, Airway Sanitizer, Regina Z Speed Motor, two Dyson toy vacs, the Eureka Upright, two Dirt Devil Stick Vac and a lot more."  (see complete list)

"Oh and five Shop Vacs!"

KB: So, how many is that in all?

DW:  After some discussion with his mom, he state, "37"

KB:  Which vacuum has the best technology?

DW:  "Dyson has the best technology.  There is a ball that makes it spin better."

KB:  What does that mean?

DW:  "It can maneuver better."

KB:  What else is neat about its technology?

DW:  "It vacuums up food, pet hair, rice, and glitter better."

KB:  Are all the vacuums you have, new ones?

DW:  "No, I have some really old ones.  I have an Airway Sanitizer that was made in the 30s and 40s.  I also have an Elctrolux Canister Vac (1950-1960) that has some broken parts and doesn't work."

"Oh, oh, oh!!!  And, I also have a Regina that was built in the 70s that STILL WORKS! But I can only use it outside or in the garage, because it spurts out dust."

KB:  Drake, where do you keep all of your collection?

DW:  "Well, I keep some in the laundry room, some in the closet in Mama's room, some in my closet, some outside in the backyard, some in the garage - but mostly those are Shop Vacs."

KB:  So, Drake, why do you love vacuums so much?

DW:  "I like to move them around.  I like to take them apart.  And I like to look at their motors.  But I DO NOT like to turn them on.  They are TOO LOUD!"

With that last answer, Drake squirmed out of Jenny's arms and ran off to play with my vacuum again. I asked Jenny about his peculiar collection.  

"He likes no other machine type things," she stated.  "Everywhere we go, he wants to know about that place's vacuum.  Sometimes we can't even leave until his curiosity is satisfied.  Which might mean I have to track down one of the employees to ask them specifically about the vacuum and if we can see it."  

"The only thing I can chalk all this up to is that during my pregnancy, my belly sat next to a High Speed Suction tool at the dentist office.  He heard a vacuum from the womb."

I did a bit of research on this subject and found that many people think that this kind of obsession is tied to giftedness.  I think it shows great creativity, and I feel that my life is much more complete since meeting Drake.