looking for joy at front doors

door knocker print by MScottPhotography on etsy

I have a friend with a twisty-ringer on her front door. I’m not sure what else to call it. After climbing the wide stairs to arrive on her front porch, just to the side of the mail drop, and above the door knob, is the twisty-ringer. You twist it, and a little hammer on the inside rings a bell right there on the door. If you keep twisting, it keeps ringing. I’m sure it’s not loud enough to hear over music or much other sound in a twenty-first century household, but this throwback to the house’s origins brings me great joy. I didn’t see it on my first visit: I had to look for it. 

Other friends once lived in a house with a lion knocker on the door. A lion knocker! I mean, why would you rap your knuckles when there’s a perfectly good lion to knock with?

Meanwhile, we all have phones now. Almost everywhere I go, I text first. Texts are nice: they keep us prepared. But a twisty-ringer! A lion that knocks! I look for them now, and most definitely use them when I see them. 

Which brings me to my question today: where are the twisty-ringers and door-knockers in my life that I’m not seeing?