Parasite House! Antique Carved, Painted Block with Many Possibilities old wooden rattle with gears in the middle

with gears in the middle that turned a shaft and powered the thresher

with the handle allowing for an extra good grip

and his confidant

England artist William Burgess (1805–1861)-- a painter and drawing master

as I might have guessed early 1970s (with the lettering having a bit of an Evel Knievel / Bad News Bears / Free to Be You and Me vibe)

Parasite House! Antique Carved, Painted Block with Many Possibilities old wooden rattle with gears in the middlePerhaps my favorite find of the week, and also the least expensive this is a small thing, but it fills me with delight and also wonder about the reason for its being and what it might once have been a part of. I call it the parasite house because it requires something a small block is perfect, and I'll send this one along with it to angle over. So curious. Fantastic old salmon colored paint with green windows and rose maroon roof. Plus two little