I had to smile as I pictured you on the floor, cat crawling on you and suddenly becoming distracted by how the sewing machine table was constructed! You are just like my hubby. I can look at something and just see it is held together by screws, but hubby points out details such as the angle of the screws, the type of washer used, the way the wood was cut, etc. etc. etc. People with mechanical minds like you and my hubby just blow me away with the details you are able to see! But you guys are mighty handy when it comes to getting the old machines up and running!
I agree that quality seems to have disappeared over the past 30 years. Sad - we should be making the best products in the world!
My first sewing machine was a Kenmore, purchased at Sears. I stupidly gave it away when I bought my first "modern" machine. Wish I had it back. We even owned a Sears house for a while. It was an arts and craft bungalow built in 1921. I can't remember the Sears house # of the plan - Sears used to have a catalog where you could pick out your house plan and order the lumber, etc. needed to build it! Wish I had that house back, too!