gaiagranolaranger understands that "where you go, there you are."
Answer?
How I did it: It took me about nine months to "get around to it," and even once I determined to fix the durned thing I faced stumbling blocks. Namely, it took several trips to the hardware store to get the right part. But finally, it's fixed and I feel good to have once again utilized the self-sufficiency skills my parents instilled in me.
Lessons & tips: Take the lamp (or at least, the socket portion) to the hardware store with you. There is more than one type of socket, so unless you've got a photographic memory, it's much easier to match (or at least, find a workable alternative) if you've got the lamp in front of you.
Resources: The packaging on the replacement part include ZERO instructions, and the new part was differently designed than the broken piece. So, I went online and Googled to find an image that helped me figure out how to fix the lamp.
Here is the URL: http://www.rd.com/advice-and-know-how/stepbystep-pictures-and-instructions-to-replace-a-faulty-socket/article112922-3.html
Technically I didn’t accomplish this goal, but I did sit in a chair and provide moral support while my boyfriend tackled it… It’s working!
SallyKitt "Action is the antidote to despair" - Joan Baez
Years ago. It felt really great to find something wonderful that had been neglected and bring it back to life. I loved that lamp.
It didn’t survive the 1994 Northridge Quake, though.
...but my new find definitely needs some rewiring work! Maybe I’ll start thinking about that this weekend, along with all my other chores….