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When we sit down for a meal we are seated at a table purchased years ago at an antiques show. The wrought-iron chairs were picked up at a thrift store and recovered with fabric I found at a tag sale. The wineglasses belonged to my mother-in-law.
It isn’t just a meal. It’s a celebration of treasure hunting trips from the past.
Take the salt and pepper, for instance.
I keep a small tray with two tiny bowls, one of salt and one of pepper, on the table. It’s a prettier way to serve the most essential seasonings. And, of course, there is a story behind each piece.
I painted the tray at one of those paint-it-yourself pottery places with my youngest daughter. The blue and white bowl that holds the salt was found at a flea market. The tiny white porcelain bowl that holds the pepper was at the bottom of a box of knick-knacks at a thrift store. The miniature spoons were a gift.
So, you see, each meal is flavored with more that salt and pepper. Each gets a dash of history and just a sprinkle of fun.
Cheryl-Anne Millsap writes about antiques and collectibles and the love of all things vintage. Millsap's Home Planet column appears each week in the Wednesday "Pinch" supplement, and she is The Spokesman-Review's female automobile reviewer. She is a regular contributor to Spokane Public Radio and her essays can be heard on Public Radio stations across the country. Cheryl-Anne is the author of "Home Planet: A Life in Four Seasons."
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annemarielewis on March 09 at 10:53 a.m.
Hi Cheryl-Anne <3 I love this! I too have these types of memories on my table and haven’t ever given it much thought before…. An old antique pedestal table that good friends gave to me when I was down and out after a divorce… I “refinished” it - spending hours and hours sanding 4 layers of old paint from it - calling it my “therapy.” One I could afford - lol. Now it bears the witness of 3 children, 4 grandchildren, a dog (yes! she climbs up there), a cat and many cups of good coffee and conversations… Then I keep the first piece of art my husband and I bought together (a beautiful green bowl), and my first attempt at adult pottery (a tiny little salt dish) and typically a layer of crumbs from breakfast!
cam on March 22 at 12:28 a.m.
Anne Marie,
Thank you for sharing. I can just picture you working on that table. I know that kind of therapy and it is powerful medicine! Your note perfectly illustrates the power in the things we hold dear.
CAM