I have a list. Not a list written down on paper, but kept filed away in my mind. So, when I'm out and about prowling through an antique store or poking around the shelves of a junk store, I have certian things I'm always looking for.

One item on that mental list has been, for some time, a toast rack. Toast racks are common on English tables, but not so common here. What's a toast rack? It's a nifty little accessory that holds sliced bread.

When your slice of bread pops up in the toaster it's nice and hot. If you take the slice out and drop it down on a plate, the steam will collect under the slice of bread and it will lose some of that crunch. And, who likes limp toast? But, if you slip the bread in the rack it stays nice and crisp.  They're not easy to find. I guess I could have gone online  but I prefer the hands-on approach. I like the idea of discovering something and bringing it home. That is, after all, the basic appeal of treasure hunting.

Lucky me. I can check one more thing off my list. I found my toast rack the other day. I hadn't been out for a while so perhaps I'd accumulated a little good fortune. I walked into a shop and immediately saw the rack. It was chrome, easy to care for, and priced at only a few dollars. I brought it home, put it though a wash in the dishwasher and when we all gathered for Saturday breakfast this morning gave it a place of honor on the table. Scrambled eggs courtesy of all the single ladies in the henhouse in the backyard, pots of hot coffee and toast that stood up to the butter and marmalade.

I couldn't have asked for more.

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