But…it's also the activity hub of the cabin. It's the main place where we work and eat and do so much more. It's the nerve center, the core of living here.
It's a bench for making small repairs and sorting everything that's moveable; a worktable for craft making and handmade creations. This table is a desk where mail is read, important papers are signed, letters are written, bills are paid. It is the point of attraction for visitors as they seem to always gravitate to it without being led; a social centerpiece for conversation, discussions and game playing. It's a place for common daily happenings such as dispensing pills AND dealing with spills!
We sit here to watch television, look out the window at weather conditions, and see various walkers and vehicles approaching. Binoculars are kept handy on one of the nearby chairs to observe unusual or rare wildlife appearing on or around the lake.
Now I know that a kitchen or dining room table is a staple in almost all homes. This one is special to us. It used to belong to my husband's mother. She gave it to us about forty five years ago when she moved from New Jersey to Michigan to live near her eldest son as she was aging. To the best of our knowledge, the table and four chairs have been moved to four or five different homes throughout its 71 years. That number of its age is assumed by a stenciled stamp on its bottom with the date of 10-20-41. There are no manufacturer labels located anywhere on it and I can't tell you what kind of wood was used for its construction. I can say that is a tough table although some of its screws work loose every few years. Most older things have a screw or two loose, don't they?
Yesterday we bought a new piece of clear vinyl to recover the tablecloth. The old covering was getting lumpy with age. (Another feature of older things.) This entails a two "man" effort so I helped and then a light went on! Take pictures of the naked table! It was the perfect opportunity to observe and preserve its underside. After tightening all of the screws and nuts and flipping it back up on its legs we viewed the pictures. It was only then that the very dusty cross braces were revealed in their full beauty! I quickly ordered it to vamoose and now proclaim them free of the stuff.
Our office and workplace and television lounge and place for sustenance is back in good order.
Have a seat on a chair with a 70 year old original patina!
I had my grandparents dining room set. I ate up our whole dining area because it was so large and cumbersome. The chairs were had gawdy carvings of scrolls and flowers, and they creaked with age (another sign of old age). They were really dark wood, and I wanted to have more room to move around, so when my daughter told me her co-worker had no dining room furniture and was looking for a "buy", I decided to see if she would be interested, with the condition should she ever decided to get rid of them, she would give me first chance to buy them back. She bought them and has restored the wood to its original beauty with some creme she bought from the internet. I still have the matching buffet that I use for an entertainment center. I will never get rid of it. I am glad someone who loves it more is getting use out of it. My grandparents would be happy someone loves it.
ReplyDeleteIT ate up our whole dining area....not I ate up....lol....I am not that HUNGRY....typo!!!
ReplyDelete