It's the middle of the night. Gorgeous, are you awake?
I am now...
...Because I found a table you may like on Craigslist.
People posted new stuff in the middle of the night?
No, but would you believe it, these people simply listed it as a "pecan table," so I did not catch it in my search for dining or kitchen tables. Do you like it?
At 3 o'clock at night I do not have strong feelings about tables. Send them a message of interest.
And then we hear nothing. For a long time.
Breakfast, in the sun room!
This to compensate for the cold that is, unfortunately, still with us today. Brrr!
No matter. It's a grocery shopping day. In and out of car. Shop. In and out of car. Boom! Done.
And then I pick up Snowdrop who is... tired. (No nap, three days in a row.)
Carry me, grandma!
Okay... Let me take your stuff to the car first. Wait for me!
Okay, grandma...
At the farmhouse I suggest that she rest. She does. For two minutes. Maybe less.
I'm done. I want to go downstairs. Will you read me a book?
And somehow she rallies. This is so Snowdrop! She digs deep, comes up with a reserve and the spark returns.
You want to have some cake and ice cream with us? -- she asks, arranging her babies around the table...
Yep, the spark returns.
Sometime in the afternoon, the people with the pecan table respond to our message. Available. Yes, a nice medium tone. Excellent shape. Yes, come look at it.
After Snowdrop leaves, Ed pulls out his crazy old truck and we head out to Sun Prairie, home to the pe-can table. Pe-cahn table, Ed. It's pe-cahn.
It's not quite like the ones I identified as favorites in stores, but it's better than most anything we've seen on Craigslist. It's expandable. The shape is fine, the length -- perfect.
I should get this one -- I tell Ed.
Do you really like it?
I don't dislike it. It will be fine. It'll serve us well. It wont overwhelm the kitchen. Let's offer her 180 (it's listed at 200) and be done with it!
She wont take 180. She is wedded to her 200.
And so we load it up, right? I mean, 200 is completely reasonable.
(Let's have a drumroll, Snowdrop!)
(Come on, bang it out little one!)
Well... at the last minute I back out.
No, sorry. I don't want it.
It's wrong in small ways: too dining room rather than casual. Too pecan! Dull brown. Calling forth dark images rather than sunshine and daffodils.
As we drive home, I say to Ed -- I'm so glad we didn't take it!
What??? (You have to understand, the truck has no muffler. It is a noisy ride!)
I've learned that when in doubt, I should just walk away.
Something will show up.
What??? (Can't hear him...)
We've just begun. I don't mind driving around..
The truck isn't so bad..
You should get something you really like..
I know... Thank you.
At home, we reheat our lentil soup, load up our salad plates and exhale.
I am now...
...Because I found a table you may like on Craigslist.
People posted new stuff in the middle of the night?
No, but would you believe it, these people simply listed it as a "pecan table," so I did not catch it in my search for dining or kitchen tables. Do you like it?
At 3 o'clock at night I do not have strong feelings about tables. Send them a message of interest.
And then we hear nothing. For a long time.
Breakfast, in the sun room!
This to compensate for the cold that is, unfortunately, still with us today. Brrr!
No matter. It's a grocery shopping day. In and out of car. Shop. In and out of car. Boom! Done.
And then I pick up Snowdrop who is... tired. (No nap, three days in a row.)
Carry me, grandma!
Okay... Let me take your stuff to the car first. Wait for me!
Okay, grandma...
At the farmhouse I suggest that she rest. She does. For two minutes. Maybe less.
I'm done. I want to go downstairs. Will you read me a book?
And somehow she rallies. This is so Snowdrop! She digs deep, comes up with a reserve and the spark returns.
You want to have some cake and ice cream with us? -- she asks, arranging her babies around the table...
Yep, the spark returns.
Sometime in the afternoon, the people with the pecan table respond to our message. Available. Yes, a nice medium tone. Excellent shape. Yes, come look at it.
After Snowdrop leaves, Ed pulls out his crazy old truck and we head out to Sun Prairie, home to the pe-can table. Pe-cahn table, Ed. It's pe-cahn.
It's not quite like the ones I identified as favorites in stores, but it's better than most anything we've seen on Craigslist. It's expandable. The shape is fine, the length -- perfect.
I should get this one -- I tell Ed.
Do you really like it?
I don't dislike it. It will be fine. It'll serve us well. It wont overwhelm the kitchen. Let's offer her 180 (it's listed at 200) and be done with it!
She wont take 180. She is wedded to her 200.
And so we load it up, right? I mean, 200 is completely reasonable.
(Let's have a drumroll, Snowdrop!)
(Come on, bang it out little one!)
Well... at the last minute I back out.
No, sorry. I don't want it.
It's wrong in small ways: too dining room rather than casual. Too pecan! Dull brown. Calling forth dark images rather than sunshine and daffodils.
As we drive home, I say to Ed -- I'm so glad we didn't take it!
What??? (You have to understand, the truck has no muffler. It is a noisy ride!)
I've learned that when in doubt, I should just walk away.
Something will show up.
What??? (Can't hear him...)
We've just begun. I don't mind driving around..
The truck isn't so bad..
You should get something you really like..
I know... Thank you.
At home, we reheat our lentil soup, load up our salad plates and exhale.
Right, “I don’t dislike it” isn’t good enough.
ReplyDeleteYour table is a centerpiece! You sit there for every meal and in between times to write... please.
A table to gather your family seems something worth investing in - time, effort, money. I can see how it needs to reflect your values (reusing resources) and aesthetics (so it ‘sparks joy’ from the start).
ReplyDeleteI like encouraging young craftspeople who are keeping old crafts alive and often use recycled materials that carry a local story.
Or how is Ed’s cabinet making with beautiful recycled timber and your design?