49°f/9°C. Some areas of WV have had lows in the 20s! And early fall on the way? Clear, no rain for over 2 weeks, and it is desperately needed.
Yesterday we stayed home all day, for the first time since last Sunday. I cleaned house, did laundry, mopped the porch and used the blower to clear leaves off the deck (yes, already. It's just so dry), and then our son Derek came over to help us load the big table into our van to take to his daughter.
What's the big table? Well, it's the table I grew up with, a large conference table in Gothic Revival style that my parents bought in 1958 or so. Our growing family became too many for the table Grandma had given us when she broke up housekeeping on Grandpa's retirement from the Coast Guard and they moved back to New Orleans, where my Dad was born. They lived in NO from about 1919 until the outbreak of World War II, when Grandpa, a lawyer for the government, was transferred to DC and put in the Coast Guard with the rank of Commander. Dad was 18 or 19 when they moved.
So anyway, back to the table. My parents found it in an antique shop and I seem to remember they paid about $30 for it. The table is about 4 feet by 5 feet, with big heavy legs, and 4 leaves that extend it to 11 feet. It got heavy use in my childhood home, serving not only as the dining table, but the place where we sorted laundry, did our homework, played ping pong, and did crafts. When they moved from our big old house to a smaller place, they took the table but it was tight squeeze in their new home, and the leaves really couldn't be used.
So when Mom and Dad passed away, no one wanted the table because no one had space for it. We had just finished our log room, and had the space and the largest family at the time, so it came to live here. We got good use of it too, always meaning to refinish it but never getting it done. It was perfect for those times our family gathered here, with all the grands, for Thanksgiving, and we used it for Christmas too although we never had a crowd for Christmas so the leaves weren't usually needed then.
Thanksgiving 2015, I think.
But the grands grew up, and after Jon's passing none of us had the heart for the big gatherings for a few years. We did have a few, but as the grandchildren grew up and scattered, the get-togethers dwindled. We had one or two more Thanksgivings but now it is mostly scattered visits from the various families and grandkids as they had time and opportunity. We don't exactly live in the center of the world here, so it takes effort to plan a visit, and they all do their best.
In 2019, we finally stored the big table away. It did take up a lot of space and was do rarely used---and we bought a new, bigger couch. The old table went to the storage room and I began trying to find someone in the family to take it. No one wanted to get rid of it, but no one had room for it. Then a few months ago, granddaughter Haley bought a new place with a huge finished basement, and yes, she wants the table!
It wasn't easy to load in the van; it needed to be taken apart, even the top two sections. But it's in there and ready to take to Haley tomorrow. Of course, getting it out of our storage room meant moving all kinds of stuff, so my afternoon was spent doing a big cleaning and sorting in there, with a load set aside for Goodwill and a pile for the trash. It was a job I have wanted to get to all summer, and now it's done. Whew.
Today I have applesauce to make. Larry climbed up on the back porch roof yesterday and shook down the apples from the old yellow apple tree so they must be done today, as shaking them down bruises them and they will spoil if we don't do them up quickly. Shaking them down is pretty much the only way to get the apples from this very tall tree, and a 74 year old man climbing on the roof to do it? Well, next year we will be getting some younger help! I didnt realize he was up there until apples started hitting the roof.
Larry is up now, so I better be getting breakfast cooking. Have a lovely day, friends.
You certainly get a lot done in one day! Glad you found a new home for the big table. I remember when my sister and I emptied my folk's home when they had to move to assisted living. No one wanted their lovely dining room set because we all had are own by then. We ended up giving it to charity. I don't think my kids will want most of my furniture as they have different styles now.
ReplyDeleteEllen, I had slept well for a change, and this cool dry weather makes me feel like getting things done.
DeleteMy sons all have their own stuff and style too, but I think they may keep a few pieces of furniture. And my grands almost all are into vintage stuff, at least right now. But if no one wants it, that's okay too. Almost everything we own came from auctions or thrift, just a very few family things, so if it all goes back to a thrift or auction, that's okay.