Getting up close and personal with furniture stirs up memories. This little rocking chair, for instance, was given to our older son, back when we were still in Tampa but preparing for the move to NC. One of our students (I think it was Leslie Mead) told us that it had come from NC and was locally made of rhododendron branches, and she and her family thought it would be nice for Ethan to have it.It traveled back to NC with us and was much used by three-year-old Ethan and later by Justin. And now it sits by our heater and is one of Josie's favorite reading spots.
This old cedar chest also came from Tampa. Just before moving, we were looking for a cedar chest and answered an ad in the newspaper. The seller was an older lady who, as it turned out had known John's grandfather. She was intrigued that were were moving to NC and told us to be sure to have a mud room--which we eventually did.The chest was painted black--even its brass hardware, but John stripped and refinished it. It's a beautiful thing and very useful--it holds most of my quilt collection and serves as a coffee table.I look around our house and it's full of memories--things from our parents and grandparents, things we've made or been given. Things that we're so used to that we hardly see them any more -- until we get up close and personal with the cleaning rag.