In The Blink of An Eye

The other day, I was sitting at my farm table in the dining room with my granddaughter Riley that is now almost three years old. I glanced over my shoulder and saw the old antique cabinet with leaded glass that use to sit in my parent’s home. I have it filled with some of my own vintage cake stands, but mostly it’s filled with their vintage stuff. For some reason, it reminded me about the people that have sat down to eat at my farm table over all these years. That table was one of my first really big antique purchases, right after I opened Country Roads. It was cheap, but it was a big change for my home. I’d always loved antiques, but when you are young and first starting out you can’t always afford the bigger pieces. I remember my now ex-husband hated that table. How could he hate something so awesome, something I loved so much? I guess that is why he an “ex” husband now! He was worried my kids would get lead poisoning from the old paint. Needless to say, they are still well and alive today, and never took to chewing on a table leg!
I think my farm table represents my real love of antiques. What I love about antiques is the stories behind them, the history. I wonder about the families in the past that owned this table, how many holiday dinners and memories were created at this very same table? I bought this table back in the mid 1990’s, and it moved with my family when we moved to a larger house. It stayed with me after I got a divorce while living in that house, and it moved with me again to “the house in the regular neighborhood” that my buddy Lisa Blanc helped me move into. I will never, ever forget what a great friend she was during some really tough times and I remember the countless times we sat at my table reviewing my options to purchase my new home. There have been so many I love seated at my farm table over all these years, memories I will always cherish.
Over the years, friends and family have come and gone that use to sit at this table. There have been countless holiday meals eaten off this table, as well as birthday celebrations, baby showers, wedding showers and more. As I write about this table, in my mind is a slideshow of the many faces I so enjoyed over the years sitting at this table. It warms my heart, and although my parents are now gone, there are now my grandchildren to take their place during these special occasions, to take their “seats” at the table. That’s what I love about antiques, you not only own a piece of history, you own something that will continue to have a history of its own. There was a reason farm or harvest tables were made so large. They were made for families and memoires!