We recently moved to the suburbs of Atlanta, and in our new home is a breakfast nook. "Aha," I thought to myself. "This is the perfect place for utilizing my mother's small table."
A round antique table that opens to an oval shape, it seats four people comfortably. Unfortunately, the top (a dark stained wood) got scratched in the move, like much furniture does, even with great care and precautions. Not to be defeated, I simply covered it with an inexpensive tablecloth and other decor, and it looks just fine for daily dining, even with the grandchildren. We are also using my mother's chairs with it.
Why write a post about a lowly table? I'm thrilled that you asked, because if that table could talk, there are so many things it could share! Just eating a meal at that table causes so many great memories to flood into my mind that I had to write about it.
My parents bought that table at an antique shop when my dad was stationed in Bremerhaven, Germany, when I was about ten or eleven. It first graced the hall of our Army quarters there, a well-appointed, three-bedroom, THIRD FLOOR apartment (there were 64 stairs up to it, and there was no elevator), with all the furnishings provided by the military. My mother loved that table, often adding crocheted doilies (the style in the fifties), small antique "doodads," and such on it.
We often had to put the table, along with other furniture, in storage because of lack of space when we lived in smaller quarters. The next time I remember its being in use was in their home after Dad retired from the Army. With the table opened to its current oval shape, it was used for many family dinners and fun times. I stated earlier that it seated four comfortably--but at meals in my parents' home, we would pull up other chairs, stools--what have you--sometimes having eight people around it in close fellowship!