If you look just past the sofa, and to the right, you will see a room sized cased opening leading you into the dining room. This is the elegant room of the house. A Duncan Phyfe dining room set sits prettily with an elaborate crocheted cream colored tablecloth. Small circles join together to make a beautiful pattern. On top in the center is a bowl of wax fruit.
The present incarnation of the chairs after I put them to use for 35 years!
In the corners are two wooden cabinets built in by my granddaddy. They go almost to the ceiling and have three shelves and two lower doors with crystal handles. Displayed on these shelves are the fine china with delicate pink flowers and gold rims. The good crystal also sparkles here. In between the shelves is a large window with a large air conditioning unit humming a cool breeze. To the right beside the kitchen door sits a very important item, the cabinet radio. When we were cleaning out Mamaw's house I took on the radio as my first furniture stripping project. It was solid black. The finish had alligatored (when the varnish turns dark and scaly). When stripping it I was shocked to see the many different woods used on the cabinet.
Mom always said that she can remember coming in from work or school and flipping this switch to hear WWII news or variety shows.
Look to the left through a window sized pass-through opening into the kitchen. On the back side of this opening hangs a small Formica counter top that can seat three. It is hinged and when up is propped by a collapsible table leg. Round vinyl topped stools allowed my grandparents and uncle Jack to have meals together here. Granddaddy Brown was a cabinet maker by trade and used his talents to make their kitchen functional. When not in use the table folded down to give Mamaw more room in the kitchen.
Right there on the right is the cutest refridgerater you have ever seen. It is a small mint green curved front fridge with vertical chrome handles. Inside is a freezer on top and cooler on bottom. Check in the door for little glass Coke bottles. There are green 50's style Formica counters with chrome edges. A gas stove that heated up the iron skillet (that I still use) to cook Jack's favorite fried chicken. I remember spending the night and being delighted by pancakes made with leftover mashed potatoes. Next is a big ole white cast iron sink. It was really wide and fairly shallow. Over the sink was a window that looked out over the fabulous backyard with a huge bodock tree, overhanging a marble topped picnic table where watermelon was cut.
But that is another story.
Please print these out. They are a treasure of memories. You know that is what I sometime live on. Thank you. MOM
ReplyDeleteI remember that kitchen and standing at the stove stirring chocolate custard for pie and drinking coffee out of a brownish gold mug with ridges on it. That huge sink that I would love to have now. The little pink doll bed and paper dolls that hid quietly behind the front door and the doilies on the arms of that huge chair where we'd sit and embroider. I remember the mistletoe she hung on the casing entering the dining room at Christmas and the flashing snowman in the picture window and there were always silver bells in the candy dish on the coffee table.
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