I have a short list of things that I do when I couldn't possibly feel any worse. Things that are in themselves so dispiriting, that I need to be at some kind of existential nadir even to approach them. The list is:
1. Do some housekeeping.
2. Try to write something
(as in an essay or a story of some kind; maybe fiddle with one of the ideas for a novel. hah).
I told you it was a short list.
So today, fresh from my Very First Colonoscopy ("perfectly healthy" by the way), once the sedation had ebbed sufficiently, I opened one of Mom's closets and looked for the holiday dishes. I had recently begun to think that I should haul out of the closets all the things that were deemed "too good to be used" and/or Set Aside For Special Occasions Only and -- brace yourself for the sacrilege -- use them. On the other hand, I live alone and it's a service for -- if I remember correctly --12 and includes things like a gravy boat and several cunning sets of plates in inscrutable sizes, such as this one, which is about 7 inches across and has itty handles. Some kind of serving dish?
The set was acquired by my grandmother, so the story goes, at the "Dish Nights" that the grocery stores and movie theaters sponsored in the '30s or the '40s to keep people coming in. That is, you came in, spread a little cash around, and were rewarded for your patronage with one or more pieces (or place settings, the details of the story wander) for your set. As I said, it's a fairly large set. The idea of my grandmother doing this, week after week, when there was very little money, when there were five kids at home and a harsh alcoholic husband to dupe or persuade, is impressive. This determined yearning for a bit of gentility -- the pieces are stamped "Made in U.S.A. Limoges Lyric Warranted 22 K Gold" -- should not be hidden away in the closet under the eaves.
On the other hand, do they suit my life? They cannot be popped in the microwave for fear of arcing and of literally popping apart, and they must be hand-washed. Hmmm.... Maybe I need to acquire a staff? Good lord, Gramma, what were you thinking?
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6 comments:
It's pretty amazing how domestic life has changed in just one generation, eh? We had an old house when we lived outside of Chicago @ a dozen years ago. The dining room floor had a hole where a buzzer had been installed, so that the hostess could tap it with her foot to alert the staff to clear the table! Yikes!
Do you have an open shelf somewhere in your kitchen where you could display a few of your favorite pieces?
And congrats on the "all clear" results. No fun, but necessary.
As for the colonscopy -- been there, unfortunately done that -- so I know how you feel. Blech! But sounds like you have good news.
As for the dishes, ABSOLUTELY USE THEM! I inherited dishes when my great aunt passed away. They're not as complete a set as yours are and they have to be handwashed, etc, but I use them, frequently for dessert. Makes me happy, makes dessert a special occasion (as it always is for me), and makes whatever's on the plate look oh so pretty. They make me feel connected to my aunt and that's good, too. I'd say -- don't let yours linger in the closet. Every day is special enough to use them.
Part of the idea of clearing out is . . . clearing out. There's an awful lot of display material as it is. (Mom went through a "decorative plate from the Franklin Mint" phase. And Dad could never resist special-purpose kitchen thingies. Not that Dad spent any productive time in the kitchen.) But I will think about it as the house adventures continue. Thank god I found the pickle fork. At least, I think it's a pickle fork.
I so know what you mean about housekeeping being so intrinsically dispiriting. Interesting story about the good china! My mother had several sets of good china (which her mother had accumulated by scrimping and saving from the family clothing business) and after my mother died, as my father was getting ready to move to Virginia, he wanted to get rid of them because he has no use for them...he eats most of his meals at the communal dining room and the rest he eats from one or two dishwasherable Corelle plates and bowls. My sister and i wouldn't let him get rid of them...neither of us (especially me) has any use for them or (especially me) any place to put them, but they're such a beautiful testimony to my grandmother's frugality and love of making the ordinary more beautiful that we couldn't bear to have him dispose of them.
I like Karen's idea of displaying some of them...surely you have a breakfront cabinet somewhere?
ah yes pretty china.... use it! and what does a pickle fork look like? pictures please!
thank you for the suggestion of renga. enticing as it is, i am afraid you are underestimating my english skills... but thank you!
I must be weird because I like housekeeping. Or at least it's what I do when I'm procrastinating. Since I persuade myself that I can't work unless It's Clean. Then again, I live in a mousetrap.Small.
I love old dishes. They can be dishwasher-washed if it's not on high heat and heat dry...
Dinner party? :-)
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