Photo-a-Day - Sept 2012 - Day 13: Table

Photo-a-Day Challenge - Sept 2012 - Day 13:  Table

This is another treasure acquired from my friend Edith Jones, about whom I spoke in "On the Shelf".  This lovely oak table had been by the bedside of her brother, Lloyd.  When I bought it, for some absurdly small amount of money, there were two problems with it.  First, a jar of green ink had been tipped over and badly stained the top.  Second, Lloyd had the dangerous habit of smoking a cigar in bed before he'd go to sleep.

The man to whom I was married, when I bought the table, was a finish cabinetmaker and carpenter.  Because he loved history as much as I, he understood when I asked that he refinish only the top of the table enough to remove the ink stain but to leave as much of the cigar burns as possible.  Those, to me, were a link to Lloyd and Edith; part of the table's history.  I don't necessarily believe older furniture should be perfect.  I believe they should reflect that they were well loved and well used.

When you look at the top of the table, all the dark marks, other then the plugs for the turned-legs, are burns left of Lloyd's cigars.  The table, for me, is a forever piece.