The Best Part of Waking Up...
Oh, yes, we've all heard it. We know it is "Folgers in your cup."
When you stop in for a visit, I promise that at least once I will break out the very special
coffee cups and dessert plates you see in the picture. Like many things in my life, there is usually a "story behind the story."
So here goes.
We came back from Venezuela for our children's births. Health care, especially back in the
plains where we lived, was minimal, at best. Our oldest son, Wilbert, was born on March 3, 1968. In May, shortly before we
returned to Venezuela, Ivan contacted an English friend of his who lived in London. He asked him how much it would cost to
get a tea set of Royal Daulton china. I have always loved pretty dishes. I have no idea how much he paid for the set; he said
it was much cheaper than if he had bought it here. I loved the set. It was my first "Mother's Day gift" as a mom.
When we headed for Miami, then on to Venezuela, we had all of the things we were going to
take back with us in an old homemade trailer. In Georgia, just before we entered Florida, the trailer had a blowout and all
of our things were thrown all over the Interstate. People stopped to offer to help us. If there was anything good remaining,
many of them "helped themselves."
I spotted one of the plates from my tea set peeking out from under the cedar chest. My heart
sank. I knew there would be nothing left of them. Ivan went over and slowly moved the cedar chest, and as we unwrapped the
pieces of my bone English tea set, everything except one cup, a "cookie plate" (big enough to put the desserts on it to serve),
the sugar bowl and the teapot were all perfectly safe. (Ivan found a nearly matching sugar and creamer set about 15 years
ago and he got it for me.) I still have them, and I treasure them greatly. Yes, I will gladly get them out when you arrive!
The little teapot you see on the table is a different matter. Raquel, our daughter,
gave it to me when she was in sixth grade, right after she got the role of Mother Rabbit in their dramatic presentation
of Peter Rabbit. When I look at it or take it out to use, I can't help but sing "Here comes Peter Cottontail, hoppin' down
the bunny trail...Hippity, hoppity, Easter's on its way."
