Memories Are Made of This: Have a Seat at My Table

"A single conversation across the table with a wise man is better than ten years mere study of books." Wise words from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. I've always loved the sentiment of live, learn, and pass it on. What better way to impart the important (or mundane) life's lessons?

This conjures up so many images in my mind of sitting around a table.....in conversation, dining, game playing, crafting, working, or whatever we like to do at a table. I was thinking of all the tables in my life that have significance of some type or another.

I have written before about sitting around tables. I suppose if I think about it, so much time is spent doing just this. My kitchen table is very multi-purpose. We purchased the table with the purpose of dining in mind. And we do use it for that. However, this very table has taken on many different functions. I don't think Jim could drink his morning coffee and read the paper anywhere but at this table. It has also become Jim's office. He does his work at this table. The desk back in our bedroom that was set up for this purpose is never used for his work. He claims the internet speed is much slower back there and he wastes a lot of time waiting for attachments to download and open. In respect of his job, I am fine with him sitting at our kitchen table to work. If he feels he is more productive there, I am all for it.
I have noticed that the older I get the less I worry about things like that. So what if the table is cluttered with papers, business cards and a lap top computer? It really is no big deal.

But not only is our kitchen table also an office, it is a bridge table. When I host bridge we always use that table as one of our tables at which to play. It is really a bit big for bridge, but again, my old age has me not worrying so much about having to stretch a bit. It makes it so much easier than getting out the folding card table! (Maybe I am actually just getting lazier.....)
My friend, Susan, taught me the 'placemat trick.' When you are sitting long ways at the kitchen table and you have to lay down your dummy hand, we pull out one of the placemats and put the dummy hand on it. You can then slide it as close to your partner as you need to, and voila! No one has to stretch or become contorted in any way.
I always snicker when I think of this brilliant idea as I recall one night we were using it a lot. I sat at that table for several rounds and the placemat was being used almost every hand. That night the placemat I had was one that is covered with flowers and butterflies. It is really pretty and springy and I love that set of placemats! I use them often. We played several rounds and my friend, Anita, came in to play at that table from the other room. When it was her turn to be the recipient of the placemat dummy hand, she calmly turned the placemat over to the plain fabric side and was not distracted by the busy-ness of the butterflies and flowers! We all started laughing because hand after hand, no one even vaguely thought of that. Anita just looked at us like we were a bit off our rockers as if she couldn't imagine such a simple concept going unnoticed. Leave it to Anita!
I have said before, it doesn't take much to amuse us at bridge and send us into fits of hysteria. That was one of those times.

My kitchen table is also a craft table from time to time. I will spread a plastic table cloth or a bunch of newspapers on it and pull out some of my craft supplies and go to town. I usually do that when I need more room than my folding card table gives me or when I have someone over doing crafts with me. Linda and I have done shell crafts, card making and painting at that table. Trina and I made Christmas ornaments at that table, and I recently made napkin rings and a centerpiece for a tea that the women's ministry at our church recently hosted.

We sit at this kitchen table to play hand and foot, Flux, rummy, GOLF, or a multitude of board games. We have played there many times with Tommy and Linda, Lindsey, Madeline, Eric, Porter and Grandma. Linda and I usually beat Jim and Tommy at Hand and Foot, but if you ask them, I imagine they wouldn't admit it.
Madeline swears she loses every game she plays no matter what the game or against whom. I think she exaggerates......but I DO seem to win more often when I play games with her!

The kitchen table we moved here from North Carolina was bigger than the table we have now. We needed it. We had 3 kids who ate all their meals around that table. We had a lot of birthday parties that culminated with cake and ice cream around that table. We studied for spelling tests, did school projects and filled out forms at that table.
Madeline coerced me into playing Monopoly at that table more times than I'd like to admit. She still asks me to play Monopoly with her, but I find it easier to say no to a 23 year old than I did a 7 year old. I don't know what it is about Monopoly, but I just seldom find myself in the mood to play it any more. I think I just got burned out from playing it over and over and over again. I'll bet I have been playing Monopoly for 50 years!
I did recently play Monopoly with Madeline. We had Mom sleep over one night and she wanted to learn how to play the game. Madeline wore herself out being the banker, playing her own game, and teaching and helping Grandma with each of her turns! It was fun......3 generations of women enjoying an afternoon of game playing. Good times.

We are in the midst of wedding planning right now. It is a wonderfully exciting time, but sometimes the details can become overwhelming. There is even a lot to think about regarding tables for a wedding.
First of all, the Barnes are planning a rehearsal dinner. I know they are considering the guest lists and who will sit where and what function will they have.
Madeline and I have been to Dunedin Country Club on several occasions to envision the set up for the reception. We have thought of several things such as the food serving tables, the high top tables to be used for the cocktail hour, and the tables on the patio where guests can go to get some fresh air. Then there's the set up of the dinner tables which also comes with not only placement of the tables for the best flow and the best use of space, but also the seating charts. Who will enjoy sitting with whom?
You have to consider the color scheme and table decorations. When people come to a wedding reception the hope is that they will eat, drink, dance and enjoy themselves, but their 'home base' is their table. A lot centers around that.

Many important events are centered around a table. I can envision Leonardo da Vinci's 15th century mural painting of The Last Supper. This painting represents the scene of The Last Supper of Jesus with his disciples as it is told in the Gospel of John 13:21. This is truly a monumental event that has been captured by an artist for people throughout the centuries to embrace.
This mural is 180 inches by 350 inches and covers an end wall of the dining hall at the Monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy. I think when most of us hear the words The Last Supper, a visual of this work of art comes to mind.
I have never been to Italy, but seeing something like this is another good reason to add that trip to my Bucket List.

The Round Table is King Arthur's famed table in legend around which he and his knights congregate. There is no head to this table implying that everyone around it is equal. This symbolism has developed over time to represent chivalric order. I like that thought of everyone around a table being equal.

Martin Luther King, Jr. said "I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit together at the table of brotherhood."
Pretty powerful and wonderful words from this visionary.

Another tidbit of information that I love because is shows the versatility and good use of a table is that Ping Pong was invented on the dining tables of England in the 19th Century. It was then called Wiff-Waff.
I guess my idea of using our dining table for many different functions is not so original!

Recently I was involved in a wonderful event at my church. The women's ministry holds a high tea each year. It is a time of fellowship as well as a fundraiser. Various people sign up to host a table. This means you bring all the things in to decorate the table and serve as hostess for that table during the tea. The event is so popular that there are two seatings. They have done this for the past 14 years!
I went to the tea last year and took my Mom. Trina and her mother-in-law joined us. We were amazed when we walked into the room to see how lovely and creative the tables were. Everyone had chosen a theme and color scheme for their table. We sat at a table entitled Winter Wonderland. It was decorated with snowflakes and white and silver china. It was really lovely.
This year Trina and I decided to host our own table. We decided the best place to start was to choose which china we would use. We decided upon my china which is beige with a small floral design. There is some pink in the flowers. Since Trina and I both love the beach, we decided we would go with an elegant "beachy" theme and use colors of beiges and pinks. We entitled our table "Seaside Serenity." I made a centerpiece for the table and Trina located a three tiered plate stand for our food. I decorated this with beige ribbon and scallop shells. Trina found some teapots for us and had cookies made to look like starfish that we gave for favors. I painted sand dollars that said "Seaside Serenity" and the name of the guest. I made napkin rings out of shells and we stuck some small pink wildflowers in with the pink napkins and napkin rings. I think our table turned out lovely, if I must say so myself. Although this wasn't an actual table of our family's, the items on the table were mine and the guests around the table and the enjoyment of the event were quite memorable. I am already thinking of next year's theme.....

Mom's antique oak breakfast room table has been used for many things as well. I know she always kept it round without the leaves, but whenever we came to town, we pulled it apart and added two leaves. We needed a big table just to accommodate my crew, not to mention the Yeltons, Gene and whoever else might be included in dinner that night.

Mom's breakfast room table was the location for the daily gin rummy games that she played with Gene. I think she misses that, but I am thankful that she had those years with Gene to enjoy this. It is a fond memory that she and Gene will always have. He came and won his $2.00 off her almost every day! Occasionally she won, but it wasn't about the winning. It was about the companionship and the pleasure of doing something fun during the day.

Mom often did her bill paying at the breakfast room table. She would pull out her checkbook and plug in (yes, plug in) her calculator. She wrote letters and addressed birthday cards there. But I think her favorite use (mine too) of that table was morning newspaper reading and coffee drinking. I wish I had logged how many hours we sat there doing just that. We had some of our best conversations at that table.

Mom didn't move that table to Florida. She didn't have any room for it. I love my breakfast room table, so I didn't need or want it. It still sits in her almost empty house in Shelby. One day while I was talking to Madeline about her home she will share with Eric come March 1, 2014, she mentioned that old oak table. She said that come to think of it, she might like to have it! So, next time we decide to clear out and move the rest of Mom's things, I guess I can add that table to my garage to save for Madeline and Eric. What's one more piece of furniture out there?

I think one of my favorite tables is the patio table we have on our lanai. It isn't my favorite because it is beautiful or valuable. It is my favorite because sitting out on the lanai in the evening with my husband has become the highlight of my days. He loves it too, and we were talking about it just the other night as we were sitting there listening to the birds, watching the sprinklers in our grass, commenting on the palm trees swaying in the breeze, and noticing the sun setting off to the west. We realized that our best conversations take place there more than any other place. We also realized the peace in just sitting there saying nothing. Quiet time can speak volumes.
I love living in paradise, and when I am out on my lanai, I have a reminder of that.

When we lived in North Carolina, Jim and I bought a black wrought iron table set. We were very proud of it and we actually moved it to Florida and used it here for many years. Sitting outside in North Carolina was pretty cool too. It was quite different, but I can think of that table and think of so many memories. We sat there and watched the kids play soccer in the yard or basketball in the driveway. We watched Madeline ride her little orange and yellow car up and down the driveway. It was mobilized by using your feet. She loved that car and it seems like yesterday that she was cruising around in that instead of her little blue Kia (Baxter). Time flies. And I realize that more and more each day. Truly there is a reason to embrace every moment you can because in a blink of an eye you can miss something special.

Our black wrought iron table was also the location for birthday cake and presents. I particularly remember one of Jimmy's birthday parties around this table. He always liked to have his parties at home. Basically a group of sweaty, smelly 10 year old boys played basketball and soccer and then wanted to be fed lots of sugary foods. When Jimmy opened his gifts I can remember hearing the noises and the silly comments. Little boys can be very loud and obnoxious! And I really miss that sometimes.

Another fun table to remember is the dining room table at the Yelton's. Martha and Bob loved to entertain, whether it be big fancy cocktail parties or family dinners of Bob's famous grilled hamburgers. No matter what the occasion, we sat at their big glass-top table.
Martha was such a good hostess. She always had things 'just so.' She did a good job with any type of hostessing duties. It saddens me to realize that I won't be setting that table with her as we prepare for some sort of event. However, I praise Bob for trying to keep the traditions alive. He still makes a killer burger and Porter has perfected my macaroni and cheese recipe. Martha would be proud of them.

When we were growing up on Woodside Drive, we had a round wooden kitchen table with a lazy Susan in the middle. I thought it was cool then, but I didn't realize the wonderful functionality of it until I fed a husband and 3 children (and their friends) for years and years. There was not a lot of 'pass the salt' or 'is there any more bread' when you have a lazy Susan. If you want or need something, you just reach up and turn that little thing around and there you have it! Whoever invented that was really quite wise.
As kids, we didn't always appreciate the lazy Susan for what it was. I remember putting my stuffed cat on it and Martha would spin it around and tease me! We had a lot of fun with it. I guess for Mom it was a helpful tool. For Martha and me it was a plaything. Talk about versatility!

Tim Scott, a South Carolina republican senator said "If our message reaches the kitchen tables, we are in good shape." I don't really know much about this guy or what message he was talking about, but it is true that our kitchen tables are known to be the center of conversation in American homes.
Ronald Regan said "All great change in America begins at the dinner table." I really love that quote. Leave it to Ronald Regan!

Along those lines, a lot of humor has also been written about what goes on around the dinner table. The crudely hysterical George Carlin said "The other night I ate at a real nice family restaurant. Every table had an argument going." I guess that is a sad but true commentary.

I love this quote from Voltaire also: "Never argue at the dinner table, for the one who is not hungry always gets the best of the argument." I don't think there is much need to add to this comment!

I guess the most versatile table of all is the folding card table. In the past, I used my folding card table strictly for bridge. Now it is my main crafting table. I actually have more than one folding table and Madeline has set one up in her room. She is working on some projects and with limited time for doing these projects, she has found that just setting up a table and having it readily accessible is the best way to work on a project when you have a few minutes to spare. She has a table set up in her room right now, and although her room is crowded, she is ready whenever inspiration hits! I have another card table set up in our back bedroom. I was in the midst of making cards and never finished. Several days have passed and this table is just as I left it. No matter. I am sure I will have some spare time and some inspirational moments and I'll jump right back in!

This is not to say that I don't still use the folding tables for bridge. I do. But mostly it is just easier to use the kitchen table and the game table in the living room.

My dining room table is used mainly for special dinners like Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas or someone's birthday. Sometimes we eat there when we have company and need that extra space or want it to be quieter and more special. I love sitting in my dining room. I guess I love it because it usually represents a fun time and also it usually means there are friends and relatives with us. I like to use my china, silver and crystal in my dining room, but I also enjoy eating in there with my everyday stuff.

When I made Mom's huge scrapbook for her 80th birthday surprise, I sat at the dining room table. It was the only place in my house big enough to spread out and have all my supplies and a working space. It took me a long time, so we just lived with the mess on the dining room table. I don't think it mattered....rather it was a reminder of this special gift I was making for such a special person!

Jim uses our dining room table when he has his poker group over. It is the only place big enough to accommodate the group. I have to take off all my pretty things and put a plastic tablecloth on the table and clip it down with plastic clips. It is the way Jim likes it for the cards and the poker chips. Whatever works for him is fine with me. I am pretty sure the guys are coming over to see who can win the poker hands, eat some pizza and junk food. I don't think their concern is what the table looks like.

Paul Newman says: "If you are playing a poker game and you look around the table and can't tell who the sucker is, it's you." Maybe I should share these words of wisdom with Jim!

I suppose my dining room table is actually used more than I realized and is more versatile than I have been giving it credit.

I love to do jigsaw puzzles. I don't do them as often as I would like, but every now and then I just get a hankering to do one. I usually do it on the game table in my living room, but I have to be sure I am not hosting bridge any time soon because I use that table for my bridge group. Once I start a puzzle, it always lures me in, but I really don't have a lot of time to spend on it, so it often takes me quite a while to do one.
When I was recuperating from my second foot surgery, my sweet husband rented a wheelchair for me. I remember wheeling in to the game table in the living room and working on jigsaw puzzles. Two that I remember doing at that time were preserved and framed and are hanging in my laundry room. One was very large and it is a puzzle of all types of seashells. I was proud of myself for finishing that one. The other one is a scene of an open door leading out into beautiful tropics. They were both too big and pretty not to preserve!
I have also been known to do puzzles on my folding card table and at Mom's (that one didn't last long....she didn't really care much about doing it).

The tables in our family have been bought and shared and traded and sold and donated to charity. The game table in my house right now used to be at Mom's house in Shelby. The game table I had that I replaced with this one from Mom's is now at Jimmy's place. The oak table that is still at Mom's house in Shelby will hopefully be in Eric and Madeline's house soon. Jim and I bought our breakfast room table on a whim. We went into a furniture store to buy a chair and came out with the table, chairs and a hutch! It was about two years or more before we finally bought the chair we were out looking for (but that is another story to come later.....).
There is no telling what can be done and accomplished sitting around a table. It is a great time for conversation, dining, gaming, creating and just all sorts of things. If you stop and think about it, the tables in our homes are the prime location of so many different kinds of events.
And memories are made of this.