Have you ever gone into an antique mall or shop, especially a local one, and seen something you KNOW you used to own? Maybe a childhood toy with rust in all the same spots as yours or a certain piece missing or broken? I found my childhood stove and refrigerator set in a mall once. I'm sure it was mine. The same, odd foods, the same rust, the same damage. It had to have been mine! But it was quite expensive. After all, it was an antique, or so they said. Can't imagine what gave them that idea. It was more than I could or even wanted to spend and besides. I had no place to keep it. So I just hung onto the happy memory. This is not that story. It is similar, but different, and with a happier ending.
My husband's aunt had died several years ago. When her husband died last year, their daughters had an estate sale. There wasn't much, but Erin and I went and picked up a few things. It was raining, but I asked about the storage buildings outside. Was anything in there? Yes there was. We were welcome to go look. Was there ever! I bought a beautiful, primitive wardrobe and some odds and ends. Erin spotted a metal outdoor chair. How much for the chair? $5.00. Sold!
She was happy, I was jealous. She couldn't haul it back with her that day, so it went to my house for a little while. When my husband saw it, he asked where the chair came from. When we told him, he just grinned and said, "That was Mamaw and Papaw's chair." The daughter's who sold it to us didn't know. They lived away, in Germany, during their growing up years and probably never even saw the chair at their grandparent's house.
Knowing the history of the chair made me want it more. I had a little, red, outdoor table Erin wanted that I didn't want to give up, but I decided I wanted the chair more, so we traded. The chair is in our side garden now and is in worse condition than when we brought it home. The paint is peeling more now, but I do love it. It gives off warm fuzzies when I walk by.
