I come from one of those families that never throw anything away…well…empty toilet paper rolls…but then again…I used to cut them into smaller rings…cover them with fabric and make pillbox hats for my Barbie…so…okay…I’ve digressed and proved my point…and also shown my age…anyway…we…repurpose…or we keep it…just in case we might need it later…waste not want not…you get the picture…
I’d like to say that we are environmentally conscious…and maybe we are…but…this practice started way before those words were ever strung together…
My first recollection of the practice was when we were moving my sister home from college…the car and truck were packed to the hilt…no room for another thing…when my Granny spied a plastic tea pitcher sitting on the counter…she hung it on the antenna…and away we drove…the Alabama Hillbillies…we should have made her ride in the rocker…
From there…things got kind of interesting…my sisters and I all started housekeeping…and what I call the…Swap Meets…began…the rules were simple…I’m not using this…do you want it…I’m not giving it to you…but you can use it as long as you want to…unless I want it back…
With just Mama and the three of us girls participating…it was one thing…but things really got interesting when the grandkids started going away to college…
By this time…we were storing our…surplus…in an empty building Mama owned…and…many a dorm room or first apartment was furnished without ever going to a store…
Occasionally…items were transferred…title and all…AKA…sold to each other…as I did with my living room furniture after my divorce…I sold it to my sister for my niece…
Now…there is a point to this story…and it goes like this…
I’ve had the same chairs in my living room for a while…Mama’s…and while they are lovely…they just weren’t what I wanted anymore…for about a year…I’ve been threatening to have them reupholstered…but could never commit to the idea…I mean…they were in great shape…they were Mama’s…and…honestly…I hadn’t found exactly what I wanted to cover them in…until last week…I innocently went into a store…and…there it was…the perfect fabric…the most expensive piece they had…even on sale…undaunted…I bought a nice large sample to bring home…with Mama’s help and some careful calculations…I figured I could swing the project…by selling only one kidney…my mind was made up…I was gonna do it…
Until…
We all had lunch together…sister who’d purchased my chairs all those years ago…has had them in her living room for a long time…and was no longer going to use them…she’d bought new lazy boys…did I want to come and see…sure…I knew the chairs…but hadn’t realized they were once mine…
After lunch…we all went to her house to see her new chairs…and…low and behold…those old chairs of mine should look great in my living room…we loaded one up in my niece’s mini-van…a requirement to participate in swap meets…and brought it to my house…where it looked great…problem solved…except…what to do with Mama’s chairs…
Enter sister number two to the rescue…they might look good in her guest room…and there is actually a bedspread that matches them…hmmm…
You guessed it…by the next day…I had the matching chair from my sister’s house…and my other sister was delighted with Mama’s chairs at her house…don’t know what happened to the ones she was using…but I’m sure they’ll show up at somebody’s house in the near future…
‘Cause…we all know…what goes around…comes around…
Jane
PS…
Mama came by…seems as though my sister had an antique sofa in her guestroom…which is now in Mama’s bedroom…further proving my point…
Oh! This is great! I loved this story. Something similar with my friends, sisters and me. The problem is my sisters will never take back their stuff and I’m stuck with it! Right now I have my mother’s sewing machine, china cabinet, little blue recliner, dresser…and I can’t do away with any of it because…it was Mama’s! Wonder if any of my friends need it?
By the way, your chairs are lovely.
Peggy, I feel your pain on the ‘it’s Mama’s’…during my last downsize…I forced Granny’s things on anyone in the family I could…you just can’t get rid of them…I figure the nicest thing I can do for my kids and grandkids is to not give them anything of ‘mine’ and since I only really own about 10 pieces of furniture…that should be easy! Thanks for your comment…and your compliment…my sister did choose lovely fabric!
Hehe I love this ‘swapmeet’ idea with your family! What fun days with your sisters 🙂 I have the plates from my parent’s house in my kitchen hehe. Good story Jane!
See, Christy…it’s universal…we share things back and forth…what’s old to you is new to me…have a great day my friend and thanks for visiting!
This is so ! Only one thing about it makes me sad; I have no siblings. But…I do have great cousins, and we do this with books. Every time we go to one another’s houses, we sift through the boxes or bookshelves, looking for anything we haven’t read. And yes, often times I found one I gave them years ago and take it back to read again or pass onto another cousin. I have lots of cousins! Thankfully! Great post as always, Carroll. Thanks for sharing a piece of yourself. 🙂
Carmen…come and join my family…I promise we have plenty to go around! We also swap books leaving them all at Mama’s for her to read…I don’t think she’s bought a book in years! Love that you have such a connection with your cousins…they are just siblings…once removed. Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!