The dresser was like a treasure chest standing regally against the kitchen gable wall; the minute you entered the kitchen your eyes were drawn to it. It was a story book, each shelf a chapter, each item had a history.
This large piece of furniture had a story to tell itself as it was nearly abandoned in Kilroy’s of Tullamore.
To buy or not to buy the dark oak wooden dresser was not the only thing at stake. The impending wedding was a month away and pre-wedding nerves broke out like a bad case of hives as my intended and I disagreed on various matters; the purchase of the dresser being one of them. We resolved our disagreements and paid out five pounds each as a deposit on the dresser. It salved the pre-wedding irritations.
Paid in Full
The dresser arrived after ninety pounds was PAID IN FULL. I couldn’t wait to display my Johnson and Brothers Friendly Village china on its gleaming shelves. Each plate pictured a country life: snow scenes, apple orchards, stone walls and willows by the brook.
As the plates shone they made way for the various greeting cards celebrating birthdays and holidays. Family photos in small silver frames also found their niche. Most recently, the photo of my granddaughter’s First Holy Communion takes centre stage.
Occasions
At Halloween spooky spiders and white flimsy cobwebs replaced the real ones that hid in its corners as my children ducked for apples.
The dresser was decorated with holly and ivy found down the back lane at Christmas time.
The nativity creche took centre stage and each year an angel figurine joined The Holy Family.
The Dresser Over the Years
Over the years the brown Johnstone dinner service was stored underneath and the wonderful finds in antique and charity shops took a place on the shelves. Each plate, jug or bowl serves as a memory from a relation or travel destination – even the chipped ones.
A Royal Albert dinner plate serves fortitude and courage when things go wrong. A delicate Limoges dessert plate boldly serves a slice of apple tart as a peace offering.
A pale blue dessert dish with faint pink flowers carefully minded for over 75 years held slices of my christening cake marking my faith journey.
Places and People
A Belleek sugar bowl and creamer inherited from my mother sits proudly on one of the shelves and it is constantly used. I recall the places and people that made life sweet and continues to give me energy.
Plates and vases from France, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Japan and South Africa are all represented reflecting my love for travel and entertaining. You may find a rogue earring or money tucked into a jug for safe keeping and concert tickets tucked behind a willow platter.
The drawers contain linen serviettes, place-mats and tablecloths scented with lavender from my garden.
The dresser has been repainted in its 47 years from Dutch dark brown to primrose yellow reflecting Monet’s kitchen in Giverny. Now it wears a peaceful dove grey perhaps reflecting my melancholy stage of life. Life, I have learned is neither black or white but reflects a combination of different emotions and realities. There is always a different perspective or angle to all life’s situations. Sadness can creep in like the cracks in the willow platter. Disappointment sits on the unused plates when no one calls yet the jaunty cheese plates gives one a cause to smile.
The Dresser and Me
The drawer handles have become loose and the drawers sometimes jam with the overload of contents that I’ve collected.
Parts of me are loose and jiggle and get stuck when rising from a chair at times. Parts of my life need to be sorted, rearranged and put in order like the serviettes, coasters and place mats. Some even need to be discarded. Isn’t this what we do when approaching the end years: try to fix things, tighten our grips on people and thoughts, examine our lives and put them in order.
Taped behind the hundred-year-old Blue Willow platter. I put my final wishes in a sealed envelope.
However I believe the dresser has room for a few more additions; like myself it is not finished yet .
(c) Peig Caverley
See here for more Mining Memories articles on Writing.ie, with another piece from Peig to read here.
