A Table in Time

From a letter I wrote to my nephew, Clark

Thought I’d write a note with a little history about this table. I’m happy to give it to you so that it stays in our family. You seem like the logical person to have it next, too!

Do you remember that Cork and Kathy Snyder lived behind us? Mom and Kathy took me to visit Kathy’s grandmother at their family farmhouse. It was located at the corner of 112th and Riverdale Road, real close to where you lived when you were a little boy. The farmhouse is still there, although they sold it and the land years ago.

I don’t know what year we got it but it must have been the early 1960s, I was just a little girl. Behind the farmhouse was a separate garage and in there was this desk. They were using it for potting plants. Seems like I recall it being painted black or maybe brown, but I could be wrong about that. The drawer was off to the side, it did not have drawer pulls and the brackets to hold the drawer in place had been broken.

Mom really loved the look of the table, even though it was painted and she didn’t know what was underneath. After we brought it home, she painted it barn red (the color of the shake shingles on the house, probably with leftover outside paint!). Dad put in some boards to hold up the drawer and then he added the drawer pulls. He used that colonial variety to keep the drawer from being pushed too far back.

The table was usually in the basement bedroom, right underneath that little window between mom’s drapery room and the bedroom. By the way, don’t you just love the quirkiness in that house, I mean really… who puts a window in between a utility room and a bedroom? Oh wait, I know, my parents!

Your dad used the desk for years, for assembling and painting his model airplanes, plus any other painting projects he worked on. Soon the top was covered with little marks of different colors, yellow and blues and whites, from when his painting went astray.

Then sometime in the early 1970s, mom discovered a furniture refinishing company. It was in the strip mall at 88th and York. She had lots of furniture pieces that needed some work and the guy who owned it gave her a good deal. She decided to have this desk dipped and stripped.

When we all saw the desk, we could not believe how beautiful it was! That quarter-sawn oak is so lovely, who would ever paint over it? But I guess that was common years ago, to paint over fine wood. Sad, if you ask me.

I have always loved this desk, especially with its imperfections and because it reminds me of special times in my life. Mom loved it too, and your dad as well. I know they both would be happy that it’s going to be in your hands.