Heritage

I have managed to make it through the day (the Wednesday) in spite of being a rather sad case. Pinched nerve in my hip, headache and the beginnings of a sore throat, exhausting circuit of activities in place. I have only one child left that still needs to be fetched out of the rain (Young Knight is at soccer practice) before we can batten the hatches for the night, and get cozy.

About two years ago we got a bunch of stuff from Sir’s family. I don’t remember why we received this all at once … oh yes, I believe the family sold a piece of property and these were articles stowed away there. Since most of you didn’t read me two years ago, I thought I’d blow the dust off these things and bring them out for you again.

Here’s a Bible that was burned in the fire that destroyed many of Sir’s grandfather’s paintings. If my hip were not pinched, I would pull it down and show you; but as it is, I thought you might like to know that it’s from 1772.

Yes, we have  Bible that’s four years older than my country.

Here’s a planter. I suppose you would put a small potted plant in it.

I would do just that if I didn’t fear that a particular someone, swinging a stuffed animal, tied to belt of his bathrobe would shatter it.

These are some familial earthenware –

just the kind of water pitcher and teapot you would use for the table when there are no guests around.

Let’s see, this is the lantern from one of the first cars that was built. You would attach it to the front of the car in order to see at night, and in the extremely rare occasion you met another vehicle coming the opposite way on the road, courtesy demanded that you jump down from the car and turn the light downwards so the other could pass by without being blinded.

We’ve turned it into a decorative light for our shelving unit.

Now here is a copper bed-warmer.

Servants would put burning coals in it and pass it under the sheets to warm the bed in the days when rooms were heated (poorly) with fires.

What else, what else … we have about 30 hand-painted dessert plates from a great-great-(great?) grandmother. She’s the one who painted them, each one unique. These are the compotiers – the shallow dishes meant to hold puddings – that match the dessert plates.

I like this corner of our living room with the faux marble fireplace, the hand-blown bottle and the copper pots on the mantlepiece (and the linden tree in the window). So cheerful!

And I like this little corner too.

The dresser has a marble top (its matching nightstands are downstairs next to our bed), and you can only open the drawers with one of those iron skeleton keys.

On top of the dresser we have (what I think are) candle-holders made from red marble, with bronze (perhaps?) dishes with their decorative serpent handles.

And we tucked away the old sewing table downstairs in our bedroom.

It opens up and even has a fold-out candle holder and pin cushion.

(A photo in which I offend your sensibilities by showing the television in the background of this mint antique).

The drawer stashes such tiny treasures as ivory dominos

and ivory die.

And here is Sir’s grandmother, to whom most of these things belonged.

Do you see the likeness to her wedding portrait?

And this is his other grandmother.

Our children inherited such beauty, such rich history as to set them up nicely in the world. But we try to direct their sights on the more important treasure – that of possessing a character rich in nobility and integrity.

It is the great equalizer, is it not? Because those who have naught in this world might still possess it, and those who have . . . just might not.

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