Wild excitment and a Windsor Chairmaker table...

Jim and Nance Brown from Windsor Chair Makers came today with THE table. I woke up with the kind of feeling I used to have as a kid on Christmas morning- the tingle of electrical energy coursing through my veins and just a little bit of a knot in my belly. I hopped out of bed and raced around all morning, getting ready for the arrival of the wonderful, magical table. And here it is, the finish glowing as if the wood was somehow lit from within. It is so smooth, so silky, I keep running my hands over it as I walk past. I think of the fun and good food and conversations that this table will see....

Jim told me that the top is made of Tiger maple. The wood has beautiful squiggles and lines throughout it. He said those lines are made when the tree goes through storms. The wind bends and flexes the tree, and these marks result. I love the poetry of that; weathering a storm creates additional beauty and interest.

I cannot even believe that a table this magnificent is under my freshly painted ceiling! I just keep staring at it. Happily.

The table in progress...

I went to visit my table today. She is a thing of beauty! The blue and white crackle paint on the underside and on the legs is done, awaiting a beeswax rub. The top finish is in progress. She currently resides in a sunny loft where she is being cared for by a lovely woman with great artistic skills. Apparently the finish is something that is applied layer by layer and it takes time for the beauty to be created. I came home and looked at my mostly empty dining room with great glee. This weekend I plan to touch up the paint in there, wax the floor, wash the window and prepare for the arrival of my dream table! I have a chandelier that I've been waiting to have installed for several years. I'll see if we can get that taken care of, too, so the room will be ready for the wonderful new addition. This is SO exciting!

Kindness and Tiger Maple...

Almost 7 years ago when I first moved to Maine, the very first thing I did was go to work at my new job at Yankee Clipper Pet Grooming. And one of the very first customers that I met there was a man named Jim Brown. Jim owns a round mocha colored Cocker spaniel called Rudder. It was pretty much love at first sight for me when I met Rudder, and Jim took note of my adoration of his dog and gave me his seal of approval. I think he was the first customer that requested that I groom his dog. I was honored.

Over the years I got to know Jim and his totally wonderful wife, Nance a little better. And the more I knew them, the more I liked them. They added a new Cocker to the family, Tilly. And I got to help out with finding her and bringing her to them from Georgia on an airplane. (Truth be told, I kind of wished they would change their minds, because I'd become smitten with the little 4 lb. puppy during our travels together.)

There came an opportunity where I was able to do something nice for Jim and Nance and take care of the dogs for a while when they had to be away. I think it is good karma to do nice things, and I was happy to have chance to make these good peoples life just a wee bit easier during a difficult time. But they one-upped me. In a big way.

You see, Jim and Nance own a place that makes incredible handmade furniture. I had toured their place years ago, and had been dreaming of a time when maybe I could own a dining room table made there. During the time that I was taking care of the dogs, Jim told Nance, "We ought to make that woman a table or something." So they are. They even came to my house and measured my dining room, checked out the "lay of land" and made suggestions on the size and shape of the wonderful piece of furniture they are making me. (You can find out more about their creations at www.windsorchair.com)

In this picture I am with Jim (on the right) in the workshop, standing in front of my table, in progress! The craftsman who is cutting and gluing my tabletop is on the left. If you look down to the lower right you will see Rudder's posterior portion. He was checking out my table, too.

So, someday in the near future my humble little dining room will boast an amazing table, hand made of beautiful Tiger Maple (grown right here in Maine!) and carefully finished to a mellow glow. And our friends and family will gather there for food and laughter and memory making. And the table will be part of a circle of kindness, and will be something to treasure.