black and white wednesday | stupid and silly ...

a desk shot from my grandmother's secretary, 

currently on my laptop in color, 

but for today's post, in black and white. 

~

For as long as I could remember I had a fascination with the old secretary desk in my grandparent's family room.  Nearly every piece of furniture in their house was utilitarian and as far as my grandmother was concerned this item was no different.  Still, with it's closed hinged worktop encasing potentially mysterious and scandalous secrets, it not only caught my attention but provoked my curiosity.  Grand dad was a quiet man, or at least he was around us kids; so seldom did he express any thoughts or concerns about much other than perhaps mom's Christmas Day Punch.  (he was a big fan)  But grandma, well now she was quite the opposite.  If she had an opinion on something you can rest assured she didn't keep you guessing.  She was no nonsense.  Matter of fact.  Direct with a capital D.  My husband's favorite memory of her was when she stormed through mom and dad's house at the tail end of a birthday / family get-together and announced firmly she couldn't be bothered to stick around, "she had places to go, people to see!"  Even at around 5'2" and 98 pounds, she could be a force to be reckoned with.  

So when her time came she looked at the doctor and told him to cut the bull, she knew she was dying and didn't want it sugar coated.  The bottom line was she was too old to be considered for surgery.  The reality plainly clear that the odds were not in her favor to survive long enough to even  make it on a donor list.  Once he left the room she looked over at me and said she wanted some french fries from McDonald's.  I suspect there was a "damn it" and "what the hell" in the request; I'd expect no less.  As she tried hard to enjoy those fries, she looked at me as I massaged her legs to help relieve the pain from her systems shutting down, and said"

"that stupid desk in the living room ... before you go home, take it!"

"and take that silly old flour jar you love so much too."

"promise me you'll do that."

Of all things to think about in that moment, but I suspect it was her way of letting me know that she loved me.  Which I already knew despite her best efforts to keep it on on the down-low.

Both the stupid and the silly are treasured items in my home.

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