Her Silver Service
In my youth, my family moved to the countryside near a city (population 8,000). Mom and a neighbor lady, who lived across our dirt road, were really cozy, having morning coffee break at the kitchen table around ten each weekday. The neighbor pumped my mom, a farm girl from Arkansas, full of big notions of Missouri high society.
In those days, Mom was given S&H green stamps with grocery purchases. My sister, three brothers, and I licked those foul-tasting stamps and pasted them in the saver books. It took 50-ones to fill a page or 5-tens or if you were really lucky, a single stamp displaying a big red fifty.
Mom and the neighbor cooked up a scheme where they’d pool their stamps and get a silver service. That included a silver coffee pot, teapot, and a sugar bowl and creamer. The whole shooting match rested on a large silver tray.
With a redemption center in a metropolis twenty-five miles away, they planned the trip to claim the prize instead of ordering it from the Ideabook put out by Sperry and Hutchison. I believe the neighbor got to store the silver service, but they took turns setting a beautiful table for festive occasions like baby showers, wedding showers, and various holiday events. Their morning coffee break was still fueled by the percolator without the fancy trappings.
Over time, they saved more stamps and traded them for a second silver service. Now Mom had her own, and she was willing to let me borrow it years later when I moved to a nearby town and joined a couple study clubs. In time, I became the only one to ever use it, so she told me it was mine.
Although I painstakingly polished the silver service for each time the clubs met at my house, there was an inch-long brown place on the coffee pot handle where nothing I tried would make it shine.
At the study clubs, I was led to believe that pouring at refreshment time was a privileged job for the hostess, but I didn’t take to it. I tended to spill, so after the first time, I delegated that position. One time I noticed the woman who was pouring coffee running her finger over that brown area.
“That’s a permanent color,” I said.
“Oh, I thought it just needed polishing,” she said.
I was quick to defend my housekeeping skills. “No, I think it may not have been top quality.” I explained about Mom saving the green stamps, and then I bit my tongue for putting on airs. “It is my honor to own this silver service. It’s a prized possession.”
These days, without many formal occasions in my casual life, I don’t use that silver service much, and I am willing to share my good fortune of owning this treasure. If you have need of a well-polished silver service, you’re welcome to borrow my storied set. There’s a beauty mark on the coffee pot handle.
2024 essay
- March: Her Silver Service
- February: From Start to Not Yet Finished
- January: Tossing Old Spices
2023 essays:
- December: What I’ve Learned So Far
- November: Indecision
- October: Esprit D’escalier
- September: Hearing the Birds
- August: Happiness is a Perfume
- July: Keep Smiling
- June: Spring Rituals
- May: I’ll Hitch a Ride
- April: The Jonquils
- March: Live in the Moment?
- February: Signs
- January: Resolution: Less Whining
2022 essays:
- December: Dorian Gray
- November: Ozark Seasons
- October: The So-Called Never-Fail No-Risk Plan
- September: An Unwelcome Souvenir
- August: The Gate to Nowhere
- July: The Land Line
- June: Don’t Call Me
- May: Who’s To Judge?
- April: Time Changes
- March: The Queen of England
- February: A Bit of Chaos
- January: Headlines!
2021 essays:
- December: The Junk Drawer
- November: Keep Your Fork
- October: Write Your Life
- September: Sleeping on the Floor
- August: Life on the Mississippi or What I Learned on My Summer Vacation
- July: Jerry Stamm
- June: A Trying Time or Replacing the Mattress
- May: The Pace
- April: Learning From a Past Mistake
- March: Attitude Change Needed
- February: I Am an Eagle
- January: What Next?
2020 essays:
- December: Old Ornaments
- November: Period.
- October: On One Condition
- September: Capturing Sunshine
- August: Baseball’s Return
- July: They Bug Me
- June: Coincidence or Mysterious Connection?
- May: Spontaneity
- April: The Paints on the Wall
- March: The Signature Sandwich
- February: The Dream Catcher
- January: A Random Act of Kindness
2019 essays:
- December: Raking the Leaves
- November: Reflections in the Mirror
- October: Pioneer Woman
- September: Rewinding
- August: The Last One
- July: Nice People
- June: Jeopardy
- May: Playing
- April: Seeing the World
- March: The Signature
- February: So I Went
- January: NOW do it
2018 essays:
- December: Eureka!
- November: Morning Ritual
- October: The Hard Part
- September: Walking in the Dark
- August: Old is New Again
- July: Change Orders
- June: Country Songs
- May: Scars
- April: This Old Place
- March: Wearing a Robe
- February: A New Adventure
- January: Another Year
2017 essays:
- December: Beginning a Hiatus
- November: A Name
- October: Of Course, I’ll Use the Grand Canyon or How I Spent My Summer Vacation
- September: I Packed Courage, Too
- August: Nothing Dangles From My Rearview Mirror
- July: Grandma Brown’s Desk
- June: Old Paint
- May: Dandelion Yellow
- April: Cleaning Out Our Past
- March: The Flames of Cheer
- February: The Color of Oklahoma
- January: Former Cars
2016 essays:
- December: The Stocking Conundrum
- November: Comfort from a Cup of Tea
- October: A Friendly Wave
- September: Why Are First Memories Bad Ones?
- August: How to Treat a New Widow
- July: My Outrage or A Warning to Women
- June: Rock Collections
- May: May Baskets
- April: Screen Doors
- March: Hiraeth
- February: My New Key
- January: My Book Clubs
2015 essays:
- December: The Real Santa
- November: Mrs. Coker’s Lamp
- October: Life’s A Holiday
- September: School Reunions, a.k.a. Looking Forward to the Past
- August: Risk
- July: Old Shoes
- June: The Ant Invasion
- May: Goodbye to the Sailboat
- April: A Rant
- March: Sharing Joy
- February: On Reading Aloud
- January: The Lesson of Chicken Pot Pie
2014 essays:
- December: The Scent of Christmas
- November: Life Markers
- October: Forgiving Myself
- September: I Won’t Change It
- August: Back in Time and Looking Forward
- July: Changes
- June: The Napkin Controversy
- May: On Being Overwhelmed
- April: A Time for Everything
- March: Washing the Car
- February: Drowning
- January: Who Will Live in My House?
2013 essays:
- December: The Recipe on the Refrigerator
- November: The Lean
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October: Washing Windows
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September: Memories of Music
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August: Leap Before You Look
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May: The Hidden Garden
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April: The Day Before April
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March: My Favorite
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February: The Safety Net
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January: The Friendship House
2012 essays:
- December: Do I Have a Small Mind?
- November: The Wonders Around Us
- October: Gaining Knowledge
- September: Respecting Others’ Beliefs