Never Say Never

 

I have a rather beautiful dining room table. It opens out and leaves can be added to suit the number of diners. At full stretch, with two leaves in it, it seats ten. Because the wood is so pretty, I cherish it. I put on a ‘silencer’, a pad that fits, under a tablecloth if I have guests. And so I have acquired three sizes of tablecloths and underpads, for the closed size, seating four, the single leaf, seating six, and the full size, seating ten or twelve. The photo shows the table at full length but with only three chairs to the side. Four people on each side is quite comfortable, with two smaller chairs added to what you see.

I have hardly ever needed, over the thirty years we have had this table, to seat ten, and for many years I only had one tablecloth to fit the full size, a dark green that worked for Christmas but was okay all year. A few years ago I bought a lovely silver one for Christmas and decided that I would only need it. I gave the underpad to the YD to protect her beautiful centre counter and did something, I have now no idea what, with the green tablecloth.

This last weekend we were visited by two of JG’s nieces, with spouses and one daughter, to visit with our daughters and with us. My wonderful and highly skilled YD volunteered to cater for this visit. If you follow the count, there were ten people to feed. And so we dug the second leaf for the table out from under the bed where it lives, collecting dust and lint, cleaned it, and installed it. I messaged the YD to ask for a loan back of the underpad. But, where was the green tablecloth? The silver Christmas cloth would not do.  I had no idea about the location of the green one. No memory of what happened to it at all. It is quite possible that in a fit of tidying, I gave it away.

I spent a fruitless time searching every drawer and shelf where I thought it might have gone. No green tablecloth. Muttering, I dug out the next biggest one I own and found that it covered the table with no drape at the ends but would have to do. I have cutlery for twelve and plates for that many, so no problem there, and it was not very noticeable that the cloth did not quite cover. Except to me.

My wonderful YD planned, sourced and cooked the meal in my kitchen, with some help from the daughter of the younger niece. This lovely young woman is studying at Queen’s and is on a placement in Ottawa, staying with the YD. It seemed to the nieces to be a good time to visit, seeing her and us at the same time. They had a fraught and snowy trip from the Big City, but made it intact. And the YD arrived with a car full of food, soup, fish and all the trimmings, plus ‘starters’.

She and the daughter prepped, cooked and served a delicious meal. I contributed one pie for dessert. After the meal I found the ED in the kitchen. She had loaded the dishwasher right up to its maximum and was handwashing the residue. Other than the pie, I did nothing. I sat and visited with the family while the whole thing was rolled out, perfectly. I don’t think that at my best I could ever have done it, solo, with such panache.

The menu? Squash soup, two kinds of fish – salmon and whitefish – with baby potatoes, vegetables and trimmings, apple pie and ice cream. And a whole pile of shrimp and two kinds of cheese ahead of this feast. All cooked perfectly.

So, the ‘never’? I will not ever, (oops) tell myself that I will never need something again. Because, as sure as paint, an occasion will arise … yeah.