Grandma's China

The past few weeks Mr Beeper and I have been on a mission to sort through all of our unwanted stuff--stuff long ago stashed in the attic where we would not have to think about it, stuff lurking in moldering boxes in the basement, and just stuff that has been accumulating around the house...all in preparation for the ENORMOUS yard sale we will be part of this weekend. And aside from the good feeling of knowing we are clearing out all the junk and helping it to find a new home where it can be used and appreciated, it has also been a bit of a treasure hunt because we have found things we had forgotten about and that we actually want--like these mismatched pieces of china that belonged to my long-since departed grandma.

Unwrapping these from the yellowed newspaper that enfolded them was like Christmas, each a lovely little surprise for me--the milk glass chicken, the blurry delft-blue print bowl, the yellowed crackle on a teacup-less saucer. And some, like those tiny crystal salt and pepper shakers with the tarnished silver caps, I actually remember seeing in Grandma's curio cabinet...so it was also a bit like unwrapping memories of her and her little home filled with so many interesting antiques that she was never fussy about.

But these are my favorite--this mismatched assortment of butter pats. They are like little doll dishes--so tiny, so lovely. I wish you could see their patterns up close--the little strawberries , the curling wildflowers, the pale tea roses, the schooner, the ferns...all of these pieces are now upstairs, in my own china cabinets, where I can put them use. I am not quite sure how I will use them, but I will find something because they too pretty not to use, and they connect me to my past, my dear Grandma Keller.