Mine, and Ed's Cupboard...

I realized, yesterday, that I refer to this Old Cupboard a lot, in my blog... So, I thought I'd put 'a face' to our old friend... and why, I refer to it, as mine, and Ed's.... In our house, it holds the most precious things... old Christmas cards, beautiful gifts, from my friends, favorite quilts, and really, my most sentimental pieces... The first time I met this Cupboard, a dear friend of mine, Gary, owned it... I fell deeply in love with it... It is so very old, and unusual... Has old, dry, red paint, 'single board doors' with rectangle 'cut outs' that have wire cloth, as it was called in it's day, now we refer to it as screen, covering them, a door on the bottom, that drops open, single board sides, and is all square nailed... I love the wonderful front leg cut outs.... I just love everything about it.... When Gary had it, I flipped the price tag, and my heart dropped... No way... No way could I ever own this old beauty... Gary, his wife, Jenny, and I went to Nashville, that year, { about 8 years ago...} and I helped him set the booth... He took this old Cupboard... It was the talk of the walking tour, before the show opened... I stood back and listened to the 'expert', dissect this wonderful piece... It was amazing... The Old Cupboard, never looked more proud...Gary had around 4500.00 on this cupboard... And, it sold... well, for a moment... The back legs, had been repaired, and Gary didn't disclose it, to the buyer... she was a purist, and tore up her check... THANK YOU!{ Gary would have, disclosed this, and did, but while she was writing the check, his mistake... I would have shared that with her right away...} It's a great repair... but, she wanted perfect... and that's o.k.} During the show, I saw a man looking at it, I mean really looking at it... inside and out... He visited with Gary, then he flipped the tag, and walked on... I was just walking into the booth, as he was leaving...Gary had a good show, but didn't sell the Old Cupboard... About a year later, Gary decided to get out of the Antiques Business, he knew how much I dearly loved the Cupboard, and shot me a sweet deal, and we did a little antique trading, and I was the proud owner, of the Old Cupboard... I always have to try and sell, even tho, I would have loved to keep it, but put it in the shop, and thought, if it doesn't sell, I will keep it...{ always bills to pay...} So about a month after I put it in the shop, some folks{ dealers} came through, and wanted my very best price, on the Old Cupboard, as difficult as it was, I dealt with them, but they didn't buy it... The husband called me back, and wanted to know if I would consider a trade... I said I might, but, it would have to be a pretty cool piece, I love this cupboard... I asked him to send me a picture... { he's from another state} Instead, thinking I would surely love his cupboard, he brought it... Well, I didn't... It was wonderful, but, not something I would keep for myself, and not what my customers were looking for... He was furious... I felt so bad... I reminded him, I only asked for a picture... not for him to bring it... His wife would be so disappointed, she wanted it, for their home... I shot him the best price I could... but, no deal... I felt so bad, I decided, enough... the Old Cupboard is going in the house... So, here it is... But, the story doesn't end here... A couple of years later, a couple of men, stopped at my store... I was heading out, on a 'Barn Call', I had been waiting weeks, for this call, and asked John, if he would mind the Shop, for a few hours... as I was trotting to the truck, John yelled at me, the Guy's needed help, with prices... I was backing to the truck, {nothing was going to stop me, from heading down the road... I had to GO!} but.... I begrudgingly, walked over to them, where they had a pile of stuff, and helped them...This is the day, I met Ed... It was the best thing, that could have ever happened... We became fast friends, and our area became one of their regular stops...{they are from over 800 miles away} Every time they came rolling through the area, we'd go out to dinner, I'd take them to all my favorite haunts... and we had a great time... On one of our road trips, Ed asked me, what Cupboard is my favorite... I had to think... I love them all, it's like picking my favorite pet... But after carefully thinking about it... I told him, the Big Old Food Cupboard... and started describing it to him... He was pretty quiet... He said, "that was my cupboard"... I really thought he was pulling my leg... I made him tell me all of the details, about this cupboard...{ to confirm, he wasn't 'pulling my leg...} I still couldn't believe it... It had been, his personal cupboard...In his home....{ Ed and I put the Cupboards entire journey together, from his hands, to mine...} He had been the man in Nashville, that was visiting with Gary, and looking it all over, so carefully...Ed had been in my home, several times, but, I had it at the foot of my bed, and no one gets in my bedroom...{ it was a mess... I've got it picked up now... but then, ah, not so much! I'm way too busy to keep that room clean! It was a catch all!}{ Just think, he had been within 10 feet, of his old friend, and he never knew it...} I shoved it out, into the dining room, so Ed could see his old friend, and it looked so great, with our old harvest table, I left it there! So, I promised Ed, should I ever have to sell it, he gets first chance...He loves it, as much as I do... And it just needs to be with one of us, always...{ it's willed to Ed...} It's a small, small world... and great minds, really do, think a like... Barb C. { I managed to get to the 'barn full' of stuff that day, and came home, with the 'mother load', so all was right with the world... I'm so thankful, I waited, and met these Guys... life is quite the journey....for Old Cupboards, as well as the folks who love them....}