Friday, March 23, 2012

Silver Lining To Dry Climate













Got too much exercise today, so that by 2, I was ready to just sit. But I also had so many things left that didn't get done during Storm Watch, March Edition. I can't help myself, when these fabulous Oklahoma storms hit, I am glued to the window watching the lightning. But no lightning today, so I decided to polish some of the silver left to me by John's mother. You might think she imagined that she was leaving it to John or her grandchildren, but we had a clear understanding when it came to the silver. She was a heavy smoker, and that wasn't doing her health any good. (While all the statistics show how many people are harmed by smoking, if you read those numbers from the other direction - my speciality - you find that there are some people who have no ill effects on their health from smoking. She just wasn't one of them.) She told me at one point that the reason she smoked was because she didn't want to live to be too old. I would tell her that I wished she would take better care of herself for John, who would be much happier if she did. But if she insisted on dying young (80), I was really going to enjoy having her silver tea service. She laughed so hard I thought she was going to choke. So here it is, in all it's fabulousness. Well, here is my favorite one. It is from Benetfink, mid 1800's and includes the tea pot, creamer, and waste bowl. Might have been one child's half of a larger set, and the other child got the coffee pot, sugar bowl, and a tray. Might not have been. Anytime I try to track down any more like it, people start offering to buy what I have. I would love to buy just a sugar bowl, since I already have this wonderful raised tray, but Bee Hive silver is not easy to find. The doily was crocheted by my cousin, Jae. She knows my favorite color, and added the Pansy's for fun. That oval tray was at the Goodwill for $1.50, coated by a thick black layer of tarnish, but shined up beautifully. I wanted it to use underneath the gravy boat during the holidays. I know I complain about how dry this place makes my skin and hair, but it sure cuts down on how often you have to polish the silver.

5 comments:

  1. Beautiful, beautiful beehive silver! No wonder people ask if they can take it off your hands. But the best part is the laugh I got over the story--you certainly are the person to encourage laughter no matter the topic. True laughter--not the awkward stuff over even deeper issues.

    Glad you got through the storms okay--we ended up driving through some of it. Pretty darn cool. The bizarre thing was riding into Tulsa the other day and seeing the "Welcome"/PR sign on the south side: It features a lightning storm. Really?! That's how you encourage and welcome tourists? Through severe weather?

    Tulsa/Oklahoma humor at its best.

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  2. Oh, that's a beautiful silver set. You are lucky to have it. Polishing the stuff is such a pain. Thanks for sharing the story. That was a great find on the tray!

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  3. Hi Catherine! You do have a great laugh! I have not seen the Welcome sign with the lightning. At least it's not false advertising. I'd rather not drive through it, but love it when I watch it out the window.

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  4. Oh Sanda, Polishing this set is even more of a pain than her standard smooth surface one, but it's more rewarding. I was pretty surprised at how good that little tray turned out. When I got it, you couldn't even tell if it had any markings. Now I love it.

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  5. I've never heard of beehive silver before! What fun...though not the polishing. I love love love wild thunderstorms (through the window). They are part of what I miss about Oklahoma - it rains plenty here in England, but lightening and thunder are relatively rare.

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