2000-09-11 - 21:47 MDT

September 11, 2000

Puzzle Box

Criminy, I hate to shop, so unwillingly I went with Heather to Cost Plus today. Never having set foot in the store, I went on a voyage of discovery. And the things I found and the things I saw were of such stuff that my dreams are built.

That place is, for lack of a better term a High-Tech Pier One. They have a coffee department to rival any other in town. The little fancy candies, bon-bons and truffles such as those gracing the tables of a fancy tea are abundant. All kinds of special eatables. There is a wine section as big as most liquor stores, but dealing in wine only.

Crockery, china, glassware, kitchen utensils.

Many of their wares are imported, I particularly noted a Palermo Table of heavy wood, made with wedges in slots holding the pieces together. I did not have the opportunity to check the underside to see how the verticals are secured -- it would have to be something different than the benches my Dad's brother made. On his benches, there were four wedges on each end and the top slid into recesses before the wedges were bopped in, six pieces of wood and eight wooden wedges produced a sturdy bench with no glue, nails or screws. One of those is at the foot of my youngest daughters bed in her guestroom and the other of the pair is at my youngest son's place. Uncle must have made those in about 1925, just about the time my memory began to be connected, they are now on the order of 75 years old.

Funny thing I remembered just now. I was old enough to be curious and crawled up on one of those benches to watch uncle repair Mom's electrical plug for her iron. He had the plug apart and was handling the whole thing in some way or another. There is not a whole lot in my memory other than -- "What will happen if I plug the other end of the cord in." I remember a flash of light, jumping off the bench on the run to reach the door and before I could get out Mom was physically restraining her brother and saying, "No, you can't kill him !" I don't remember anything about the rest of that day pre or post short circuit time, but that short span of time was a dinger. Oh yeah, I rember the sound the bench hitting the floor as I ran.

Next time I go into Cost Plus down on my knees to take a look at how the pedestals are attached to the underside of the table is going to be my first stop. They had all kinds of tables and chairs and chests and shelves - enough choices that most anyone could be happy with one of them.

As I proceeded along the one aisle I noticed a sturdy looking chair with graceful lines with a placard saying, "library chair," then noticable was the fact that the bottom had a lot of wood. It was pretty, it was neat and well designed. The good thing about it is that the back can be pushed back to the floor and voila! a three step stool having a cross bar not available for standing on. It gives about the same vertical reach that the folding metal kitchen step stools have. Price ? $100, and considering the quality of wood, the engineering, design and all -- well worth it if it has a use for the buyer.

I will admit I am a wood nut, anything made of wood will get a look at by me. Also there is a deep appreciation of fine woods, their finish and the beautiful article made with it also the design (construction design) how sturdy it is. Just walking down the aisles, running my hand over the surfaces, feeling the different textures of that warm wonderful material suited to man from the days of the cave dwellers almost, is a great treat to me. I worked pre-World War 2 at the old American Furniture Company store as a floor boy, a duster, polisher and sweeper there was time for me to admire the beautiful woods and workmanship as I dusted and polished. When I was in the Cushman maple furniture room I used to pick a chair or night table, just to marvel at the weight that dense wood had. So as a seventeen (I think) year old boy the mystique of fine woods and construction of furniture became etched on my funny brain.

Naturally I spent a deal of time in the kitchen implement section while Heather was in the prints, and fancy, fancy stuff. Spotted a can opener that I think can be used by her -- long enough key to where her wrists can handle opening a can. We have had terrible bad luck with electric ones. It was fun looking and figuring out what use each thing had -- a few had me stumped. I saw something there I hadn't seen for years, a Potato Ricer, I didn't know anyone still used them.

Then I went into the section of obviously imported ethnic stuff and saw all the little "gee-gaws," the strange, "look-prettys" and a few, "I wish I hads."

There were lamps and shades of many varieties, a strange well designed metal love seat I wouldn't want fry my bum on if it were out in the sun.

So I guess when Heather shops in that mall, she will deposit me there. One thing that really made my afternoon -- there were many places where I could sit down and ease my back.

My return there is actually a foregone conclusion. I had such a good time there, almost as if I were in a magic Puzzle Box.

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