"Therefore if anyone is in Christ,
he is a new creature;
the old things passed away;
behold, new things have come."
2 Corinthians 5:17
We've had the same couch in the living room for about 28 1/2 years. We had spent a great deal of time picking it out, going all over the city to all the furniture stores that seemed like good ones, sitting in their couches. Finally we decided on one at Ethan Allen. We knew the number and the cost, and we went to order it only to be told that it was discontinued. That was so disheartening. But as we stood in the show room chatting with the saleswoman about the situation and a different clerk overheard our conversation and came to tell us that there was, in fact, one left. It was in the back of the store "hanging on the wall". We had expected to pay $1200 for the couch, but this one on the wall was going for $388. Never mind that the cover was not really to our liking - we took it. But not long after getting the couch Riley took a job in Hong Kong. We did ship lots of our furniture, but for a reason I can't remember we did not take the couch. We left the remainder of our belongings with my brother and his girlfriend. In my estimation they did not treat the couch properly, but it did survive. Not long after our return from Hong Kong we had the couch and two other chairs recovered in matching material. The chairs eventually became unsatisfactory, and were given away. But the couch remained with us with that blue tattersol cover until about 2004, when we had it recovered in a French material. In hind sight, the material was not the best choice. The color was just a bit wrong. But the whole thing was almost a complete disaster because the upholsterer threw away the original cushions and replaced them with hideous foam cushions. We were horrified!!! The couch had been delivered late on a Saturday evening, so at that point we did know who to contact. But first thing on Sunday morning we called the furniture store that had orchestrated the recovering. They immediately called the upholsterer, who said that the cushions were out back by the dumpster!! They told him to bring them immediately to the store. We collected them soon after. It was such a relief and joy to get them back.
But the couch still did seem to be suffering a bit from age. The dog had chewed up one of the filials on the back, and the woodwork was looking aged, and the dear cushions were getting flat. So we decided to find a new couch. In our usual fashion this took months of serious looking. But finally one day we walked into a well known furniture store that we hadn't gone to before because it was deep in suburbia. But we quickly realized that it was probably the right store. But even then it took more than one visit to finally hone in on a couch. Unfortunately they didn't have the one that we liked in the show room, only a similar one. But that one was very nice to sit in. Then it took hours and hours of looking on line to choose the covering we wanted. But finally in September we took the plunge and ordered a rather expensive couch sight unseen. I had even begun to forget that we had ordered a couch. But early this week they called to say that the couch was finished and had been sent. Well it is due to arrive today at about 2:00.
But here's the really ironic thing about all this. Yesterday, when Riley sat down on our dearly beloved old couch there was a very distinctive crack. An oak piece of wood that is a support under the couch split. How amazing that the old couch would break less than 24 hours before the knew couch arrived. What a sign that it was time to get rid of the old couch. But actually, we're not getting rid of it. It has been given to daughter number 3, who had already set it up to give the couch in her room to someone else. Now that did bother me a bit, as that is my couch. It had been in the dentist's office when I was a child a very very long time ago. It really is a most amazing couch, and I hadn't intended to get rid of it. Riley says I can still keep it. He's sooo sweet. But then again, the dentist was terrible. He had a slow drill and didn't use Novocaine.
Not only is it good that the new sofa is coming today especially since the old one broke, but we are having 12 people for dinner this evening. My only angst about all this is that I don't want anyone to spill on my new couch!!!!!!! How do I keep everyone off the couch? Maybe it will be delivered with a protective covering and I'll just leave it on. Well actually it's Scotch guarded.
So now for the dinner party. The Doncasters are coming, as are all of my children except Corey, who's middle name is Doncaster. Something about her collegues taking a retro Christmas picture of themselves at seven. Unfortunately the Doncasters have to leave by seven because their grand-daughter, who is maybe 5 months old, has to be put to bed by 7:30. So they are all arriving around 4:30, and we will eat at 5:30.
menu:
Spicey Meatballs with noodles
green salad with vinaigrette
French bread
grateful pudding with lemon sauce
Russian apple cake with whipped cream
That shouldn't be too hard, but we will see. I'm slow getting started today, and the living room is a mess, with the old couch upside down and the cushions everywhere because Riley is gluing it back together. I'm not totally sure where this couch is going this afternoon. Maybe in the middle of Corey's room temporarily.
Well we all had a lovely time. They were a little late, and I was even later. It's amazing how much work goes into making dinner. I didn't make the Russian apple cake with whipped cream. Instead I made a tarte tatin with golden delicious apples. Bothe desserts were very nice indeed. Actually the whole dinner was very nice. The one mishap was that i forgot to serve a German chocolate cake that Sarah had brought over. It was in the back room, and it was a matter of "out of sight, out of mind." It is soooo hard to be perfect!
"A person who never made a mistake
never tried anything new."
Albert Einstein
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