The love language of using the good china
Thoreson
On a recent Saturday, Anne Hagman hosted three girlfriends for a casual brunch. I love invitations to Anne's Dalton Gardens home. She's a joyful and gracious hostess for gatherings large and small.
One unique feature of any brunch, luncheon, dinner, patio appetizers or even our annual girlfriends' slumber parties at her cabin on Lake Coeur d'Alene ... every meal is served on beautiful china. Two hutches at home and one at the cabin hold an eclectic collection of both heirloom pieces from her mother's wedding china and Anne's Royal Doulton "country roses" pieces from Costco. We've enjoyed mimosas at the cabin in beautiful crystal glasses, too.
Anne says she wishes people would use their "good stuff" more often. She's convinced that not using it makes china more brittle. Far be it from me to argue the point, I'm thrilled that my unfancy dinnerware matches.
Curious if my Facebook village who own china use it often or seldom, I posed the question over the weekend. Of the almost 50 people who responded, the majority are like Skip Ryman, who said they bring it out three or four times a year for major holidays and special occasions.
In contrast, Joe Clark says he uses their china almost every day, "Why have it if not to use it? Using it makes us think about grandma every day."
Diane Mort uses her mother's china every day for the simple reason that it makes her happy. Kathleen Esquibel also uses hers every day. She donated her other dinnerware, solving the dilemma. Sandy Langston still owns her original wedding china from half a century ago, as well as her grandmother's set from 1908. She misses the time of family special occasions, but for her, "it's not a reality anymore."
Deborah Mitchell says she's an everyday user and that fine china is very durable. Marcia Rams brings hers out, not just on holidays but whenever she hosts dinner parties for friends and family. She loves setting a pretty table.
Sue Thompson Shibley's china has an interesting local history background. "I love my Noritake 'morning jewel' pattern that I picked out at Clara's Corner in Dingle's Hardware in 1980 when I was 19 years old. It's been well-used and well-loved."
After reading so many comments, Cheryl Freeman has been inspired to use hers every day now. She'd been intending to order new dishes but realized she had china just sitting in a display cabinet. "Not anymore! Pretty plates here we come!"
Pam Houser uses hers daily, quoting Caroline Ingalls, "Special dishes are meant for special people, not special occasions, and who's more special than your family?"
Thanks to Anne for always making your friends feel special and loved.
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My dear friend, Katie Brodie, lost her big brother, John, this past Friday. To the NFL, the 49ers and generations of football fans, John Brodie was a legendary, award-winning quarterback who played 17 remarkable seasons for San Francisco, his hometown. To Katie, he was an adoring brother who thought his baby sister hung the moon.
I'll always cherish a summer afternoon at Katie's Hayden Lake home with John telling me stories of his football days. My childhood was spent in Los Angeles and I admitted to John that as a girl I loved going to Dodgers games with my grandpa and knew little of his era of greatness on the football field. He took it like a good sport and then I mentioned that my first crush was Dodgers pitcher Don Drysdale. Meeting Don at Dodger Stadium when I was 11 was a childhood highlight.
To my surprise, John told me that he and Don were partners/owners in thoroughbred race horses in Southern California and great friends. What followed were even more stories and a lot of laughter.
John Brodie is being remembered widely and lovingly by people all across the country as a good man who made as much of an impact in his post-football career as he did in his heyday.
I'll remember him as the most interesting and entertaining big brother of my friend. By any measure, John Brodie was a man among men.
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Feeling lucky? No need to buy a lottery ticket, just visit yourmoney.idaho.gov to see if you have any unclaimed dollars. Last year, I found two refunds for myself, totaling $15.34. This year was a goose egg.
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Happy Birthday today to Jenni Grimmett, Valerie Wilcox, Hope Newman, Lauren Adair, John Andres and Chad Oakland. Tomorrow, Fern Glass, Rachel Riggs, Cindy Peugh, Allen Hildebrant, Tayler Ekness, Don Waddell and David Gerzina Sr. celebrate their big day. On Friday, Jim Custer (86!), Shannon Damiano, Mel Palmer, Sierra Graham, Brylee Dresser and Helen Sargent hear the birthday song. Jennifer Alexander, Robert Brown, Cassidy Peacock, Sandy Scarlett, Erik Salvador, Linda Wolff, Mary Bell and Bernadette Myers, who take another trip around the sun on the last day of January. On the first day of February, my first-born Alyssa Perry Stromberg, shares the date with Laura Little, Colleen Provost, Leslie Tibbs, Tonya Myers, Kristi Rietze, Susan Cook, Deedie Beard, James Ownbey, Jesse Anglen and Jamie Benner. On Monday, Ron Koontz, Donna Wemple, Randy Medlock, Chad VanBrunt and Seth Yost light up the candles. And on Tuesday, Jackie Jameson, Leslie Damiano, Cindy Spence, Denise Lundy, Dawn Magness, Kay Burke and Donna Armbruster celebrate.
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Kerri Rankin Thoreson is a member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and the former publisher of the Post Falls Tribune. Main Street appears every Wednesday in The Press and Kerri can be contacted on Facebook or via email [email protected].