Sometime in late Spring, I started to search for a set of durable, inexpensive plastic cups embossed with a summery pattern to use for the upcoming season's picnics and outdoor meals on our terrace. I needed to find something unbreakable because, well, let's just say I'm known to be a bit dangerous near glassware.After several shopping trips, however, I still had not found what I was looking for. And the end-of-May holidays were right around the corner!
I decided to have a look at my favorite online store---eBay, of course. :-) As I skimmed over the pages of red, white, and blue tumblers, a flash of childhood memory resurfaced. I was transported to Grandmom's long farmhouse kitchen and the cupboard shelf lined with jewel-toned aluminum beakers.
This little vintage set (+ 2 more cups) arrived in the post a week later, as the auction gods looked down upon me with favor that evening. Not only do I have the perfect pitcher as well, but also I love the connection to the past, having a bit of history with my iced tea or lemonade, which is oh so much sweeter than that from a brand new plastic cup.
One never visited my grandmother and left empty-handed. There would always be a shopping bag waiting that she had prepared beforehand with some of her "treasures"---a dishcloth she had crocheted, a small stack of magazines, a pair of earrings she no longer wore, little bags of pretzels, a few newspaper clippings. Now that Grandmom is no longer with us, I have to find my own treasures, and that is exactly what I've found with this pitcher and set of summer cups. Iced tea, anyone? :-D
