I'm not trying for 31 in a row.....

...but am posting another one today.  This is really a continuation of  The Charlie Story, but I wanted to slip something in-between.

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My friend (St.) Laura, called me yesterday in sort of a quandary.  She was giving a retreat today at the Jesuit Retreat House on Faith and needed eggs.  Not grocery store eggs.  Not Easter eggs. Story book eggs. Apparently, at the retreat, she would be telling the story of how: snakes eat rats and chickens need to be shown where to lay eggs (on a nest) or they lay them just 'any old place'.  According to the tale, the lazy rat snake preferred to eat the "egg" the farmer had placed in the nest to teach the chickens where to lay, instead of chasing after the "edible" rat. Unfortunately for the snake, the egg was made of wood and now stuck inside the snake, moving neither hither nor yon. Surely, the snake would die without an intervention.  The farmer had compassion and brought the snake to the vet for "eggs-traction" and, with a little "snip-snip" and "sew-sew", all ended well. This literary story is based on true events. Not ever having been that close to a rat snake, I'm not totally sure I would have had the same reaction. Seeing a slithering, winding being with only 1 bulge, might bring me to the conclusion that perhaps, it too, had, had a mastectomy. [This is PC BC humor and feel free to laugh.]

Back to the quandary. Laura thought in the telling of the story, it might be a nice visual to pass out some type of artificial egg, actually 36, but not the colorful kind, and, by today at noon.  I almost leapt out of my chair with enthusiasm. Ooooooo, oooooooo, I know the answer, and I'll do it!

I called around to the craft stores and one had 'eggs-actly' 36 papier mache eggs, so I journeyed to Hobby Lobby and got them. Hand painting 36 ovals is a bit of a time consumer, but I had music to listen to, and movies to watch. I finally 'eggquiesced' to spraying on the final 2 white coats and a spray-on poly (both sides).

Here's hoping they turned out the way she wanted and story was received well. Not so much here. While writing this post, I burned my home-made Michael Symon recipe for Pierogies. Some of them.  Still cooking for the 25 mythical people that I think still live here.

Anyhow, thanks Laura, for the challenge, the trust, and the friendship.

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Earlier, I posted about the "Charlie boxes/chests". Now, I am writing about the table they were sitting on for his son, Matt.  Well, really, wife, Andrea. This table had been in her family and needed some mending, as most furniture, {and some families} do. 

When she brought it to me it had some joint issues.  If only they were all so easy to fix.  (Speaking here of human ones.) I really need to put some  l o n g  wood clamps on my wish list. I use a lot of different types of wood glues and this needed the special healing of The Chair Doctor, by Veritas.  Some of the wood was split, and some had just slipped its joint.

Before

A very, versatile table

All that old furniture was made with such precision.

I thought at first this was a veneer and I would be in deep trouble sanding so deep, but no issues.

The first sanding took out almost all the grooves and scratches, but one, that was too embedded.

Andrea wanted a deep red.

I top coated it with a dark stain and poly.  

The red is actually darker than this.

If you tilt your head sideways-this will appear upright.

The wood finished off with a rich, deep finish.  Hope they like it. This piece will be across the room from the fish tank stand. And, around the corner from The Charlie Chest.

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Not to take anything away from Michael, and his genius at cooking, and being positive about Cleveland, but, the subsequent batches of pierogies that did not burn, did not taste as good as the recipe I got from the ladies at St. Vladimer's Ukrainian Church. I think I will eggstract his recipe from my Rolodex. Just sayin'.

As ever,
La Verne
hope&salvage