Chester Chatter: Matching furniture isn’t always a blessing

By Ruthie Douglas
© 2018 Telegraph Publishing LLC

When Don and I were first married, we had three rooms upstairs in the big farmhouse. One had been Don’s bedroom, then a kitchen and living room. The thing was we had no furniture. We ate our meals all together downstairs.

I went to used furniture stores and auctions (no yard sales in those days.) I bought a couch, two chairs and a coffee table. I spent $19. Nothing matched, but it was cozy. We had a table and two chairs in the kitchen. Slowly we got a refrigerator and a stove.

Some three years, later my in-laws went to managing Molly Stark State Park and spent the winter months in Florida. Don and I moved downstairs, and we once again found ourselves needing furniture.

Down to Walpole, N.H., and Aumand’s we went. I picked brand new living room set: a couch, two chairs, a coffee table, end tables and lamps. And we purchased a 9 by 12 rug. It was wonderful. The set had maple arms and wagon wheels under the arms and wagon wheels on two sides of the coffee table.

Many times, I stepped into the living room just to admire my new furniture. It made me so happy.

But by another year older I wondered why in the world I decorated my living room in a Colonial farm house in a western style. I lived with it until 1976 and our house was on fire. The firemen could get that side door open and saved every piece of that set. We had to have it redone and in 1982 I had had it. I gave that set to my daughter. Her family had it for some time. Bits and pieces traveled to college dorms and first apartments.

I feel that set is not dead yet and I bet some of it can still be found around Springfield to this day.

Out and about as spring tries to break through

We are sad to learn that Gert Bennett’s chimney fell off the roof of her home and caused a mess.

Several American Legion Vermont members have been in Washington, D.C. attending the national convention.

How fast a month goes by, especially in February. The class of Springfield High School 1959 met for lunch at the Riverside Restaurant. It was a small group as the snow birds have traveled south. We, however, managed to enjoy our time together.

The Chester Gals attending the Patsy Cline impersonator show Saturday night in Bennington were certainly treated to an evening of fun. A great way to get rid of cabin fever.

It felt like spring the other day and my daughter Jeanie and I went touring. We had lunch in Rutland and drove up Mendon Mountain into Bridgewater and Woodstock. It was great to get out of the house, and was amazing to see so little snow most places we went.

Seeing Jack Atwood’s obituary reminded me that Chester Dairies was formed in 1959. It was the Douglas family farm with partner William Hoffman. The barns were built between the two Douglas homes and was designed by UVM students. Each barn held 100 cows with milking parlor and milk tank between. A large manure pit was built for the waste. Chester Dairy shipped its milk to Hood in Boston.

March means it is time to put away your Christmas wreath, and remember to vote on Town Meeting Day.

• This week’s trivia question:  How long has the Barbie Doll been on sale?
  
• Answer to last week’s trivia question: The original Jiffy Mart was open for business in 1983.
  

Street Talk

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