Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023 - 9

MILL CREEK STORIES
computer, looking for projects, entertainment, and fulfillment.
Ta da! Amazon. My credit card officially died from
overuse in 2021. Still, I did not recognize that this behavior
might be a problem until the incident with the table.
When you walk in my front door (where packages are
left) you walk through the living room, into the dining
room where my great-grandmother's quarter-sawn oak
table with the gorgeous carved lion's feet on the legs sits
in all its glory. It's an empty flat surface. It's a lovely, polished,
sentimental, cherished piece of furniture, but more
importantly, it's an empty flat surface. Perfect for tossing/
piling Amazon boxes on.
I cannot tell you which box broke the camel's back,
but I think it might have been the case of toilet paper
when stores were empty of it, balanced on top of the
other boxes that hadn't been put away yet, that was the
culprit. I balanced the box on top of the others on the
table and heard a pop and then a crack and then the table
listed heavily to one side as one of the beautiful lion legs
had broken.
You don't understand. This was my great-grandmother's
table. My grandmother inherited it and spent an entire
summer removing mint green oil-based paint from
this table and lovingly restored it to its quarter-sawn
beauty. It had seen so many meals, thousands of biscuits,
loads of family meetings, it had been integral to our family
life for decades. I was so happy to inherit it from my
grandma. It's one of my best possessions and I had ruined
it through consumerism.
What would my grandmothers say? Well, were they
still here we would be having a stern conversation around
the table if we could still sit around the table, but no, I had
broken it. My grandmothers were frugal people, Victory
garden girls before it was mandated, and did not waste
a thing. Everything was recycled, reused, or remembered
fondly. The fact that I had cracked the table would be
offense enough but to do it because I'd bought too many
things, well that would be a shocking insult to them. I
simply cannot argue to defend myself. Even saying " but
it was a pandemic " to women who'd survived world wars,
influenza devastation, and a depression seems a puny excuse.
Since
there are no official Amazon Anonymous meetings
in my area, and I can't order one off of Amazon, then
I think I am going to model my grandmothers' behavior
and values. What would Sallie and Miss Lillian do?
They'd rinse the can, stomp on it to flatten it, and recycle
the aluminum. They'd mend the shirt. They'd eat the
leftovers. They'd grow what they could and preserve it.
They'd save for a rainy day.
This is it. WWSAMLD? What would Sallie and Miss
Lillian do? They'd not be on Amazon ordering a hat for
the dog, that's what. Put down the mouse and step away
from the screen. While you're at it, fix the table.
To the east and west are bustling cities, but in between
is pure bliss. Beauty that will take your breath away
and stories of bravery that will leave you speechless.
Peaks of Otter
---- Wh ere Ordinary Ends... ----
Bedford Begins.
National D-Day Memorial
DestinationBedfordVA.com
877-447-3257 | #DestinationBedfordVA
MARCH/APRIL 2023 9
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Blue Ridge Country March/April 2023

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