One of the most loved & cherished collections I have is my white Ironstone.  I have been collecting it for years.  When I had a house, I used to feature a rotating group of pieces on my mantel while two of my bigger pieces were displayed in my living room.  But, I never had an area dedicated to show off my entire collection in one place.  For years I have been looking for a rustic primitive piece like a cupboard with open shelves to serve that purpose.  This month I saw two I really liked around the same time courtesy of my new best friend, Facebook Marketplace.  So, I had to make a choice.  The pictures of each cabinet are below.  I am sharing the screen shots from the FB posts for authenticity.

Here is cabinet A:

A1

A2

A3

Here is cabinet B:

B1

B2

B3

B4

Both are heavy wood pieces so either one will hold the weight of the Ironstone without fear of the cupboard falling over.  Each one has a small closed off bottom area for additional storage.  And the dimensions are basically identical (78H x 42W x 10D versus 78H x 42W x 17D).  As for differences, cupboard A has three shelves framed by scalloped trim while cupboard B has two shelves with straight trim.  It also has one bottom door and a more primitive look to the whole piece.  Still both will serve the purpose I want it for and each has its own charm.  So which one did I choose?

As much as I loved cabinet B and its reasonable price of $250 (I probably could have negotiated an even lower one), it still cost more than I could spend right now on a non-necessity.  So I passed on it.

I chose A and I only paid $10.00 for it.  So really, it was no contest.  I had every intention of paying the asking price of $15, but once I saw the cupboard in person and realized there are a good amount of cracks that need to be repaired (not just the one in picture A3 where you can see a black tape patch at the bottom of the cabinet) along with a small mildew stain in the back, the seller agreed to the reduced price.  Yes, this piece will need more work, TLC, and elbow grease than the other one.  But I was already planning to clean and paint whichever one I bought since I want the outside of the cupboard to be white.  Now I will just need to spend a little more time on repairs.  Saving myself $240 is well worth it.  I will share the cupboard transformation in another post.

Now for a song.

This past weekend Bruce Springsteen’s movie, “Western Stars”, opened nationwide.  He has been on the talk show circuit promoting it so I got to see several clips of the film (I am going to see it on Halloween).  In one scene Bruce wishes the viewers “….a guiding light thru the dark for all your days.”  The dark he refers to is depression, which is also the subject of the album’s first single, “Hello Sunshine”.  I have listened to this song every day since its release in June because I understand what Bruce so eloquently explains about one of the saddest realities of the disease:  You cannot run away from it, and if you try, you will only leave everything else behind.

“You know I always liked that empty road
No place to be and miles to go
But miles to go is miles away
Hello sunshine, won’t you stay?”

What he has done for those of us suffering from depression has been life-changing.  When a strong powerful man speaks out about his own fight with this illness, it gives credence to the rest of us who suffer with this malady.

Reading about his struggles in his autobiography gave me hope that even when I forget what light is like, I may find my way back to it with his music and because he did, too. He is a survivor and tells the rest of us we can survive, too.  I will never ever be able to thank him for all he has given me and all his other fans, but adding this part of his story to our narrative of him is monumental.  Thank you, Bossman, thank you. And continue to stay in the sunshine. .

Bruce Springsteen:  “Hello Sunshine” (2019, written by Bruce Springsteen).

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing some things that I love with you  🙂

Until next time, happy listening!!!