Franciscan Madeira, Secretariat, and a Garage Apartment

For years

I have given a home

to a million pieces

of

Franciscan Madeira pottery

and Tiffin Madeira crystal in avocado green.

I just added it up.

I have had these dishes for 40 years.

Avocado green may not be on

a 2011 color wheel,

but it certainly was

in the early 70’s.

In fact , if you wanted your

refrigerator, blender ,

or your toxic set of Club aluminum cookware to match,

that was possible too.

I have a million pieces,

but I can’t seem to let it go.

I used it daily in the garage apartment

where my husband and I lived the first year we were married.

Which reminds me… don’t young people

live in garage apartments anymore?

Every night I set the table with Franciscan Madeira,

Tiffin avocado green goblets,

and Reed and Barton Regency stainless.

My menus were color coded too:

something green, ( Del Monte)

something white, (potatoes or rice)

and something brown, (usually beef).

My Madeira was at the first dinner party my husband and I had.

I served

King Ranch Casserole

Ranch Style Bean salad

green salad

hot bread

and

dessert.

I called my mother a million times that day for help.

These were all Ranch Recipes.


My Madeira was in that same apartment

when Secretariat won the Triple Crown.

That marked the beginning

of my husband and I watching sports on television

together,

while I jumped up and down in excitement.

We still do that today.

 

I have made a decision.

These dishes aren’t going anywhere.

In honor of time and family and loyalty

and surviving moves and hearing little girls growing up

and all of us thumping around in the kitchen,

and in honor of all of my avocado green sisters in blogland

who might be reading this,

and in honor of Secretariat,

these dishes are staying right here.

In fact, I am going to start using them again.

Why?

Because as my father,

(and Father Time would say),

“We’re burning daylight."

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I am linking to

and