{"id":2273,"date":"2015-11-23T16:12:07","date_gmt":"2015-11-23T16:12:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nosmallthing.net\/main\/?p=2273"},"modified":"2021-05-08T14:37:30","modified_gmt":"2021-05-08T14:37:30","slug":"room-around-the-table","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nosmallthing.net\/main\/room-around-the-table\/","title":{"rendered":"Room Around the Table"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"butterfly-leaf\"<\/a>Where did the term table leaf<\/em><\/strong> come from? (Probably from the same people who decided to call the moving parts on clocks HANDS<\/em>.) Leaf <\/em><\/strong>seems like an odd term for a section of furniture.<\/p>\n

I thought about this over the weekend as I\u2019ve been gearing up for our traditional family feast at my sister\u2019s.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s been hosting Thanksgiving for forever, it seems. I know I can count on champagne and a beautiful cheese plate to greet me, a wonderful (probably free-range) turkey and sometimes a goose \u2013 with blackberry cornbread stuffing, and a wide variety of homemade breads and savory scones she has baked and been packing away in the freezer for weeks.<\/p>\n

She\u2019ll often finish the meal with seven or eight desserts that would put most country club sweet tables to shame.<\/p>\n

What I can\u2019t count on is the guest list. Over the years, I remember coming over to her house during the week and helping her iron tablecloths and napkins. I could find myself spay-starching and pressing linens for eight or twenty-four.<\/p>\n

I am grateful for the care and attention she gives to the dishes she prepares. I am grateful for my good fortune to able to enjoy the abundance such a special meal represents. But I\u2019m really grateful for the EXPANDABLE nature of her table and what it helps me remember and reflect on.<\/p>\n

I did a little research on table leaves over the weekend. There are butterfly<\/em><\/strong> leaves, which are uniform sections that can be added to the middle of a rectangular or oval table, preserving the table\u2019s shape.<\/p>\n

There are drop leaf<\/em><\/strong> tables, which are good for small spaces. There are tables where the leaves are self-storing. Extra sections pull out from either end and can be slid back underneath the main section when a smaller surface is all that\u2019s needed.<\/p>\n

Even round tables can be fitted with concentric leaves. Sections can be added to the edge of the existing circumference, enabling a table that would normally sit eight to accommodate ten or more.<\/p>\n

Some years, only immediate family ended up sitting around our Thanksgiving table. Because our family is small and Barb\u2019s enjoyment in preparing a meal is great, we\u2019ll often adopt what she would refer to as Thanksgiving Orphans<\/em><\/strong>, friends who don\u2019t have family nearby or aren\u2019t part of another tradition.<\/p>\n

I have a few friends I invite every year and my sister and brother-in-law might invite former co-workers or neighbors that would not otherwise have plans.<\/p>\n

I think I like this part of the tradition most of all. Adding leaves to the main table or bringing card tables up from the basement, dressing them in linen and topping them with silverware.<\/p>\n

I like the idea of expandable tables.<\/p>\n

I like the idea of being with people that always think they can make room for an extra person or two around their table. I\u2019m sure it reflects a greater intention of mine; to spend time among people who want to share \u2013 their food or stories; their lives.<\/p>\n

Whether you have a little food or a lot, making room at your table for an extra person is no small thing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Where did the term table leaf come from? 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