Giving green

The other weekend we spent a few hours at MyKo's parents' place, checking out their recent remodeling job (beautiful!). Due to the construction, household items had to be boxed up and stored outside. I spied a lamp that I offered to buy from them, and Mama MyKo said, "You can have it! Please, take it!" She even tested whether the electricity still ran (it did!) and put it in a bag for me. It's *exactly* the type of desk lamp I've been searching for, too: vintage, gooseneck, conical. The plusses are its fantastic green color and its funky fiberglassness. I love the texture created by the filaments.

As we were in the backyard already, MyKo and I started rummaging through some of the boxes and found lots and lots of treasures, especially in my weakspot: ceramics and housewares. Mama MyKo has so many sets of unique Japanese dishes -- the likes of which are, sadly, no longer made. It was a boon for us, though, since Mama MyKo was more than willing to send many of those hardly ever used goodies into new, caring homes. MyKo filled up two boxes with complete sets of plates (prompting her to remove items from her already scant bridal registry), various serving trays, and special Japanese cups; I managed to step away with a few pieces, too. The theme: green.

In addition to the lamp, Mama MyKo let me have a beautiful Japanese teapot with wisteria and butterflies; three teacups with a camellia pattern, and a tupperware for keeping vegetables (there's a net-type thing inside), long enough to hold the daikon I regularly pick up at the farmers market.

Such passings-along seem more and more common these days as our parents start to downsize and move out of the homes we grew up in. Sorting out a house full of stuff after 25+ years seems a daunting task for many, but I happy offer my services. I love cleaning and clearing out and organizing. When it comes to friends' homes -- like MyKo's, a couple months ago -- objects found at the bottom of drawers and the backs of closets often ring nostalgic. And with our parents' homes there are so many mementos and memories. I love a good history and a good treasure hunt. I'll be back, Mama MyKo!