The Estate Sale Diaries-

Although I had worked all night, I went to an estate sale last Friday morning. It was a modest sale, though there were dealers there for the furniture, which must have been valuable. I rarely look at furniture. My apartment is small, and even if I wanted something new I would not be able to carry it away. I look at kitchen wares, linens, prints and paintings, glassware, and garden ornaments. And the cookbooks. Always the cookbooks.

I always hope that the late owner was a traveler. A person who might pick up small local landscapes while on holiday in France or Mexico. Or even at craft fairs closer to home,for I am partial to the earnest work of amateurs.

And I also love old napkins and tea towels and tablecloths. Few buy them, since no one wants to iron, but what cachet they will add to a table-