OUR DINING ROOM-WHERE THE ACTION WAS

      Through the years, I always had a problem with the homes I lived in because the dining rooms were never large enough. Nothing would compare to the dining room size of the home I grew up in. Nothing!

     At Christmas time, the table with two or three leaves would hold 10 to 12 people easily with a card table off to the side for the kids. That room was the hub when relatives came for a holiday event. Some might say that the real action was in the kitchen where most of the ladies were preparing those many feasts, but, not for me.

     The east side of this huge room was the opening to the living room with it's oak pocket doors that normally remained open until closed on cold winter spells to preserve the heat .  To the south were expansive picture window with a bench seat the length of the room except for the door that went out to the enclosed porch on the south of the house. 

     The west wall was a built-in China hutch reserved for finer dishes and glasses and then the pass-through counter to the kitchen and below built-in drawers which kept games and all sort of things.

     The north wall held a long wood buffet which also held fine china and glasses and held plates  on top of prepared foods during those special meals. Above it was a long framed mirror that provided added depth and perception to the already over-size room. On either side was one door  (left)  that went back to a bedroom , later a TV room, and to the right side of the north wall was another door that led to a hallway and stairs to the second level. 

     During the winter, this room carries the fondest memories. Mom would close off the living room and the front master bedroom by closing the pocket doors and basically shutting down the house to two main rooms-the dining room and kitchen including the bathroom. With all the glass to the south, the dining room would obviously be the coziest room in the winter.

     Many a day when we were snowed in , I remember playing Chinese Checkers with my mother to pass the time. Also, for a while our early TV was put in the dining room in the southeast corner. I still fondly remember watching the Davey Crocket series with Fess Parker as Davey from there.

     With all the family meals shared and enjoyed there and those fond memories of snowed in days, it will always be my favorite room.!