The Table, After Supper

This is from the late 80s. I think it was in the spring, late in the day, after supper on a weekday. I still have the pepper grinder. It was my grandmother's. It makes a nice mix of ground pepper. Some is fairly fine, but some is in pretty big chunks too. But it doesn't hold much, and I'm always struggling with how much to loosen the screw on the top. You might think I'd know if tightening the screw makes a finer grinder, but I don't, it does make it harder to turn though, and if it's too loose peppercorns can fall out when you turn it, and it doesn't work that well.

I'll probably never know what was in the container on the lower left, though I probably once did. If I had to guess I might say leftover reheated mashed potatoes. I believe that's the Keg O'Ketchup in the center of the frame, with the soon to set sun glittering upon it. Behind the ketchup may be some unfinished boiled broccoli. Which gives me a thought. Maybe the container in the lower left is cheese sauce for it! I guess I was wrong, that makes sense, maybe I do know what was in it! Shows what a little analysis can do.

The wallpaper had different colored tulips on it. I imagine it's long gone, as we moved from there in the late 90s. The bottom halves of the walls were paneled. The parquet table, which I inherited, is in my dinette area covered with a year's worth of mail and receipts, a tray I tend to cook pizza on lying on top of a kitchen towel (used to protect the table from the heat), a large bowl, and if it's not there now, another dirty kitchen towel that I use as a potholder often is, plus other stuff. It's a mess.

The curtains (window and door) have the same pattern as the wallpaper, and the coiled up phone chord hangs between them. Above that, was the phone, which was affixed to the wall. In the distance, behind the chair is the entrance to the family room. There is a plant hanging to the left of it. I forget what kind. Maybe some kind of creeping ivy type plant? And to the left of that a triangular chime for signaling mealtime. It's use was never required, and I think it was just for decoration. The light that's striking the bottle is probably coming through the windows at the far end of that room, which is to the west. I think the salt shaker is still around, and that I've used it recently, but I don't have it here.

The lines on the place mats were different colors.