Here we are, already in March.  Hardly seems like we've had much winter at all.  We've been very fortunate to have been left out of most of the big storms this winter.  That may not hold true for March, however, but at least we're now really on the other side of winter and no matter what is thrown at us we know within five or six weeks things will be warming up and we'll be looking at blue water instead of ice and snow.

I've been busy all day with a project that began a few weeks ago when I decided to act upon an idea that had been in the back of my mind for a while.  When we came to live here at the house my parents built, we found stored over the garage the crib my father had built for me when I was a baby.  When I started a family, I took the crib and it survived three very active boys - being in pretty regular service for probably about 10 years.  It had some dings, and I'd had to have my dad modify it so my first, Bill, couldn't climb out of it  (apparently I was a less active baby than any of my three sons).  So Dad lowered the bottom, adding more slats to match to upper part .  It was then adjustable; when the babes were infants, we put the platform for the mattress at the upper level, and when they got big enough to stand and climb, it was lowered.  It was a plain wooden crib painted white with natural wood slats and I imagine a solid cotton mattress of some sort originally, but I remember my folks had a mattress custom-made for it when they gave it to me to use for my children - it was slightly smaller than commercial cribs.  My father had built it using his imagination of how it should look and function for a child.  He built a chifferobe to go with it, painted white with decals and with little wooden hangers painted in rainbow colors.  I still have that, too - next to the sewing machine table he built for my old Singer sewing machine that still works perfectly.


When my kids were too big for the crib, my parents took it back to their house and from time to time lent it to neighbors or used it if someone with a child visited.  Nobody in the family wanted it, so it sat, covered with heavy plastic, above the garage.  At some point, my father had removed the white paint - probably fearing it had lead in it - and it looked pretty sad.

One day last fall I got out my sketch pad and drew a sketch of the crib.  I took careful measurements and made more sketches until I knew my idea was going to work.  Bill Jones, a carpenter who lives over on Route 15, came just before the holidays to do some small job for us and I asked him to take a look at it.  He looked at my plans and said he thought it would work.  After the holidays I had him come and get the crib and within a week I had it back, ready for  finishing touches.  Bill had done the cutting and reinforcing and made two storage compartments under the seat.  I added some trim and then sanded, stained and put finish on it.  Some foam from Dane's Upholstery and some time at my sewing machine today and now I have a settee in my kitchen.  I still need pillows for the back - the ones in the picture were made by my mom, so I'll probably keep them, but will add more.  I'm very glad to have the sturdy little crib that has endured so many babies, modifications, and years of service, back in service, ready for a new life.