A Romantic Tale . . .

. . . for Valentine's Day. . .

This pair of Dresden candlesticks always adorned either end of the mantelpiece in my parents' living room and when I was very little, I asked who the man and the lady were. 

"Why," said my mother, "that's your grandparents when they were young. Your grandfather Frank has gone out hunting and Memaw is looking to see if he'll be back soon.

Would my mother lie to me? Surely not . . .  so I believed this story, in spite of the fact that these romantic figures looked nothing like my grandparents -- well, except for the gray hair.

And in spite of the fact that they are completely out of place in our rather rustic mountain home, the Dresden pair adorn the shelves of my secretary -- along with other frilly bits and pieces of my past. After all, how could I let go of my grandparents?

Happy St. Valentine's Day!