Once Upon a Foot Stool

     Some of the most powerful magicians in Maine open shops and unleash their creative energy on Front and Centre Streets in Bath. Caroline Davis, the owner of Stable on Front, lets her imagination loose every day when she sits and paints by her shop’s open door. She also allows other local artisans to showcase their unique, often whimsical work, and the result is a gallery that delights the soul in a Disney kind of way. Last Monday, I discovered a hidden treasure there, a multi-colored foot stool, and my fairy tale week took flight. To clarify, let me go back in time to Sunday, the twenty third of May.

     After attending a bridal shower for my daughter-in-law to be, I drove home to Bath. Upon my arrival, I was surprised by the early delivery of an antique rocker from Ms. Jo Ann Hall, a mighty Bathite with an incredible talent for repairing and reupholstering old furniture. With a wave of her hand, Jo managed to restore our Mema’s old rocker to better than new condition, and now it sits rocking upstairs in our guest room (a.k.a. the Owl Room) like a buoy on the Kennebec. Of course, as soon as I saw Jo’s handiwork, I had to sit down and test its capacity for rocking babies to sleep because next month our first grandchild, Stella, will be visiting Bath. Stella has been invited to her Aunt Katie’s wedding, and I know she will need some lullaby time after dancing in her family’s arms all evening long – as babies love to do - at the reception! As I rocked in that cozy corner of the Owl Room, I couldn’t help but remember my husband’s grandmother, Mema, who toasted us at our wedding almost thirty-seven years ago. She was a smart, graceful woman, and when she was young she sat in this rocker, which was kept in her bedroom, and dreamed impossible dreams. Some of those dreams actually did come true. Now I can hardly wait to sing and read to Stella in her Great Granny’s chair. I plan to read her my all-time, favorite story books: Corduroy and A Pocket for Corduroy. Teddy bears, pockets and children seem to go together like rockers and grandmas and foot stools and grandpas. This June I hope to mix all those magical elements together to make some unforgettable memories. I was lucky to meet Jo Ann Hall in Bath, and I am grateful that she was able to convert Mema’s old rocker into a new dream machine.

           

     Outside of Bath, I’m also grateful for the treasure I found at On Board Fabrics in Edgecomb. As fate and Bath would have it, Jo Hall suggested I drive over the Kennebec River, through Wiscasset, over the Back River and the Sheepscot River, until I reach the fork in the road at Route 1 and Route 27. Jo’s directions to Molly Hutchin’s barn, which serves as her design studio and fabric store, were crystal clear. I followed Route 27 to 660 Boothbay Road and stopped. “You won’t be disappointed,” Jo said, and she was right. As far as I can see, Molly is a fabulous Maine Magician. She collects the most beautiful fabrics and offers them to creative people at fair prices. Thanks to Molly and Jo, I have managed to save three old chairs from the gloomy dumpster, and I feel good about those rescues. I believe Maine, especially Bath, is rich in history because its residents are committed to restoring and preserving old places, and old possessions, and everything that is rescued has a story to tell.

Licensed to marry!

         For my daughter Katie, her fiancé Scott, and I, last Monday was a particularly happy day in May! At Bath's Davenport Memorial City Hall, Katie and Scott met a wise clerk, a powerful wizard, who provided them with all the necessary paperwork to secure a Maine Marriage License, and minutes later, with a little magic, they left City Hall with their license in hand. I was thrilled to be there, and I snapped a picture to capture the moment. The month of May is perfect for filling your pockets with happy thoughts and small treasures. Without warning, on a random day, flowers and trees start blooming and suddenly there are a lot of Mayflowers in The City of Ships, and everyone feels like skipping up Front Street and skipping down Centre Street. Okay, maybe we didn’t skip down to the Stable on Front Street, but it was a great day to be in Bath!

A Pocket Park

     Before we entered Caroline’s gallery, I wanted to introduce Katie and Scott to Bath’s new pocket park, sweetly tucked in between Betty’s Home Cooking and Lisa Marie’s Made in Maine. It takes a Cool Little City to build such a liberating park in such a small space. I sat down on one of the stone benches - I have a natural affinity for pretty places to sit - and I asked Katie to take my picture in one of the smallest parks I have ever seen. It was another historic moment, especially because of the image printed on the banner hanging behind me. Compliments of The Maine Maritime Museum, the banner was a copy of a painting by H.A. Hilling, which depicted Bath’s waterfront circa 1844. On that sunny day, I was reminded of all the pockets that have been filled for over two centuries in The City of Bath because of shipbuilding. From wooden schooners to stealth destroyers, Bath has certainly witnessed a pocketful of miracles!

           

The Stable on Front Street Gallery

     Inside the Stable on Front, we admired the artistry of Caroline Davis, Sally Pollard, Tonia Hennessey, Maddi Omo, and other artisans. Sally, who happens to be a dear friend, creates bowls, platters and ornaments of various shapes and sizes from pieces of old jigsaw puzzles. It’s an amazing way to recycle, reuse, and add beauty to our world! With a paint brush in her hand, Caroline is a master at making a still life seem real. And that brings me back to my foot stool, the one that caught my fancy on Monday and convinced me to return on Tuesday morning! I’m not sure why I had to buy it, but I did. I think that little foot stool, which was made from an old chair with two barley twist legs in front and two straight legs in back, spoke to my imagination. Caroline told me the artist, Tonia, was from West Bath, and she enjoyed using paint and fabric to reinvent old furniture. By cutting off the back of a vintage chair, Tonia created a foot stool with a beautiful upholstered top that could be used as an ottoman or a seat.

Stella takes her daddy to story time

OnTuesday afternoon, I tapped on my smart phone’s icon for shared photos to see if my daughter-in-law had posted any new pictures of my darling granddaughter on the cloud. (I’m shamelessly addicted to checking the cloud for photos of Stella!) My heart skipped when I saw the number “1,”and as soon as I tapped the icon, I realized why I bought the little foot stool. I didn’t buy it by chance; rather, I bought it on purpose. Three months ago when Joe and I first became grandparents, I discovered the magical power of grandchildren. They create a new list of needs. For example, when you have a grandchild, you need a rocking chair and a foot stool. I believe the message of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie is right. Certain actions cause a chain reaction that you can’t stop. I’m going to spend a lot of time holding Stella and rocking her in that old rocking chair, and I’m going to fill all of her pockets with priceless memories. Joe, on the other hand, is going to sit in his favorite chair with his feet up on that charming stool, and he’s going to read If You Give a Moose a Muffin to Stella.

At the end of the story, Joe is going to explain in his best grandpa voice the connection between the book and our life. He is going to tell Stella how once upon a time our family found a house in Maine, and we added a new chapter to our family's history. Grandpa is also going to tell our little star why her grandma bought the foot stool. Truth be told, it reminded me of Little Miss Muffet's tuffet, and how much I love nursery rhymes, like Twinkle, twinkle, little star, and story books!

If you give a moose a muffin,

he'll want some jam to go with it. So you'll bring out some of your mother's homemade blackberry jam. When he's finished eating the muffin, he'll want another. And another. And another.

Laura Joffe Numeroff