December 13, 2010
Ode to the coffee table
The addition of a Christmas tree to our living room decor means that we once again have a coffee table. Previous to the tree’s arrival, our coffee table (which is an old steamer trunk we found five years ago on Shaw Street) had been pushed against the small book shelf, in order to give us some open space, but more importantly to keep small people from hurling the books to the floor. Now the Christmas tree is performing the latter task, and the coffee table has returned to its rightful home. And it’s so useful! For putting pyramids of books on, and feet on, and coffee cups, and beer bottles, and teapots etc. I think I’d always taken coffee tables for granted before, but I will do such a thing no longer.
Question: the tree stops her from throwing books on the floor, but what stops her from throwing bright, shiny ornaments?
P.S. I love the trunk. It’s smiling, a bit like Thomas the Tank Engine or one of his ilk.
The tree is a bit top-heavy, and all the lower ornaments are free for throwing. And thankfully, Harriet can’t see the (quite accessible) bookshelf for the tree.
Also, I never noticed the smile! The eyes are stickers from Cunard Line. (I like to imagine the journeys taken by the trunk before it ended up on Shaw Street).
Question: What stops the little one from hurling books to the ground from off the coffee table?
I don’t know. I think she finds my books pyramids too small to bother with. There is a domino-ish effect to be achieved from the book shelf, however, that she loves more than anything. And makes our trips to the library exhausting and embarrassing.