Our Family's Only Heirloom

So! The handmade, handblown, hand-whatever word it takes to emphasize this item is irreplaceable, cannot be replicated, is "almost" priceless, etc. hobnail glass cream/milk pitcher that is clear/opalescent/pale blue in color and goes back almost to John Alden/Mayflower Ship days (but actually only back to whenever glass became readily available to common peons) was officially "passed on to the eldest daughter" in 2007.

It has traversed its way westward via covered wagon-----or hand carried or on animals' backs or in hot air balloons, maybe even Sputnik. By whatever vehicular mode each generation used to westwardly traverse. I am allegedly the current "eldest daughter" although I am so incredibly young and foxy there must be some mistake! My Stupid Elderly Baby Sister (SEBS) and I drove to our parents' place to fetch the pitcher in sissie's Lexus hardtop convertible, with the top down and our natural red hair flying in the wind whilst wearing large sunglasses and totally passing for not a day over 48.

We pack up the glass pitcher in a towel, put it into a box, and then put the box into an insulated picnic/food carrier the old man foisted off on us. We photo document the "handing down of the pitcher" from dad to Eldest Daughter. My Mom didn't get to be unsenile long enough to do it herself. Then we make the old man toddle outdoors to take a picture of us in the Lexus.




We drive off, make a U-turn to exit the grounds and see.......in the dirt on the side of the road where we had been parked.......the insulated picnic/food carrier containing the priceless heirloom. Where I had put it since it would not fit in the trunk with the hardtop roof retracted.




I am pretty sure I intended to put it inside the car but the car was locked, we apparently were distracted and possibly too excited (gotta cut back on the sugar) about having a picture taken of us in the Lexus convertible, the sun blinded me, whatever. I do know it was Elderly Baby Sister's idea to get the convertible photo taken so the "Heirloom Debacle" must be her fault.

Right now it is full of soapy water and in the microwave for 35 minutes. Think that'll clean it up all nice and shiny? And I noticed some markings on the bottom that look remarkably like "made in china." I plan to lick it. Hope I get a good buzz from it. [You all DO recall last year's China scare where everything from China was fatal if ingested?]

I just hope SEBS's Senility is not contagious and Thank God my mother does not know this happened.