One of the small wonders of the pandemic–which resulted in us choosing virtual school for our daughters, ages 11 and 7–has been turning our dining room into a schoolroom. Because we were basically using it as storage (it’s a dark, inner room in a 1940s house), this has been a big change.

It opened the doors of my favorite piece of furniture in the house: a 1700s, Shaker-style corner cabinet, crafted and built near the North Carolina – Virginia border. The milk paint, the rubbed spot in the door where 300 years of Americans have placed their hands, the fact it was a gift from my beloved in-laws, make it incredibly special to me.

It’s stuffed full of the things once too fragile to leave in the crash-into vicinity of young kids and a puppy–wedding gifts, crystal, china, and more–so I’ve some curating to do. There are so many good stories in that wood.