In my study the desk on which this computer sets is an old oak library table. It has history that makes it valuable to me. It originally sat in the one-room schoolhouse that my wife attended, grades 1-8. There is even an initial carved into its top that she says may or may not have been hers. We came into possession of it through her parents. When that particular school closed they purchased the building and the contents. It sat just across the road from their home place and its stout construction made it useful as a storage shed for grain and other things. This piece of furniture came to town with her parents when they moved from the farm. Mary acquired it and spent a good deal of effort in refinishing it a couple of years ago. After all that, I claimed it as the perfect desk for myself.
We have paired the desk with an oak chair that came out of a bank building. It, too, has been refinished and will serve good purpose for many years to come.
One other old item of furniture sets here: a portable cavalry blacksmith's bench. Dad bought it at an auction sale many years ago, probably very cheaply, and I always said to the folks that I would like to have it someday. They gave it to me when they moved into their apartment, and I use it as a conversation piece end table.
The point of all this is that I like some old things around me to remind me of good craftsmanship. Walk into a furniture store and try to locate pieces that will be worthy of refinishing a century from now. Old time craftsmen knew how to build things that last. I, for one, appreciate their work.
