Becky Says...

September 2002

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September 28

Often, when I'm sitting on my bed using a laptop computer, the computer is actually not in my lap but on my grandmother's bread board.

I'm not sure how it is that Mother inherited the bread board; my aunt was the one of the twins who preferred cooking, so I would have thought she would get it. Perhaps, though, she ultimately didn't want to deal with the board. It's a little cumbersome for a relatively modern kitchen.

In case you don't have any idea what a bread board is (and I'm not sure I'd know, except for having one), a bread board is a slab of wood on which one kneaded bread, and perhaps rolled out dough. This one was obviously well used; you can see the changes in color where the dough most often was placed.

I've never used it for its intended purpose. As long as I've had it, I've used it as a tabletop for my bed. It's too big and too heavy to be a lap desk, but it is a grand size for holding the computer and perhaps something off to the side of the keyboard, if I'm working with a text document.

This entry in draft form is shown on the screen.  It gets a little funny if I'm   using the computer with   the broken hinges for the   display, because for that   one I have to prop the   display up to keep it   visible. With the bread   board as a base, the   propping is done by a   couple of spare pillows. To   change the display's angle,   I merely adjust where the pillows rest. (Note to the concerned: yes, I'm careful not to block the computer fan with a pillow.)

I don't think my mother used the board for dough, either. I remember its place in the kitchen at home, underneath a bread bowl (also wooden) bought from a local antiques dealer when I was a little girl. They sat in a place of honor in a corner of the kitchen counter, and rather quickly became a catch-all for small necessities---extra napkins, packets of stuff, etc. No matter, I knew the board was a cherished posession, and that the bowl was bought to honor a time gone by.

Although it isn't used as its makers intended these days, it is much appreciated, and its history is part of why that's the case.

Text and photograph � copyright 2000-2002 Becky