A NEW OBSESSION . . .

The groundhog’s prediction is old news, but Mike and Kathy saw their shadows on Saturday and have crawled back into the town house for another three or four weeks while things dry out at the farm. Meanwhile, the house sits there waiting for us. Ina (my farmhouse persona based on my grandmother) is disappointed.

A couple of weeks ago, you might recall, I came upon a pair of mugs at my P.E.O. chapter’s rummage sale and discovered them to be of Pfaltzgraff’s “Pistoulet” line. The designs of these colorful stoneware dishes are based on the illustrations of a book, The Secrets of Pistoulet, by Jana Kolpen. Pistoulet is an imaginary farmhouse in the south of France, kind of a retreat, I think. I like it better and better the more I know about it.

Well, our own farmhouse has been redecorated, inviting a brighter palette of colors. The apple-themed grocery store dishes have to go, and I’m considering replacing with “Pistoulet.”

Bess naps while I write

When we attempted to reach the farmhouse on Saturday (see previous post), I was carrying along one of the mugs to see how the colors would look in the dining room – you know, instead of just buying a full set of dishes and risking that I might not like them. But alas! I didn’t make it to the house. Mike walked the mug there and now it’s waiting for me.

Oh well. Never mind. I’ve already started inching along toward collecting these dishes. First, I bought the book. Published in 1996, plenty of used copies are available at an affordable price. My copy came the other day – just a simple little story that can be read in an hour but filled with delightful images.

Then I began researching the dishes. I don’t think the line is discontinued, but some pieces have been and are available in good used condition from various sellers. And buying that way is just fine with me. I found a teapot on sale with free shipping. I had to have it! It came today. Isn’t it cute? KW