Hearth and Home

I don't know what it is about the hearth of the home. Even in homes where a fireplace or wood burning stove is absent, we are mysteriously drawn to creating a facsimile of sorts that represent the hearth or heart of our dwellings. And any ledge will do. Someplace central to the home to create a little vignette or make do collection of our treasures that say this is home. Do you know what I mean?

Even when the ledge is in close proximity to the real or imagined hearth of the home there will be some trinket, found object or cherished family heirloom found there.

Like the cherished family momentos I saw at Big Table Farm on my visit to their home on my Wine Country Tour.

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The farmers wife had decorated the family mantle, in an unusual place, overhead on the ledge of molding of an entryway, near the wood burning stove. I loved it!

I stood warmly by the stove gazing upward admiring her vignette of simply crafted whimsical pigs, metal signage and original art as I relished my lovely glass of farm crafted Pinot Noir. I lingered in the moment as I pondered the cherished family objects and the message it spoke about the folks who call this wonderful old farmhouse home.

It confirmed to me the significance of the hearth, the central sacred place of the home that draws every member or visitor to it intuitively. And how it is uniquely interpreted in myriad ways in our individual homes.

Here at Panther Creek Cottage our humble reclaimed brick mantle vignette changes from time to time. We have spent the waning winter's evenings enjoying the warming glow of a single beeswax candle in a simple vintage brass holder, found horse shoe from my ramblings, an iron star and small piece of petrified wood.

It would make no sense a'tall to a stranger but means everything to me.

It says home, our home sweet home.