meant to be

Handmade of hand woven paper covered wire,bits of gilt edged paper frills and Dresden decoration in shapes of fruit & -be still my farm girl heart-wheat sheaves, this dear little 1820's school girl basket has "come around the horn" on it's way to me...I first saw it on eBay last summer and was smitten! At the very end of the bidding we lost power as we were in the midst of a huge thunder,lightening and rain storm...my computer screen went black and truth be told...I was heartbroken. The dream of owning such a beautiful little part of history was lost forever....or so I thought. I emailed the winner the next morning asking if they might be so kind as to remember me should they ever tire of the basket. I never heard a word back, nor did I really expect or hope to. It was just a lovely thought, a pretty picture in my mind's eye. Then early last week, out the blue, I had an email from the basket owner, telling me that she had saved my email to her & was now ready to sell the basket! She asked if I might still be interested in it...oh my! I can't tell you how how my heart jumped! oh yes! I said...yes! So after a phone call and the arrangements made, my heart's desire arrived...and here it is ...even more precious in person than the photo's had lent. It was handmade in Providence,Rhode Island in the early 1820's by an accomplished young lady taught in a school run by Mr. & Mrs. Seaman. Mr & Mrs. Seaman's School for Young Ladies, to be exact. My grandmother's cousin's family were named Seaman and came from that area in the mid 1800's to Oregon... and so there is nothing more to say, I'll let the photo tell you what it speaks to me... it surely was meant to be.